Vintage Mercedes wows Jeddah residents

Believe it or not, a rare 1929 classic Mercedes Benz convertible is doing the rounds of Jeddah streets.
It has been around with its current owner for more than 10 years. Manufactured about 84 years ago, it is the oldest car still in existence not only in Jeddah, but also in Saudi Arabia. The owner, Mansoor Al-Qahtani, who works for a private company in Jeddah, says that since his early years, he has been very fond of owning old and rare cars, especially the classic ones.
How did he get to own this car? A close friend of his was studying in Florida, and while out on the streets, he happened to see the car. He took a picture of the car and sent it to Al-Qahtani by e-mail.
“I fell in love with the piece right away. I decided to buy it, and asked my friend to buy it for me, which he did. He completed the necessary formalities in the US and shipped it to Jeddah,” he said.
“In Jeddah, there was much hassle with regard to the car. There was so much of red tape. Some customs officials were hesitant to clear the vehicle saying it was very old. But in the end I was able to complete the clearance formalities and I got it out of the port,” he said.
What are the specifications? Al-Qahtani said it has manual transmission, and can accommodate two passengers only.
“The front part is more like a bag, and its seats are covered with genuine leather. It has a small fuel tank that I can fill up for only SR6. It’s not a heavy duty car.
It can do up to 60 km per hour. It is sluggish and the steering wheel is not as easy to move left or right as modern cars. It cannot be used for long distance driving,” he said.
“When I drive it in the streets, which happens for an hour or two every week, many people stop me, especially teenagers, and ask to be photographed while sitting in it. A Jeddah businessman wanted to buy it and offered me a sale price of SR300,000, but I declined. Another person offered to exchange it with his brand new Mercedes Benz, and I declined again.
This is a unique car in Saudi Arabia, and I do not want to part with it,” he said.