Qatar Museums announces plans for Qatar Auto Museum, and opens automotive exhibition at National Museum of Qatar

Qatar Museums announced plans for the Qatar Auto Museum in Doha designed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), led by Pritzker Architecture Prize winning architect Rem Koolhaas. An exhibition introducing the project, A Sneak Peek at Qatar Auto Museum Project, opened at the National Museum of Qatar.

The exhibition explored the significance of automotive design in the 20^th century and the impact of automobiles on culture, previewing the content of the new museum. The exhibition, presented both inside and outside the museum, included three iconic cars from Qatar Museums’ collection and approximately 20 unique cars on loan from members of the Qatar Auto Museum advisory board and Qatar’s community of automobile enthusiasts.
The Qatar Auto Museum will be located along the Lusail Express Way between the 5/6 Park and Katara Cultural Village, in the former exhibition center building that hosted the first Qatar Motor Show in 2011. Qatar Museums is working with OMA on designs to transform the building.
Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, said, “From sporting events like Formula 1 races to classic car shows, car culture has an expansive presence in Qatar. The exhibition showcases our culture while introducing an exciting new institution dedicated to providing an inspiring educational and technological experience for all. Qatar Auto Museum will serve as an innovative community hub for auto enthusiasts, students, collectors, engineers, and all who appreciate the impact on our world of the emergence and evolution of the automobile.”
Her Excellency Dr. Hessa Al Jaber, Qatar Auto Museum President, said, “In modern history, very few inventions have impacted everyday life and the broader culture as powerfully and pervasively as the automobile. The Qatar Auto Museum will be a showplace for our unsurpassed collection and like all Qatar Museums institutions will spark innovation, creativity, dialogue, and community, as a destination that will offer new and exciting experiences on each visit.
The Qatar Auto Museum advances Qatar Museums’ legacy of work surrounding car culture, which includes assembling a world-class collection of automobiles, hosting several auto-themed exhibitions, and dedicating a gallery at the National Museum to vintage cars with the support of the Sealine Sports Club (Mawater). A Sneak Peek at Qatar Auto Museum Project introduces the concept design for a new museum that will bring Qatar’s expanding car community under one roof.
The 30,000-square-meter (320,000-square-foot) museum will include permanent galleries that track the evolution of the automobile from its invention through today and how it has influenced culture in Qatar, and temporary exhibition spaces for the display of high-profile vehicles — from supercars and limited editions to racecars and classic cars. Additional facilities will include an Edutainment Center and Workshop Spaces, as well as areas dedicated to children’s activities such as driving simulators, mini car mechanics, kids driving areas, and more.
Advisory board members for the Qatar Auto Museum include: H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, H.E. Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, H.E. Mr. Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud, H.E. Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Mr. Omar Al Fardan, Mr. Salem Al Mohannadi, Sheikh Mohammad bin Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Sheikh Faleh bin Nawaf bin Nasser Al Thani, Mr. Hisham Al Mana, Mr. Mohamed Al Jaidah, Mr. Saud Al Mana, Mr. Mohammed Mahdi Al-Ahbabi, Dr. Khalid Kamal Naji, Dr. Adnan Abu-Dayya, and Professor César Malavé.
The exhibition is made possible by generous support from Qatar Investment Authority, Sealine Sports Club (Mawater), and Qatar Auto Museum advisory board members.