Classic Cars for Sale in the UAE

Dubai and Abu Dhabi's collector scene

Emirati collectors have been documented with anywhere from 15 to more than 60 cars in a single collection, one dating back to 1937, alongside expatriate buyers who often spend upward of AED 200,000 to 250,000 on a first classic. Bonhams has run Dubai sales since 2010 and added an Abu Dhabi sale at Yas Marina Circuit during the 2023 F1 weekend, and Collecting Cars opened a Dubai office in December 2024 after already placing 107 Middle East vehicles at prices up to $387,000.

Independent showrooms add to that picture without being part of it. Tomini Classics in Dubai holds more than 100 post-war sportscars, and Nostalgia Classic Cars in Al Quoz runs a 10,000 sq ft showroom and a 25,000 sq ft restoration workshop across 25-plus brands, with Ferrari Testarossa and 512TR stock typical of what turns up on both floors. We name them as evidence of a deep local market, not as partners: our own stock and our own clients sit outside any showroom floor, which is the point of working with us.

What collectors here hunt

Five profiles account for most of the serious inbound interest we see out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi right now.

Why a private sale beats the auction block here

Auction houses are active in the UAE. Bonhams has sold in Dubai since 2010 and added the Abu Dhabi sale at Yas Marina Circuit in 2023, and Collecting Cars opened a Dubai desk in December 2024. All of that is public by design: a hammer price becomes searchable history the moment the gavel falls, and the buyer pays a premium on top of it. For a well-known car, or a seller who would rather not have their name and asking price sitting in a public archive, a private treaty sale usually serves better.

We work both sides of that trade. On a purchase, we search off-market inventory, including cars held by owners who have not decided to sell yet, and negotiate directly rather than bidding against a room. On a sale, nothing goes on a public listing site or into a catalogue. Air-cooled 911s are the one line every Gulf-based buyer asks about first, with dealers and collectors alike citing 5 to 8 percent annual appreciation on good examples, so pricing one correctly before anyone sees it matters more than usual.

• Matching numbers checked on engine, gearbox and chassis, where the model carries them
• Existing service history gathered and actually read, not just filed
• A plain, written condition report before any buyer sees the car
• No public listing, no catalogue entry, no auction result for anyone to screenshot

Registering and importing a classic in the UAE

The RTA's own rule is that a car becomes eligible for 'Classic' registration, a distinct yellow-and-white plate introduced in November 2020, once it passes 30 years old and clears a technical test covering brakes, lights, tyres and structural integrity. That 30-year threshold is an exemption from the age-based ban on ordinary used-car imports, commonly cited around 10 years, not a tax discount: duty still runs at roughly 5 percent of CIF value under the GCC Common External Tariff, and 5 percent VAT applies on top of the duty-inclusive value, for a combined effective load close to 10.25 percent on a standard import.

Left-hand drive is required for normal registration. Right-hand-drive cars, such as a Japan-market Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34), are generally barred outside the classic pathway, and sources disagree on whether that RHD exception tracks the same 30-year line or allows a 25-year case-by-case reading, so we treat 30 years as the safe default until the RTA confirms otherwise for a specific car. A Vehicle Classification Certificate and an approximate AED 350 fee are mentioned consistently across import blogs but are not confirmed against an official RTA fee schedule. Jebel Ali Port handles the bulk of Gulf vehicle-import traffic, and enclosed container shipping is standard for anything in this price range, since RoRo needs a running car and exposes it to weather and handling. Our container versus RoRo guide and our full UAE import walkthrough cover the paperwork step by step. Confirm the current VCC fee and any RHD exception with the RTA or a licensed import broker before you commit to shipping a specific car.

Selling a classic car privately in the UAE

If you are the one selling, the process runs in reverse. We start with a quiet valuation based on comparable private and auction sales, not a number pulled from a classified ad. Your car is never posted publicly: we match it directly against buyers we already know are qualified, meaning verified funds and a genuine, specific interest in that model, before we ever arrange a viewing. For the fuller process, from valuation through to funds clearing, see our guide to selling a classic car privately. Buying or selling, Dubai and Abu Dhabi's collector scene is small enough that discretion matters more than reach.