An unusual round of golf in the Gulf
The inaugural Royal Bahrain Concours, held on 7-8 November 2025 at the Royal Bahrain Golf Club in Riffa Views, south of Manama in the Kingdom of Bahrain, had all the glamour you’d expect of an event organised by the team behind the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, with the enthusiastic backing of the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain.
But there were also a few departures from the traditional concours event, reflecting the tastes of car collectors in this part of the world.
Primarily that meant a remarkable number of limited-run hypercars, but also a healthy turnout of rare and interesting off-road vehicles highlighted by their own special Feature Class.
Here are some of our favourites…
Range Rover L322 six-wheeler
There is a long tradition of six-wheeled Range Rover conversions stretching back to the early Mk1s, and this fascinating L322 fourth-generation Rangie followed in their multiple wheeltracks with a style reminiscent of the hunting cars by the likes of Friedrich Rometsch, FLM Panelcraft and Grand Prix Metalcraft.
Originally built for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the arresting open-top Range Rover was brought along by new owner Sheikh Ahmed Al Khalifa.
Range Rover L322 six-wheeler (cont.)
The standard L322 Range Rover is hardly lacking in luxury, but this one has every conceivable extra including five opulent two-tone leather chairs, a bespoke sound system, nautical-style chromed boarding ladders, footrests and, most unusually, a front passenger seat that can be raised and lowered with a standing platform and grabhandle for a better vantage point.
Even the driver gets something special to enjoy, because this was one of two six-wheeler L322s built with BMW 750i V12 power to ensure its majestic progress.
Ford V8 woodie
Acquired in the USA two years ago, Haidar Al Roomi’s Ford woodie isn’t quite what it seems.
Although at first glance it looks like an authentic 1939 V8, complete with evocative ‘Mormon-Herringbone All Wheel Drive’ badges, it is in fact a restomod replica.
Under the flip-forward glassfibre front clip lies not a Ford motor but a Chevy 350cu in V8, while the automatic ’box and power-assisted steering make it easier to manhandle around Haidar’s home in Kuwait.
Suzuki LJ80 Jimny
The success of Suzuki’s cute, retro-styled fourth-generation Jimny has led to a revival of interest in its predecessors, and the LJ-series represents the first of the line.
Hassan Al Balooshi's 1978 example of the 797cc, 40bhp workhorse must be one of the best following a detailed restoration that has preserved the tiny 4x4’s originality, with unusually good paintwork.
Suzuki JB74 Jimny
From one of the first Jimnys to one of the last. The fourth-generation Jimny was launched in 2018 and arrived in Gulf Cooperation Council markets in February 2021, with retro styling that harked back to the original LJ and SJ series.
This example makes the most of the model’s famed mountain-goat agility and traditional body-on-frame construction with a monster lift kit and blazing LED lights – just the thing for a spot of dune-bashing.
Lamborghini LM002
Towering above the rakish sports cars that made up its competition in the European Classics class of the main concours, Saudi Arabian entrant Adel Rajab’s 1988 Lamborghini LM002 was an event favourite.
Developed into a civilian machine from a stalled military project, the LM002 features a front-mounted, 5.2-litre V12 from the Countach quattrovalvole mated to a five-speed manual transmission and full-time four-wheel drive.
Lamborghini LM002 (cont.)
With just 301 cars produced from 1986-’93, any Lamborghini LM002 is a rare machine, but Adel Rajab’s two-seater pick-up is something particularly special, being one of only a handful of special versions by Turin coachbuilder Salvatore Diomante.
Diomante also produced a one-off LM002 estate model with a raised roof for famed car collector the Sultan of Brunei.
Range Rover Mk1
You can’t go to a classic car event these days without seeing a lovely example of the original Range Rover, and the Royal Bahrain Concours was no exception.
This handsomely renovated, Lincoln Green two-door, visiting from Saudi Arabia, had a particularly nicely restored interior in the original-style cloth.
Kingsley Range Rovers
Sticking to the theme of early Range Rovers, UK-based model specialist Kingsley brought two cars over to tempt the keen off-roading enthusiasts in this market.
Alongside a KSR five-door restomod was a standard-looking two-door Classic packing a Chevrolet LS3 V8 engine under its clamshell bonnet.
Land Rover Defender 90
Outwardly very standard, this extremely tidy Land Rover Defender 90 pick-up featured a tastefully uprated interior adding a bit of luxury to its utilitarian exterior.
Unlike at a British event, where you can’t move for the Solihull legend, this was the only Landie on show in Bahrain.
Dodge Power Wagon
Developed from the iconic Dodge military vehicle, the Power Wagon was a civilianised version of the four-wheel-drive truck.
Capt Talal Bin Mansi has owned this 1967 example for 10 years, and the classic car specialist brought it over from his showroom in Jeddah for the Royal Bahrain Concours.
Dodge Power Wagon (cont.)
Powered by a 212cu in V8 and looking very standard, the Dodge’s rough-tough looks were offset by an interior featuring air conditioning and a discreet modern sat-nav system.
Owner Talal demonstrated the rugged truck’s versatility by raising the rear tipper bed halfway through the show.
Meyers Manx LFG
Looking right at home embedded in one of the bunkers leading up to the Royal Bahrain Golf Club’s 18th green was the Meyers Manx LFG reimagined beach buggy.
Launched at Quail Lodge during Monterey Week earlier this year, the carbonfibre-bodied LFG – which stands for ‘Let’s F*****g Go!’ – features a 3-litre flat-six in prototype form, but for production will have a 3.6- or 4-litre version of the engine, built by Porsche specialist Tuthill.
Just 100 examples will be built.
Dodge Ramcharger
A real favourite among visitors, this 1978 full-sized American 4x4 had been superbly restored and was enjoying the undulating driving range at the Royal Bahrain Golf Club.
The big-bore tailpipes make the most of its V8 roar, and there were further tweaks to the immaculate interior including an uprated sound system and a rollcage.
Audi Sport quattro & Porsche 911 Dakar
Not quite your traditional off-road vehicles, but both with four-wheel drive and hugely capable in the rough, this 1980s Audi Sport quattro S1 rally replica and Porsche 911 Dakar looked like spiritual relations.
The Audi quattro pioneered the idea of a rugged 4x4 sports coupé, and the concept has been reinvented and reimagined by the spate of off-road supercars such as the Dakar and Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato.
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