Dubai: A Pakistani expat who covered a car completely with UAE coins four years ago for the 40th National Day is struggling to find a permanent home for the car.
Tareq Javaid said the car — a 1998 Chevrolet Camaro covered with around 33,000 coins worth about Dh21,000 — deserves to be on permanent public display.
He added that he has so far been unable to find a museum, mall, art gallery or hotel that will home the car, called Pride of the Emirates.
The coupe is currently parked in a car showroom on Shaikh Zayed Road, where the 63-year-old works as an automobile purchase manager.
Javaid said the coins need to be polished regularly, while he has to spend thousands of dirhams on car maintenance every now and then.
“I’m not looking for financial gain; I just want someone responsible to take the car so it can get the care and attention it deserves. The car is a real crowd-puller and it will be an asset for them,” Javaid said.
“So far the concerns have been about not having space for it, or insurance issues, or whether is goes with the theme of the place. As a work of art that is dedicated to the UAE, I believe it should be accepted wholeheartedly.”
Javaid said he painstakingly glued every coin to the car, taking about a year and four months to finish the task. “Every coin was new at the time and the selection includes rare one, five and 10 fils coins,” he added.
