While driving through Kuwait City in 2004, I got to witness a street race taking place on the highway between, of all of the vehicles available, a late ’80s IROC Camaro, a similar vintage 5.0 Mustang, and a Dodge Daytona (the FWD kind) with a blower through the hood. I was driving a 2000 Chevrolet Caprice that by comparison, was pretty weak, even with over 300hp under the hood and a six-speed. The officer I was driving made sure I knew that I’d lose a pay grade if I so much as downshifted, so begrudgingly I kept up our steady pace, but it always made me wonder what kind of gems were lurking out in the desert. In Kuwait and Iraq the amount of American cars around was quite surprising, with plenty of Grand Marquis, Caprices of both Chevrolet and Holden origins, G-body Malibu sedans, and trucks of every make seen.
When /drive sent Mike Musto to the UAE, we’re sure he had the same thought process in mind. Most people think “exotic cars” when Dubai is mentioned, and sure, they are there in droves. But when a man named Khalid gave Mike the keys to his 1968 Mustang and told him to go have some fun, that’s where things get good. Ignore the license plate and the occasional camel and Mike could be driving in Imperial County, California past the Glamis dunes. And you’d be forgiven for thinking that when a pre-runner Ford goes blasting by him at highway speeds on the sandy shoulder of the highway. It’s half a world away, but why does it seem so natural and normal? Aside from the camels crossing the road, of course.
In 1995 while on my second deployment my ship pulled into Bahrain, and outside the naval base I spotted a 1970 Chevelle SS inside a nearby garage.
The things you see while on deployment in the Middle East!