Thousands of Saudi car enthusiasts are flocking to the 3rd Custom Car Festival in Dhahran organized by the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Program for Youth Development. The four-day exhibition, which is open to the public from 4 P.M. to 10 P.M. with Thursday being reserved for families, was inaugurated by Prince Jalawi Bin Abdul Aziz Bin Mosa'ad, Deputy Emir of the Eastern Province, on Tuesday. Custom cars are passenger vehicles that have been modified to improve their performance or restyled to make the cars look unique and unlike any other car that has been factory finished. Competitions are held in which customizers exhibit their cars and vie for the best car in the show award. The Dhahran Custom Car Festival is attracting youths from all over the Eastern Province who are interested in car and motorbike restyling, especially of sports models. More than 300 different model cars and 100 bikes are vying for the title of best car and best bike. The organizers of the exhibition expect more than 150,000 visitors from various parts of the Kingdom as well as nearby Gulf countries to attend the festival before it closes on Friday. Saleh M. Al-Shamarani, youth development director and president of the Cars and Bikes Club, told Saudi Gazette that this is the 3rd time the festival has been held as part of the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Youth Development Program, which “really shows the interest of the youths of Saudi Arabia in cars and bikes”. “We have provided a special area for very valuable cars with one car estimated to be worth more than SR1.2 million,” he said. Saudi youths are proud of their improvised racing cars which have caught the attention of visitors to the Eastern Province, who sometimes seek technical advice from the young men on modifying car engines. “We have always been open to everyone, especially expatriates who need our help,” said Hamad, who is exhibiting his car in the festival. He explained that the modified race cars on display are “street legal,” meaning that they are within the traffic rules and standards, although the vehicles are only used for competitions and not for daily driving.
