The greatest car collection you’ve never heard of

In October the first Qatar-based Geneva International Motor Show will take place in the Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre, and if you're aiming to go, we'd suggest that you take the time to visit the private museum of Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani.

Sheikh Faisal is chairman of one of the country’s largest conglomerate, and his car collection is huge and wide-ranging, and just one part of it is devoted to the vehicles that he has collected over many years. Currently on show are 300 cars, trucks and motorcycles, but another 1000 or so vehicles are hidden away. Within the next couple of years a new museum will open, with all 1200+ exhibits on show, but for now here's a taster of what you can expect to see.

Walk through the museum entrance and you're greeted by an array of fifties and sixties Americana, including this magnificent Chrysler 300J. Of the various 'letter-series' 300s that were produced between 1955 and 1965, this 1963 example is the rarest of the lot, with just 400 or so made.

The American cars in the lobby are just a taster of what's to come. The huge room that's devoted to the car collection features dozens and dozens of ramps across the back wall, which allow the cars to be displayed double-decker style as far as the eye can see.

As you enter the main part of the museum, pride of place is given to this gorgeous Mercedes 190SL. It's the smaller sibling to the 300SL, produced between 1954 and 1963, when the 'Pagoda' SL took over.

Nasser Al-Attiyah is something of a national hero in Qatar, thanks to his impressive record in motor sport as well as shooting. Having won the Dakar Rally no fewer than five times, he's also a 16-time Middle East Rally Champion. This is his 1998 Mitsubishi Evo V, fresh off the rally stage.

The oldest vehicle in the collection is this Mercury truck, which dates from 1895. All of the vehicles in the collection are claimed to be on the button, ready to drive, but we suspect that Sheikh Faisal doesn't clock up many miles each year in this one, with its claimed (and undoubtedly optimistic) 30mph top speed.

The oldest car in the collection is this 1900 Benz Ideal, which incredibly was made just a decade and a half after the first Benz. With a single-cylinder engine the Benz's v-max was just 8mph, but as compensation for this it did come with a built-in umbrella, stored on the rear mudguard (on the other side in this picture).

Founded in 1852 as a coachbuilder, Studebaker ended car-making in 1967. But in its day the company was a pioneer, with this electric city car built as long ago as 1908. It was claimed to have a range of over 100 miles with its dozen six-volt batteries; that's presumably without the heated seats or infotainment system switched on.

Most cars are grouped by brand and/or era, but near the entrance is a hotch-potch of modern high-performance cars including this Nissan Skyline GT-R, behind which is an example of the original Hummer, the H1.

Since the arrival of the Urus in 2018, its '80s predecessor the LM-002 has become seriously hot property. With just 328 made there aren't enough to go round, but Sheikh Faisal owns this one, complete with Countach-derived 5.7-litre V12 in the nose.

Mercedes-Benzes are highly prized in the Middle East, so there are quite a few in Sheikh Faisal's collection. The 280SL in the foreground is relatively common, but the 220S cabriolet in the middle is far rarer. Furthest from the camera is a W111 cabriolet, which came with various four- and six-cylinder engines.

This 600 is one of two in the museum. Produced between 1963 and 1981, just 2677 Mercedes 600s were built and when launched they were the most technically advanced saloon in the world with self-levelling air suspension, power steering and a fuel-injected 6.3-litre V8 engine.

Sticking with the three-pointed star, here's something we've not come across before: a Mercedes S500 (W140) seemingly crossed with a G-Wagen. This jacked-up limousine is the work of New Jersey-based EMC, which specialises in G-Wagens.

From the sublime to the ridiculous (or is it the other way round?), this Fiat Multipla is one of the later models with the 767cc engine. But it's not from 1969 as the panel states; production ended in 1966. A couple of cars down is one of the original Fiat 600-based Multiplas, with a 633cc engine.

There's a big focus on American cars in the museum, and one of the most magnificent is this early Ford Thunderbird. Having been launched in 1955, the spare wheel was moved to the outside of the car in 1956 to free up boot space, then back inside the boot for 1957. As such, this 1956 example is the rarest of all first-generation T-birds.

Sheikh Faisal clearly has a love of Ford Model Ts, because there's a line of almost two dozen of them in the collection, encompassing everything from cars and delivery trucks to a wrecker. Most of them are in used – rather than pristine – condition.

In June 2017, Qatar found itself cast adrift from its fellow Middle Eastern nations in a diplomatic row which wasn't resolved until early 2021. In 2017, the museum invited visitors to write messages of hope on this 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible; even the whitewall tyres are covered.

If Qatar had a national vehicle it would have to be the Toyota Land Cruiser; the country's streets are full of them. That's reflected in the museum which houses several examples, including this pair of seventh-generation (J80) models, produced in the early 1990s.

The oldest Land Cruiser on display is this fourth-generation car, codenamed J50 by Toyota. Produced between 1967 and 1980, power was courtesy of a straight-six petrol engine, initially a 3.9-litre unit, then from 1975 a 4.2-litre powerplant was fitted.

There aren't a lot of British cars in the museum, but there are several Land Rover products including this pair of Range Rovers. In the background is an early two-door model, while in the foreground is one of the later four-door cars. Both are claimed to be from 1969, even though the three-door Range Rover didn't appear until 1970; the five-door followed in 1981.

No, it's not a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, although there is one of those on display also. This is the much more unusual Bentley T2 which was on sale between 1977 and 1980. Just 558 T2s were made compared with 8425 Silver Shadow IIs, which was the Rolls-Royce sibling.

At the more affordable end of the classic car spectrum is this charming Morris Minor convertible. Launched in 1948, until 1956 the Minor featured a split-windscreen; other than that, this car could date from anywhere between 1956 and 1969, when the final Tourers were made.

Some of the exhibits are not in pristine original condition, but this Beetle is one of the few custom cars on show. It looks superbly done and the central driving position should make it a hoot to drive.

There's no denying that the Sheikh's tastes are incredibly varied, and in one corner of the museum is this collection of American trucks. Oldest of the lot is the Dodge Power Wagon in the foreground. It's one of the last of the WC Series made, production of which ran from 1940 until 1945.

In 1947 Chevrolet introduced a new pick-up truck called the Advance-Design Series, and eight years later it evolved into the Task Force. Production of the Task Force ran until 1959 and throughout production there was a choice of straight-six or V8 engines. This is one of the last Cameos made; it's a 1959 example with the 283ci (4.6-litre) V8.

There are quite a few pick-up trucks in the collection, including models from Ford, GM and Dodge. This Dodge C100 was made in 1957 and featured a 315ci (5.2-litre) V8 mated to a three-speed Powerflite automatic transmission. C-Series production ran from 1954 until 1960.

The Jeepster was made for just three seasons (1948 until 1950) and we think that this one is from the first year of production. Around 20,000 Jeepsters were made, all with a 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine, with the car aimed at people who wanted something more usable than the wartime Jeep. As such the Jeepster had power going to the rear wheels only.

With American cars featuring so heavily, it's inevitable that there are a few muscle cars in the collection. This early Camaro SS396 convertible is arguably the most glorious of the lot with its 6.5-litre V8, rated at a rather fruity 375bhp.

The original Plymouth Road Runner was launched in 1968, but just three years later a second-generation model hit showrooms. This remained in production for just two seasons, and this car is one of the 1972 editions, powered by a 400ci (6.6-litre) V8. Sounds hot, but it was rated at just 255bhp.

You can't have a muscle car collection that doesn't include the first of the breed: the original Pontiac GTO. The GTO wasn't a model in its own right at first though; it was an option package on the Pontiac Le Mans, which brought an uprated (325-360bhp) 389ci (6.4-litre) V8. In the foreground is an original GTO; behind it is one of the first second-generation cars, from 1969.

From its introduction in 1964, the Chevelle was a big success for Chevrolet. Aimed at buyers on a budget, it was still possible to spend extra cash on performance options, such as the SS. This Chevelle SS is one of the last of the second-generation Chevelles, produced between 1969 and 1972. In the nose is a 402ci (6.6-litre) V8 rated at a whopping 260bhp…

When it arrived in 1964 the Ford Mustang soon became the fastest-selling car in history, thanks in part to the wide model range and huge choice of options. These two Mustangs were both made in 1965 and while they're not the very earliest of the breed, they're early enough to have the purest design of all the Mustangs.

We can't be certain which model of Renault this is, but we do know that it dates from around 1920; that round bonnet badge had changed to a diamond-shaped one by the mid-1920s. At that time Renault offered several models which looked very similar and they all featured large-capacity low-revving engines. These included a 4.5-litre four-pot along with a 7.5-litre (later 9.1-litre) straight-six.

The sign inside the car says 'Mini Jeep 1964' but this is actually a Mini Moke from much later than that. The integral roll cage and nudge bars mark this out as one of the later Portuguese-built Mokes, produced at some point in the 1980s.

Another no-frills classic British car that's also powered by an A-series engine, the Austin Healey 'Frogeye' Sprite arrived in 1958 and created a template for affordable fun. Production lasted for just three years before those cute bug-eyed looks disappeared; this car sits on period Minilite lookalike alloys.

Sticking with post-war British classics, this started out as a Land Rover Series 1, but the bodyshell appears to have been put on a Range Rover chassis, or similar. As a result the grille has been moved forward to clear the engine, which is presumably a 3.5-litre V8 in place of the original four-cylinder unit.

In 1948, Packard buyers could choose between Standard Eight, Deluxe Eight and this, the range-topping Super Eight. There was also a choice of saloon, estate, coupé or convertible bodystyles, so this Super Eight convertible really was the best of the best, complete with 327ci (5.4-litre) straight-eight engine.

As with the Packard Super Eight, this 1940 Buick Series 40 sport phaeton has a straight-eight engine in the nose. Displacing 248 cubic inches (4062cc) but rated at just 100bhp, just 597 of these cars were built, each one priced at $1355, so they were out of reach for most people.

With Bentley already making a MkVI, when Jaguar replaced its MkV in 1950, its successor was the MkVII. Powered by a 160bhp 3442cc version of Jaguar's legendary XK straight-six engine which could take the car all the way to 100mph, by the time production ended in 1956, almost 21,000 had been made.

We've already seen a Chevrolet Cameo in the collection, and this is the GMC equivalent, the Blue Chip, so called because it was a guaranteed money maker for General Motors. The full-sized pick-up dates from the late fifties; next to it is a fully working scale replica that the Sheikh commissioned in the 1970s, for his young son to learn to drive in.

What better way to have some fun than to go dune bashing in a pair of classic Chevrolet monster trucks? Originally the Chevrolet 3100 in the foreground would have been fitted with a 3.5-litre straight-six engine, but who knows what's now under the bonnet?

At the other end of the spectrum from the monster trucks is this; a consummate British-built wafter, complete with lazy 6.75-litre push-rod V8. This late Rolls-Royce Corniche would be just the thing for crossing the Middle East in air-conditioned comfort; we're just not sure how well it would cope with the sand dunes.

If dune bashing is your thing, this Land Rover Series III should be more like it. Replacing the Series IIa in 1971, the Series III moved the headlights to the outer corners of the car. By the time the 90 and 110 picked up the baton in 1983, around 440,000 Series IIIs had been made, putting it comfortably ahead of all previous Land Rover models.

If you need to put out only a small fire, this Ford-produced fire engine from 1930 could be just the job. Based on a Ford Model A and named the Fire Chief Truck, the chief fireman would get to a conflagration ahead of the fire engines, to work out a plan of attack. Power was courtesy of a 200ci (3.3-litre) four-cylinder engine rated at 40bhp.

Introduced in 1940 as Oldsmobile's top-of-the-range model, the 98 nameplate survived right the way through to 1991, in 12th-generation form. This drophead dates from 1970 and is one of the last of the eighth-generation 98s, and with a kerb weight of two tons it really needs the 455ci (7.5-litre) V8 that's up front.

Fiat's wares from the forties and fifties were invariably charming. On the right is a gorgeous 500 B 'Topolino' Giardinera (estate), launched in 1948, and next to that is a 1400 cabriolet, Fiat's first all-new post-war car, the first to feature monocoque construction and the first with a diesel engine. Making up the trio is another Giardiniera, this time based on the 500 C, launched in 1949.