Hosted by McLaren Automotive Chief Operating Officer, Mike Flewitt, and Sheikh Ghassan A H Al Sulaiman, Al Ghassan Motors’ President and CEO, the launch event was attended by key clients of Al Ghassan Motors and local dignitaries including Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa and Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji, who represented Mumtalakat, McLaren Group and McLaren Automotive principal shareholder.
The highlight of the opening event was an appearance by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez, who arrived in an Orange McLaren 12C Spider to officially open McLaren Manama.
“It makes me very proud to witness the opening of McLaren Manama, which has been made possible with the support of our partners Mumtalakat and Al Ghassan Motors. McLaren Manama is a world class showroom in an extremely prestigious location, which will redefine the sale of luxury high performance cars in Bahrain and across the region. This is a landmark event in the development of McLaren Automotive, not just in the Middle East, but across the globe,” Mike Flewitt, McLaren Automotive Chief Operating Officer, said.
“We are proud to be working closely with McLaren and Mumtalakat and opening this stunning new showroom. It is a jewel in the crown of Al Ghassan Motors’ luxury automotive retail locations and I believe will change the face of sports car retailing in Bahrain. McLaren has very high standards, whether that is on the race track or on the road, and we, similarly, aim to deliver performance that reflects the quality and passion that goes into making these fabulous cars. Our goal is to represent McLaren as they strive to be the iconic sports car company: the 12C, McLaren P1 and McLaren Manama showroom are just the start for McLaren in Bahrain,” Sheikh Ghassan A H Al Sulaiman, Al Ghassan Motors’ President and CEO, said.
“McLaren Automotive is one of our flagship investments at Mumtalakat. We are delighted that the company, with its retail partner for Bahrain, Al Ghassan Motors, has decided to open a unique and exciting showroom that is a testament to McLaren’s engineering prowess. With this addition, the Middle East network of dealers is well equipped to meet the strong demand for McLaren’s high-performance sports cars in Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia,” Commenting on the opening of the showroom, Mr. Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji, Chief Executive Officer of Mumtalakat, said.
McLaren Manama is unique in Bahrain with its location at the Bahrain World Trade Center next to Moda Mall, and the only vehicle retailer located in such a central and high-profile location in the city. Following the recent Middle East debut of the McLaren P1 supercar in Bahrain, a second McLaren ‘supercar’ was also presented in Bahrain at the launch event. Having debuted in the Kingdom at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix, the McLaren MP4-25 Formula 1 car driven by Jenson Button has now returned to Bahrain and will be on display at McLaren Manama.
The McLaren MP4-25 was displayed alongside the reigning Middle East Motor Awards 2012 ‘Car of the Year’, the McLaren 12C, and the Wheels Magazine ‘Supercar of the Year’, the 12C Spider; a convertible that Evo Middle East recently stated was “probably the best car on sale today”.