Bahrain’s going full throttle into the world of Concours d’Elegance — the first international show of its kind in the Gulf. Held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Royal Bahrain Concours isn’t your usual lineup of polished chrome and polite applause. Think more along the lines of art on wheels with the perfect exhaust note to match.
Taking place on the 7th & 8th of November 2025 at the Royal Golf Club, the event is being put together by Thorough Events, the same wizards who host the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace and London Concours. So yeah, this isn’t their first champagne-fueled car show. Expect 90 collector cars from around the world and over 300 impressive cars from GCC car clubs, all ready to bask in the Arabian winter sun.
The Koenigsegg CC Prototype
Front and centre will be Koenigsegg’s very first creation — the 1996 CC Prototype, aka XP001. This is the holy grail of hypercars, a relic that set in motion a chain of events that led to Koenigsegg’s marvelous engineering journey. It’s the car that took Christian von Koenigsegg’s pencil sketch and turned it into a Scandinavian missile, built at a time when Sweden was better known for IKEA and ABBA than setting speed records.
Under the skin sits the original 4.2-litre Audi V8 paired with a gated six-speed manual. It’s got around 420hp, lightweight construction, and Koenigsegg’s now-signature dihedral synchro-helix doors. For 1996, this thing was basically a UFO.
Fun fact: the colour was supposed to be bright burnt orange from a Volvo C70. A miscommunication turned it bronze instead. Call it a happy accident — one that somehow made the car even more mythical.
A Lost, Found, & Reborn Story
After years of whispers and forum myths, XP001 was finally tracked down by collector Gaurav Dhar, who specialises in prototypes and first-build cars. He hunted it across Europe like Nicolas Cage in National Treasure, eventually finding it tucked away in a Swedish museum. Once recovered, it was lovingly restored by the same Koenigsegg engineers who built it nearly three decades ago. The original paint and interior remain intact — because you don’t repaint history.
Now, after a meticulous restoration, XP001 is ready to make its grand reappearance in Bahrain. Quite fitting, really, since the Gulf has quietly become a playground for the world’s rarest machinery.
The Royal Bahrain Concours: Beyond The Chrome & Champagne
The Royal Bahrain Concours is more of a statement than just another fancy car show. The Gulf’s automotive scene has always been loud, but now it’s turning sophisticated. The event will see two jam-packed days: Prestige Day on November 7th, showcasing the world’s most exclusive cars, and Awards Day on the 8th, when the best of the best get crowned.
