In the heart of Abu Dhabi, a one-of-a-kind café is revving up the local coffee scene by blending two beloved pastimes: vintage automobiles and specialty coffee. DRVN Coffee, founded by Rashed Al Fahim in 2019, is part café, part classic car showroom—a haven for petrolheads and casual visitors alike.
Al Fahim’s passion for classic cars runs in the family. His father, Mohammed Abdul Jalil Al Fahim, amassed a collection of rare vehicles over decades, and the family business—ALFAHIM Group—began as an auto-repair shop opened by his grandfather in 1958. Al Fahim himself once borrowed his father’s 1964 Jaguar E-Type without permission and spent seven years restoring it, earning his father’s grudging respect.
Today, Al Fahim manages a rotating roster of about 100 vintage cars displayed across three locations: near Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi, in Dubai, and on Palm Jumeirah. The guiding principle is simple—no car shown in a public showroom makes the cut. Only the rarest and most unique vehicles are welcome, from a race-converted Mercedes-Benz 300 SL signed by Brad Pitt to the Mercedes 600 Pullman that carried Queen Elizabeth II during her 1979 state visit to Abu Dhabi.
The café also hosts car meets, Formula One screenings, and even Pilates classes, creating a community hub that goes beyond coffee. Al Fahim estimates that at one point the Dubai location displayed nearly $400 million worth of Porsche history, including the manufacturer’s first-ever model.
“Every car that’s built, it’s a form of art,” Al Fahim told CNN. “These engineering marvels are what built humankind, and it will continue to be like that.” With plans for international expansion, DRVN Coffee is poised to bring its unique automotive café experience to a global audience.
