So, for a first-time collector, I normally prefer cars with three things: Strong international demand, good parts availability, and an established, enthusiastic community.

That’s why cars such as the first gen Mustangs, selected Corvettes, certain Porsche models, or even desirable Mercedes Benz German Classics are well specified American muscle cars can be an interesting place to start from.

I would rather see a new collector buy an excellent example of a relatively accessible model, than buy the cheapest example of a very expensive model. The purchase price is only your entry ticket. You know you have a lot more to do after that.

The cheap classic with severe rust, missing trim, incorrect components and no documentation, can become extremely expensive very quickly.

My advice is simple. Buy the best foundation your budget allows and preferably have someone who understands that particular model inspect the car before you buy it.

That inspection can save you tens of thousands later.

I’d say the biggest mistake people make when buying a classic car, is they buy with their eyes instead of with a calculator. A car can look incredible in photographs and still be a terrible restoration candidate.

Paint can hide rust. Undercoating can hide previous repairs. A beautiful interior can distract you from an incorrect engine, missing components, or a badly repaired chassis, and people often underestimate the price of all these little things, and then they go chasing garages to do a cheaper job, a cheaper job, a cheaper job!

And this causes shortcuts in projects.

One missing piece of trim doesn’t sound important unless you discover that that correct original piece is extremely difficult to find and costs a few fortunes to buy.

So, before race customs starts a serious restoration, I usually understand what we’re starting with.

What’s original?

What is missing?

How much corrosion is there?

What condition is the chassis and body in?

Is the drivetrain correct?

Are the identification, VIN numbers, chassis numbers, and documentation in order, and most importantly, what is the finished car realistically worth?

You know, restorations without an initial strategy are where budgets usually get destroyed.

So, for that, we basically work backwards from the finished car.

First, I establish the realistic market value of the car once completed. Then I look at the acquisition price and calculate the likely restoration cost. That includes the body and chassis, mechanical work, engine and transmission, suspension, brakes, electrical system, interior, chrome, glass and the weather stripping. Of course, wheels and tires and all the small components people tend to forget.

Then comes the most important part, contingency.

With a 50- or 60-year-old car, you have to expect surprises. Once you strip a car to bare metal, you may discover repairs from decades ago that nobody knew existed.

The second consideration is specification. A desirable engine, transmission, body style, factory options, documented history can all go a long way. And finally, I look at liquidity.

It doesn’t matter what somebody is asking online.

My dad always used to say there’s an ask for every seat.

What I actually want to know is what comparable cars are actually changing hands in today’s day and age.

The real question here is, should we restore this particular car to this particular standard at this particular cost? So that’s usually a question I ask the client.

So, for a first-time collector, I normally prefer cars with three things: Strong international demand, good parts availability, and an established, enthusiastic community.

That’s why cars such as the first gen Mustangs, selected Corvettes, certain Porsche models, or even desirable Mercedes Benz German Classics are well specified American muscle cars can be an interesting place to start from.

I would rather see a new collector buy an excellent example of a relatively accessible model, than buy the cheapest example of a very expensive model. The purchase price is only your entry ticket. You know you have a lot more to do after that.

The cheap classic with severe rust, missing trim, incorrect components and no documentation, can become extremely expensive very quickly.

My advice is simple. Buy the best foundation your budget allows and preferably have someone who understands that particular model inspect the car before you buy it.

That inspection can save you tens of thousands later.

I’d say the biggest mistake people make when buying a classic car, is they buy with their eyes instead of with a calculator. A car can look incredible in photographs and still be a terrible restoration candidate.

Paint can hide rust. Undercoating can hide previous repairs. A beautiful interior can distract you from an incorrect engine, missing components, or a badly repaired chassis, and people often underestimate the price of all these little things, and then they go chasing garages to do a cheaper job, a cheaper job, a cheaper job!

And this causes shortcuts in projects.

One missing piece of trim doesn’t sound important unless you discover that that correct original piece is extremely difficult to find and costs a few fortunes to buy.

So, before race customs starts a serious restoration, I usually understand what we’re starting with.

What’s original?

What is missing?

How much corrosion is there?

What condition is the chassis and body in?

Is the drivetrain correct?

Are the identification, VIN numbers, chassis numbers, and documentation in order, and most importantly, what is the finished car realistically worth?

You know, restorations without an initial strategy are where budgets usually get destroyed.

So, for that, we basically work backwards from the finished car.

First, I establish the realistic market value of the car once completed. Then I look at the acquisition price and calculate the likely restoration cost. That includes the body and chassis, mechanical work, engine and transmission, suspension, brakes, electrical system, interior, chrome, glass and the weather stripping. Of course, wheels and tires and all the small components people tend to forget.

Then comes the most important part, contingency.

With a 50- or 60-year-old car, you have to expect surprises. Once you strip a car to bare metal, you may discover repairs from decades ago that nobody knew existed.

The second consideration is specification. A desirable engine, transmission, body style, factory options, documented history can all go a long way. And finally, I look at liquidity.

It doesn’t matter what somebody is asking online.

My dad always used to say there’s an ask for every seat.

What I actually want to know is what comparable cars are actually changing hands in today’s day and age.

The real question here is, should we restore this particular car to this particular standard at this particular cost? So that’s usually a question I ask the client.

Interestingly, it’s not always the engine or the transmission. Sometimes the hardest parts are the smallest ones.

A particular piece of stainless-steel trim or an original switch, a vent, window mechanism, even sometimes an emblem can stop a restoration for weeks if not months. Especially given, you know, the time frame on shipping nowadays.

That’s why sourcing is a major part of what we do.

We source internationally from specialist suppliers, dismantlers, scrap yards. I have my key people that I approach for different car brands.

Sometimes an original component can be restored.

Sometimes reproduction is the sensible solution and sometimes we just have to fabricate something ourselves.

The important thing is knowing the difference between a component that can safely be reproduced, and one where original material affects the car’s value and authenticity.

I would say I’d rather explain honestly to a client that we’ve been waiting for the correct component than install the wrong part simply to say that the car is finished.

Ray’s Customs Instagram 

I think one of the most interesting changes will be the definition of the word classic. The collector entering the market 10 years from now may not have grown up dreaming of a 1950s car. Their dream may have been a Porsche from the 1990s or a BMW or a Japanese performance car from that era.

So, I think, collectors should watch out for transition from traditional classics to into what we now call modern classics. Like a good example of a modern classic would be a Honda Prelude.

Cars with naturally aspirated engines or manual transmissions or hydraulic steering, are becoming historically more interesting because, that type of driving experience is disappearing now from cars.

But I would still concentrate on the fundamentals which are rarity, specification, originality, provenance, condition and cultural significance.

I would say, GCC has a different kind of grab to it whereas the American and the European markets have a different kind of grab to it.

The message I want people to understand about race customs is, there is one other subject that’s very important to me because restorations require an enormous amount of trust.

A client may handle a workshop, a car worth hundreds of thousands of dirhams. He may also be committing a significant restoration budget. Unfortunately, one of the biggest frustrations people experience here locally in the market with restoration projects is the lack of communication or the lack of ownership.

This unfortunately is consistent and I’m hearing a lot more complaints from garages locally and you know, from clients and stuff that this tends to happen more and more often.

 

The car enters a workshop, money is paid, months pass and the owner doesn’t really know what’s happening. That’s not the experience we want. At Race Customs, a restoration should be managed as a project, not treated as a car sitting in the corner of a workshop.

Before major work begins, the client should understand the scope of work, understand the expected stages, the budget and what we’re trying to achieve. Then the project should progress through milestones, whether it be stripped down, assessment body, chassis, mechanical paint assembly, interior testing, final detailing, and throughout the process, communication is critical via through pictures, videos, stuff like that.

You know, at Race Customs, if we discover something unexpected underneath the pain, the customer should know about it. If a rare component is delaying the project, the customer should know about it.

If something is going to affect the budget, there should be a conversation before the work simply continues. Because ultimately, it’s the client’s car and the client’s money.

So, for me, transparency doesn’t mean pretending that restoration never has delays or surprises. Anyone who has a genuinely restored 50s- or 60s-year-old car knows that’s impossible. Transparency here means that when something changes, the customer isn’t left wondering what happened to his car.

That’s the reputation we’re building here at Race Customs in Russell Kemal.

We want somebody to walk into the workshop with an old car, or even just a dream of owning one, and know that we can guide them through the complete process.

Finding the right car, evaluating it before purchase, planning the build, sourcing the parts, restoring it, and ultimately creating something that the owner is proud to drive, collect or eventually sell it even.

You know, we’re not really just interested in simply finishing cars, we’re interested in building cars and relationships that last.

That’s my end goal here.

If your company manufactures, supplies, or operates industrial vehicles, airport equipment, emergency response units, luxury automobiles, or commercial fleets, I can help create premium photography that showcases your products with precision and impact.

With more than 20 years of professional photography experience and extensive expertise in automotive and commercial photography, I deliver images that combine technical accuracy with creative lighting and premium visual quality.

Magomet Tsurov
Automotive & Commercial Photographer Dubai

Website: https://tsurov.com

The car is equipped with a specially tuned 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 producing 700 PS (690 hp) and 740 Nm (546 lb-ft) of torque. Ferrari extracted this performance by increasing turbocharger speed by 10% and redesigning the exhaust system to reduce backpressure.

The Ferrari 296 Challenge is powered by a 3.0-liter (2,992 cc) twin-turbocharged 120° V6 engine producing 700 CV (690 hp) and 740 Nm of torque, with a maximum engine speed of 8,500 RPM. Unlike the road-going 296 GTB, Ferrari removed the hybrid system to reduce weight, improve reliability, and deliver consistent performance during competitive racing. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a 7-speed F1 dual-clutch (DCT) transmission, while stopping power comes from CCM-R PLUS carbon-ceramic brakes measuring 408 mm at the front and 390 mm at the rear, featuring a silicon carbide coating that doubles durability under extreme track conditions. The car rides on bespoke Pirelli P Zero racing tires developed specifically for the 296 Challenge.

Weighing just 1,330 kg dry—approximately 140 kg lighter than the standard hybrid 296 GTB—the car combines its lightweight construction with an advanced aerodynamic package. An aggressive front splitter, dive planes, and a large swan-neck rear wing generate an impressive 870 kg of downforce at 250 km/h, delivering exceptional grip, stability, and cornering performance. Every aspect of the Ferrari 296 Challenge has been engineered with one purpose: to maximize speed, precision, and performance on the racetrack.

The most direct rival to Ferrari is the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) — one of the most popular and successful racing cars in the world. Unlike Ferrari, with its 700‑horsepower 3.0‑liter twin‑turbo V6 engine, Porsche uses a naturally aspirated 4.0‑liter flat‑six engine producing 510 hp. The Porsche is renowned for its incredible handling precision, predictability, and perfect balance in corners, whereas Ferrari offers significantly more power, higher top speed on straights, and a modern turbocharged powertrain.

What is the reason that this is not permitted by law? The 296 Challenge program does not meet all the requirements imposed on public roads, such as: Equipment that meets the requirements for emissions of harmful substances (the gasoline particulate filter has been removed) Standard road safety equipment Tires approved for road use (designed for use on racing slicks) In some countries, owners have managed to significantly modify older Ferrari Challenge cars (360 or 430 Challenge) and register them for road use.

However, attempting to do the same with the 296 Challenge would be much more difficult due to the numerous modifications required for the race and the addition of legislation concerning emissions, not to mention the fact that Ferrari does not sell this car as a road car. In the UAE (Dubai), a factory‑built Ferrari 296 Challenge cannot simply be registered for “regular” road use. As a rule, it is considered only as a racing car.

The base price (excluding taxes and additional options) of the Ferrari 296 Challenge ranges from 300,000 to 330,000 euros.

At the current exchange rate, this amounts to 1.28–1.41 million UAE dirhams.

Excluding import duties (if applicable)
VAT
Ferrari Corse Clienti support packages
Spare parts and components for racing cars.

This is a track‑only racing car, so remember! The total cost of ownership during the first year (car, support, etc., tires, entry fees, and maintenance) can easily exceed 2.5–4 million dirhams, depending on the number of races and the level of team support, if you want to participate in the Ferrari Challenge championship.