In the early 1990s, Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan al Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, placed one of the most unusual bespoke orders in automotive history. He is said to have commissioned Mercedes-Benz to build seven W126 Sa-Class saloons, each painted a different colour of the rainbow, with interiors fully colour-matched down to the carpets, dashboards and air vents.
The request came with a tight deadline and an extraordinary level of customisation. Multiple reports claim that to deliver the cars on time, Mercedes temporarily halted other production at one of its factories, dedicating staff and resources solely to the sheikh’s commission. While Mercedes has never publicly confirmed the stoppage, the story has endured for decades and earned Hamad a nickname that stuck worldwide: the “Rainbow Sheikh.”
