Abu Dhabi sets the pace for car fans

Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit became a venue for Formula 1 in 2009 and instantly set itself apart by hosting the last race of the season and creating a unique twilight setting – starting the race at sunset and finishing under floodlights. The technologically advanced circuit that can host 60,000 spectators boasts a futuristic hotel that sits over the track and a unique pit lane exit that passes beneath it. Beyond F1, the circuit is open year-round for anyone who wants to experience driving it – including during Pirelli's own P Zero Experience, a track day dedicated to supercar owners. For locals, the annual Emirates Drift Championship, held here, is the pinnacle of driving prowess: a heady mix of speed, heat and burning rubber.

This is a city made for driving, and it's easy to plan a route that will take you from the ancient to the modern – past the 18th-century former ruler's palace, the Qasr Al Hosn, the breath-taking Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the spectacular Louvre Abu Dhabi museum, the iconic Etihad Towers and the new Zayed National Museum, complete with huge, luminous white concrete curved towers. You'll pass endless palm trees, an exotic shoreline and busy intersections. The city's love of cars goes into overdrive each year on UAE National Day, which is celebrated annually on 2 December, particularly along the famous eight-kilometre-long Corniche. Come evening, the road is packed with exotic, classic and supercars, many highly decorated with flags, posters and lights, a national celebration of the country's history and future promise.

For one of the world's finest road trips head to Jebel Hafeet: the empty mountain. A two-hour drive east of Abu Dhabi, on the border between the United Arab Emirates and Oman, it's one of the country's highest mountains and offers panoramic views. The highway ascends more than 1,240m amid limestone scenery shaped over millennia. To fully appreciate the mountain's grandeur, avoid the traffic and extreme temperatures and go during the early morning or late afternoon, when the softer light enhances its dramatic contours and the views towards Oman are unmatched. It's a world away from the hustle and bustle of Abu Dhabi and the ideal place for a dusk picnic, camp out or starlit BBQ.

An hour south of Abu Dhabi stands a pyramid that houses the Emirates National Auto Museum. It's home to the personal car collection of Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, known as the Rainbow Prince. And it consists of the weirdest and most wonderful group of vehicles ever assembled, a fraction of the Sheikh's estimated 3,000-plus cars and trucks. Included is a set of seven Mercedes-Benz 500 SELs he ordered as a wedding present, each a different colour of the rainbow – inside and out. There's also the world's largest caravan, a 21ft tall replica Jeep and a bewildering array of classic cars. The Sheikh's favourite is a giant replica of a 1950s Dodge pickup, synonymous, he says, with that decade's oil boom. Halcyon days for the Rainbow Prince.

Drive 200km due south from Abu Dhabi and you reach the oasis of Liwa and the edge of the Empty Quarter. But take care. This renowned uninhabited desert region, the Rub' al Khali, is bigger than France, boasts magnificent 240m tall red sand dunes and is steeped in Bedouin myth and legend about lost cities and divine punishments. But Liwa is much more than a place on a map. It is a weekend destination for camping, desert safaris and dune bashing, straining up and down the outrageous sand mountains in powerful SUVs. Liwa also hosts a month-long, annual cultural festival, which mixes the Emirates' love of dates, coffee, falconry, camel racing and, of course, high-octane motorsport. The vast sea of sand is enough to test anyone's driving skills.

In this land of sunshine, sand and car lovers, Abu Dhabi is on the route of thrilling desert races and classic car rallies across the Arabian Peninsula. From motorbikes to quad bikes, dune buggies to serious rally cars, teams push themselves to the limits as they battle each other – and the elements – on marathon courses over mountains of sand. The annual Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge takes competitors via a remote eastern region, Al Qua'a, famed as one of the darkest places in the UAE. It's a haunt for stargazers and campers, and an incredible nighttime backdrop for the racing. For classic cars and supercars, the annual 1000 Miglia Experience covers 1,600km and takes in all seven Emirates. The most beautiful race in the world, they say, and the locals don't disagree.