Hi, One of the growing trends in the Iranian classic car scene is the restoration of locally assembled cars. Iran has half a century of automobile manufacturing history. The pristine Rambler you see here was assembled in Iran and sold under the name Aria / Shahin by a company called Pars Khodro which later went on to enter a joint venture with GM where the Caddillac Seville, Chevy Nova and Buick Skylark were manufactured locally. The car in front of it, is a Iran National Peykan (Hillman Hunter), which went on to become the best selling (and longest manufactured) car in Iran. Regards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, I thought I would share something totally different with you guys this time. One of the most active clubs in the Classsic Car Committee of the Iranian Automobile Federation is our VW Beetle Club. The Club was founded by Dr. Emad Radmanesh, a Proffessor of English and German car fanatic. Emad helped us organize our Tehran Caspian Rally last year and did a fantatstic job. In March 2011, the Club held their first exclusive VW Beetle rally, a first for the Middle East (of course I stand corrected). The rally was a TSD (Time Speed Distance) and the rally route, rally controls etc were done on par with all FIA rally regulations. The rally was carried out by Pastour Maghsoudi, one of Iran's most veteran rally drivers and organizers. By the way, Eid Mubarak to all our friends. Enjoy, Ramin PS : First picture is early morning as the guys prep and put on their rally stickers. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, 30 Beetles took part in the rally. The Beetle Club is one of our most family oriented clubs, and 80% of the participants in the rally were couples. Regards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, The cars begin to line up at the starting line and receive their rally instructions and route from Pastour Maghsoudi. Reagards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, And their off..... we use the Iranian flag at our rallies. The rally started at the Azadi raceway. We also pass the cars under the Quran for their protection. Regards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, The rally was from Tehran to Mahallat, about 220 miles. On the road to Mahallat. More pictures to follow shortly. Regards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, You are right. A lot of the vintage US car owners like to put on US plates. My personal favourite is the Caprice in post no.167. Regards, Ramin
Hi, The traffic police got a big kick from the rally and escorted the cars at different stages more than 2/3 of the route. Regards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, The leading VW Bug guru in Iran is Hamd Hamzelouie, who lives and breathes Beetles. He was kind enough to accompany the rally in his VW camper and render mechanical assistance to whoever needed it (free of charge). That's Hamid facing the engine bay. Regards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ramin-jan, so good to see enthusiast activity in the homeland! Hopefully one day I can visit and participate. By chance have you been to the Car Museum of the Shahanshah's Collection on the outskirts of Tehran? I'd love to restore the white Miura that is there! Keep up the good work and let me know if you ever come to the US! Hooman
Salam Hooman, We look forward to having you with us. Now that the weather is cooling down, we have some new programs on the way. Ghadamet roo cheshm. We volunteer time to time to help the museum bring its cars out of storage. The Bizzarini was one of the projects we did with them as well as an Espada, and a number of other cars. Unfortunately, due to lack of space, the Espada went back into storage. I have posted a couple of pictures of the Miura and the Superfast in post no.44. The white Miura was also covered in the Miura forum, including a picture of it from 1976. Ghorbanet, Ramin
Hi, One of the rally controls. The closer the rally got, the colder it got, as can be seen by the faces of these guys. The car in the background is an Iran Khodro Samand, a locally designed and manufactured car. Regards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, As I mentioned the VW Beetle club is one of our most family oriented clubs. In this car, The father is the navigator, the daughter is the driver and the wife (backseat driver ?). Regards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
Koocheketam Salar Jan Arriving at the final rally control and hotel arrival. Regards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, After hotel arrival, everybody lines up for group photo's. Regards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, Snow antics. There was also a big snowball fight before the rally start. Regards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, Having brushed off the snow and warmed up the cars, lining up for the start of day 2 of the rally. Regards, Ramin Image Unavailable, Please Login
