RAMBLINGS
Bijoy completes a quarter century in the industry with freshly minted GK on cars
ONE OF THE MOST FASCINATING THINGS about international travel to me is to see various automobiles in their natural habitat. Cars and motorcycles tend to reflect the past, the present and the economic state of nations. That is, if you have an eye to see things the automotive way. Naturally I was excited to be part of the India Russia Friendship Rally 2018 as it meant driving through three countries I have never been to. Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia. So, this story begins in Iran.
The first thing you notice in the time warped world of Iran is the Paykan sedan. It has been in production for three decades from 1977 to 2005 and it is, simply put, the national car of Iran. Iran Khodro, who has been building it started assembling Hillman Hunters in 1967. However, the Paykan as it is seen all over the nation today was given a facelift in 1977. It is as basic as a sedan can get with its classic three-box body style and a signature drooping bonnet. After the Islamic revolution new cars stopped coming and Paykan was the default choice for Iranians with a pickup version being the other one. It is simply fascinating to see how a deprived population has learnt to maintain and live with this machine. Today the dream car of any Iranian is a Peugeot 405 (couple of generations old) and going by the essential sedan shape, it is easy to understand why. The 1.6-litre motor of the Paykan was a guzzler and powered the rear wheels. Rear suspension is made of rubber-band thin leaf springs but it was amazing to see them keeping pace with the traffic on the North-South highway leading to Tehran. In 2005 Iran Khodro pulled the plug on the Paykan and started producing its successor, the Samand. Still, you can buy brand new looking Paykans thanks to restorers who display their cars by the road side.
Yet another classic feature of rural Iran is the Saipa 25 pick-up trucks seen only in electric blue. Saipa which started off by building the venerable Citroen 2CV now build Kia-based sedans and interestingly the Renault Logan under the brand name, Tondar. The Tondar, with its simple sedan lines is very popular in Iran as it can be called a spiritual successor to the good old Paykan.
As we moved on to big cities like Isfahan and Tehran, more modern machinery took over and Paykans became rarer.
Crossing over to Azerbaijan we started spotting the first Ladas. And, hold your breath, Mercedes-Benzes of all kinds. This massive divide is thanks to Azerbaijan under USSR regime and Azerbaijan as an independent nation. Today Azeris love their Benzes and if you like Stuttgart iron from the nineties and early 2000s, this is wet dream stuff for you! It is stunning to see two decades old W201s whizzing past and looking super smart. If you like your Benzes with square head lamps this is where you head to. Take a seat by a café on the streets of Baku and ogle at MercedesBenzes… ah bliss. Aditya Bengali, a fellow Mercedes enthusiast who was photographing this event for us had a field time in Baku. If you have an old timer Mercedes and need to find parts, you know where to go to. The many Merc shops in Baku won’t disappoint you. From the ever-so-slightly fake economy of Azerbaijan to Russia, and reality hit us hard. The only cars on the roads were Ladas and they looked tired. The sight of the occasional Niva 4x4 gave us happiness. We saw Ladas with dried fish propped on them. Merchants selling honey and strawberry from its boot and so on for days after days. New cars populate cities and by the time we reached Moscow and eventually St. Petersburg, there were AMGs chasing BMW M cars and GTRs dragging Cayennes on the streets. The stark realisation that in the post-perestroika Russia, the divide is still far and wide.
Ah, the stories cars can tell you! ⌧
Cars and motorcycles tend to reflect the past and the present