Celebrations > Persian Culture > AN ODE TO THE PAYKAN BY SHABNAM REZAEI
An Iranian Icon Still Lives
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Paykan. The real Iranian car. Look around you and they are everywhere. Throw a stone and you will most likely hit one. They are impossible to get away from and fun to get a ride in. Even my dad, who preferred his American Camaro, Chevrolet and Buick Sedans, switched to a Paykan a few years ago!
Born in 1967, the popular Iranian Paykan car was modeled after the 1967 Hillman Hunter. Originally manufactured by the British Rootes Group, the Hillman Hunter look-alike was brought to Iran by Iran Khodro’s Mahmoud Khayami. Resembling the concept of a “people’s car” (Volkswagen), the Paykan was touted as the every day car for the ordinary driver with no special frills or features. It was practical and easy to repair.
By 1972, a full assembly line in Iran produced the entire Paykan, except for the engine, which was still being imported by the British.
When Peugeot took over Hunter, they stopped its production and as a result in 1979 Iran Khodro became a full scale manufacturer of the Paykan vehicle locally.
The car has since reached cult and legend status. From its roots in the late 60’s where Iran Khodro sponsored the Dokhtar Shayesteh Iran (Miss Iran) to its iconic face, logo and related bag of bad jokes, this car has defined a nation for 3 decades.
In 2005, the Paykan was officially taken off the production lines due to its poor gas mileage. Reportedly, the car uses as much gasoline as a Lamborghini, burning 12 miles a gallon and clearly not meeting any international emissions standards. Despite this, and the lack of air conditioning or an ABS braking system, the Paykan it is still being driven by more than 40% of the population.
Two years into the end of its production, the Paykan remains a crowd favorite. I wonder how many years it will take before the streets are cleared of Paykans but it seems for now, there are as many Paykans in Iran
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ion> as there are actors in LA.
My dad is particularly proud of his white Paykan with a fully loaded surround sound system for his Marzieh favorites. He particularly enjoys driving me around until he gets a call on his cell phone so he can demo the greatest feature of the radio: the volume automatically turns down and the caller comes through the main car speakers.
“That’s from Korea,” he says in his matter-of-fact tone.
When I ask why he chose a Paykan, he says it's because they are so easy to fix. Every corner shop has spare parts for the car and everyone knows how to fix it.
My dad also has a great sense of humor though, so he retorts, “When I first bought it, guess what I found on the last two pages of the Paykan owner's manual?”
“What?” I say.
“The bus schedule.“
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