Classic Cars Never Die

They say there is someone for each of us. It applies to cars also as we all have our old favorite; The FJ Holden, the E Type Jag, the MG, The Mark II Zephyr, the Mustang, the Corvette, the Hillman Hunter. There are individuals who adore their classic cars. They form enthusiast groups, launch aficionado websites, meet for jaunts in the countryside with chrome gleaming in the sunlight, and read car magazines by candlelight, feigning a headache so as to be able to pore over the images of their beautiful babies.

The Hillman group of cars was manufactured in the United Kingdom by the Rootes group. Changes in the motor vehicle industry and of course the old foe finance, led to the end of production in the seventies. The Hillman cars are now classic.

May 15, 2005. The setting is Iran. The last Paykan car rolls off the production line, after 2.3 million units and nearly forty years in production. Forty years with one styling change and one change to the power train. The incredible thing is this was the Hillman Hunter dressed as an Iranian.

In 1965, the car was licensed by Rootes to be made in Iran. The car got from A to B, every mechanic both professional and backyard could fix it, parts were easy to come by and it was affordable to buy. What more could you want?

The Samand, a more modern fuel efficient car, based on a Peugeot, will be the replacement. But parts for the Paykan are still manufactured and the production was sold to the Sudanese so the Hillman Hunter will live on!

Given the concern over global warming, the costs of modern living creating an underclass, and a working class chained to personal debt, could the Paykan be a symbol for what the car really is, a means of transport. If we take the ego out of cars, huge production runs of a few basic models of car could drastically reduce costs.

A car with excellent fuel economy would be the choice or even one with a hybrid engine could now be affordable. Parts would be cheap and readily accessible. You would have no problem finding a mechanic and they would have to be competitive or you would look down the road. Car envy would die and the motor sport industry could be based on actual driving skills rather than technology and who has the biggest wallet. This is heady stuff.

Long live the Hillman Hunter or an environmentally friendly clone. Now that would be a classic.