PaykanHunter (Rootes Arrow Series & Iranian PAYKAN)

[PaykanHunter]

 

[PaykanHunter]

Hello All!....

 

YES I am off to IRAN!!!.... So get ready for a healthy dose of Iranian Shite in the upcoming future!.. .and of-course fresh photos of the remaining Mighty Paykans!!!!..... Wish me Luck!....

[Guest]

Hello All!....

 

YES I am off to IRAN!!!.... So get ready for a healthy dose of Iranian Shite in the upcoming future!.. .and of-course fresh photos of the remaining Mighty Paykans!!!!..... Wish me Luck!....

 

Weren't you in Iran anyway? I am confused.......

[PaykanHunter]

Hello All!....

 

YES I am off to IRAN!!!.... So get ready for a healthy dose of Iranian Shite in the upcoming future!.. .and of-course fresh photos of the remaining Mighty Paykans!!!!..... Wish me Luck!....

 

Weren't you in Iran anyway? I am confused.......

Nope, living in the USA!

[Wilko220]

Good luck!

[RedSparrow]

Can you travel direct from the states to Iran? Or do you have to go through Lebanon or something?

Look forward to the photos anyway.

[PaykanHunter]

Can you travel direct from the states to Iran? Or do you have to go through Lebanon or something?

Look forward to the photos anyway.

No direct flight, normally from the US you go thru AMS, then KLM flight to IKA. Easy Peasy with Dual Citizenship of-course!

[PaykanHunter]

It is spring time in Tehran.

 

[shedvan]

Not too troubled by the massive earthquake then PaykanHunter? News reports suggest it is rather large I am surprised.

[PaykanHunter]

Not too troubled by the massive earthquake then PaykanHunter? News reports suggest it is rather large I am surprised.

Thanks for being concerned, the earthquakes happened on south of Iran, and Tehran is far away from there, sadly thu we don't have much information from the affected areas.

[PaykanHunter]

http://www.paykanhunter.com/2013/04/pay ... oad46.html

A fiber-glass sculptures placed on side of a highway east of Tehran by the Tehran Municipality? depicting a typical Nowruz family vacation scene.

 

[PaykanHunter]

[PaykanHunter]

Its been awhile!... But you can't escape from the Hunter!...  

 

[Felly Magic]

Spotted today at a 1970's themed car show in Norfolk. Hope you like it

 

 

[PaykanHunter]

Spotted today at a 1970's themed car show in Norfolk. Hope you like it

 

 

Humber Sceptre OHP759M.JPG

Thanks!...  

[Skizzer]

Welcome back! Yay!

[PaykanHunter]

Welcome back! Yay!

Thanks!  

 

[holbeck]

I reckon that if the price was right, and  a diesel under the bonnet, you could still shift a few pick-up here.

 

(Yes I know politics / safety regs etc. etc).

[Asimo]

In 1975 I worked very briefly at Chrysler's Stoke Aldermoor factory in Coventry where the CKD kits for the Iranian Hunter were assembled. Next to the packing area (which was huge) was the engine test area where complete engines were run for a while before being shipped. They were run on gas, from the town's gas supply, with a sort of elephant trunk thing to feed it through the carb. I don't recall how cooling was arranged but all the exhausts were hooked up to pipes going out the roof. Amazing sort of throbbing whirring noise of all these engines ticking over, and a layer of grey fumes hanging over the whole lot.

 

Not a trace of the factory left now but I guess there are a few of those engines still in use. 

[Junkman]

My Iranian friend here bought a quite nice Hillman Hunter not long ago.

Must make some photos, I guess...

[PaykanHunter]

I reckon that if the price was right, and  a diesel under the bonnet, you could still shift a few pick-up here.

 

(Yes I know politics / safety regs etc. etc).

Sadly there are no Diesel available, matter of fact Diesels cars are sort of banned in Iran, don't ask me why please. The Gov. is clearly a mess here. But I agree they should offer them in Diesel. 

[PaykanHunter]

In 1975 I worked very briefly at Chrysler's Stoke Aldermoor factory in Coventry where the CKD kits for the Iranian Hunter were assembled. Next to the packing area (which was huge) was the engine test area where complete engines were run for a while before being shipped. They were run on gas, from the town's gas supply, with a sort of elephant trunk thing to feed it through the carb. I don't recall how cooling was arranged but all the exhausts were hooked up to pipes going out the roof. Amazing sort of throbbing whirring noise of all these engines ticking over, and a layer of grey fumes hanging over the whole lot.

 

Not a trace of the factory left now but I guess there are a few of those engines still in use.  

Stoke Aldermoor factory, is that were they build engines?... Fascinating story, I really thought that back in 1975, the full engine assembly was being done locally at the IranNational plant here in Tehran. 

[PaykanHunter]

My Iranian friend here bought a quite nice Hillman Hunter not long ago.

Must make some photos, I guess...

Pictures of this Hunter, and more details of this so called Iranian friend of yours please! 

[PaykanHunter]

By the way, while I was gone I got really famous!

 

Article in The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/24/world/middleeast/a-homely-relic-on-wheels-awakens-nostalgia-in-iran.html

 

[PaykanHunter]

And also this interview on the NPR:

http://www.paykanhunter.com/2013/12/the-nostalgic-road-from-detroit-to.html

 

[Asimo]

Stoke Aldermoor factory, is that were they build engines?... Fascinating story, I really thought that back in 1975, the full engine assembly was being done locally at the IranNational plant here in Tehran.

 

Yes, the Stoke factory was engines and axles and other heavy bits, no vehicle assembly. I don't know if the engines being tested were shipped to Iran or to Ryton or wherever.

[PaykanHunter]

Last Tuesday (March 10th, 2015) there was a ceremony at IranKhdoro Tabriz, located northwest of Iran. Almost 48 years after the Paykan production started at IranNational (IranKhodro) on the outskirts ofTehran, the last Paykan pickup was rolled off the assembly line.

The Paykan pickup (known inside Iran as Paykan Vanet) was produced four years after the Paykan sedan production started back in 1967. This humble pickup during the last 4 decades did so much for Iran. It was the primary source of income for so many families, merchants and sellers. Today there are thousands and thousands of them are still running around Iran; without them the country's commerce will come to a stand still. It is an ugly creature with dreadful ride quality and cramped interior but for all its faults, I can't bring myself to hate it. I actually quite like it, perhaps because it was Made In Iran only. Yes I know, there were those Dodge Husky versions in South Africa but as far as the impact and production volumes goes, the Husky can't hold a candle to the mighty Paykan Vanet! I also admire it because inadvertently carried the Rootes Arrow's legacy all the way to the year 2015; for almost half a century!

Although the Paykan Pickup went through a lot of modifications and the later models were offered with ABS brakes and fuel injected version of the Hillman Avenger 1600cc engine and a lot more changes, but I believe they were the ultimate proof that the Arrow platform was one robust piece of engineering and tough as nails! Pun intended.

Paykan pickup was a nation builder, it carried goods from snowy mountain ranges of Alborz to scorching hot deserts of Iran, and now it might help out a neighbor too. There are reports that production will continue for export models to Iraq! We shall see if that actually happens though.

Now if you think this is the last chapter for Paykan in Iran you are in for a surprise my dear readers. Take a look at the replacement Pickup above. It is called Arisun, it is the pickup version of the facelifted Peugeot 405 body with the Paykan pickup underpinning and drive-train underneath. So in reality the soul of Paykan pickup still lives on and most likely for many many more years to come!... Making Rootes Brothers very proud indeed!

 

 

 

 

 

[martc]

Now if you think this is the last chapter for Paykan in Iran you are in for a surprise my dear readers. Take a look at the replacement Pickup above. It is called Arisun, it is the pickup version of the facelifted Peugeot 405 body with the Paykan pickup underpinning and drive-train underneath. So in reality the soul of Paykan pickup still lives on and most likely for many many more years to come!... Making Rootes Brothers very proud indeed!

 

 

Peugeot body, Rootes underpinnings - every cloud has a silver lining.

[PaykanHunter]

Hello Guys. Got some free time? Want catch up on your Paykan/Arrow readings? Well then check out this interview with me on PETROLICIOUS

 

http://www.petrolicious.com/broken-arrow-former-designer-works-to-remember-iran-s-first-national-car

[PaykanHunter]

Hello everyone. Long time no post here.

I wanted to let you know about this exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum. Here is a unique chance to go see a real PAYKAN in the flesh!  V&A asked me to help them with the Paykan story. I highly recommend you go check it out. 

Now until Sunday April 19th. For more info: Victoria and Albert Museum: Cars: Accelerating the Modern World