Iranians queue to bid on car that Shah gave to Romanian dictator

Iranian collectors are queuing to bid on an Iranian-built luxury car given to the late communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1974 by the Shah of Iran to mark his election as president of the now-defunct Socialist Republic of Romania.

The Paykan Hillman Hunter, built from 1967 onwards, was the first car built by the Iranian National Company, and became not only a landmark of Iranian industry but also a national icon. “Interest is huge.

We’ve received more than 100 offers,”

said Alina Panico, of the Artmark auction house in Bucharest.

“Romanian collectors of four-wheeled gems are present, but most of the bids come from Iranians who want to bring a national symbol from the 1970s back home.” The limousine version being auctioned on Thursday after 1530 GMT is completely roadworthy, with a top speed of 145 km/h (91 mph) and a 1.5 litre, four-cylinder in-line engine delivering 54 horsepower.

The starting price is 4,000 euros ($4,900), but Panico said it was likely to fetch at least 10,000 euros ($12,200).

Hillman, originally based near the English Midlands city of Coventry, was one of the oldest and most prolific British car brands, and the marque continued to be used until 1976 by its then-owner, Chrysler. After failed attempts to build Fiat models, the Iranian National Company produced its first Paykan under licence from Hillman in 1967.