Nation Builder

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 of Tehran, 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! :)

"Paykan Group Exhibition" Report

Its been crazy times here at PaykanHunter HQ. and I do apologies for the lack of updates. But I wanted to let you know that tomorrow will be the last day for the "Paykan, Iranian Automobile" group exhibition at the AUN  Gallery in Tehran. 

This was the first art exhibition of its kind exclusively about the Paykan. As part of the gallery's biannual challenge each artist was invited to take a hood of a discarded Paykan and create their own interpretive art. I am very pleased and honored to be invited and my participation resulted in a collaboration piece and a short video. 

The show was divided into two spaces, in the second space I was asked to present a sample of my collection material on the Arrow series cars, which were shown along an exclusive screening of Kamran Shirdel's brilliant Paykan advert films which he made for IranNational some 40 years ago. 

I want thank Afarin Neyssari and the rest of the staff at the AUN Gallery for providing me the opportunity to participate in this group show, and also thank Nathalie Taleghani for the above photos. 

Lady Firouzeh, 2013

Digital Video

Duration 6'30''

A piece of metal meanders through the city streets. Time erodes it, polishes it and the metal becomes a mirror for the grey city that can no longer bear it. Generously gives its turquoise color to the city's sky.

Joubeen Mireskandari

Firouzeh Khanom is a short video about a 1976 Paykan DeLuxe. Kept in its original factory condition, it was hardly driven and was parked for 37 years underneath a tree. Just a day short of being scrapped this Paykan was saved by the current owner Saied Kholdi. Saied and Shahin chat about the car and its history while driving through northern Tehran streets.    

Stone Head, 2013

dimensions 80 x 45 x 60 cm

Marble, metal rods

Stone Head is a collaboration between visual artist Nazgol Ansarinia and automotive design-engineer Shahin Armin.

Fifty years after Paykan (arrow in Farsi) was designed by the British automobile manufacturer Rootes Group, this work commemorates the car used by no less than four generations of Iranians. Paykan was produced in Iran for nearly forty years. Through political upheaval, war and economical difficulties this car was the primary means of transportation and a main source of income for many Iranians until its production was stopped in 2005. 

Stone Head is made using 3D data, subsequently cutting the front of the car into twenty four sections, a modeling method often used by car designers. The pieces are then assembled into a 1/2 scale model in stone, freezing the head of Paykan in the most durable of materials as a way of immortalizing this iconic car. 

Work of Art

I am very honored to write about this extraordinary art project by Anahita Razmi. 

"The Paykan Project":

The Installation “The Paykan Project” consists of an imported Paykan, the most common car in Iran and a mixed-media installation, composed of export papers, documents and a videoloop. In October 2010 I bought a used Paykan in Tehran and transferred it in a difficult two months overland journey from Iran to Germany. The Paykan originates from the British Hillman Hunter and is very rarely found outside of Iran. The iconic value, that is added to the car as soon as its crossing the Iranian bolder, constitutes an important element of the work. Additionally, references to the tradition of the road movie are drawn within the installation, that are furthermore linking contrasting contexts.

Coincidentally I meet Anahita here in Tehran couple of months ago, and we had a great chat about her project. I was also very pleased to know that my blog was a big inspiration for her! :) Her project was shown in Oldenburg & Berlin and currently it is at Kunstmuseum Stuttgart. 

Thank you Anahita for this fascinating artwork! :) 

Top photo By: Frank Kleinbach