9781854432926
Distributed for Dalton Watson Fine Books
Fit for a King
The Royal Garage of the Shahs of Iran
New edition
A wide-ranging history of royal automobiles in twentieth-century Iran.
Iran’s monarchial history spans over 2,500 years; the automobile’s, not much over a century. It was not long after the advent of the earliest cars, however, that Iran’s Shahan Shahs used their broad powers to begin procuring some of the world’s most renowned and unique automobiles for their royal garages.
In his wide-ranging new book, Iranian automotive historian Borzou Sepasi details the story of the royal garage of each Shah of Iran, beginning in 1900 with Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar, who, despite importing the country’s first car, forbade drivers from traveling faster than horse-drawn carriages. Intertwining the major events in Iran’s recent history—including the 1979 revolution and the end of monarchial rule—with the cars of the period, Fit for a King highlights the special roles these singular luxury vehicles played throughout the twentieth century. Magnificently illustrated with more than six hundred images of regal vehicles, Sepasi’s book shines a light for Western readers on this fascinating yet little-known niche in automotive history.
Iran’s monarchial history spans over 2,500 years; the automobile’s, not much over a century. It was not long after the advent of the earliest cars, however, that Iran’s Shahan Shahs used their broad powers to begin procuring some of the world’s most renowned and unique automobiles for their royal garages.
In his wide-ranging new book, Iranian automotive historian Borzou Sepasi details the story of the royal garage of each Shah of Iran, beginning in 1900 with Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar, who, despite importing the country’s first car, forbade drivers from traveling faster than horse-drawn carriages. Intertwining the major events in Iran’s recent history—including the 1979 revolution and the end of monarchial rule—with the cars of the period, Fit for a King highlights the special roles these singular luxury vehicles played throughout the twentieth century. Magnificently illustrated with more than six hundred images of regal vehicles, Sepasi’s book shines a light for Western readers on this fascinating yet little-known niche in automotive history.
Table of Contents
Preface
Foreword
Chapter 1: Iran enters the Automotive Age – The Qajar Dynasty
Chapter 2: The Sheikh Khazal Rebellion and the rise of the Pahlavi Dynasty
Chapter 3: The Pahlavi Garage comes of age
Chapter 4: In his father’s footsteps
Chapter 5: A New Modern Iran
Chapter 6: The Winds of War and a special gift from the Third Reich
Chapter 7: The Royal Wedding – an Egyptian Princess fit for an Iranian Prince
Chapter 8: Iran and the Second World War
Chapter 9: The Shah adjusts to a new world both publicly and personally
Chapter 10: Reza Shah returns home
Chapter 11: The 1950s – a new decade, a new era, a new Queen
Chapter 12: 1953 – the year of the Coup and Drophead Coupe
Chapter 13: Surviving the Coup
Chapter 14: The rise of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Chapter 15: Housecleaning in the Royal Garage
Chapter 16: Farah Diba, the new Queen of Iran
Chapter 17: Farah bears a Crown Prince
Chapter 18: Queen Elizabeth II visits Iran and the Shah visits France
Chapter 19: The start of the 1960s
Chapter 20: Toys for the (Royal) boy
Chapter 21: The Mercedes 600 dominates the Royal Fleet
Chapter 22: 1967: The Year of the Coronation and the global search for a carriage maker
Chapter 23: The Lamborghini Miura and the Iranian Royal Family
Chapter 24: The Shah of Iran and the birth of the G-Class Mercedes
Chapter 25: The Shah’s “utilitarian” tastes and the cars of summer
Chapter 26: An Aston Martin for summer fun
Chapter 27: The Shah’s affinity for the Range Rover
Chapter 28: Celebrating 2,500 years of the Persian Empire
Chapter 29: The Shah tries a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3
Chapter 30: The Crown Prince receives a mini Benz
Chapter 31: Visiting with an American President
Chapter 32: Six Daimlers join the Royal Garage
Chapter 33: A Camarague for the Shah and… one for Queen Farah?
Chapter 34: The Crown Prince graduates to an Italian Supercar
Chapter 35: The Shah’s and Crown Prince’s last rides
Appendix
Index
Foreword
Chapter 1: Iran enters the Automotive Age – The Qajar Dynasty
Chapter 2: The Sheikh Khazal Rebellion and the rise of the Pahlavi Dynasty
Chapter 3: The Pahlavi Garage comes of age
Chapter 4: In his father’s footsteps
Chapter 5: A New Modern Iran
Chapter 6: The Winds of War and a special gift from the Third Reich
Chapter 7: The Royal Wedding – an Egyptian Princess fit for an Iranian Prince
Chapter 8: Iran and the Second World War
Chapter 9: The Shah adjusts to a new world both publicly and personally
Chapter 10: Reza Shah returns home
Chapter 11: The 1950s – a new decade, a new era, a new Queen
Chapter 12: 1953 – the year of the Coup and Drophead Coupe
Chapter 13: Surviving the Coup
Chapter 14: The rise of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Chapter 15: Housecleaning in the Royal Garage
Chapter 16: Farah Diba, the new Queen of Iran
Chapter 17: Farah bears a Crown Prince
Chapter 18: Queen Elizabeth II visits Iran and the Shah visits France
Chapter 19: The start of the 1960s
Chapter 20: Toys for the (Royal) boy
Chapter 21: The Mercedes 600 dominates the Royal Fleet
Chapter 22: 1967: The Year of the Coronation and the global search for a carriage maker
Chapter 23: The Lamborghini Miura and the Iranian Royal Family
Chapter 24: The Shah of Iran and the birth of the G-Class Mercedes
Chapter 25: The Shah’s “utilitarian” tastes and the cars of summer
Chapter 26: An Aston Martin for summer fun
Chapter 27: The Shah’s affinity for the Range Rover
Chapter 28: Celebrating 2,500 years of the Persian Empire
Chapter 29: The Shah tries a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3
Chapter 30: The Crown Prince receives a mini Benz
Chapter 31: Visiting with an American President
Chapter 32: Six Daimlers join the Royal Garage
Chapter 33: A Camarague for the Shah and… one for Queen Farah?
Chapter 34: The Crown Prince graduates to an Italian Supercar
Chapter 35: The Shah’s and Crown Prince’s last rides
Appendix
Index