SAEDNEWS: Iran’s First Car: The 1900 Gasoline Vehicle Bought by Mozaffar al-Din Shah in 1902, Blue, French-Driven, and Entwined with Historical Mishaps from Mechanical Failures to a Failed Assassination Explosion
According to the History and Culture Service of Saed News, in the early 20th century, Iran witnessed the arrival of its very first automobile. This historic event occurred in 1902 (1281 in the Iranian calendar), when Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar, during his first trip to Europe, became acquainted with this modern vehicle. The Shah’s fascination with automobiles was so strong that, despite the country’s precarious economic situation and an empty treasury, he decided to purchase two of these cars. He financed this acquisition with a loan of several hundred thousand rials from the Imperial Bank of Iran, thus bringing the first Renault automobiles into the country.
These 1900-model vehicles were purchased from the International Exhibition in France, each priced at four thousand tomans. They ran on petroleum, and the body of one was described as dark sky blue. Driving these cars was a French engineer named Monsieur Varone, recognized as the first professional driver in Iran. The cars traveled via railway and ship, passing through Russia and the Caspian Sea before arriving in Iran.
However, the fate of these two automobiles proved as remarkable as their arrival. One car suffered a technical failure along the way and never reached Tehran. The other was destroyed in a historic incident during the failed assassination attempt on Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar, when a grenade exploded nearby. Following this event, the Shah was forced to return to the court in a horse-drawn carriage. These events have turned the story of Iran’s first imported automobiles into a fascinating and adventurous chapter of the nation’s history.
