SAEDNEWS: Join Us on a Nostalgic Ride Through Iran’s Classic Cars: A Look Inside Bahman Azimzadeh’s Legendary Collection
According to the Automotive Magazine service of Saed News, the history of many of Iran’s most remarkable classic cars would be incomplete without mentioning this iconic car enthusiast. Born in 1958, he began selling audio-visual equipment in Tehran as a teenager. As he recounted in an interview with Classicopedia, his journey into car culture started with Triumphs and Fiats, and shortly after, he purchased a Lancia Beta Monte Carlo. He sold the Lancia soon after to acquire a Ferrari Dino from Amir Taifeh Jafari.
His passion was not limited to Italian cars—he also experienced a wide array of Mercedes, the BMW 2002 Turbo, and American classics like the Pontiac Trans Am and Corvette. In the 1980s, he moved to Europe, first to Geneva and then to southern France, where he worked with Timour Richard in the specialty car industry.
What makes Bahon Azimzadeh particularly respected is his integrity. His former partner, Timour Richard, often recalled: “Put $100,000 in an envelope and give it to him. Thirty years later, you’ll see it preserved exactly as it was.” After his time in France, Azimzadeh moved to Switzerland, continuing to buy, sell, and restore cars. In an interview segment with Classicopedia, he detailed his efforts to acquire a Miura SV. In the 1990s, driven by his love for Iran, he returned for several years to work on tuning the Paykan, but due to complications, he returned to Switzerland in 2017, taking two Iranian Paykans with him.
In his Classicopedia interview, he shared previously unpublished photos of his collection. Many of these Italian cars were in his possession at some point, though not all. His first Italian car, a Fiat X1/9, was involved in an accident on the road. He then purchased a red Lancia Beta Monte Carlo, nearly new with only 9,000 kilometers on the odometer.
To buy the yellow Ferrari Dino from the late Amir Houshang Taifeh Jafari, he sold the Lancia to a friend who owned a Beta Spider. After a collision with a minibus in Ramsar in the 1980s, the Ferrari was transferred to Mr. Khazaei and later left Iran. Interestingly, one photograph captures both the Ferrari and the Lancia together. Other Italian cars in his collection included an Autobianchi, a Fiat Abarth, a blue Alfa Romeo Montreal, and a silver Ferrari Daytona.
Azimzadeh’s philosophy emphasized that a true car enthusiast transcends brand loyalty, exploring vehicles from various makers to understand their strengths and weaknesses. His collection included a 1978 yellow Corvette—likely the last non-migrant import before the Revolution—a rare Pontiac Trans Am, various Porsches, and British cars such as Jaguar, Triumph, and MG. One memorable story involved a spectacular accident with a white Corvette and a Jensen on a northern road, which he poetically likened to a ballet.
He personally brought two Iranian cars to Switzerland: a red Porsche 356, formerly owned by Biouk Jediri, and a pink/pastel Jaguar purchased from Ghazr Zadi. These cars likely remain in Switzerland today. Although he had emigrated in the mid-1980s, he returned to Iran in the 1990s to open a tuning garage, focusing on Paykans. After relocating permanently to Switzerland in 2017, he successfully brought the Iranian Paykans with him, ensuring their legacy abroad.
Bahon Azimzadeh’s life reminds us that true passion for cars knows no borders—and that respect, integrity, and a love for driving classics define a legendary car enthusiast.
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