 |
NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE!
Fit for a King: The Royal Garage of the Shahs of Iran
by Borzou Sepasi
Iran has a monarchical history spanning over 2,500 years. Almost all of Iran’s Kings have had vast unchecked powers as they built, and lost, some of the largest empires in history. These vast powers led to Iran’s Kings being referred to as “Shahanshah” meaning literally the “King of Kings”.
With the advent of the automobile, Iran’s Shahanshahs procured some of the world’s most renowned automobiles for their royal garages starting from the first car to be imported to Iran, a Gardner-Serpollet 10 hp, to the famed Maserati 5000GT “Scia de Persia”, specially-ordered and owned by Iran’s last Shah, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.
In his broad spanning work, Iranian automotive historian Borzou Sepasi traces the royal garage of each Iranian Shah, starting with Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar in 1900, who despite importing the first car, forbade drivers from going faster than carriages, and all the way up to the 1979 revolution. In an important postscript, the fate of many of the cars covered in the book following the end of monarchical rule in Iran, are shown.
The book also intertwines many of the historical events in Iran with the cars of the period, highlighting the special role these vehicles played. Dalton Watson is proud to present this little-known period of unique automotive history to its readers.
230mm x 280mm
- Hard cover with dust jacket
- 564 pages
- 1,046 photographs
- ISBN: 9781854432926
- 20 MyRewards points with purchase
"Like" the Fit for a King Facebook Page
Click here to view sample pages
Thank you, Jürgen Lewandowski, from Classic Trader Magazine, for the review.
https://www.classic-trader.com/de/magazin/buchtipp...
Translated text:
For around 2,500 years, Iran was ruled by monarchs who built and lost empires, built them again – grew in importance and lost power again. What can happen in two and a half millennia. During the times when they ruled much of the then known world, they were also given the title "Shahanshah" - which was the "King of Kings". Money and power were never an issue, and so the first companions came to Tehran quickly after the invention of the automobile - the first car was a Gardner-Serpollet 10 hp, which the then ruler saw in Europe in 1903, examined and bought. Together with a French driver who was also employed at the same time, the car attracted a lot of attention, and other vehicles quickly followed.
Fit for a King - The Shah's Fascinating Collection
This ultimately resulted in an ever-growing collection, which was dramatically enlarged by Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi - the last Shah of Iran. He was a car afficionado and had the financial means to fulfill every wish, no wonder that the imperial garages were stocked with models such as a Mercedes-Benz 500 K "Autobahnkurier", various Hispano-Suiza, Rolls-Royce and Pegaso models were filled. Borzou Sepasi has meticulously researched the history of the collection and created a book to suit the maniacal collector - it would take up too much space to mention all the vehicles here. Just a few absolute highlights: Ferrari 500 Superfast, Porsche 934, Panther 6, various Lamborghini Miura and Countach LP 400. And not to forget: The first Maserati 5000 GT - still with a real 450 S racing engine. A fascinating book about a fascinating passion for collecting - and at the same time a history of Iranian automotive culture.
Thank you, Tim Kemmis, from Prancing Horse magazine, for the review.
Congratulations Borzou Sepasi! Fit for a King: The Royal Garage of the Shahs of Iran
is shortlisted for the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year
Awards, "Books About Motor Cars & Motoring With No Price Limit"
Now in its ninth consecutive season, the
Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Awards recognise and
celebrate the best automotive books, authors and publishers – and the
announcement of the 2022 shortlist proves that this has been a truly
vintage year.
www.royalautomobileclub.co.uk/motoring/trophies-and-awards/motoring-book-of-the-year/
Additionally, Fit for a King: The Royal Garage of the Shahs of Iran has been selected as a finalist in the "Publication of the Year" category at The Historic Motoring Awards 2022.
https://historicmotoringawards.co.uk
Review from the SAHB Times magazine, fall issue:
Review from German magazine, Austro Classic, February 2022 issue.
Translated text:
The Royal Garage of the Shahs of Iran The Persian
monarchy lasted around 2,500 years, although in the 20th century these kings
had a great affinity for the automobile. This magnificent volume of 560 pages
with 1,046 illustrations is dedicated to these aircraft and airplanes. However,
the book is not a monotonous catalogue, rather the history of automobiles is
embedded in the history of the country and in the history of the ruling
family(ies). The author tries conscientiously to document the fates and
whereabouts of the vehicles, many of which have found their way into the
"National Automobile Museum of Iran", where they can be admired today
- reopening in October 2021.
Octane magazine's Book of the Month, June 2022: "One can only imagine the political and practical difficulties Sepasi faced in sourcing material for this incredible book, which is packed with rare photos. Without doubt, it is a front-runner for this year's various motoring book awards. Outstanding. -MD"
Click image to view at full size.
Review from Rare & Unique Vehicles: Click image to view at larger size.
Review from VeloceToday.com:
 https://velocetoday.com/fit-for-a-king-reviewed/
Review from Auto Italia, July 2022
Click the image to view at full size.
'Book of the Month' from Classic & Sports Car, August 2022
|
|
|
