Big car dreams on small island of Turkish Cyprus
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 11, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - By opening the first and only car museum in northern Cyprus, İrfan Gürsel is making his father's dream come true. The oldest car in the museum is an 1899 model Crestmobile Type C, and the newest is a 1970 model Hilman Hunter used by his father when he was young
With a collection of 200 cars, 93 of them classic, on display, northern Cyprus’ first and only car museum is worth nearly 7 million Turkish Liras, experts say.
İrfan Gürsel is the man behind the museum located at Near East University in Nicosia. The most attractive pieces in his collection are an 1899 model Crestmobile Type C, the oldest car in the museum, and a 1906 model Wolseley 8 hp. The 110-year-old Crestmobile’s lamps run on coal oil, the car doesn’t have a reverse gear and it works with a tiller instead of a steering wheel. "It is one of the oldest cars in the world," Günsel said. As for the Wolseley 8 hp, "We hold documents from a British classic automobile club," Günsel said. "This car is the only one in the world and it belongs to us."
Günsel said he is planning to move the museum to a new location, where hundreds of cars can be displayed more comfortably. During the establishment of the museum, Günsel visited many museums around the world for inspiration, making contacts for restoration work, parts supply and manufacturing along the way.
A surprise for his father
The newest car in the museum is a 1970 model Hilman Hunter, which Günsel’s father used when he was a student in Ankara and went on a European tour with two friends. After he learned his father had sold the car as junk upon returning to Cyrpus, İrfan Günsel spent many years tracking it down. When he finally found it, he secretly restored the car, which his father had often spoken about, and added it to his collection. "We were so impressed by my father’s love for cars that we used to love cars like a child loves the adults in his life, beyond all question," Günsel said.
A dream come true
Günsel works with an expert team at the museum to restore the cars. "We have established a small restoration factory," he said. "My father always dreamed of establishing a car factory in Cyprus, and in a way, his dream has come true."
İrfan Gürsel is the man behind the museum located at Near East University in Nicosia. The most attractive pieces in his collection are an 1899 model Crestmobile Type C, the oldest car in the museum, and a 1906 model Wolseley 8 hp. The 110-year-old Crestmobile’s lamps run on coal oil, the car doesn’t have a reverse gear and it works with a tiller instead of a steering wheel. "It is one of the oldest cars in the world," Günsel said. As for the Wolseley 8 hp, "We hold documents from a British classic automobile club," Günsel said. "This car is the only one in the world and it belongs to us."
Günsel said he is planning to move the museum to a new location, where hundreds of cars can be displayed more comfortably. During the establishment of the museum, Günsel visited many museums around the world for inspiration, making contacts for restoration work, parts supply and manufacturing along the way.
A surprise for his father
The newest car in the museum is a 1970 model Hilman Hunter, which Günsel’s father used when he was a student in Ankara and went on a European tour with two friends. After he learned his father had sold the car as junk upon returning to Cyrpus, İrfan Günsel spent many years tracking it down. When he finally found it, he secretly restored the car, which his father had often spoken about, and added it to his collection. "We were so impressed by my father’s love for cars that we used to love cars like a child loves the adults in his life, beyond all question," Günsel said.
A dream come true
Günsel works with an expert team at the museum to restore the cars. "We have established a small restoration factory," he said. "My father always dreamed of establishing a car factory in Cyprus, and in a way, his dream has come true."