Classic Harleys join the Car Guys Who Lunch for a road trip to the Lady Bird Restaurant. Total Count: Seven bikes & 35 cars.
The key to the Café Racer’s success is diversity. In October the Tehran satellite demonstrated that bikers, rally car drivers, hot rodders, off-roaders, muscle car owners and sports car aficionados can get along, break bread together and have fun. It was the first event that bikers, below, were invited to join and it was a huge success.
“In the early days after the Iranian revolution (1979-1980), bikes over 250cc had been banned from private use due to a number of high profile assassinations involving shooters on super bikes,” said Tehran Café Racer Manager, Ramin Salehkhou.
After years of lobbying, Iran’s Motorcycle and Automobile Federation has recently allowed enthusiasts to apply to import and ride bikes for recreational purposes. The Classic Vehicle Committee of the Federation, headed by our man in Tehran, Ramin, has been able to secure permits to ride over-250cc classic motorcycles.
For the first time in over three decades, Harley owners in Iran are now able to truly enjoy America’s iconic two-wheelers. Seven Harley owners took their classic bikes out of storage, joined Tehran’s motley crew of Café Racers and had a great road trip.
Most of the Harleys had been idle for the last 30 years; many displayed in the owners living rooms and offices. The Tehran Café Racers organized a shorter-than-usual 45-minute road trip, to accommodate the vintage two-wheelers that hadn’t been out in decades. The destination: Fasham and the Lady Bird Restaurant, named after a local bird and not former U.S. First Lady, Ladybird Johnson! Except for one motorcycle that experienced mechanical problems, the Harleys held up well.
“After a great lunch, the Café Racers had a ceremony celebrating the ability to ride our bikes again, and to present a special prize to Mrs. Annette Bernbeck, above, a member of the Mercedes Benz Club of Iran.”
This year, along with her husband, Mrs. Bernbeck drove 8,700 miles (14,000 kilometers) from Tehran to Berlin and back in their ‘71 Mercedes 280 S, above, that they drove at the Café Racer event. The trip to Berlin was to partake in the 125-year celebration of the founding of Mercedes-Benz.
The October meet showcased many of the usual suspects’ vehicles plus a myriad of unusual “rides.” At one point in the road trip, the lead car, in front of a ’75 Corvette, Gen II Camaro and an SL, was a pink ’72 Hillman Hunter GT, assembled under license in Iran. There were also a couple of German Supercars, 6.3 and 6.9 Mercedes sedans.
The fully caged Hillman GT, above, carried Peking to Paris Motor Challenge livery and was to be an entry in the 2010 international road rally. Unfortunately, the female team was unable to secure visas from two countries on the rally route and was forced to cancel.
Special thanks to Tehran Café Racers, Ramin Salehkhou for the report and Keyvan Moradi for photo coverage.