About
URAL ATAMAN
My love for cars started in 1937 when my Father bought the first 1937 Ford Deluxe 4 door touring sedan. It was the first car in Bodrum where my Father was the only doctor and the Mayor. I was 3 years old. I remember sitting in the drivers’ seat holding the steering wheel and looking at the amazing dashboard, to me it was magic. When I saw the same car for sale in a Kruse auction in Miami years later, I was very excited to buy it, bring it to Istanbul, take my mother out for a drive and put it in the Museum. You can see it in the Museum with the original bill of sale from Izmir of my Father’s 1937 for a total sum of 2,250 Turkish Lira which at the time, my Father told me, you could easily have bought 3 homes for the same price in Bodrum. The license plate of the car was Bodrum H (stands for Private-Hususi) 01. My Father was a Ford man, not that he believed “Ford alan Lord olur” which was a logo for Ford in Turkey meaning buying a Ford made you a Lord. He never was a materialistic man and quite the contrary, enjoyed life with what he had. The 1937 was followed with another Ford, a 1939 and then after the war a 1946. All of these models are in the Museum.
So from then on, with my daughter, we started collecting cars, never with a plan on how much they would appreciate but with the sheer guidance of our memories especially with the cars of the ‘50’s when I lived in the USA for 8 years. We collected some of the cars which I could never have afforded as a young student, like the 1954 Corvette that my fraternity brother had and thanks to the car, dated the prettiest girls. Things developed over time, I became one of the founding members of the Turkish Classic Car club, arranged and participated in a number of our international and national rallies, as a result of which, I am very happy and proud to say that love for classic cars and classic car activities took off in Turkey. My daughter and I feel that we had some input in this growth of classic car culture in Turkey. These cars belong to us now but in reality, they are in Turkey and part of the national culture of the country. Our place is not only a collection of cars but all the memorabilia that go with the classic car culture with its’ Diner, gas-pumps, neon signs etc. So this is our 15th year as a Museum. We have enjoyed the whole process and look forward to welcoming many more to our Museum in the years to come.
AYŞE ATAMAN KEÇECİ
The idea of a Museum never crossed our minds when we started to collect. My father always had a love of cars. The collection started with a 1939 Mercedes Benz 170V, a university graduation gift. I remember it very well. Painted black and yellow to resemble a bumble bee, it was falling apart. We then started the restoration process. After numerous mechanics, some good, some bad, it slowly started taking shape. We needed a parts catalogue. As there was no internet we did it the old fashion way by writing to the MB archives. After months, they sent us a microfilm of the parts catalogue with strict instructions to return it back to them or else! For those lucky and young enough not to know what a microfilm is, it is basically a black and white film that can be projected or printed. Now that we had a parts catalogue, the next step was finding the parts! Slowly, we started buying more cars and restoring them. Next was a 1957 210 Chevrolet. Everybody thought we should restore it as a Bel Air but my father and I decided to go original. Since then, we have both strived to have all our cars brought back to original specs, color, interior etc. We were never keen on modifications. Soon we were up to a dozen cars and needed space to keep them. We ended up renting the entrance floor of a small manufacturing building in the Sanayi area where most of our mechanic shops were. The place was wonderful, with high ceilings, industrial fittings. The cars looked great and in time we, of course, added a bar, juke box, entertainment area etc. It was perfect to enjoy the cars, have friends over and talk car talk.
Meanwhile, we helped establish the Turkish Classic Automobile Club. We began attending international auctions. We even re-bid our best bid because of sheer excitement. Auctions took a lot of our time. We started collecting not just cars but gas pumps, old sign, neon signs, toy cars....you name it, we wanted it. Wherever we travelled, adding to our collection was a priority. Of course, in time what we called our ‘Garage’ was not big enough and we decided to look for a new space. We looked and looked and looked. Even thought of taking the collection to Bodrum, my father’s hometown, to have the Museum there. Finally we found our present premises up on the hills of Tarabya, a half built warehouse and transformed it into a purpose built Museum to house what had become and over 80 vehicle collection. We moved in the spring of 2000. The best thing about the move was that no movers were needed, only able drivers. On this 15th year of opening its’ doors, the Museum has been visited by young and old and in between. By car clubs, enthusiasts and by some who just liked looking at cars. It has been a venue for many events but most important, it has allowed our collection to be seen and appreciated. This collection is a collection of love and dedication, like most collections are. For me, it holds a very very special place as it is a collection that my father and I built. We had a wonderful time doing it, enjoyed every minute of it, even the frustrations and have memories to last more than a life time.
