The Paykan Hillman-Hunter (Chrysler) limousine, which was a gift from Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, to Romania’s late communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, will be put up for sale during Artmark’s Christmas Auction scheduled for December 9. The starting price is EUR 4,000, according to Artmark's auction catalog.

The limousine had a 1,496 cc motor which can generate 54 hp and can take it to a maximum speed of 145 km/hour. The car is in excellent shape and can be driven on public roads, accordin to Artmark.

Hillman is one of the oldest car manufacturers in Great Britain. Hillman Motor Company was founded in 1907. It was taken over by American group Chrysler in 1967. The Paykan Hillman-Hunter was produced by the Iranian national auto company, in Tehran. This particular one, which was a gift to Ceausescu, was produced in 1974.

The auction will bring a selection of some of the most unusual and precious Christmas gifts: from extravagant jewelry from Marina Dimitropoulos’ collection (the wife of former Prime Minister of Greece), to a French wine cellar and rare antiques such as a set of Dacian gold artifacts discovered in Transylvania at the end of the 19th century and Ceausescu’s limousine.

The Christmas Auction will take place on December 9 at Athenee Palace Hilton in Bucharest, starting 20:00.

Artmark will also organize the Winter Auction on December 17, 19:30, at JW Marriot Bucharest Grand Hotel.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Artmark)