Devrim
Encyclopedia
Devrim was the first ever automobile designed and produced in Turkey
.
. In his inaugural speech, he said:
After the congress, Gürsel issued his order to build a prototype engine and car meeting the requirements of the country. These prototypes would be compared with the best cars of the time, the shortcomings would be identified, and project development work would be undertaken in order to produce the best possible car in Turkey.
Cemal Gürsel
ordered 24 engineers, working in various companies, to build a car fully designed and produced in Turkey. It was to be demonstrated during the Republic Day
celebrations on October 29, 1961.
After 130 days of hasty labor at the workshop in Eskişehir
, which later became the TÜLOMSAŞ
factory, the engineers managed to make four prototypes of the automobile. One was black, and the others were cream coloured. It was named Devrim (the Turkish word for Revolution
.)
Two of the cars were shipped to Ankara
for the Republic Day
celebrations. The black car was painted while on the train to Ankara. None of the cars had gasoline
in them, as a safety precaution, and the cars were filled with little fuel, only for maneuvering. On the day of the celebrations, President Cemal Gürsel got in the black car for a ceremonial ride. After proceeding approximately a hundred meters, the vehicle came into a halt. While there are many theories ranging from sabotage to an engine and/or fuel system component failure, the exact cause is likely a simple mistake made by the driver Rıfat Serdaroğlu who forgot to put extra fuel in the tank just before the ceremony. Thus the car could not take a complete tour around the Turkish Parliament, as previously planned. Then the President got in one of the cream cars (which was filled up earlier) and went to Anıtkabir
with it. The newspaper headlines in the following day were, "Devrim went 100 meters, and it broke down." The car became the subject of jokes for many years.
Devrim was never mass-produced. One reason for that was the cars were craft
ed prototypes and the production process was not well-documented, with almost no technical drawings remaining from the production phase. Another reason was that the demand was not high enough to make mass production feasible. Cars were still affordable for a small economic minority in Turkey, who preferred to buy American and European cars, and as such, there was only a small number of potential private buyers.
and Ford
models, especially Chevrolet
, until the late 1970s) had approached the Turkish government to cancel the project, and it was decided to keep the relations smooth between the two close NATO allies.
Five years later, in 1966, Anadol
became Turkey's first mass production passenger car, produced by Otosan
(a joint venture between Ford Motor Company
of the United States and Koç Holding
of Turkey.)
factory in Eskişehir
, where it was built. The story of the building process and hard efforts of the 24 engineers who worked on Devrim automobiles became the subject of a documentary film, which was released in Turkey in 2008. In late 2010, students from the National University of Science and Technology
in Pakistan
developed a hybrid car with inspiration from Devrim, and named this car Devrim II
.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Automotive Industry Congress
On 15 May 1961, the Otomotiv Endüstri Kongresi (Automotive Industry Congress) was opened by President Cemal GürselCemal Gürsel
Cemal Gürsel , was a Turkish army officer, and the fourth President of Turkey.- Early life :He was born in the city of Erzurum to the Turkish parents as the son of an Ottoman Army officer, Abidin Bey, the grandson of Ibrahim and the great-grandson of Haci Ahmad...
. In his inaugural speech, he said:
After the congress, Gürsel issued his order to build a prototype engine and car meeting the requirements of the country. These prototypes would be compared with the best cars of the time, the shortcomings would be identified, and project development work would be undertaken in order to produce the best possible car in Turkey.
Design and production of Devrim
In 1961, PresidentPresident of Turkey
The President of Turkey is the head of state of the Republic of Turkey. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office but has some important functions...
Cemal Gürsel
Cemal Gürsel
Cemal Gürsel , was a Turkish army officer, and the fourth President of Turkey.- Early life :He was born in the city of Erzurum to the Turkish parents as the son of an Ottoman Army officer, Abidin Bey, the grandson of Ibrahim and the great-grandson of Haci Ahmad...
ordered 24 engineers, working in various companies, to build a car fully designed and produced in Turkey. It was to be demonstrated during the Republic Day
Republic Day
Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics.-1 January in the Republic of Slovakia:This was the day of creation of the Republic of Slovakia. A national holiday since 1993...
celebrations on October 29, 1961.
After 130 days of hasty labor at the workshop in Eskişehir
Eskisehir
Eskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby...
, which later became the TÜLOMSAŞ
Tülomsas
TÜLOMSAŞ is a locomotive and wagon builder in Turkey. It is the main locomotive supplier of the Turkish State Railways and is one of the 2 companies that designs and assembles locomotives in Turkey along with EUROTEM. TÜLOMSAŞ is the largest company in Turkey in rail transport...
factory, the engineers managed to make four prototypes of the automobile. One was black, and the others were cream coloured. It was named Devrim (the Turkish word for Revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
.)
Two of the cars were shipped to Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
for the Republic Day
Republic Day
Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics.-1 January in the Republic of Slovakia:This was the day of creation of the Republic of Slovakia. A national holiday since 1993...
celebrations. The black car was painted while on the train to Ankara. None of the cars had gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
in them, as a safety precaution, and the cars were filled with little fuel, only for maneuvering. On the day of the celebrations, President Cemal Gürsel got in the black car for a ceremonial ride. After proceeding approximately a hundred meters, the vehicle came into a halt. While there are many theories ranging from sabotage to an engine and/or fuel system component failure, the exact cause is likely a simple mistake made by the driver Rıfat Serdaroğlu who forgot to put extra fuel in the tank just before the ceremony. Thus the car could not take a complete tour around the Turkish Parliament, as previously planned. Then the President got in one of the cream cars (which was filled up earlier) and went to Anıtkabir
Anitkabir
Anıtkabir is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey...
with it. The newspaper headlines in the following day were, "Devrim went 100 meters, and it broke down." The car became the subject of jokes for many years.
Devrim was never mass-produced. One reason for that was the cars were craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
ed prototypes and the production process was not well-documented, with almost no technical drawings remaining from the production phase. Another reason was that the demand was not high enough to make mass production feasible. Cars were still affordable for a small economic minority in Turkey, who preferred to buy American and European cars, and as such, there was only a small number of potential private buyers.
Conspiracy theories
A popular conspiracy theory about the failure of mass production suggests that the American auto giants, who sold most of the foreign cars in Turkey back in the early 1960s (even the Police cars were GMGeneral Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
and Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
models, especially Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
, until the late 1970s) had approached the Turkish government to cancel the project, and it was decided to keep the relations smooth between the two close NATO allies.
Five years later, in 1966, Anadol
Anadol
Anadol was Turkey's first domestic mass-production passenger vehicle, and the second Turkish car after the ill-fated Devrim sedan of 1961.Anadol cars and pick-ups were manufactured by Otosan Otomobil Sanayii in Istanbul between 1966 and 1991....
became Turkey's first mass production passenger car, produced by Otosan
Otosan
Otosan is a Turkish automotive production company, which is a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding...
(a joint venture between Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
of the United States and Koç Holding
Koç Holding
Koç Holding A.Ş. is the top industrial conglomeratein Turkey. The Koç family, one of Turkey's wealthiest families, controls the company with its headquarter in Nakkaştepe, Istanbul...
of Turkey.)
Legacy
Three of the prototypes were destroyed, their engines converted to diesel generators, but the last one is kept, in working condition, inside the TÜLOMSAŞTülomsas
TÜLOMSAŞ is a locomotive and wagon builder in Turkey. It is the main locomotive supplier of the Turkish State Railways and is one of the 2 companies that designs and assembles locomotives in Turkey along with EUROTEM. TÜLOMSAŞ is the largest company in Turkey in rail transport...
factory in Eskişehir
Eskisehir
Eskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby...
, where it was built. The story of the building process and hard efforts of the 24 engineers who worked on Devrim automobiles became the subject of a documentary film, which was released in Turkey in 2008. In late 2010, students from the National University of Science and Technology
National University of Science and Technology
National University of Sciences and Technology, or NUST, is a public university that was founded by the government of Pakistan in 1981 to train members of the Pakistani Armed Forces after merging established military institutes and colleges....
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
developed a hybrid car with inspiration from Devrim, and named this car Devrim II
Devrim II
The Devrim II is the first ever Hybrid Car of Pakistan, designed and fabricated by students of NUST using local resources, in 2010. A group of Eleven Engineering students from Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechatronics Engineering and Department of Electrical Engineering ,...
.
External links
- NTVMSNBC Article on Devrim
- TÜLOMSAŞ page on Devrim (in Turkish)
- Official page of Devrim (in Turkish)
- Turkish Wikipedia article
- Turkish Wikipedia article about the movie
- Official movie page of Devrim (in Turkish)