Anadol
Anadol was Turkey's first domestic mass-production passenger vehicle company. Its first model, Anadol A1 was 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.
Seven Anadol models were produced: A1, A2, STC-16, SV-1600, Böcek, A8-16 and Otosan P2 500 pick-up.
Production of the Anadol passenger cars was discontinued in 1986, while the production of the Otosan 500 Pick-Up continued until 1991. At present, Otosan builds Ford Motor Company's passenger cars and commercial vehicles, which are exported to numerous countries in the world, particularly to the European Union member states.
Anadol A1 (1966–1975)
The Anadol A1, code named FW5 by Reliant which developed the prototype upon Anadol's request, went into production on 19 December 1966. The styling of the A1 was by Tom Karen of Ogle Design. In 1967, a New Zealand entrepreneur, Alan Gibbs, announced that he intended to also produce the car in his country as the Anziel Nova. This project never proceeded beyond the initial announcement and prototype.Production of the A1 started at Otosan's new eastside Istanbul plant on 16 December 1966 with the 1200 cc Cortina engine, but in October 1968, it was replaced with the stronger 1300 cc Kent engine. In 1969, the dashboard gauges were updated with a new design and their positions were changed, while the ergonomic design of the steering wheel was improved. In 1970, the two round headlamps at the front were replaced with oval headlamps, a new transmission system was introduced, and the bumpers were changed. In 1971, the interior of the roof was covered with vinyl, in accordance with the fashion of that period. The design essentially remained this way until April 1972.
In 1971, a special model of the A1 was developed in dedication to the Mediterranean Games in İzmir, called the Akdeniz. Anadol Akdeniz was like a prelude of the new model which arrived in 1972, and had bumpers which were integrated into the shape of the bodywork, a different front grille, rectangular headlamps with white signal lamps, and different rear lights. The interior of the car was also completely changed, with a new dashboard, new seats and new finishing materials. Starting from 1972, this model became the standard coupé of Anadol until its production was stopped in 1975.
The five-seat body was built from fibre glass and affixed to a h-frame chassis. The Anadol was originally only available as a coupé, but in late 1973 was joined by a saloon and an estate version. The chassis had independent front suspension utilising coil springs and leaf springs on a live axle for the rear. Brakes were disc in the front and drum in the rear. The steering system used a recirculating ball mechanism.
Anadol A1 was also the first Turkish rally car, and Anadol Ralli Takımı became the first Turkish rally team. The first official rally in Turkey, the 1968 Trakya Rally, was won by the famous duo of Anadol A1 pilots, Renç Koçibey and Demir Bükey. Other famous Anadol A1 rally pilots included Romolo Marcopoli, İskender Atakan, Claude Nahum, Mete Oktar, Şükrü Okçu and Serdar Bostancı.
Still in 1968, another Turkish driver, İskender Aruoba, participated in the 30,000 km Africa-Asia-Europe Tour, which lasted 8 months, with his Anadol A1.
Anadol A2 (1970–1981)
Anadol A2 was both Anadol's first four-door model, and the first fiberglass bodied four-door sedan in the world.Its prototype was prepared in 1969 and the car was introduced to the market in 1970.
Apart from having four doors and a single wide front bench seat for both the driver and the passenger, the first versions of the A2 shared the same technical specifications with the A1. Starting from April 1972, the front part of the A2 received the same changes that the A1 received that year and this design went on until the end of 1975.
In 1976, a new version of the A2, the SL, was introduced. The biggest changes in the exterior appearance of the car were made in the front and the back, with new lamps. Particularly, the rear lamps had a completely new appearance. The interior was also completely changed, with a new steering wheel, new dashboard and new finishing materials.
The A2 was also the first Anadol model which received extensive crash tests in order to improve the safety of the car.
Since the A2 was primarily designed as a family sedan, and was also suitable for commercial uses, it became the best-selling Anadol passenger car, with a total of 35,668 units sold. The A2 was replaced by the A8-16 in 1981.
Anadol P2 500 / 600 (1971–1991)
In trying to fill a need for light transport, the first prototype pickup truck was developed by Bernar Nahum in 1970. Serial production began the following year, equipped with the 1.3-liter Ford Crossflow engine also used in saloons. The P2 also received the new nose of the facelifted A1. In the 1980s, this was upgraded to the 1.6-liter Ford Pinto, as seen in other Anadols as well. After 1983, the 600D version was released, with a 1.9-liter diesel engine, which necessitated a slight bulge in the hood. Always high in demand, and used extensively by the Turkish Post, the pickup continued to be in production until 1991, when 36,892 had been built. Many saloons have also been converted to pickup trucks.Anadol STC-16 (1973–1975)
A sports model, the STC-16, was produced between 1973 and 1975. The first prototype was introduced in 1972.Designed by Eralp Noyan, the STC-16 was the first Turkish sports car. It was also the second completely Turkish-designed car after Devrim, which was produced in 1961 as the first Turkish designed and built automobile.
In 1971, Erdoğan Gönül, the General Manager of Otosan and the son-in-law of Vehbi Koç, convinced the latter on the production of a sports car. The car was aimed at the upper segment of the Turkish market and would participate in international rallies, thus bringing prestige to the Anadol brand. The creation works of the STC-16 were assigned to Turkish designer Eralp Noyan, who had graduated from the Royal Fine Arts Academy in Belgium. The STC-16 was a completely new Anadol and looked nothing like the previous models of the brand, although it had similarities with other sports car models of that period, such as the Datsun 240Z and Ginetta G21.
The car's name, "STC-16", was originally an acronym for "Sports Turkish Car 1600", but as it was also intended for international markets, STC was alternatively named as the "Sports Touring Coupé". Among the Turkish youth, however, STC was popularly interpreted as "Süper Türk Canavarı".
The STC-16 used a shortened and modified Anadol chassis and suspension system, while using a 1600 cc Ford Mexico engine. The transmission system, on the other hand, was the one that was used by some high performance Cortina and Capri models in Britain. The STC-16 had all the typical dashboard gauges and indicators which the British and Italian sports cars of that period had. Apart from the speed and rpm indicators, a resettable cruise distance indicator as well as a Lucas ampermeter and Smiths oil, fuel and engine temperature indicators were installed on the dashboard.
Following an initial development period of 11 months, the first three prototypes of the STC-16 became ready for road tests, which took place at the Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station along the D.100 highway, in the town of Köseköy within Kocaeli Province. The first crash tests of the STC-16 were also performed in this period. Afterwards, the STC-16 was taken to England by Nihat Atasagun, Otosan's Production Manager, who tested the car at the MIRA circuit. The car received great attention at the streets and highways of England, where most people thought it was the prototype of a new British sports car. Several traffic police officers stopped the car in England, which had a special testing licence plate, "320-E", interested in finding out more information about the new model. The STC-16 was tested by British drivers at the circuit, and modifications were made according to their suggestions, following which the car's performance and safety characteristics were improved. Finally, at the beginning of April 1973, the first STC-16 rolled out of the Otosan factory in Istanbul and went into the showroom.
The global oil crisis of 1973 meant bad news for the STC-16. Not only car fuel became more expensive, but the cost of building fiberglass car bodies such as that of the STC-16 also skyrocketed. The rear-wheel drive STC-16 had a relatively high fuel consumption, and the sports coupé market in Turkey appealed to a very small segment, particularly to the young members of high-income families. Unlike other Anadol models of that period which were sold for 50,000 to 55,000 Turkish Liras, the STC-16 had a price tag of more than 70,000 Turkish Liras. When all these factors came together, the primary customers of the STC-16 remained the rally drivers, sports car enthusiasts and young celebrities.
A total of 176 Anadol STC-16s have been produced between 1973 and 1975, the majority of them in 1973, until the global oil crisis in that year reduced demand and slowed down production. Most of the STC-16s were painted in "Alanya Yellow", which became synonymous with the car. Some of them were red with white racing stripes, and some white with blue racing stripes, as it was fashionable with the sports cars of that period.
Anadol STC-16 in motorsports
Instead of the heavy steel chassis of the road version STC-16, the rally version had a lightweight FRP chassis, combined with a modified engine.The STC-16 became synonymous with its era in the memory of that period's Turkish youth, and the upgraded motorsports version of the car won numerous victories in rally competitions in Turkey and Europe. Famous Anadol rally drivers in the 1970s included Renç Koçibey, Demir Bükey, Romolo Marcopoli, İskender Aruoba, Cihat Gürkan, Ali Furgaç, Şevki Gökerman and Serdar Bostancı.