08.12.2025 18:27
Muammer Kıcıklar, who has been restoring classic cars in Konya for 42 years, continues to pursue his profession, which he started as a childhood dream. Kıcıklar, a classic car master, stated that they built the area in front of their house with the intention of using it as a garage, but it has been interpreted as a greenhouse. He said, "That's okay, I'm still happy. I'm nurturing vehicles."
Muammer Kıcıklar, a 61-year-old who has been restoring American classic cars for 42 years in Konya, continues to uphold the dwindling craft of combined restoration in Turkey by turning his childhood dream into a profession. Kıcıklar, who handles bodywork, painting, upholstery, and electrical work all by himself, stated that classic cars are completely disassembled and reassembled, a process that takes months.
HE KEEPS THE CARS IN A "GREENHOUSE" Kıcıklar mentioned that he stores the cars in a protective area known as a "greenhouse," which was created to protect them from the sun and snow, emphasizing that carrying classic cars into the future requires both effort and responsibility.
"THERE IS NO ONE WHO CAN DO BODYWORK, PAINTING, UPHOLSTERY, AND ELECTRICAL WORK FROM SCRATCH IN MY STYLE" Classic car master Muammer Kıcıklar explained that his late uncle's car inspired him, saying, "After returning from the military, I bought an American car with my own means. I had it restored at that time. Later, I developed this work and became a master over the course of 42 years. Now these cars are being made in Turkey. They are made in places like Adana and Istanbul, apart from Konya. However, there is no one who can do bodywork, painting, upholstery, and electrical work from scratch in my style. But these are done under a factory roof. I have been trying to provide professional service to people for 10 years. When these cars come to the bodywork stage, we first strip the cars and disassemble everything carefully because there are no spare parts. You have to disassemble the parts without damaging them. Plus, these are now being restored and repaired. Later, the hinges, door handles, and other parts are painted one by one outside and then assembled. It cannot be done like modern cars where we just sand and paint. Classic cars must be taken apart and reassembled. They must be restored first and then reassembled. This is a long process," he said.
"THESE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE ECONOMY AND WILL BE A GOOD LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS" Muammer Kıcıklar stated that he first asks the question, "Is the car worth restoring?" when looking at cars, saying, "I will love the car. Plus, I will love the owner of the car. If I don't love both, I won't do this job. While I am working on this car, I imagine its finished state from the very beginning. And I focus on making it. This car was originally pistachio green and had a beige side. When I started working on this car, I envisioned changing it to a chocolate color with nickel-plated sides, and I worked hard to achieve that, and I succeeded in the end. This vehicle took 18 months. But I can complete normal 64 models in about 8 to 9 months. Are there any quick ones? For example, if the car is just for painting, it can be finished in 3 to 3.5 months. Now, when people ask me why I do these cars, it's not because we earn a lot of money. We definitely get the return for our efforts. But our main goal, as a Turkish person and a nationalist, is not to waste these vehicles that have been brought to our national economy in due time, to update them again, to contribute to the country's economy, and to provide enjoyment to people, to help them. This is our aim. But these will contribute to the economy and will be a good legacy for future generations," he said.
"THE MORE EFFORT, THE MORE PROFIT" Kıcıklar expressed that people are now in pursuit of quick money, stating, "We earn too, we earn as much as they do, but we spread it over time. It requires effort. People want to earn without working. No, the more effort, the more profit. This work will also be halal and blessed. Now the costs of the vehicles vary with their models, brands, and restorations. Today, you cannot buy a finished American car for less than 1 million. We do not sell the car you see for less than 3 million. That is the price," he stated.
"OUR PEOPLE INTERPRETED IT AS A GREENHOUSE" Muammer Kıcıklar explained that they built the place referred to as a greenhouse in front of their house with the intention of making a garage, saying, "It has been about 10 years since this garage was built under the conditions of that day. We decided to evaluate the resources we had 10 years ago. I was a truck driver before. There were truck tarpaulins. I made it a greenhouse type here, it resembled a greenhouse a bit, but the purpose was to protect the vehicles. The vehicles you see in that greenhouse are either restored and ready to be sold or driven, and I made it a shaded area to protect them from the sun and snow. But our people interpreted it as a greenhouse. That's okay, I'm still happy. I am raising cars," he said.