“Luxury is not just owning an object, but also possessing an era and an emotion.” This quote by Alain de Botton echoes in my mind as I step into the Rahmi M. Koç Museum. At first, I don’t know which way to go. There is such majesty in the automobiles that I cannot decide which one to approach and examine closely. Then, I decide to visit them chronologically; they are already lined up that way. I am also a bit surprised; my two-year-old daughter falls asleep just before we enter the museum. Thanks to the museum's stroller service, I start wandering around in peace. Everything is just too good!
The Rahmi M. Koç Museum is a wonderful place to stop time for a short while and surrender yourself to the comfort of nostalgia. While preserving the memory of our industrial history on one hand, it also reminds us how classic automobiles have turned into tools for storing value. After all, the economics of collecting is a strong bridge built between cultural heritage and economic value. Some of these automobiles, boats, and aircraft were perhaps bought as scrap by the Koç family, but undoubtedly, the value of an automobile lies not only in its engine power or design but in the story it carries…
Every vehicle exhibited in the museum is actually the economically valued form of an emotional connection established with the past. This entire collection is also an industrial archive documenting the stages the automotive industry in Turkey has gone through. Many industrialists around the world view the economics of collecting not just as a personal passion, but as part of corporate culture. Because we know that collecting makes it possible both to learn from the past and to carry a vision into the future. Rahmi Koç’s automobile collection reflects his identity as an industrialist precisely at this point.
It shows how production, technology, and innovation have evolved throughout history… Moreover, it offers an incredible experience rather than a boring history lesson. Its thoughtfully designed child-friendly options almost beckon you to visit here with a little loved one on a weekend. It is not possible to stop time, but it is certainly possible to slow it down in a museum like this.
The spirit of the time
Thanks to the mass production initiated by Henry Ford in the 1910s, automobiles are no longer just toys for the rich; they have become a means of transportation accessible to the middle class as well. Despite this, horse-drawn carriages are still roaming the streets. In fact, the automobiles produced also resemble horse-drawn carriages quite a bit, just like their noisy and intriguing models. For the first time, people can travel from one city to another so quickly. I am more drawn to the interior design of the cars than their exterior. How timeless and stylish the leather upholstery is. Simple and yet ambitious. What they call quiet luxury. I want to examine them at length; it is as if I am trying to catch details about the lifestyle of the people of that era in the interior design of the cars, not the exterior.
The automobile is now a lifestyle
However, an automobile is not just transportation; it is also a lifestyle. As people migrated from rural areas to the cities, the concept of a "Sunday drive" was born. Families would hop into their cars and go for picnics outside the city. Of course, not everyone is happy with these new machines. Horse-drawn carriage manufacturers complain about losing their businesses, and newspapers debate that "motorized vehicles are very dangerous." But there is no turning back. The automobile becomes the symbol of the modern age.
As the 1950s approach, the design changes
As we move into the 1940s, or rather, after the production that decreased significantly during the Second World War, longer, lower, and wider bodies emerge as we inevitably approach the 1950s. Long hoods, rear fenders integrated with the body, and chrome ornaments seem to be the remedy for the public's longing for "modern" and "hopeful" design, weary from the war. On the other hand, conditions in Europe are still not very good. The Volkswagen Beetle, produced in the town of Wolfsburg, Germany, by Ferdinand Porsche at the request of Adolf Hitler, appeals to the middle class with its strategy of being a "people's car." In fact, that is exactly what the brand name means. So much so that its fame crosses Europe and reaches America.
Rock’n’roll, style, and freedom
When I reach the 1950s, it’s as if I see a leather-jacketed John Travolta on the car, and I hum the rock 'n' roll tunes of the Grease musical. Cars, which started to become symbols of a lifestyle, are now referred to with bigger concepts. Freedom, style, and status. The image that comes to our minds today when we say classic American car is actually a creation of the 1950s. As James Dean said: Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.
This content has been translated using artificial intelligence technology.