Iraqi gear heads and their hot rods
The fall of Saddam Hussein has enabled Iraqi car enthusiasts to create their dream rides like never before. Bilal Hussein’s Mustang GT convertible boasts custom interiors and paint, including a skull stencil, but he wants monster tires, a DVD player and mufflers that shoot flames. And the hydraulics systems that he sees on his favorite show, MTV’s “Pimp My Ride.” (Saif Rasheed / Los Angeles Times)
Hisham Ghulan and his brother Adnan run a Baghdad auto repair shop thats one of the anchors of the citys car culture. The brothers do all the detail work and modifications themselves. Hisham shows off their current pride and joy, a 1987 BMW M3 tricked out with front and rear spoilers, broad blue and red stripes, and a red eagle on the door. Inside: red and yellow leather everywhere, dragons on the floorboards and a set of stereo speakers that take up most of the back seat. (Saif Rasheed / Los Angeles Times)
Members of a drag racing club in Baghdad check their car before a race in 2005. Before Saddam Hussein’s ouster, all car imports were controlled by the Iraqi leader’s notorious son Uday and his cronies. A car freak, Uday was also known to confiscate on the spot any car he fancied. These days, the lawlessness in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 makes owning a head-turning ride a dangerous hobby. (Saad Khalaf / Los Angeles Times)
A Nissan ZX revs up for a drag racing meet in Baghdad in 2005. In addition to the threat from roving gangs of carjackers, car enthusiasts must also beware of armed fundamentalists, both Sunni and Shiite, who might view an overly showy car as sinfully extravagant. (Saad Khalaf / Los Angeles Times)
A Corvette accelerates in a drag racing meet in Baghdad in 2005. In addition to eye-catching details, Iraqs resurgent gear heads want speed. Adnan Ghulan boasts of getting up to 150 mph on the highways in the brothers’ tricked-out BMW M3, but he frowns on urban street-racing as irresponsible. (Saad Khalaf / Los Angeles Times)
