By Heidi Trautmann

In my Once upon a time story on the Cypriot railway I was just touching the topic of road transportation …. Later, busses took over public transportation; what beauties they had in last century; today many of them are still being used for special events, film shootings and weddings….and I also said that well-off people were using their private carriages drawn by horses, eventually replaced by cars. The normal citizen was using his bicycle,  or in the villages still the donkey and a cart for the transportation of larger quantities of goods.

Motorbikes?  Here and there. I was doing an interview with Arman Ratip who showed me a photo of his parents riding a motor bike! Very modern sporty young people!

Today, most of the old busses have ended up for scrapping or live a forgotten life in the backyard of some old farms or factories. One such bus was found by Özgül Ezgin, President of EMAA, European Mediterranean Art Association and keen photographer and she used it for one of her beautiful expressive photos .

Around the world enthusiasts of classic cars meet regularly for talks and races, have their own circles and their museums. Even here we meet them on the road for certain occasions. AND there is a museum of classic cars in North Cyprus on the campus of the Near East University.

I have been there with my husband and I can confirm that the approximately 60 cars are well looked after. As I learnt, most of the cars belong to Dr. Suat Gunsel, the founder of the university.

There is the Austin Princess used by Dr. Fazil Kücük, the first leader of the Turkish Cypriot community and Vice President of the Republic of Cyprus, and other now classic cars used by former politicians. There is also one of these beautiful busses I am concerned about, a 1963 Bedford bus.

The museum is open on weekdays 8am to noon, and from 1pm to 4pm. There are signposts to lead you. Entry costs 10TL for adults and 5Tl for children and students.