Anadol STC-16
Submitted for your consideration, the beautiful fiberglass-bodied STC-16 sports car, shown here in the bright yellow that is its trademark color. Designed in the early 1970s, it's a hatchback coupe that's very close in size (less than six inches difference in all major dimensions) to the present-day Mazda Miata. The styling is reminiscent of the early Datsun 240Z and Ford Capri and maybe even a little of the Shelby Cobra Daytona--yet the STC-16 is undeniably unique. It's clean and understated and wouldn't look entirely out of place in a 21st-century showroom. I particularly like lines of the grille and headlight surround, and the black-edged body-color bumper.
It is unlikely that you will ever see an STC-16 in person--mostly because there aren't that many to see. The car was never marketed in North America, and as far as I have been able to determine, there's not a single STC-16 on this continent, not even in Jay Leno's legendary garage. Only 176 STC-16s were built, according to the most optimistic tally, making it rarer than the Studebaker Avanti, Plymouth Superbird, Mazda Cosmo 110, Kaiser Darrin roadster, Toyota 2000GT, or Ford RS200. Only 26 are known to still be in existence, all in their country of origin.
So, you may ask, what is the STC-16's country of origin?
Unless you already know, you'd probably never guess.
The STC-16 came, not from England or Germany or even Japan or Italy, but from Istanbul, Turkey. The Anadol STC-16 was the first and only sports car built by the Turkish firm of Otosan Otomobil Sanayii.
Otosan assembles Fords today, but it once sold cars and light trucks bearing its own "Anadol" brand name. The first Anadol was the A1 coupe, introduced in 1966. It was designed and engineered in England by Reliant, a firm best known as the manufacturer of the Robin three-wheel minicar. The A1 had a fiberglass body on a steel ladder frame, and used a European Ford drivetrain. Otosan added the four-door A2 sedan (also fiberglass-bodied, and built on the same running gear as the A1) to its lineup in 1970.
Shortly after the A2 went on the market, Otosan embarked on its most ambitious project yet--a two-seat sports car which would be the first of its vehicles designed entirely in-house. Stylist Eralp Noyan drew inspiration from the Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane, and produced an attractive, well-proportioned coupe. The exterior styling was complemented by a tasteful interior with bucket seats and full sports-car instrumentation.
The chassis was a modified version of the A1/A2 frame, cut down to an 89.7-inch wheelbase, but with the same basic layout--front engine, rear drive, independent suspension with coil springs up front, live axle with leaf springs in the back. The sedan suspension was not stiffened or otherwise tweaked in the direction of handling, but a rack-and-pinion steering box was fitted in place of the sedan's recirculating ball system.
The engine was a 1599-cc Ford inline four-cylinder with a single-barrel carb which produced 67 horsepower and 89 foot-pounds of torque, mated to a four-speed manual transmission. This powertrain gave the 2,028-pound STC-16 a top speed of 108 mph and a 0-60 time of around 15 seconds.
That doesn't sound all that impressive, but there are a few mitigating circumstances to keep in mind. First of all, we're dealing with the early 1970s, when even supposedly top-end "performance" cars were a little light in the performance department. Anadol was not a large enterprise--its best seller, the A2 sedan, sold an average of only 3,500 cars a year--and the development budget could not have been all that large. The STC-16 was only the second automobile designed entirely by Turks--the first was the ill-fated Devrim sedan of 1961--and there just was not a large talent pool of experienced Turkish automotive engineers to staff the design team with. This being the early '70s, they probably had to do their designing the old-fashioned way, with T-squares and French curves and slide rules instead of computers.
The result was a car that was a bit overweight and underpowered--but considering Otosan's limited resources and lack of institutional experience relative to its competitors in Zuffenhausen, Marinello, Tokyo, Bowling Green, or Hethel, Norfolk, the boys from Istanbul had nothing to be ashamed of. Indeed, the phrase "pretty good for a rookie" seems like a fair evaluation. The STC's styling and interior ergonomics were the equal of contemporary sports coupes from Europe and Japan. It was competently engineered and had no major vices. The STC was all but hand-built, and one suspects the assembly quality would have put most 1970s Detroit iron to shame. The performance envelope may have been modest, but the car had a lot of potential for further development.
Otosan intended from the start to race the STC-16 on the rallying circuit. The race-prepared version of the STC had a modified engine producing 140 horsepower and a lighter fiberglass (!) frame. This illustrates what I meant about potential--add 73 horsepower and subtract a couple hundred pounds of weight, and all of a sudden the performance envelope gets a whole lot larger. The rally version compiled a respectable record in Turkish and European competition.
The designation "STC" was chosen with an eye toward export sales. It was supposed to stand for the English phrase "Sport Touring Coupe." Young Turkish car enthusiasts, however, insisted that it stood for Süper Türk Canavarı--"Super Turkish Monster!" The STC's alternate nickname was "the Moslem Corvette," in reference to its fiberglass body.
Unfortunately, the Super Turkish Monster didn't work out very well as a business proposition. In Turkey in the early 1970s, automobile ownership was still limited to the relatively well-to-do. The STC was expensive--70,000 Turkish lira ($5,384 at 1973 exchange rates, which equates to about $25,000 in today's dollars) versus 50,000 lira ($3,846) for the A2 sedan. There simply wasn't that much of a domestic Turkish market for expensive sports cars. A few STCs were exported to the UK, but it was not marketed anywhere else outside of Turkey. It is unlikely that a car with the STC's relatively modest performance would have had much appeal in the US market at that price point, and Otosan's inability to take advantage of economies of scale would have prevented it from being priced competitively. (A humble '73 Vega hatchback, which could out-accelerate the STC and had a back seat, had an MSRP of $2,192--less than half the Turkish Monster's home-country list price.) Further, the car could not have been sold here without adding federally mandated 5-mph bumpers, which would have utterly ruined Eralp Noyan's beautiful styling.
Though not a commercial success, the STC-16 is fondly remembered by Turkish automobile enthusiasts. It's become something of a cultural touchstone for the era and an object of understandable national pride. A small but very enthusiastic community of STC owners and fans in Turkey are keeping the memory alive, restoring and preserving these interesting automobiles.
As for myself, I find the STC-16 quite compelling. It is a reminder that creativity and talent--and, yes, even the irrational love of automobiles which Car Lust is dedicated to chronicling--are universal human characteristics, and that good things can come from unexpected places. What it might lack in raw power or sophistication it more than makes up for with its attractive lines, unique origin, and eager underdog personality.
I've owned and driven plenty of cars with better performance than the STC-16--even the much-despised Monza wagon would probably dominate it at the dragstrip--but there's a large part of me that would really like to have one. Since it is over 25 years old, you may import an STC-16 to the United States for street use without having to bring it up to U.S. specifications--assuming you can find one in Turkey that the owner is willing to sell you. Roll up to a car show or the cruise-in at the ice cream stand in a bright yellow STC-16 (with "Istanbul (not Constantinople)" blasting out of the stereo, of course!), and you'll likely draw a curious crowd wondering what it is. Imagine the looks on their faces when you tell them that it's a "Super Turkish Monster!"
The two publicity photos of the prototype that appear at the top of this article were taken while it was in England for development testing. Those shots, and the photo of the restored blue and white two-tone (which belongs to a Mr. Gomugen), came from the Turkish website http://www.stc-16.org/. The other illustrations came from another Turkish website, http://www.anadol-stc16.com/. Both sites have plenty of photos and other information, in both Turkish and English.
I would also like to thank Ali Ersin, the proprietor of anadol-stc16.com, for taking the time to answer some of my questions by e-mail. That's Ali's car illustrating the Turkish magazine article above.
--Kurabiye bir köpek'nin sahibi
Chris Hafner on March 20, 2009 at 08:45 AM
Wow - kudos to you, CTDO. I have *never* seen or heard of this thing before. There's definitely a sort-of Datsun 240Z as interpreted by the Eastern Bloc thing going on here (though I realize it's from Turkey). There's a little bit of AMC Spirit Kammback in the rear hindquarters as well.
I like the two-tone STC-16 with the fog lights - it looks pretty good. It looks like there's room for something bigger in the engine compartment, too.
David Colborne on March 20, 2009 at 08:57 AM
Why did Anadol get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks!
(Sorry, couldn't resist.)
In all seriousness, that's actually pretty cool. I imagine there are a fair amount of moderately interesting cars running around, produced in countries that we normally don't associate with actual car production. I mean, if Tata can slowly get off the ground and start exporting, what's to say the Turks can't come up with something themselves?
That Car Guy on March 20, 2009 at 09:48 AM
What a refreshing post! Obviously obscure, and I can see the styling hints in the car. The stretch between the door edge and front wheel well suggest good legroom. Truthfully, I can picture some nasty bumpers integrated onto the car, done in body color, that could work from a stylists' viewpoint. This car was another wasted opportunity :( .
Torque a more-potent powerplant in, and this should be a screamer. I'm glad they went to rack-and-pinion, as some makers, even Mercedes, believed recirculating ball was as good as R&P when it became power assisted, which this car probably wasn't.
Nice interior image! I see the radio is mounted at a 90-degree angle, just like a Chevy Citation, to save space. Those buckets look str8 out of a Mustang II as well.
Good job, Cookie!
Rob the SVX guy on March 20, 2009 at 03:45 PM
...and this is why I love this place. Never heard of it, very cool car, very awesome article. Great writing Cookie! @ David: hahahahaha. Nice. From the back this thing reminds me of an Opel Manta, from the front... well... it stands alone. What a wonderfully strange vehicle.
RR Ryan on March 20, 2009 at 05:06 PM
It does look remarkably like a Z, at least in the rear three quarter shot.
vic on March 20, 2009 at 06:19 PM
As usual, your writing is sheer delight for us readers! The song reference knocked me out of my seat. Happy Friday to all!
Tortillapete on March 20, 2009 at 06:28 PM
The front end looks like a 1970's Mercury Capri II
Tolber on March 20, 2009 at 07:24 PM
That thing has definitely got some Ford Pinto mojo going on.
Para on March 21, 2009 at 05:55 AM
It's a P.O.S. and you know it.
Bryan Frymire on March 21, 2009 at 11:08 AM
Nice read. One nit to pick: In the early seventies Corvette production hadn't yet moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Long live the "Super Turkish Monster"!
...m... on March 21, 2009 at 03:25 PM
...i really like the front headlight/grille aperture; nice character...
...this has me thinking about what previously-unattainable vehicles might be fast approaching the twenty-five-year mark and clear for import - not that i don't adore my federal lotus and want to keep it forever, but it's an interesting thought experiment...
That Car Guy on March 21, 2009 at 03:41 PM
I wonder when one might be able to import a Nissan Figaro.
Distiller on March 22, 2009 at 10:05 AM
Wow! Had never heard of it before. Actually not bad for a country without automotive history or design experience.
(Re good looking rare cars: AC Frua and Gordon-Keeble should go onto that list.)
Crazy driver on March 23, 2009 at 01:59 PM
indeed for a country like Turkey without to much experience/history in auto area, Anadol is a fruition. Good job done:)
Anthony Cagle on March 23, 2009 at 03:52 PM
Does anyone else think of "pain reliever" when seeing the name of this car?
Chuck on March 23, 2009 at 04:18 PM
Yes, "Anadol" does sound very prescriptionish.
v8Dan on March 25, 2009 at 05:45 AM
Neat car, now all we need is for some enterprising individual to buy the name and marketing rights, build a new car, and begin advertising 40 years of Turkish Automotive history! ;)
Mochi Mochi on March 27, 2009 at 09:58 AM
Bravo CookieTDO! This is completely obscure and totally lust worthy. Great looking car. One of my favorite shots is of the engine compartment - look at ALL the room around the power plant - you could set up a nice little apartment in there. What a dream it would be to have that much room around any modern engine.
Chuck on March 27, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Maybe take some of that room and bolt a bigger engine in there too!
Cookie the Dog's Owner on March 28, 2009 at 04:44 AM
I'm glad to see that most of the commenters have the same reaction to the car that I do. It's a remarkable achievement, beautifully styled, and just 100 HP and a set of sway bars away from being a seriously wicked performance car.
M.Ali Dündar on March 31, 2009 at 04:57 AM
Hi,
I'm a STC 16 owner from Turkey and very surprised (and glad) to read something about it in the web. I had a website about STC some time ago (www.anadolstc16.com) and collect many data about it, from directly its designer(Mr.Eralp Noyan) and the people who produced it in early 1970's. My car is No.106 of 176 and waiting for some parts for totally restoration. Only around 30 of them still around today, but just 10 or so examples have completely original body,chassis,engine and transmission. It's one of the rarest sports cars today, I think..If anyone wants to more info about STC 16, please don't hesitate to write me. My mail address is; medar 1966@hotmail.com. ..Regards, M.Ali
Ingram Powell on April 20, 2009 at 11:51 AM
At first sight the STC is reminiscent of a Ginetta G21, so much so that I wondered if they might have shared GRP moulds.
But one look at the G21 reveals that it is fundamentally different, and far better looking than this ambitious but amateur effort.
That the STC performed so well on road and track is no credit to Anadol, but rather to Ford, whose Cortina engine and gearbox it uses.
METIN BERBEROGLU on May 29, 2009 at 09:38 PM
Dear Sirs,
I am one of the STC owners in Turkey. Good to read all those letters. For more photos and infos, visit: www.stc-16.org
Ufuk Bircan Özkan on August 18, 2009 at 05:00 PM
Hi,
I think these two non-mass-produced cars may grab your attention too.
This is İmza 700:
http://www.google.com.tr/#hl=tr&q=imza+700&btnG=Google%27da+Ara&meta=&aq=f&fp=6c836d12d32cd60b
And Etox Zafer: (This one is new and still being developped)
http://www.google.com.tr/#hl=tr&safe=off&q=etox+zafer&meta=&fp=6c836d12d32cd60b
You can contact me via addresses at the bottom of my weblog: ufubo.blogcu.com
Otolist on February 16, 2010 at 06:23 AM
Devrim, STC/A1 .. (Anadol), Çağdaş, Etox, Şamil, Diardi, Sazan ..
Türkiye Made in ...
http://www.otometre.com/otometre/id6.htm
http://www.otometre.com/otometre/id7.htm
http://www.otometre.com/otometre/id8.htm
http://www.otometre.com/otometre/id9.htm
http://otolist.blogspot.com/2009/11/ltg.html
http://otolist.blogspot.com/
http://www.otometre.com