A cool, new, diesel-powered sports car from Turkey. Seriously.

July 9, 12:37 PMSan Jose Auto Industry ExaminerArt Michalik

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The Turkish designed and built Etox Zafer in action                   (Etox photo)

Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce you to Turkey's second-ever production sports car, the Etox Zafer. (And I'll bet you didn't even know that they had a first sports car).

The distinct rear design of the Etox Zafer                                    (Etox photo)

The Etox Zafer is the brainchild of Turkish entrepreneur Ercan Malkoc, who made his fortune retrofitting imported vans for domestic use.

According to reports from the Turkish new agency Anadolu Ajansi Malkoc designed, developed and constructed the first two Etox Zafers in eight months and a budget of $2 million with a 20-member technical team which included an automotive designer, two mechanical engineers and an aircraft engineer. One car was retained by the company while the other was sold to a businessman in Istanbul. 

As mentioned above, this is not the first attempt at building a sports car in Turkey. The first was the Anadol A4 STC-16, a pretty little coupe that was manufactured from 1973 to 1975. For a entertaining and educational history of the Turkish automotive industry, please see the slide show that's part of this posting.

In case you were wondering where the Etox name comes from (which does sounds a bit pharmaceutical) it's a portmanteau that combines the parent company's name (Ertex) with that of the country (Turkey). Zafer is the Turkish word for victory.

The two Etox Zafers produced are both powered by 1.5 liter 125 HP Renault diesel engines. Malkoc told the German magazine Auto Bild “here in Turkey diesel is far cheaper. I am also planning to sell Etox Zafer at 30,000 Euros." Malkoc adds “I am idealist and would like that as many human beings as possible could afford this car.”

For mass production Malkoc is considering different power plants, including up to a 300 HP diesel. The Turkish entrepreneur is considering a site in Ankara to produce the car, and is ready to meet international investors. He claims to have orders for 20 additional cars.

Malkoc said that his cars would pave the way for other Turkish entrepreneurs and projects. “We Turks had for a long time no own automobile production more. I want to prove that we can do it,” Malkoc concluded.

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