Sayed Sima was about 25 years old when he began collecting vintage cars, attracted by their beauty and rarity, as well as their relatively cheap price tag.
More than half a century later, Sima – a nickname derived from the Egyptian slang for cinema – now has a collection of hundreds of vintage cars, many of which he keeps in Egypt's Media Production City where directors rent them as props for historical shows and films.
The oldest car in Sima’s collection is an Auburn which he acquired in the 1980s.
"This is of course a very rare car, a car that is entirely a piece of antique," he says, sitting in the Auburn to showcase its wooden frame and steel coating.
"Its original tank is still inside. It's a beautiful car. Its structure is all wood."
Sima remains fascinated by the way older cars operate.
His son, Ayman, 38, shares this peculiar passion after growing up seeing his father's cars feature in movies.
"I also liked how I saw these cars on movie screens. I would see a movie and think, oh it is our car," he says.
Among the famous figures who once rode in one of Sima's cars was former Egyptian president Anwar El Sadat, whose presidential car was a black 1975 Chevrolet Impala, says Sima.
