Iran Special Investigation: Why Did Ahmadinejad Give Away His Car?

This week's story to ponder, from The Tehran Times:

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has put his 1977 Peugeot 504 on auction to raise money for the Mehr housing project.

“In an act of charity, the president put his car up for sale yesterday (Sunday) to help the Mehr housing project,” Welfare and Social Security Minister Sadeq Mahsouli was quoted as saying on Monday.

The car is to be sold in an international auction and its price will be announced soon, the minister added.

The Mehr housing project is a network of cooperatives that provides affordable housing for low-income families.

My first response was that Iran is in a difficult economic position when the President has to sell off his prized antique automobile to fund the country's housing policy.

But this is a cynical reaction, and I am not a cynical man. So I tried to empathise with Mahmoud. I mean, the Peugeot 504 has done him good service but it's not exactly a looker:

And Ahmadinejad does has some tough competition in the history of Iran's Leaders and Their Automobiles.

So I sent EA investigators to Iran. Their mission: find out what a middle-aged guy in the midst of possible mid-life crises --- do people really like me? how am I doing in my job? will I avoid eventual prosecution? --- might buy to make himself feel a bit better.

They have not failed me. His country gets a Peugeot 504 and Mahmoud gets....