Car frames sit outside a shop near Tehran, Iran. They’re rusty. They look old. Can Khosro Dahaghin turn these old Cadillac Sevilles back into what they used to be?

Rewind to the year 1975. Back then, these cars had powerful engines and pillowy insides. The doors and windows locked automatically. One Seville sold for $12,479—the equivalent today of over $70,000.

“Over time, these cars became broken and worn out as a result of poor usage and lack of proper maintenance,” Mr. Dahaghin says. “Some of them were destroyed. Now we restore these cars after years.”

But the restoration is not easy. Each vehicle can take up to a year and a half to finish. Parts are hard to find.

Workers at an American Company called General Motors designed the Sevilles. But some of the cars were put together in Iran.

Owning a Seville in Iran back then was a big deal. But then the 1979 Islamic Revolution happened. The Iranian government was overthrown. Islamic leaders took power. People lost many freedoms. Violence increased. Many fled the country. Americans left. The General Motors company left too.

Iranians still face trouble. Their money (the rial) has lost value. One Iranian rial is worth much less than an American penny. And one of Mr. Dahaghin’s finished cars might cost as much as $40,000. In Iran, that’s a fortune!

But for some classic car lovers in Iran, the Seville is worth it. Arsalan Asgharzadeh bought a Seville from Mr. Dahaghin. He says, “If you experience driving a Cadillac, you will always want to drive a Cadillac.”

Why? Righteous rules help people flourish. But even in hard times, people can creatively make old things new.