-
Craigslist: Lada 2105 VFTS Rally Race Car
/
/
comments
Eastern Bloc cars seem to grow more popular by the day. I have been writing them about them for many years now and I even come to own a Lada. My Lada has been converted into a Lemons car some time ago and it even won the overall grandest prize, the IOE. But I want…
-
1980's Eastern Europe via 1:43 Cars and Stop-Motion Video
/
/
comments
The 1970s and 1980s era was a difficult one for the countries on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Most people were not able to get basic necessities, never mind luxury items such as one’s own home or a car. Travel to the western world equally challenging. The few who had a car, probably…
-
From concept to reality: The VAZ/Lada 110/2110
/
/
comments
“You make me sad”, said King Arthur to the Black Knight in the very well known Monty Python movie. I’m reminded of that scene every time I compare Lada prototypes to the finalized production cars: it’s clear how the design studios were positively awash with striking ideas and impeccable taste, but despite getting the basic…
-
Japanese Cars Living and Dying in Poland – Part 3
/
/
comments
Going back to the communist times, the few cars that were available to the people of Poland were of Eastern Bloc production: Polish Fiats, Ladas, Skodas, Wartburgs, and many others that we have covered here before. They had a few traits in common, specifically that all were poorly made, were very small, inefficient, and frequently…
-
Diecast "Delights": A Trabant 601 in 1:18 Scale
/
/
comments
For years and years I had wanted a model of a Trabant to add to my collection of “real world” cars. I had vague recollections of seeing them for sale in model emporiums at prices just beyond what I could afford in my formative years as a collector, but I never made that stretch. And…
-
Weekend Edition: Old German cars on a Slovenian street
/
/
comments
A Slovenian friend of mine, Aleš shot these classic German cars in his town of Maribor the other day. Both of them are in need of light restoration, even if they’re durable enough to trundle around the streets in the condition in which they are now.
-
Weekend Edition: Estonian cold start videos are captivating
/
/
comments
At this point, I’m certain YouTube was set up as a treasure trove for cold start videos. There’s trains being cranked into life, tractors, you name it. But this Estonian channel is one of the most interesting so far, as the cars and trucks have sat for quite a while, and a lot of them…
-
FOLDAKAR – Cyber Marian is Racing a Folding Bicycle in Dakar Rally!
/
/
comments
We have met Cyber Marian, the modern Polish hero, previously when he Wrecked to the Future in an FSO Polonez and was involved in Car Wars, where he helped protect old cars from the environmental, bicycle-riding, Evil Empire. Now Cyber Marian is back and this is a story of how he competed in this year’s Dakar Rally!…
-
Italian Cars Living and Dying in Poland
/
/
comments
Let’s start of with some sad news: Zlomnik.pl, the Polish website that I have come to love, the website that I blatantly stole all these pictures from over the years, is no more. I talked to the man behind the site, the only Polish auto journalist I know, and he basically said that he was…
-
French Cars Living and Dying in Poland
/
/
comments
We start this episode of cars that are living and/or dying in Poland with some bad news. Various government agencies in Poland, especially in big cities, are beginning to remove abandoned cars from the streets. Residents are complaining about these vehicles being the eyesores of their communities and that they are taking up precious parking space.…
