Look East

[eddyramrod]

...To Eastern Europe in fact. I thought it was worth splitting off the "former Communist" cars into their own thread. We'll open proceedings with a few from Andreas's yard, and I'll add any more I find. Please, feel free to join in.

Some 125p's...

Beige one has been rebuilt; I think the customer ran out of money, so it's just laid in the yard ever since, engineless.

This is the best photo I could get of the blue one.

White one still wears English plates: C333 WLX.

 

Services provided by DVLA:

Vehicle enquiry

The enquiry is complete.The vehicle details for C333 WLX are:

Date of Liability 01 07 1987

Date of First Registration 28 07 1986

Year of Manufacture 1986

Cylinder Capacity (cc) 1300cc

CO2 Emissions Not Available

Fuel Type PETROL

Export Marker N

Vehicle Status Unlicensed

Vehicle Colour WHITE

Vehicle Type Approval Not Available

 

So it probably came to Cyprus in its first year! It's been sitting here for at least three...

 

I think there might be another Samara tucked away in this yard too. I've probably passed it a hundred times!

Yugo 45 van; one of at least two, not to mention a car or two. Andreas likes these for rallying, and why not! It's all Fiat 127 underneath. Simple, rugged, easy to drive, and surprisingly powerful for their size.

Now this deserves a shot of the other end...

Go on, tell me: when did you last see a Favorit estate? Especially on black Minilite-a-likes?

[SambaS]

So this is where all the interesting cars in Cyprus are hiding. I got not one shot of a car while I was out there!

[eddyramrod]

You should have come to see me, I could have given you a guided tour!

[wackywacerwill]

Not a Talbot

Perfect AS plate on this Volga

 

And a few nice shots to finish

 

 

Can't leave this one out in the cold

[SambaS]

Is that 'Alpine' a Moskovich?

[nigel bickle]

its a big ol' Gaz.

[nigel bickle]

Eddie -slim chance I may be out early this summer. Fancy a beer?

[eddyramrod]

With the living legend that is Nigel Bickle? Damn right! I forsee at least one long lazy afternoon of car stories, with guest appearances from the free chairs on my balcony, and probably a cat demanding to be stroked. [/Mystic Meg]

 

Incidentally, if you feel the need for a rental car, see me, I'll fix you up with Andreas.

[Albert Ross]

I reckon a case of Keo in the fridge, a white glass carafe of 20 yr old Metaxa somewhere, and a few of those wonderful flaky pastries with confectioner's custard in..... Om Nom Nom. I know you aren't a drinker Eddy, can you send Nigel back with my share please! (My Parents met in Victory Bay 1957ish, and we holidayed in Paphos in 1981, they hired a beige Lada (Estate I think) and it had trouble staying in gear coming down from Troodos) A glass would do me Nigel! I seem to remember the Airport Taxi was a Yellow Merc W115 stretch, which stopped to pick up the driver's family en route, dropped them off at a celebration, and carried on with us to the hotel...... In fact a bottle of Arsinoe 1962 would do wonders....

[Guest]

Nice one Eddy, can you pencil me in for the white saloon

[eddyramrod]

I think you've got enough on your plate!

[Pete-M]

A few I've spotted in Czech.

 

[eddyramrod]

Quality!

[skoda_fan]

Out of interest, how recent are the CZ pics? Nice to know there's some of that stuff still about. I've not been over there for a while and feared that all the old stuff might have gone by now

[RedSparrow]

Out of interest, how recent are the CZ pics? Nice to know there's some of that stuff still about. I've not been over there for a while and feared that all the old stuff might have gone by now

 

There is a fair bit of old chod around still. The poorer parts of Prague mostly. I live near the German border so most people have newer cars, but I'd say I see at least 5 Skoda Estelles a day. There is a 70s wartburg parked near my place that I must get a shot of. Problem is there always seems to be dodgy looking people hanging around when I want to take photos.

I have also seen a couple of Barkas' in use, as well as the odd Lada and Trabant. No Polish stuff though.

Commercial-wise: There are also lots of Tatra 138/148s around still going strong, aswell as many Avia A series trucks. Old East German Multicars still do a lot of municipal work too. Communist commercials seemed to have lasted really well here, I guess they were designed to be rugged and last as long as possible.

[Pete-M]

They've all been taken in the last five or so years. Mainly around Liberec, Chrastava and Lysa Nad Labem.

 

The chap with the garage who is doing my Escort mainly deals with old cars, he prefers them. The red Tatra 805 is his. He's also the dude next to the Sierra in the pic below.

 

Few more pics of the random chod I've seen there.