Balkan boost

[CaMIRO]

Longtime lurker, first time poster. Read forddeliveryboy's diatribe against modern cars this morning and saw a lot of myself in it.

 

A while back, someone here mentioned wanting a Renault 18 Turbo. I have a curious attachment to the R18, to the point where I once even owned the American version (R18i), replete with Volvo headlights and bumpers.

 

Have been trying to get the pair you see here to the point where they're at least vaguely reliable. The Renault needed a complete engine rebuild, while the Lancia actually caught fire a few months back.

 

It does seem as though you people would love the Balkans. Not a day goes by that I don't see a Peugeot 309, Renault 21, Golf 2, etc. in regular use. One of these days I'll put some random pictures up.

 

Apologies for the poor quality, these were all taken with a terrible smartphone clone. If I ever get to the point where both cars are running at the same time - no easy feat - I'll throw some better shots up. Unfortunately, both look better in photos than they actually are; although when they're running right, on a full moon, on the right road, they're magical.

 

Oh, and let me take the opportunity to send long overdue thanks to Trigger. I was stunned when all my favorite CAR road tests from way back when started showing up on Flickr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Junkman]

The shite is right.

It's been too long since I've last holidayed in Yugoslavia.

[CaMIRO]

It's time to come on (back) down.

 

You guys want shite?

 

http://www.polovniautomobili.com

 

Marka is marque. Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Cena is price. Pretraga is Search. Sortiraj po godini proizvodnje uzlazno is Sort from oldest to newest. Everything else should be self explanatory.

 

I'll regularly be out having dinner or coffee or whatever, and hear some stranger at the adjacent table describing some old car which both of us apparently have our eye on.

• http://www.polovniautomobili.com/putnicka-vozila/6481634/rover-p6-2000
• http://www.polovniautomobili.com/putnicka-vozila/7081308/rover-820-turbo
• http://www.polovniautomobili.com/putnicka-vozila/7142332/rover-220-tomcat-turbo-coupe

[steve_earwig]

I think you missed the boat there, Yugoslavia no longer exists...

[forddeliveryboy]

The next first Autoshite Grand Tour should be in Balkan lands. Very beautiful. Are there still proper local garages who will fix anything?

[CaMIRO]

If you know someone who has heard of them, and can therefore drop that name at the appropriate moment, yes. Much here goes by who you know.

 

There's a guy in a town called Sabac, for instance, who repairs only Renault 25s. The car isn't that common, but I guess since his name is known throughout the Balkans, he has enough business.

 

When I had no luck asking the French to send me four pistons and (removable) cylinder walls for the R18, a guy who bought some of Zastava's old machines made me a piston and matching cylinder to replace the one that was damaged (overheated). Amazing how well it works.

 

As far as the Grand Tour, we hosted Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Autocar here a few years ago when they did a tour of Zastava. A great time was had by all, and the food blew their minds.

[derskine]

Awesome.

I drive this Diesel one daily.

 

 

[CHRIS1980]

Used to be one of these near my local Chinese takeaway. Often thought of asking if it was for sale.

[steve_earwig]

What would you have done with a Chinese takeaway?

 

sorry...

[Sigmund Fraud]

We need to see some underbonnet pictures... 1980s turbo engine bays are amazing(ly complicated) !

 

Oh and also some pics of the Lancia interior... Am I right in thinking it has fishnet Recaros and far too many gauges ?

[CHRIS1980]

What would you have done with a Chinese takeaway?

 

sorry...

Swapped it for a Renault obviously!

[lisbon_road]

http://www.polovniautomobili.com/putnicka-vozila/7238041/vauxhall-viva-sl

 

That site is interesting.  The link is to a Vauxhall Viva - now that would make a collection thread.

 

And this is a search on Mk3 Astras:

 

http://www.polovniautomobili.com/putnicka-vozila/pretraga?submit_1=&brand=56&model=3334&price_from=&price_to=&year_from=&year_to=&door_num=&without_price=1&date_limit=&showOldNew=all&modeltxt=&engine_volume_from=&engine_volume_to=&power_from=&power_to=&mileage_from=&mileage_to=&emission_class=&seat_num=&wheel_side=&registration=&country=&city=&page=&sort=

 

I hope it is.....anyway loads over 1000 Euros and galactic milages. 

[CaMIRO]

We need to see some underbonnet pictures... 1980s turbo engine bays are amazing(ly complicated) !

 

Oh and also some pics of the Lancia interior... Am I right in thinking it has fishnet Recaros and far too many gauges ?

 

Yep. Green fishnet Recaros. Will post more shots soon, once I get the exhaust sorted.

 

[CaMIRO]

 

 

 

 

[CaMIRO]

Will post more shots soon, once I get the exhaust sorted.

 

"Soon" is a relative term. Never mind. Delta is running again.

 

 

 

[Skizzer]

Oh wow. Wow.

 

I missed this thread before - those two are very, very lovely. Great photos too.

 

What flavour of Delta is it - HF Turbo?

[CaMIRO]

I missed this thread before - those two are very, very lovely. Great photos too.

 

What flavour of Delta is it - HF Turbo?

 

 

Thanks. Yep, 1986 HF Turbo. 140 hp. The Renault has 125. The Lancia is rather quicker off the line, although the Renault gets its own back on the highway.

 

 

 

[CaMIRO]

The unboosteds -

 

 

• Zastava Florida In L (2006)   Your Sana, dropped by 20 mm, with a 100-horsepower 1.6-liter Peugeot engine and A/C.

 

• Zastava 101 Mediteran (1979)   3-door version of Fiat 128, unique to Zastava. Exported to the U.K. in the early '80s as the 311 (1.1 liter) and 313 (1.3 liter).

 

 

• Sachsenring Trabant (1989)   Needs no introduction.

 

The classic car scene is alive and well in Serbia, even though it remains very difficult to register a car as a classic, i.e.: for the summer.

 

Belgrade classic car show (2014)

[Jerzy Woking]

I'm riding over to the Balkans next week, and will travel through, and stop over in, Hungary, Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Croatia.

 

I really love shite spotting when there, although taking photos when riding restricts the number of photos I take. One day I will buy a Renner 4 from Croatia, as I see so many of them there, paint faded but not rusty. Surprising as many I have seen on previous trip live on some of the small islands.

 

Its a great place for a bike or car tour. The Croatian coastal road is spectacular, and roads in the interior are just as good. We will be riding the Ibarska Magistrala road to Montenegro, which looks a great road on the map, but it does have 600 deaths on it each year.Looking at a couple of youtube videos, it's not hard to see why - just terrible driving on a great road.

[cort1977]

Loving the Sana (Florida).

 

I suspect that most small garage owners in the Balkans would happily rent out a Zastava on a cash basis but doubt you would be eligible for many Gold Plus rewards.   On the other hand they wouldn't upsell you a load of CDW and pre-paid fuel bollocks either. 

[nigel bickle]

Mate, we gave very similar taste! I too own a few old Renners, inc a base 18 and an estate running a fuego turbo.

I've a red Sana ( big stock I'm afraid, too rare here to piss with) and a 313

 

I' love what you're doing, keep at it. More please, when you can

[Ghosty]

That Yugo in the first post seems to have the Michelin Man wheels Ronal Teddies!

[Jon]

Excellent stuff. I'd missed your video of the 18 Turbo before, so would encourage everyone visiting this page to click on it. The HF is special but the 18 is something else. I don't remember seeing many in the UK but always coveted them due to the blue one which featured in one of my many sets of Top Trumps.