Some vintage cars from the east

[photax]

Hi !
I took this pictures as a child in ca. 1977/78 with my Agfa Optima sensor electronic, my second camera. I was very pleased leaving the 126-cartridge film behind. The pictures will show you some cars from East Germany and the Czech Republic, which had been mostly used as everyday cars at that time, than as collectors items. Going to this countries was not easy and expensive, you needed to buy a visa and you had been forced to exchange money into worthless Eastern Bloc-paper. At the end of the trip you had to give it away, cause there was nothing to buy for. In my childhood memory, the european east always was a "Eldorado" for vintage cars. Saw also a lot of old VW beetles with split rear window there ( we call them "Pretzel Bug" ). As soon as the border was open, all these cars had been bought out and carried on vehicle transporters to the west. I saw many of them on the streets. Must have been a good deal then.

MIK



Opel Olympia, 1950



IFA F8, 1949, a DKW copy from the Audi works



Tatra 57B, 1947



Tatra 12, 1926



EMW 340 ( six cylinders ), 1949, a copy of the West German BMW 340



a Czech Aero 662, 1929

[SidW]

Wonderful documents of a different age.

I remember cars from the 1920s and 1930s sill running in Britain in the 1950s, but hardly much later. As you say, those that survived became collectors' pieces.

[Deleted]

In Cuba many of the cars are American from the 1950s. They haven't been able to import (or afford) newer models so they just find ways to fix the old ones.

Wayne

[pompiere]

Dec 9, 2009 20:10:05 GMT -5 @wayne said:

In Cuba many of the cars are American from the 1950s. They haven't been able to import (or afford) newer models so they just find ways to fix the old ones.

Wayne

I have heard that the shade tree mechanics get pretty inventive trying to keep those old cars running. "Historical accuracy" is not in their vocabulary and neither is brand loyalty. They do whatever it takes to keep it on the road.

[herron]

Dec 9, 2009 20:10:05 GMT -5 @wayne said:

In Cuba many of the cars are American from the 1950s. They haven't been able to import (or afford) newer models so they just find ways to fix the old ones.

Wayne

Around here, we see a lot of cars from the 50s each summer.
It's called the Woodward Dream Cruise!

[photax]

Hi Ron !
This must be an extraordinary event ! I love the 60s-70s muscle cars, like the Dodge Charger or Challenger. Once i was invited for a unforgettable ride in a Plymouth Superbird ( the ugly one with the big spoiler ). Almost nobody in Europe can afford such cars, because of the expensive insurance rates and the high gasoline prices. Do you have some pictures of the Woodward cruise ?

[casualcollector]

America is exporting its heritage. A member of our car club has sold two of his Ford Mustangs in the past year via e-bay. One went to France. The second to Belgium.

[drako]

Here in Arizona, we have the world's largest collectible auto auction: www.barrett-jackson.com/. My dad and I go every year, but even mom has fun!