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denis23

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    Soviet Limo GAZ-12 ZIM - Tracking Down History

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Average salary in industry was 400 rubles. Agricultural workers did not had any salaries at all. ZIM as private car was absolutely unobtainable for everybody but very special people as writers, top scientists, test pilots and surprisingly, priests, which were approximately most common buyers. 

     

    I think from 20 000 total produced may be 1000-2000 were sold to private hands as new during 10 years. 

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    • Like 1

    Soviet Limo GAZ-12 ZIM - Tracking Down History

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by denis23 (see edit history)

    Hello. 

    Very respectable and desired car in former Soviet Union states, price may fetch over 100 000 dollars for professionally restored examples easily. 

    Usually here is found in very bad conditions and then got nut-n-bolt restoration. 

    There is no survivors at all, but hoards of restored cars. So, better, please don t touch this. 

    So car is much more valuable as is. 

    You can find almost anything on this car - so, simply replace worn or lost parts. Hubcaps is not rare at all, although not cheap in mint conditions. Lights, glasses, all kind of moldings - everything is possible to get from former Soviet Union. 

    But once again - just made sympathetic improvement without nut n bolt restoration. 

    Also its possible to find some repro parts - as upholstery etc. 

     

    There is no direct US ancestors for ZIM. Engine is Dodge slant-6. Body styling very "cadillacsky". Front suspension is upscaled Opel Kapitän. Also you can find lot of stuff from 1930ties Ford (Gorky Car Plant actually was built by Ford to produce Ford licensed cars)

     

    You can find hubcaps and other stuff here.

    https://retrodetal.ru/eng/gaz/gaz-12-zim/

    • Like 3

    1955 buick paint schemes.

    in Buick - Post War

    Posted

    Well, the simple question - is the color scheme where for example roof is white, then middle part of the body green, and all below waist white correct?

    Because some sources said that the only two color scheme is that roof is one color, and all other is another. Thats it.

    Decrypting my 1955 Century cowl tag.

    in Buick - Post War

    Posted · Edited by denis23 (see edit history)

    This is cowl tag. And this is how car looks like today. Probably it was repainted more than one time during its life.

    Can please somebody show me such color combination on the photos?

    1955 Buick site tells that its Mist Green, Condor Yellow, Condor Yellow

    Buick Hometown does not list such color like Mist Green. What is this?

    Yellow paint is present underneath the carpets, that true.

     

    Also, please can anybody help me with trim no 463 picture?

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    143.JPG

    Where is our vintage car market headed???

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by denis23 (see edit history)

    Nice to hear that we are almost relatives:)

     

     

    Well, for some reasons, Baltic States are viewed together from the distance, but quite different from each other from insider point of view.

     

    In my opinion, Estonia,is probably now more and more closer to Finland and Sweden than to Eastern Europe.  Lithuania is the very dynamic and rapidly developing country, but, again, its purely Eastern European by its mentality (and it has both advantages and disadvantages, for example, Lithuanians are clearly better salesmen than Estonians, but they have very different management style). Latvia is something between Estonia and Lithuania in terms of mentality.

    From the point of life, I think, big cities are more or less similar, but looks like Estonian rural areas and small towns is much wealthier than its Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts. For some very special reasons. But things are rapidly change better everywhere in Baltics.

     

    Generally saying, for some historical and cultural reasons, people everywhere in Eastern Europe, Baltics and Scandinavia like American cars (and other classics too), respect and cherish it, its very common hobby and always attracts hoards of people. Interestingly at least in Estonia, people don't do big difference between 1938 Packard Eight and Chevrolet Van StarCraft from the Eighties. All considered as US classics here and welcome on every event)

    As I told, there are interest for very different vehicles from 90ties youngtimers to full AACA classics. Hotrods and customs are not very popular, most cars are unmodified.

    Interestingly, WW2 Lend_Lease vehicles like Dodge WC or Studebacker US6 has very special status in the cultures of former Soviet Union people. Same with the pre-War Packards.


    So, regarding classic cars, all three Baltic countries have very active classic car communities.  Every country has own strong point. Looks like pure density of classic cars are higher in Estonia. Partially because we are close to Sweden, country where are more classic US cars than anywhere, including the States.

     

    Riga has incredible car museum and very famous classic car events. Again, despite there are less classic cars on road, there are incredible classic car collections in Latvia, dozens of Maybachs, Horchs, grossen Mercedeces etc.

     

    Lithuanians are well known craftsmen, making lot of restoration job for customers from all of Europe.


     

    In this terms enthusiasts of all three country are quite strongly tied, as with the Scandinavian guys  too. We have some common swap meets, parades etc. There are all together less than 20 million people lives in Sweden+Finland+Baltics, so we need to keep together.

     

    Some pictures from the last weekend US Cars season opening. There were hundreds and hundreds of cars and many thousands of people around. Very nice event. Especially for not so big City, like Tallinn (appr. 400 000 people)

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    • Like 1

    Where is our vintage car market headed???

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Well, let me bring some positive notes to the generally sad conversation.

    I am from Estonia its former Soviet Union, now part of the EU. Small northern country. Classic Cars are very very popular hobby and classic car owners become younger and younger.

    I could say, 2/3 of classic car owners are younger than 40. US classic cars are particularly popular, you see dozens of it every summer Saturday and Sunday. People likes it very many buys it from the States. Every year hundreds of classic cars arrives from the States.

    For example, I have 55 Century, 67 Fleetwood and 1943 Dodge military truck. And I know very many people who have one.

    We just had our US cars season open, thousands of families visited it, it was great event. So the same is everywhere in the Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Russia etc.


    So, things are not so bad in the global scale. Far from it.

    • Like 3
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