Iron Curtain Antique & Classic Finds?

[Guest Silverghost]

I have often wondered since the collapse of the Soviet Union (USSR) & it's satelite states ,and the fall of the Berlin Wall have there been any really GREAT Antique, Brass_Era, or Full Classics discovered and rescued from Eastern Europe ? Hidden away in barns etc.

I am not talking about USSR- Built Cold War Era cars ?

I know there are guys buying & digging up WW II tanks and airplanes etc all over Eastern Europe to restore .

Edited October 27, 2010 by Silverghost (see edit history)

[Guest Oldengineer]

There's such a car that I've seen at 2 local car shows here. It's a 1934 Mercedes that served as a WWII German Staff car. The owner indicates that it was abandoned in Russia during the German Army's retreat. It was later found, spirited out of the country, and shipped to the US.

Regards:

Oldengineer

[1937hd45]

There was a Mercedes that wound up in a shop in Danbury, Ct. that came out of Russia. Claim was that it was in the Berlin car pool and Hitler broke wind on the seat and therefore was worth a fortune. It was missing the engine, and most of the bodywork was flattened out to save on storage space. Real gem.

[jeff_a]

A 1927-1929 Peerless Coupe has recently been found in a barn in Slovakia and is about to be restored in the Czech Republic, where a collector of American cars already has a beautifully-restored 1930 Peerless Sedan.

There is a car on display at a Russian military museum which may be a 1919 Peerless Armored Car. It could also be a Pierce-Arrow Armored Car. Either would be nice to have!

Edited October 28, 2010 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[RU22]

There are things but Russia is a tough place. They are good at stories that end in robbery and death to those that venture in

Most countries here have some laws about removing antiques. You give the guy the money and he calls the police..... They ask you to leave

AND remember mst of our best items were stolen!!

[alsancle]

There have been some amazing cars found in the old USSR.

1. The 540k Roadster that Hitler gave Stalin as a gift (but Stalin found it too ostentatious).

2. At least one sliver arrow race car as well as at least one auto union D type

3. The Rosemyer Horch (pictured below)

[Guest Silverghost]

Now they are the type of cars that I was asking about .

It would be great to see more photos of cars like these !

[alsancle]

This Horch was bought by a friend of mine and was behind the iron curtain for many years.

This is a 540k that was owned by King Carol of Romania. It was in Russia for years (see botton corner picture) and restored more recently.

[Big Beat]

Most antique cars found in Russia tend to be German cars of the late 1930's. In other words, those that were taken out of Germany immediately after WWII. These led a very rough life in Russia in the 1950's and 1960's, patched together poorly with all sorts of non-original parts. As soon as the Soviet car production picked up towards the mid-60s, these cars were junked in a zillion scrap metal drives. Road and weather conditions didn't help, either. The examples that survive are usually in such rough condition that proper restoration is almost never cost-effective. And prices for these cars are far higher in Russia than in Europe. There may have been a few newsworthy finds, but unless you're a big fan of late 1930s Opels and BMWs, there is really not much of interest.

Occasionally, some interesting later cars show up. For example, I remember seeing a Studebaker Avanti in Moscow in the late 1970s. It looked like an alien spaceship that somehow got lost in the wrong galaxy. I wonder what happened to it.

[Guest DaveCorbin]

I'm aware of 3 Buicks currently in old Soviet areas. There's a 1939 Roadmaster in St. Petersburg, a 1928 49 7 passenger McLaughlin touring in Czechslovakia and a 1938 90 series in Tashkent.

The 1939 was a barn find south of Moscow and is possibly the USA ambassador's car.

Regards, Dave Corbin