Classics in Croatia

Classics in Croatia. What gets you far is good, my grandmother said blissfully. And Croatia? That is far enough.

Steven Bosdijk says:

"It is like this. So I have been visiting friends of a Croatian friend of mine who I have known for at least 25 years. You can describe them both as 'hoarder'.

I can try to dig some brand and type numbers from my memory. The green Güldner Spessart tractor was, according to a whole host of grandchildren of grandfather, and he certainly never did it away! The Trabant has been around since time immemorial (just on the public road) but the owner was unknown. People think that it is nice to leave it there, apparently there is no daubing, set fire to the fire or otherwise vandalized.

Never mind

Along the way you notice that in Croatia vehicles that are no longer being used are parked somewhere outside in the yard, throwing them away is a shame and you never know what it's good for. In this way you will encounter quite a lot in Croatia on the way. Given the climate, everything lasts longer but not forever, it really rains sometimes and what's outside is deteriorating, here too.

The collection has the collector

Ljubo lives near Imotski and Božo near Dugopolje in Croatia. Both collect cars out of pure passion and have their entire life struggling to get rid of anything, so in the end your collection with one hundred pieces almost exceeds the unseemly. Because where is the point that man has a collection, or that the collection has the collector? The condition of the vehicles in Imotski varies from 'almost one with nature' to cleverly restored or original goods, the first category being the best represented in Imotski unfortunately.

The good ones are close to home

You can find the still to be saved or excellent category if you can look closer to the house or inside the garage. The red Yugo 45 is its daily driver. Living space and garage seamlessly merge into each other and are difficult to distinguish. I needed some parts, or at least I got greedy of all that beauty, but buying is a different story.

You have to drink

It is first necessary to sit down at the kitchen table for a few hours and forcibly cultivate self-grown wine or distillates derived from it that seem to consume the most on rocket fuel before real negotiations can begin. The latter goes in the Balkans with a lot of furious gestures, loud shouting and a lot of emotion and theater (and I like that) but in the end I got what I wanted for way too much money (a Magneti Marelli dealer, two switch clusters for Yugo and some Yugoslavian number plates with red star).

A case of asking prices and dreams

When it came to the cars, the prices seemed so high to me that I got the impression that he would rather keep them, but maybe someone with a stronger stomach is getting further. The six Volgas (including two stations an ambulance and an M21 Pobeda) can leave for the small amount of 10k euros. You will only be enthusiasts and have the space.

Dugopolje was a pleasant surprise

There is a lot of interesting here in my eyes. For example, you see a number of Golf 1 TAS (Tvornica Automobilia Sarajevo). Locally produced cars, but also a Renault 12 Litostroj. This factory is still in Slovenia and produces for Renault. I have never come across such a Renault and the state was certainly great to save for such a car. Here too, first get acquainted with the kitchen table. Božo found the market rather limp but on the contrary seemed to want to thin out his collection. Some years ago, negotiations were held with (Austrian and German) interested parties, but those Western Europeans offered too little, so he doesn't look for it that way. That Mazda is special but far away.

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