FINLAND: MOTOR RALLYING : A Lada, Lada love as vintage Soviet-era car enthusiasts meet
Record ID:
860210
FINLAND: MOTOR RALLYING : A Lada, Lada love as vintage Soviet-era car enthusiasts meet
- Title: FINLAND: MOTOR RALLYING : A Lada, Lada love as vintage Soviet-era car enthusiasts meet
- Date: 27th February 2013
- Summary: SLATE INFORMATION
- Embargoed: 14th March 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Finland
- City:
- Country: Finland
- Topics: Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky,Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA3LLHGEN42O2222MPJZVLUTFCU
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- Story Text: Unlike their compatriots Kimi Raikkonen and Tommi Makinen -- known for impressive race and rally car driving on international circuits -- members of the Finnish Lada Club are happy merely to prove their vintage Soviet-made relics still have power.
The box-shaped Lada, the Finnish everyman's car of the 1970s, is enjoying a cult revival in the country.
Dozens of enthusiastic members gathered this weekend in Kangasala, some 160 km (99 miles) northwest of Helsinki, to race and admire each other's Ladas and share a nostalgia for simpler days.
"They are cheap to maintain and pleasant to drive and I like its look. I can fix them, and repair costs are reasonable, because it's easy and cheap to buy parts. These are the main points about them," said Lada Club member Juha Laaksonen.
The Lada was once the most popular car in Finland because of its low price and consistently appeared in the top 10 list of new car registrations between 1972 and 1996.
Lada enthusiasts also swear the automobiles are still great in cold weather -- a huge asset for a car whose mid-century looks were modelled on the Fiat 124.
"I think this one looks appealing. It's warm and it starts in all weather conditions," another enthusiast, Mikko Holopainen, said.
Sales dropped off after a peak in 1988 as Finland's economy turned increasingly westward following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Imports ended last year, and the once-ubiquitous cars are now rarely seen on Finnish streets.
"I bought my first Lada ten years ago, just because I needed a car to go from place A to place B, and a couple of months later there was a first meeting, and I was going, me and my wife went there and we liked the club and so it caught on," said Lada Club Chairman Jarno Pajari.
A well-maintained Lada is estimated to fetch more than 2,000 euros ($2,600) on the second-hand market, but none of the members in the club are ready to sell theirs.
They say their love for the car is about more than money.
Lada clubs exist across Europe, including in Hungary, UK, Estonia, Netherlands and, of course, Russia. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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