"No foreign car attracts so many glances." Zaporozhets are restored and driven around the cities by a resident of Vladimir
The collection Artem Zinin A "humpbacked" Zaporozhets, a "long-eared" Zaporozhets, a "soapbox," and several other models. Some have been restored, others are awaiting their turn. Zinin drives his Zaporozhets around his city and also travels to neighboring countries.
A Zaporozhets was the first car Artem drove with his dad as a child. Since then, he's been obsessed with cars of this brand, growing up and learning to restore even the oldest junk.
"It's probably a disease; I call it the 'Zaporozhets of the brain.' I plan to stick with the options I have now. I have the entire model range, even the legendary 'hunchback' ZAZ-965. It's enough for my soul; I drive them from time to time," says master car enthusiast.
He says the Zaporozhets is a reliable car, though not the fastest or roomiest. He visited it with his family this year. in Smolensk, and from there he rushed off to Minsk.
As expected, his rarities attract attention on the street, and his “humpbacked” ZAZ even appeared in the film “Children of Change.”
"I get pulled over by traffic police sometimes, but not for document checks. It's because such cars are rare on public roads these days. If I park somewhere, people come up and ask. No expensive foreign car attracts so many glances. Every second person likes it, takes a video, waves, and smiles.",” Zinin says about the popularity of his cars.
One of his most recent acquisitions was a Zaporozhets, nicknamed the "soapbox." They were produced until 1994. The collector couldn't bear to let this rarity be scrapped and bought it back. This example isn't going far yet, but Zinin will definitely restore it.
While rare, craftsmen who restore vintage equipment can still be found in some regions. For example, in Kasimov. Ryazan region master Ilya Subbotin restores Ural motorcycles. In Kaluga Maloyaroslavets enthusiast too stores retro cars.
Photo: "Klyuch"
