The rich collect and restore ancient and exclusive carriages. The middle class acquires Soviet cars half a century ago and blows dust off from grandfather's legacy. Poor youth sees retro in any “real estate” littered with snow and rubbish.
Communion with the elect warms the soul and helps make friends. In cities, auto clubs are born, shows and runs are held, pros organize private museums, restoration workshops.
The boom is fueled by the activity of exhibition centers and the energy of initiative groups. In the capital, almost every month, some kind of retro-event is held. One of the most famous has been organized by Ilya Sorokin for the whole five-year period. Everything is more successful: every year the salon is wider and brighter, occupies a large area, includes new exhibits and exhibitors.
Justifying its name, the salon united dissimilar enthusiastic people. Here there were various movements and interest groups, bosom rivals and sworn friends met, and curious and casual visitors dropped in.
At the fair, almost in Gogol, a variety of characters walked around: respectable customers, families with children, and lovers not only in auto couples. Those who wish could immediately spend an extra hundred thousand to buy an antique car or just a hundred to its image. Most, as at all times, came for a walk and take a look. And there was something.
Already on the street I met the products of my native automobile industry: Emka, Pobeda, Volga, Muscovites and humpbacked Zaporozhets. And in the cabin - a hundred of ancient, but beautifully restored wheel exhibits. The leading workshops brought their best achievements to the restoration masters' watch. Some showed unfinished work, so that the inquisitive could see all the stages of the process.
Talking and not very serious men sat next to the expensive exhibits. They were compensated by pretty stand-up women dressed in costumes of different eras. Girls in red tailcoats, top hats and white leggings walked around the showroom. Apparently, this equestrian uniform was supposed to symbolize the historical continuity of vehicles.
For the first time in a separate corral, hot Rods and custom cars with modern filling, created on the basis of old production models. The organizers did not forget the two-wheeled vehicles. The trophy BMWs shone with varnish, the bicycle museum of Oleg Mityaev rolled around the hall on a two-wheeled “spider” with a large front wheel.
Among the little things was everything that was dear to the heart of a keen retromobilist. Slender and organized nearby were auto-movers with good piled up on exhibition tables. There was a variety of technical antiques, parts, tools, emblems, books. Car electronics sounded.
In a separate row - the media. The most glossy chartered seats in the center of the hall, closer to the podium, awards and clothing shows. Firms specializing in equipment and technologies for modern car repair were scattered around the hall.
Under the roof and on the walls - autoplasts and slogans, along the walls and on stands - thematic oil paintings. Everywhere images of fantastic and real cars.
The program of the salon, which became a festival, was saturated to the limit with contests, prizes, and presentations. March 6 from the pavilion started the run of retro cars along the streets of the capital, and completed the "Gallery" auction.
