Looking at the grounds of the former Seba Svárov textile factory in the village of Velké Hamry-Svárov, you would probably not guess that a truly unique collection of Eastern Bloc cars is located here. The spacious hall serves as the depository of the Museum of Socialist Cars in Kozovazi, and its occupancy is also dynamic, which means that in a few weeks or months you will see completely different pieces here.
As the very kind and helpful guide , who knew something interesting about each car on display, pointed out to me at the very beginning, over seventy percent of the cars are drivable and for the most part belong directly to the owners of the building. In addition, you can often see individual cars on the set of period films or series , which of course we will get to gradually.
The beginning of the big exhibition belongs, perhaps except for the black Tatra 603 and the Volga 24 Kombi in VB colors, to Skoda cars. Next to the burgundy 1201 STW stands the 1202 STW in Public Safety colors and the beautiful red Felicia convertible, but you're already focusing all your attention on the very rare 1000 MBX coupe . It was, fortunately, in completely original condition, it's just a shame that you can't see the unique frameless construction of the side windows. Directly opposite, in a row of several "eMBéček", we also find one interesting piece. The blue limousine with right-hand drive is called Slaneček , because it is one of the cars that managed to tip over into the sea during export to Pakistan. And because it is an export vehicle, it has many equipment elements that you would look for in vain on domestic examples. Of course, the sporty tastes of the people of Mladá Boleslav were not forgotten either, so Garde and Rapid rest quietly not far from the deep yellow 110 R Coupé . Unfortunately, the latter was hit by the hand of a less skilled adjuster. The sadness of amateurism playfully overcomes the open design of the Rapid , made by the British company LDD. There won't be many of them left in the world either. When the two Garde and Rapid were mentioned, we cannot forget the series codenamed 742. Even before that, however, the "hundred" aka significantly modernized 1000/1100 MB, represented in the depository for example by a piece in the colors of the Driving school, which appeared for example in the series Tell. For a change, the most interesting exhibit of the 742 series is the 120 L, owned by ex-president Václav Klaus , who dedicated it to the owners of the depository during a visit to the region in 2011. The latest evolution of road Skodas, represented in Velké Hamrey, is an ivory Favorit in perfect condition. The famous Czechoslovak racing history will be at least briefly recalled by the single-seater from Metalxeu and the 110 R Coupé in "war livery".
But it is now the turn of the Soviet Union with its army from AvtoVAZ factories. The Žigulík was clearly the most popular car, with the legendary boat in its emblem. Here you will find its four evolutions side by side – sedan 2101, station wagon 2102, modernized sedan 2103 and one of the last specifications 2107. Their successor, although due to the production of some versions of the Žigulík it is still long after 2010 to call it a successor, became the Lada 2108 alias Samara . The Moskvič automobile company is represented by three generations of models – 408, 2140 and the licensed Aleko, which, however, was only the swan song of the famous manufacturer. The Ukrainian Tavrija is interesting mainly because it only has three nuts for fixing the bike, at the same time there are not many of them in our region. From the USSR, we will move to Romania for a while behind a Dacia 1300 and an Oltcit 11r, respectively Poland behind a tiny Polski Fiat 126p.
The German Democratic Republic became famous mainly for the production of Duroplast Trabants , reminiscent of the first P50 type (whose body still does not have such a percentage of the once revolutionary material) and the subsequent 601 series, including the carefully restored De Luxe sedan. It is interesting to compare the two- and four-stroke Wartburg – while the 353W dates from the beginning of production, the green station wagon with a thirteen-stroke was created only at the end. The section of passenger cars closes with a parade of cars in public services – from 2101, still in the blue colors of the Public Security, we go through the "Užovka" and another Lada, this time in the yellow colors of the Public Security, to 2104 in the colors of the Police of the Czech Republic. The latest addition to the collection is the Favorit VanPlus ambulance from Opatovice Elektráners, whose speedometer shows only about 2,000 kilometers! Deviations from Eastern Bloc vehicles are represented, for example, by the Fiat 600 D and 127, the Ford Granada and Fiesta, or the Volkswagen Scirocco.
However, let's quickly return to socialist models, this time in the section dedicated to off-road and, above all, utility vehicles . It cannot miss the Avia A30 as a flatbed truck as well as a vehicle of the Volunteer Fire Brigade. The production of the GDR includes the carefully renovated flatbed Framo V901/2 as well as the light blue Barkas B1000 , which competes, for example, with the domestic 1203. There are four of them in the depository – the Skoda logo is carried by a beige ambulance and a brown-and-white residential conversion that appeared in the TV series Vyprávej, from Trnava. undertaker" and Connections. Next to the 1203 series, the flatbed Žuk A13 from the Polish FSC makes a huge impression.
This has almost exhausted the range of utility models and we can move to off-road vehicles on the opposite side. Although we can find the ARO 240 and military models GAZ 69 and Skoda 1101 VO there, the inconspicuous red car with a white roof will get all the attention. Those in the know will surely know, those less will probably guess some version of the Land Rover Defender. It shares only right-hand drive with the British model, otherwise it is the only mass-produced New Zealand car. That it does not fit into the exhibition of socialist cars? When he has the Mladá Boleslav technique in his bowels, you can certainly forgive him for producing outside the Eastern Bloc. And whoever guessed that it was a Skoda Trekka , guessed right! In their homeland, they produced only about two thousand of them, in the Czech Republic and Slovakia it is supposed to be one of two pieces.
However, the full conclusion of the exhibition belongs to the prototypes. At first glance, the yellow van is reminiscent of the Skoda 742 series, from which it is also based, but it was manufactured in Bratislava and is a Furgonet prototype . Only four of these were created during the first half of the 80s, each with a different design, with this particular yellow one belonging to Pavlo Kalin after restoration (as well as the already mentioned Trekka, Rapid LDD and many other cars). The second unique prototype is the Skoda 765 Kombi . It was even created in one single piece in Vrchlabí, and it is part of the 760 series, developed in cooperation with the GDR. Compared to the standard station wagon with the designation 764, the 765 has an extended wheelbase, and even in this case, an expensive and lengthy renovation had to take place. The white model was sold to a private person after the completion of development at AZNP Skoda, during which time many non-original modifications were made to it, so that it ended up in a barn, where it decayed for many years. Fortunately, the car did not end up in the scrap yard, but in the hands of a person who had it expensively and carefully restored.
So, if you're in the Tanvald region, don't forget to visit Velké Hamry and the Socialist Car Museum depository there. You will remember the famous cars of our history and look at several unique models , including half-forgotten prototypes.
Note: Please excuse the reduced quality of some photos
