What does the “President's car” look like, old Minerva. Retro Spring Parade brought legendary cars to Slatina

The exhibits in a wheel museum could recently be admired, in Slatina, at one of the exhibitions of passionate collectors, the specimens proudly displayed arousing the admiration, often detained, of the adults and the exclamations of the little ones.

Lincoln Town Car 1988, a car associated with American photo luxury. Alina Mitran

Knowing or unprepared in car, those who deviated last weekend through Slatina and visited the specimens exposed to the “Retro Spring Parade” 2025 did not have to be impressed by those seen 35 wheels “, as Ion Pretorian presented to them, the representative of the Romania, each of the representative of Olt.

“It's ultra-endowed”

All are historical cars, at least 30 years old, are kept or restored as close to the initial configuration (engine, body, interior, colors), have attested by the historical vehicle issued by the Romanian car register or a recognized car club and you can only occasionally, at parades, exhibitions, etc. The most daring also remove them “on Saturdays, at coffee”, because they are all in perfect working condition (with taxes, it is right, lower) paid up to date.

The first to attracted the eyes, a Lincoln Town Car of 1988. “They said to put it first, it's number 1 ”, says the owner. He received it almost for free from family friends established in America and “saved” it in 2011 from a barn in which it was almost unused for seven years.

Some call him the “car of presidents”, others “JR's car in Dallas”, it is certain that the owner Vasile Popa opens his doors and invites you to climb you do not know what to look first. A luxurious car even for the times we live in, in the 1990s it must have been an obvious sign of well -being. Full-electric, with a figure at the gas tank and the possibility to unlock it, while typing a code, if you have somehow forgot your keys, very comfortable chairs.

“It has 45,000 miles, the friends from which I took it from nine”says the owner. They brought it to Romania and rarely remembered it, at the increasingly rare return. Until Vasile Popa took her out into the world. It does not make very frequent outings with it, but each time it attracts the attention of the other drivers. Many keep an eye on her and hardly manage to control the steering wheel of her own car, and that, says the owner, has happened many times. “To climb me, with the eyes of the car are no longer attentive to the steering wheel”, adds the owner.

Lincoln Town Car, a luxurious photo: Alina Mitran

It is very dear to him, but maintenance costs quite a lot. Last year he had to change his windshield and cost almost $ 3,000, being brought across the ocean. The same big headache is for each piece separately, lucky that it did not require serious repeats.

He still has two other collection cars in the garage, one of them does, over 3 years, 30 years and will become a historic car. On Lincoln they were offered, says, 49,000, “But I said no ”.

Lincoln Town Car, a luxurious photo: Alina Mitran

Particularly generous, resistant – luggage compartment “A acacia fell on the hood and this sign (n. Red. – there is a slight trace of impact) is all that he suffered.” -, and in adverse time you hear nothing from within. “They asked me if it was convertible. It is not convertible, but it was built to mitigate the impact, it is not heard from the inside, even if it is hail,” explains the owner. “It's ultra-equipped ”, says the collector.

The good car to all, to whom the value of the year passes

Another historical vehicle especially appreciated by the children visiting the exhibitions in which it is exhibited is the UNIMOG, a “universal motorized vehicle” produced by Mercedes-Benz, who is almost 60 years old. He was thought of as an agricultural vehicle to cope with the bad roads, but you can do a lot of work in the household. It can be a tractor, snow plow, it can be equipped with cranes, trolls, plows, etc. A unimog, is mentioned in the internet memory, was used in 2014 to tow an Airbus plane in a force demonstration at a Mercedes-Benz event.

The one exhibited at Retro-Parada Spring, the owner purchased five years ago from a passionate from Maramureș, who had brought him from Italy. He bought it because he needed a truck, and the investment never regretted it.

Imog, one of the most reliable photo machine: Alina M

“It's perfect. I carried sand, gravel, materials, manure a lot for the solarium. I needed a truck and when I saw this of course it was very attracted to me, you don't see very often. The Lord worked hard on her. He painted it in Italy and now deals with the UNIMOG Mercedes, brings, buys. Tilts through three parts …“, Explains the owner Dani Daniel. Ever since he bought it participates in Retro Parade, otherwise he has been using it intensely in the household. He has done with the unimog that have not ventured to make several construction companies requested to terminate his garden.

History of participation in exhibitions, photo view: Alina Mitran

To spend a lot to spend a lot, because it is a reliable vehicle.

“At the brakes I changed the plates, about that. These cars were made to resist. A few keys, a hammer and so on. From a mechanical point of view it starts and pulls without any problems, I was really lucky with it. They are not found anymore, they are very rare. After I bought it I realized that I bought something you didn't see. In America something is given with $ 35,000 – $ 40,000. Even more, they reach and pass the hundred thousand, if they are well maintained. A new one starts from 90-100 thousand upwards ”, says the owner. She sometimes thinks about selling it, but “in the end I said that the money I take on is not worth breaking away from it for now. I really keep it,” the owner adds. And the value of the truck increases with each passing year, it would probably take double or even the triple of the amount with which it purchased it.

Old Minerva, Veteran of Exhibition

A military car was the oldest in the Slatina exhibition. Minerva was produced in 1952, in Belgium, under Land Rover license. The model was used intensely in the Belgian army.

Old Minerva, star in photo exhibition: Alina Mitran

The owner said he would not sell it regardless of the amount that would be offered to him, eventually he would give someone to whom he could identify the same passion. In fact, the passion is every time mentioned by all the collectors who say that beyond what a visitor sees is the time spent, the documentation, the hours, the days when the cars are taken care of. The owner of Minerva also has an old artillery truck and a motorcycle (the last one also admired within the exhibition). The military car bought it for 7,500 euros, but it was not in a good condition. However, he recommends any collector at the beginning to start with a military car. “I recommend to any beginner collector to start with military vehicles, because they are very easy to restore. If the paint should be impeccable, this is easy to maintain.”says the collector.

O Skoda with so many photo memories: Alina Mitran

Near the military car, a Skoda who also raged. Red like fire is one of the most photographed cars. The owner says he bought it from nostalgia and to honor the father memory. He is 50 years old, but he doesn't show him.

“I was up to 20 years only in this I went, since I took my permit with this car”, revealed the collector. It only removes it from the garage only on Saturdays for coffee and when they participate in exhibitions. It is not expensive, the pieces are quite cheap. Besides, you do all the time to work.

“This is precisely the beauty, that you repair all day. That is, you do not repair, you adjust a carburetor, a detailed thing. This is the beauty, to smell that old engine smoke, that authentic interior smell … there is no sell. There is no business on this car. There are things in life that can no longer weigh in money, the money no longer matters when you have something that awakens so many memories and so much nostalgia ”, adds the owner.

“The problem is to bring it to this stage”

The local cars were, however, the most numerous in the exhibition. Many Oltcit specimens, many enthusiasts who came up with different models from Dacia over which they seem to have not passed the years. Most owners, if not all, are also skilled mechanics.

Dacia specimens, the more numerous photo: Alina Mitran

One of them, who proudly presents Dacia 1300 in 1977, says he would never work to restore an old car for someone else. He did it for the first time, after which he started to buy copies for his own collection. For now, Dacia 1300 is ready, “Everything is at the original on it ”, But he also prepares to get “in the world” and a Dacia Sport, most likely for the autumn exhibition.

Collection machines brought and kept in working, money and passion working state: I have

And we reach foreign production machines again. A Volkswagen specimen, a abducting orange, draws attention in particular. The owner knows that first the color attracts. “A lady told me that she is like a candy, she comes to eat it,” says the collector. To show that this was invested money and a lot of work.

“They are like our children. Now it is no longer so hard to maintain, the problem is to bring it to this stage. I took it for 30 years in a garage,” says the owner. The colleague says that he was not as good as much and that he had to restore the whole floor.

Historical cars are in perfect state of operation. I have

“To our luck, no pieces have fallen, because they are expensive. You have to order them from the outside and sometimes it does not cost the song as much as it costs. The problem is not to be sold. I don't know how many from here and they would sell them, maybe 1%. It can be a business to buy, recover and sell, but it's not for us. I opened it until the last screw, I mounted it and worked for four years, how do you sell it?! “, explains another collector.

The pandemic was, from this point of view, a blessing, because it offered them all the time they needed to put them in peace.

“It is a pride of ours, where we walk to show them to the world ”, conclude another collector.