PHOTO: First race of retro cars held in Almaty

First amateur race of retro cars was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on October 14, Tengrinews.kz reports. The race started from Almaty’s Central Stadium at noon. 30 retro cars made before 1980 took part in the contest. They included Chaika, Volga, Moskvich, Pobeda, Lada, UAZ, Zaporozhets, Mercedes, Packard and Toyota. Many of these cars had modern parts and details from other cars. The oldest participant of the race, Moskvich made in 1946, had only its original frame, while its wheels came from Mercedes and other parts were fit from other cars. However, there were cars that remained their initial look. The only foreign part in Volkswagen Kаfer, design of 1938, was the clock. Senator Gani Kassymov also took part in the race on his GAZ-69 A made in 1962. He noted that this car was good for hunting and cross country rides. “This car is unique for military purpose. The army would have been grateful, if it was manufactured today,” Kassymov said. According to the senator, he found the car's hood in his father’s summer house and decided to renovate it. It took Kassymov 3 years to find all the parts. “I recommend it for law-enforcement authorities, Defense Ministry, Emergency Situations Ministry and for medical purposes,” senator said. According to the terms of the rally, every car started with a 2-minute difference, drove through the areas marked on the map (old sights of the city) and finished next to Almaty hotel. According to the event’s organizer Andrey Malov, the winners of the rally, i.e. those who show the best time, were awarded with diplomas and special gifts.