“I am glad that more than one and a half hundred exclusive car owners responded to our invitation, lined up their most impressive exhibits in Panevėžys, in the parking lots near the RYO shopping center,” says Edmundas Dargis, the organizer of the exhibition. “The greatest reward for the years spent preparing these eye-catching cars was the crowds of visitors to the exhibition and their continued attention to these true works of art on wheels until the end of the event.”
Both the young and the elderly did not miss the impressive-looking American Chevrolet Corvette C4 car, decorated with 1,400 rivets, driven by Darius Keniausis from Šiauliai.
As befits a true American, the wheels of the car produced in 1986 are turned by a 5.7-liter engine, which does not really complain about its appetite for fuel.
“It’s nothing to moan about, as it’s purely a showpiece to please an understanding and appreciative audience,” says its owner, who drives the all-purpose Japanese Toyota 4Runner every day. “I bought a Chevrolet Corvette C4 in the USA four years ago, but before I dared to put it on display, I had to lie under it a lot.”
Darius from Šiauliai re-selected the entire car, had to change its engine and gearbox.
Nearby, there is a Volkswagen Baja of much more modest size, but it seems that it is ready for all occasions, not just war, and able to overcome any adversity, which the owner of the car, Aidas Kandraška from Rokiškis, bought two years ago at one of the Swedish auctions.
Although the car bears a striking resemblance to its famous sibling, the Volkswagen Beetle, it is both built and registered as the VW Baja.
in 1966 the car of the native of Roki not only looks like new after rolling off the assembly line, but also could challenge more than one off-road monster in terms of cross-country ability.
“At the beginning of the month, I participated in the “Timeless Classic” historical car rally in Biržai, and now in Panevėžys, says A. Kandraška. – We can only be happy that there are really many events waiting for car lovers in the summer and all of them are interesting and have different audiences. If in Biržai the timeless classics, like the exhibits themselves, mainly attracted the elderly, then in Panevėžys the youth were more interested in exclusive, modified cars”.
A fan of exclusive equipment from Rokiškis was happy, together with a large group of Estonians and Latvians, on the eve of the exhibition, once again remembering the Baltic road that took place 35 years ago and participating in its events with another historic car – the legendary GAZ 20, which rolled off the assembly line in 1954.
And here is another exhibit of the exhibition, which neither the name “Hot Rod” means anything to anyone, nor has the manufacturer been heard of.
“And you can’t be heard, let alone known,” laughs Tautvydas Karalkevičius, who drove him away. “I spent two years alone in the garage after all the day’s work, lowered and narrowed the cabin of the GAZ 52, strengthened the frame, plastered the body, ran the electrical installation, primed and painted.”
According to the master, everything is done by hand, only the engine is borrowed from the Mercedes C250.
T. Karalkevičius does not regret having spent so much time creating an exclusive car intended only for entertainment and exhibitions, which he named “Hod Rod”.
The owner of the exhibition, Saulius Kaušas from Panevėžys, devotes no less time to the restoration of historical and exclusive cars, offering visitors a closer look at his three-wheeled, single-seater “Lomax Citroen 2 CV” of 1942 production.
Although only a 400cc engine turns its wheels, the trike’s odometer shows that it can reach speeds of up to 100mph.
And what is the maximum speed that Saul himself managed to achieve with this car?
“140 km/h,” says the owner of the car, adding that not only the car itself is very interesting, but also the history of its appearance in Lithuania.
His son managed to find the long-sought exhibit in Ireland, not far from Dublin, on a chicken farm. However, the owner of the antiquities extorted such a price that the Lithuanians lost amo. Only after long talks were we able to prove that the “Lomax Citroen 2 CV” will not be disassembled for parts and not thrown somewhere in a pile, but will be completely renovated and will participate in exhibitions, thereby pleasing people.
Only then is his master’s heart softened.
“Great, unique cars worthy of each other and an impeccably organized exhibition with a light atmosphere and a friendly environment, where it is easy to find common ground even with the biggest competitors. So what more meaningful weekend could you think of?” – asks S. Kaušas from Panevėžys.
An exhibition of exclusive cars is not only a fiesta for like-minded people and spectators. This is also a kind of assessment of the most hardworking, skillful restorers and vehicle owners.
The organizers of the exhibition did not divide the exclusive exhibits into locations. An authoritative evaluation committee selected the TOP 10 cars of the exhibition, and everyone considers it a great honor to be in the top ten.
TOP 10 of Memel Motor Fest exhibition:
BMW E46 (Eimantas Vasiliauskas), Ford Mustang Schelby (Arūnas Valantinas), BMW E46 (Tautvydas Šakėnas), Chevrolet Corvette C4 (Darius Keniausis), Hot Rod (Tautvydas Karalkevičius), Lomax Citroen 2 CV ( Saulius Kaušas), Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (Andrius Antanaitis), Ford Mustang Mach1 (Jovilė Paulauskienė), Volkswagen Caddy (Deivydas Butkus) and Ford Scorpio (Vaidas Jočys).
Photos of Roko ANDRUSKEVICIUS
Aidas Kandraška, from Roki, represented the region in a parade of exceptional cars held in Panevėžys over the weekend.
2024-08-26 07:00:38