Moskvich 401 (1956) - Expat in Kaliningrad, Russia

2021 calendar celebrates classic cars of Russia

Published: 15 December 2020

It was during the summer months this year that our friend Sergey Goryunov invited us to take part in a photoshoot which he was organising with a view towards producing a 2021 calendar for the members of Kaliningrad’s Auto Retro Club.

The photo session was scheduled to take place at 6am, which meant that we had to wake up at 4am, and it was just my luck that the night before I had experienced one of my life-long bouts of insomnia. It was not a case of can I drag myself out of bed in time, rather should I be dragging myself into it.

As the photographer was on standby, the vintage car organised and the venue prescribed, the effort had to be made and, in spite of myself, it was good to have the opportunity to get dressed up again in our vintage attire and to take part in this capital retro project.

Related topic: The Vintage Cars of Königsberg

Sergey Goryunov picked us up in his Volga GAZ 21 R (1966). It was fairly quiet in Kaliningrad at that time of day, but as we drove through the main streets the sight of Sergey’s vintage Volga attracted toots of appreciation from other motorists as we passed by.

The location for the photoshoot was none other than the concourse at the foot of the steps to the old German Stock Exchange. Whilst we were happy to co-star, the real star of the show was the Moskvich 401 (1956), whose immaculate condition at the age of 64 made my condition feel somewhat tarnished!

Everything went without a hitch, and a few days ago we received notification from Sergey that the calendar had been printed.

Praise where praise is due, the commitment of the car club members, particularly with regard to their vintage outfits, was highly commendable, but the lion’s share of the work, and consequently recognition for vision, planning and organisation, rests with Sergey Goryunov, without whose sterling efforts the calendar would not have been possible ~ oh, and whilst we are at it, let’s don’t forget the cars!

Link to 2021 Auto Retro Club Kaliningrad Calendar

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Speech by Sergey Goryunov at the official launch of the 2021 Auto Retro Club Kaliningrad

Sergey Goryunov: “The year is coming to an end. I would like to introduce my child — the 2021 Club Calendar of the Auto Retro Club Kaliningrad. We have focused on the GAZ-21, including the epoch-making ‘Muscovites’ and the legendary Pobeda cars for this photo series, using models from inside the club. Accompanying the cars are their owners and their teammates. Titanic work has been accomplished. Filming locations were located throughout the region, and the shooting itself was conducted at different times of the year. Three photographers worked on the calendar. Of course, this project would not have been possible without the enthusiasm of its participants, who, despite the pandemic, at my first call, got up in the early hours, preened, dressed themselves in retro clothes and rushed to the shooting location. We did it! Hurray!”