35-year-old Lada is restored to its original beauty after accident in Szombathely

 Fortunately, no one got hurt, though many thought that was the Lada’s very last drive. Well, this wasn’t the case.

Less than four months after the accident the repairs on the vehicle were finished. The now 91-year-old owner emotionally kissed its roof when his son parked it in front of his house.

But what happened over the past months? The elderly man couldn’t accept that his beloved vehicle would meet its end this way, so he wrote a letter to the Uniqa insurance company. He explained, among other things, that he had taken care of this car for 35 years and due to his age, he couldn’t get used to another vehicle. He also stated, that if someone causes damage, they are required to make up for it.

Perhaps even he himself was surprised when he received a reply: Send a detailed estimate of the repair. So they did and the insurance company approved.

The tender was given by a car-repair company in Dozmat, which has been repairing and renovating Oldtimers, veterans for 25 years. The repairs made on the Lada have been documented in detail and in May the car was ready to go. They tried to aim for the Oldtimer title as everything on the car is original, so the already very rare "A" licence plate number can now be changed to "OT" (oldtimer).

Though to be specific not everything is completely original, since it has a sunroof. This had been bought at a Shell and then built in by the owner just as many others did in the 80's.

Though how could a Lada stay in this remarkable state for 35 years? Many small things were required. For example, a self-manufactured fender, or that of the owner’s cleaning every day before parking it in the garage. If rain was falling, he would also rather travel by bike.

The inside was also cleaned regularly, and the seats were protected with lambskin bought from the Yugoslavian Muraszombat market. (Murska Sobota) He still has several sets left of these.

Several things happened in the past few months and the 91-year-old owner of the Lada decided on his own will to put the ignition key down for good and never drive again. His decision was also supported by his family.

We learned from his son though, that they don’t want his last driving memory to be of an accident, so they are planning a family trip to a relative’s grave. When they leave the city, the son will give his father the driving wheel, who for one last time can step on the gas in his beloved car.

35 éves Lada újra a régi fényében, baleset után

Álló Ladába hajtott egy Fiat Szombathelyen