NEWS / НОВОСТИ

11/20/2013: the car is registered in NY, with insurance, license plates and inspection. Ready for the road!

4/27/2014:  we had a small "season opener"  in Brooklyn, featuring 4 Russian cars: our Volga, another GAZ-21, ZAZ-965 and Lada-21033. It was fun!

5/4/2014: we participated in our first show in America, New Jersey Regional AACA show. About 140 cars were judged in 11 classes. We took home FIRST PLACE award in our class (cars 1956-1959). Good start of the season!

6/1/2014: we were exhibiting the car at Greenwich Concours d'Elegance, one of the most prestigious auto shows in America. As always, participation was by invitation only. Volga attracted a lot of attention, and everybody loved  seeing it.

6/8/2014: nice show on Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn, about 200 cars. Volga got the 3rd place award :-)

6/14/2014-6/15/2014: We were busy and did 2 more shows this weekend: Automat Show and Arboretum Show. As the result Volga got 1st and 3rd place awards.  Woo-hoo!

7/13/2014: Autofest Hicksville show on Long Island, about 150 cars. We got the first place in class.

7/27/2014: The Car, Truck and Bike Show in Plainfield, NJ. About 200 cars. We got the import class award and a cash prize, for a change....

7/31/2014: We did oil change and looked the car over, because we reached 1000km mark since total restoration. All the fluids were checked, all the chassi elements were tightened. Everything was lubricated according to the manual.

8/3/2014: we attended a very nice event, Spadaro Memorial Drive. It was a beautiful gathering of car aficionados on the farm in Armonk, NY.

8/10/2014: Hot summer day at Belmont car Show, 235 cars total.
we got a second place in our class.

8/30/2014: we attended a huge show LEAD EAST ("world's biggest 50's party"). I takes 4 days and about 1500 cars are participating. The party goes on around the clock. I started taking pictures of every vehicle, but got bored. So then I only photographed whatever I liked. There are no judges or prizes, but we were given a very prominent parking spot. Volga was constantly drawing attention.....I also made some Volga Variations photos.

9/7/2014: Out of 4 events today we decided on this one, and it turned out to be a good choice.  A very good show in Warren, NJ.  About 310 cars.....We took 1st place in our class. Nice sunny day!

9/15/2014: Great show in Staten Island, it has been running there for 38 years. My black Volga took 2 first prizes there, but "Zvezda"  had blown everybody away getting the "President's Cup" ahead of more than 300 cars!  Popular blogger Dennis Samsebeskazal was helping us the entire day. His report is in the LiveJournal

9/28/2014: Huge cruise+show today in Long Island, about 1500 cars. I only took photos of what caught my eye. George Barris, a legend of customizing, was there (in the yellow jacket on the stage). Volga got 1 of 3 awards for "most outstanding European car".

10/5/2014: Beautiful show at a lovely village of Scarsdale. Volga and VAZ-21033 (that belongs to my friend Roman) were representing the automotive industry of once mighty Soviet Union.

10/12/2014: We got 1 of 15 awards at glamorous Concours d"Elegance Americana Manhasset. Volga had to compete not only with retro autos, but also with modern European supercars. So apparently GAZ-21V in America is cooler than Bugatti Veyron :-)

10/26/2014: Quite possibly that today's show at the "Cradle of Aviation" museum was the last one this season. Still, it was interesting with over 130 cars participating. Volga received a commemorative photo plaque.  Overall we got 12 awards this spring, summer and fall. I sure hope that the next year will be equally busy and successful.

11/9/2014: It was warm and sunny in Syosset, so we decided to take part in another event. And as a reward for that decision Volga got First in Class award (among 1950-1964 stock cars). Good closing of an excellent season!

4/20/2015: All right, the season-2015 is open. This year I decided to take pictures of only the cars I liked, as opposed to every car. At the Bayville show Volga "The Star" took First Place in the Class. Good start, comrades!

5/3/2015: Russian cars owners had their very first meet on Brighton Beach. It was also a part of Victory Day Celebration, so there was a lot of people, activities and fun!

5/4/2015: after I replaced broken bolt that holds the generator to the bracket, I discovered that there is no charge. So the generator was removed and taken apart. The problem was that inductive coil wire lost contact with the post terminal. So we extended that wire and soldered it back onto the bolt, than reassembled the generator. I also replaced the belt, and now it works fine.

5/17/2015: Carlisle Import Nationals is a huge 2-day event in Pennsylvania. It's a 4.5 hour drive, so we took the Volga there on a trailer. Almost 1000 cars participate, but only 12 are admitted to the Standard of Excellence judging. That show is always lots of fun, and despite getting hit by a rain, we took home the Standard of Excellence Award.

6/7/2015: Huge AACA show at beautiful Old Westbury Gardens on Long Island. Over 400 cars participated. Volga took home Second Place in Import Class.

6/13/2015: On a very hot sunny day my son and I went to Pennsylvania for AMF Bristol Pike Show. Local folks were thrilled to see the Volga and gave us Best in Show Award.

7/5/2015: After a second rebuilt of the generator (had to replace the bearings) we took part in Oyster Bay Autofest Show.  About a hundred cars participated. We were awarded First Place in Class B (stock 1950-1960 vehicles)

8/8/2015: The summer vacation is over, and so we went to yet another show. This time at New Hope, PA. The car was at the center of attention and we took home "First in Class" award.

8/9/2015: As one hot summer day was not enough for us, we took part at another event today--Belmont Summer show. There were a lot of cars, but we still got First Place in our class.

9/7/2015: We attended the LEAD EAST. It's a huge show where about 1500 cars participate, and the world's biggest 50's party. Elvis and Marylin, DooWop music and drive-in movies, chrome and fins, cruising and dancing....that event has it all. On Saturday the organizers saw the Volga and invited us to come again on Sunday, so we can display the car at the Winners Lane and receive the prestigious TOP 9 Award. For that special occasion my wife Marina was wearing a nifty retro outfit.

9/13/2015: We were invited to participate in a prestigious Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance. This event takes place in a beautiful equestrian estate and is the only show in the world that combines horse-drawn carriages, cars and motorcycles. Volga received the Class Award, among other unique vehicles.

9/20/2015: Huge show in the Bronx, almost 1500 cars were on display. Volga received an award, which is a very good result for such number of participating cars .
Below:
compare Volga with 1949 Ford and 1954 Kaiser Henry J !

9/27/2015: For those who are into retro cars the name "Hemmings" speaks for itself. "Hemmings Motor News" is the Bible of car collecting. And annual Hemmings Concours d'Elegance is one of the premier events in the USA. It was a great honor for us to be invited to this show at beautiful Saratoga Springs, NY. I had a chance to meet Peter Brock, Ed Lucas, and Paul Teutel Jr. (from American Chopper TV series). The field of 160 top-notch cars was spectacular. We were delighted to win prestigious Second Place Award in "European post-war" class! 

10/17/2015: Historical Flemington Speedway was the home for a huge car show. Out of 800 cars only ten were selected for the Top 10 award parade. And Volga was one of those!

11/1/2015: the season is coming to an end, the car needs rest and maintenance. We attended 2 shows this weekend: Sea Cliff and McArthur. The results were 1st in Class of 50-60's cars, and 2nd in class of Foreign cars, respectively.

4/16/2016: the season was opened at Sea Cliff Auto show, where we got 2nd place in our class. I only took pictures of car5s that I liked and not everything. Prior to the show my good friend Roman (owner of pristine VAZ-21033 from NY) helped with service and maintenance.

5/15/2016: We participated in Merrick Spring Dust-off show, it was fun! Got 3rd place in our class. The weather was changing every minute, but we made it home before the rain safely.

6/12/2016: This weekend we attended a pretty big show at Old Westbury Gardens, Long Island. Out of more than 80 cars in the "imported" class Volga got the third place. Gorgeous black 1957 Mercedes "Gullwing" (valued at 500000$) took the first, it was impossible to beat that car. It was interesting to see the engineering level of these 2 cars from the same year, especially when they were both manufactured only 12 years after Soviet Union defeated Germany in the second World War...

6/19/2016: Today we participated in interesting show for the "Orphan Makes", and got the 3-rd place award!

7/10/2016: Nice big show in River Edge, NJ. There was a lot of interest in the car, and we got 2nd Place in Import Class award.

7/24/2016: Once again we took part in charity rallye, organized by well-known European car specialist Santo Spadaro and his family. It's not a car show, but rather a gathering of friends and car enthusiasts. The setting is a beautiful farm in Armonk, NY.

8/14/2016: Despite very hot and humid weather (+35 C in the shade) we took part in Summer Belmont Show. We got the First Place in our class Award. But the best part was to go home and to jump in the ocean...

9/11/2016: For the first time we were invited to the prestigious "Vanderbilt Concours d'Elegance". The day was perfect!
  The show takes place at a beautiful Vanderbilt Mansion on Long Island's "gold coast". The mansion is a museum now and it presents the life style of the american elite in the 1920-s. Volga created a lot of public interest and was awarded the second place in the class.

9/18/2016: Nice and big Staten Island regional AACA show. In 2014 we won "President's Cup" there, and this year we got First Place Award. 

10/2/2016: Cloudy skies were not a problem for beautiful and prestigious Monmouth County Concours d'Elegance, which was set on the farm in the middle of a cornfield. This was a strictly invitational event and we were happy to participate.

10/8/2016: "All roads lead to Hershey"....
AACA Fall Meet at Hershey, PA is the biggest car show in America, and quite possibly in the world. It's a 3 day long amazing event. This year 1300 cars were judged despite of rainy weather. Of course it is impossible to photograph everything, so I only took pictures of most interesting cars. Vehicles that are participating for the first time are competing for the Junior Award. Volga took first place in its class and now can compete for the Senior Award. That is the great honor for us, and probably the most important award of this season. A very beautiful trophy was presented to us at a Members Banquet after the show. 
And on the next day we visited AACA Car Museum, which is one of the best in the country. Great weekend!


And this is the beautiful National First Prize badge that we received from AACA at Hershey Fall Meet

11/6/2016: The season is almost over, but more than 400 cars come to Belmont Show on a sunny day. The competition was tough, but Volga took Second Place Award in it's class. 

11/7/2016: Our Volga, among few other Soviet cars, was chosen to be filmed in popular FX Network TV show "The Americans". I am a big fan of that show from the first episode, so it was a lot of fun to be a part of it!

4/9/2017: The season was opened with a First Place in the Class Award at Belmont Show! Good start of the year... 

4/23/2017: Spring dust-off AACA show in Staten Island. Once again, we were blessed with First Place in the Class. A week ago fuel supply hose ruptured, but I replaced it with a new part which promptly arrived from Moscow. So far so good!

4/29/2017: Very nice big show at Roebling Museum, NJ. The cars were placed on a grass field where the old steel mill used to be, among some antique machinery.
We got the prestigious Top 50 Award, just a few points short of "Best in Show" among stock cars.

5/7/2017: AACA Regional show in Morristown, NJ. The day was rainy, but the cars were cleverly placed under the canopy of solar panels. The competition was fierce, but we got Second Place Award in our class.

5/28/2017: The "Motorama" show is held in New Jersey for 42 years, but we took part in it for the first time. 20 best vehicles were selected out of almost 200 cars in the field, and we were among the chosen ones. Tim spent all morning polishing the car, so the TOP 20 award was rightfully his.

6/11/2017: For the first time we participated at GoodGuys East Coast Nationals in Rhinebeck, NY. I think this is the longest distance that we drove so far (130 miles each way, with very hot weather and traffic). The show is huge, almost 1500 cars attended in 2 days. It is mostly dedicated to hotrods and customs, but there were plenty of original cars as well. Volga was rewarded with "Award of Excellence".

6/18/2017: Beautiful Father's day at a picturesque setting of Tuxedo Park Country Club, The Tuxedo Concours d'Elegance features small, selected group of pristine automobiles, and is an invitation only event. All the cars made a parade lap around the beautiful lake, and then the winners were announced. We received "Chairman's Choice" Award.

7/9/2017: Inaugural Oyster Bay Concours d'Excellence was an invitation-only show, held right next to Billy Joel's "20th Century Cycles" shop. Our old friend and pin-up model Veronica Wyles also appeared and took some great shots with Volga. This time we got not one, but two (!) prizes: First Place in Class and Chairman's Pick.

7/23/2017. Misselwood Concours d'Elegance took place in a beautiful Endicot College on the North Shore of Massachussets Bay, not far from Boston. It was our longest trip so far. Many exquisite automobiles were present. Participation was by invitation only and we were honored to be a part of that elegant event.

9/10/2017: A very nice show in New Jersey on a bright sunny day. We have never been to that show before, so Volga got a lot of attention, and we took home the First Place in Class Award.

9/24/2017: The Boston Cup is a Concours d'Elegance level event, in which only about 100 vehicles are invited to participate. It is held in beautiful Boston Commons, the oldest park in America, at the heart of the city. The cars were exquisite and the competition was fierce. Our Volga was awarded Second Place in Class, which is a great honor.

10/1/2017: Beautiful town of Scarsdale, NY  held it's annual Concours d'Elegance event. This invitation-only show always draws some great cars. Despite of tough competition, we won the "Special Interest cars" category, and our friend Vitaly won "Judges' choice" with his 1947 Cadillac. 


10/8/2017: We usually do not drive when it is raining, but today was an exception. We were invited to participate in the prestigious Americana Manhasset Concours d'Elegance, and this show is too good to miss. We already won a Class Award here 3 years ago, and today was another great event for us to visit.

10/15/2017: Cloudy skies were not a problem at the beautiful Flowerfield show among Long Island greenery.
Volga received a lot of attention and the "Judges Choice" Award, our biggest in size so far.

4/12/2018: After February shoot for "The Americans" TV series, Volga needed a good hand car wash and wax with polish. Also, the maintenance was done (oil change, lubrication, check of all fluids, minor adjustments, etc.). Ready for the season!

4/15/2018: Photo shoot for the album cover of "Interpol" music band. The guys were super cool!

4/22/2018: First show of the season at Belmont. Good weather, lots of cars and a Second Place Award in the Class for us.
 
5/28/2018: Nice Memorial Day show at Englewood, NJ. The car draw a lot of attention from the crowds and received "Show Winner" Award. 

6/3/2018: We were invited to the famed Greenwich Concours d'Elegance. This is, by popular opinion, the most diverse and prestigious "invitation only" car show on the East Coast. 
Our black 1962 Volga made appearance there in 2010, and the current 1957 Volga was also shown there for the first time in 2014.
The same car can appear at Greenwich Concours only once in 4 years, so this year we received the honor of being invited to the show again. And what a fabolous show it was! Out of more than 250 pristine automobiles only 4 were selected by the Chief Judge for the interview with the owners. I was among the selected, and enjoyed the chat with Wayne Carini (from TV hit series "Chasing Classic Cars") and David Hobbs (Formula-1 racer and commentator). At the end of 2-day event Volga was called to participate at the winner's parade to receive "Best in Class - International" Award. We finally won at Greenwich!

 6/10/2018: Our "home show" held by Antique Automobile Association of Brooklyn is only about 15 minutes drive from our house. It is always located at historical Floyd Bennet Field, the former military airport. Over 200 cars gathered on the airstrip. Volga was awarded "Best in Show" Cup.


Famous band "Interpol" chose this photo for the new album "Marauder". Yes, the band members are sitting inside our Volga.

8/26/2018: Great show in a beautiful setting, Chelsea Mansion on Long Island. Over 150 cars gathered on two lawns, surrounded by ponds and fountains. The competition was strong but Volga was awarded with "Best Foreign Car" Prize.

9/2/2018: Historic Festival and Concours at Lime Rock race track. The vintage racing is spectacular! The show was great, close to 1200 cars participated, and 300 out of those were selected for the Concours field. The event also featured the largest collection of Bugattis at one show, almost 60 cars from America and Europe. Needless to say, the competition was fierce. We are very pleased to announce that Volga got "Second Place" in its class award.

9/29/2018: We were invited to participate at the Inaugural New Jersey Concours d'Elegance. It turned out to be a beautiful show with many exquisite cars on the field.

10/13/2018: Once again, "All roads lead to Hershey".... 
AACA Fall Meet at Hershey, PA is the biggest car show in America, and quite possibly in the world. It's a 3 day long amazing event. This year over 1200 cars were judged despite of some rain in the morning. Of course it is impossible to photograph everything, so I only took a few pictures of most interesting cars. Last time here we won the Junior Award, and now our car was honored with the Senior Award. That is the great honor for us, and probably the most important award of this season. A very beautiful trophy was presented to us at a Members Banquet after the show. 

11/4/2018: The show season is near it's end, so almost 400 vehicles came to Belmont to enjoy a sunny and warm day. A lot of interesting cars showed up. Our Volga got TOP 20 Award, which is a great way to end a very successful year.

 6/10/2019: Our "home show" held by Antique Automobile Association of Brooklyn is only about 15 minutes drive from our house. It is always located at historical Floyd Bennet Field, the former military airport. Over 200 cars gathered on the airstrip. Volga was awarded "Best in Show" Cup.

6/24/2019: Big car show at St. James Flowerfield, Long Island. Almost 500 cars on a very hot day. Volga received a special "Best in Class" Award and a lot of attention from the spectators.

6/29/2019: AACA Eastern Nationals at Parsippany, NJ. This was a great show with a lot of Concours-quality cars. 
Volga got the "First Preservation Award" which is the next step after winning "First National Junior" and "First National Senior" prizes. We also got a chance to meet some interesting folks in the hobby at the Awards Banquet.

7/14/2019: "Locust Grove" once was Samuel's Morse estate, now a museum. It was a beautiful site for a great car show with over 300 cars from the Hudson Valley region. Volga got a lot of attention and received a coveted "Winner" Award.

8/18/2019: Chelsea Mansion is a beautiful villa on the Gold Coast of Long Island. It was the site for a great show with some pristine cars. Competition in our class was tough, but Volga was awarded "Third in Class" Prize.

9/8/2019: Queens Classic Car Club held a nice show with about 200 cars. Volga participated in this event for the first time and generated a lot of interest from the crowds. We got the "Winner Trophy".

9/14/2019: Volga was honored to be invited to the fourth annual edition of The Bridge held on the hallowed grounds of the original Bridgehampton Race Circuit. The highlights of this fabulous event and some of the 250 amazing automobiles on display could be seen on my Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/usavolga/.

10/6/2019: Scarsdale Concours 'Elegance is an invitation-only event, located in a beautiful Tudor-styled center of the village. We won an award here in 2017 but we always love coming there, and Volga generates a lot of interest every year.

11/10/2019: 5th Annual Thanksgiving Show was held in beautiful Oyster Bay, NY. About 100 cars participated in this last show of the season on this crisp autumn day. Our class was "1950-1960 stock cars" and competition with American automobiles is always strong....Mostly because there a lot of great makes and models from that period, very popular among collectors. Nevertheless, we got "Third in Class" Award and we are happy. So long until the next year show season!

8/22/2020: This is a difficult year. Due to COVID-19 most of the car shows are cancelled. I used the time to re-chrome the front grille, to do the usual yearly lube and maintenance, and to adjust the door locks. The battery, the feed fuel line and the headlight bulb needed to be replaced. 
But finally we were able to participate in a very prestigious show--AACA Grand Nationals, which was held in historical Gettysburg, PA. Every automobile in this show had to have a "Senior" level of awards. There were about 500 beautiful cars, truly best of the best. The competition was very strong and we were honored to receive a "Second Grand National" Award in our class. And on that weekend we drove Volga around the historical battlefields of Gettysburg...

10/18/2020: There are not too many shows around these days due to COVID-19 restrictions on public gathering. But we were able to attend a nice show in New Jersey by Garden State Car Club. Volga attracted a lot of attention and received Sponsor's Choice Award.