Oldsmobile Parade

It's shocking how time flies and I never get to do things the way I want. Organizing my photos and going through the folders I have on my external drive I came across some photos I took last year in October. I knew I have them, I knew I've never posted them and was always planning to do it, but somehow there has never been time. Till now.

It was a nice day, the 13th of October and we went to visit the pumpkin festival, which is a very nice festival organized each year, full of creativity and occasions to taste local goodies and not only. I've posted about the pumpkins and maybe there are more photos I'm going to post soon, but today I'd like to talk about a unique and unexpected surprise I got while there.

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There were many activities going on and one was an Oldsmobile exhibition and parade. I'm not a huge fan of cars, but these cars are not just cars, but these mean history as well. There are several clubs in my country and the number of members are growing and growing. These exhibitions are organized several times per year in different location so everyone can have the chance to participate with their cars, or just as visitors.

We didn't see the exhibition as we were busy admiring the pumpkins and having lunch in a very nice restaurant, but when we left the venue, the Oldsmobiles were doing a tour of the place, Imagine my surprise when such an occasion fall into my hands. All I had to do is stand in one place and take photos as the cars were passing by me one by one, one after the other.

When you participate at the exhibition, you have the chance to see the cars for as long as you want. Inspect them from top to bottom, go round and see the front and the back, some even allow you to get inside and see the interior as well.

This is a Trabant, that once was very popular and widely used. Don't ask me what model this is as I have no clue.

Trabant is a series of small cars produced from 1957 until 1991 by former East German car manufacturer VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau. Four models were made: the Trabant 500, Trabant 600, Trabant 601, and the Trabant 1.1. The first model, the 500, was a relatively modern car when it was introduced. source

(Look at the professional photographers, with the appropriate gear, taking photos we can only dream of.)

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As you can see, each car has a number. In order to participate, you have to be a member of the club, you have to have your car (or cars, as there are members who enter with multiple cars) in good condition, required by the rules.

Another well known make in Eastern Europe, the Lada.

Lada (Russian: Лада, Russian pronunciation: [ˈladə], marketed as LADA) is a brand of small cars manufactured by AvtoVAZ (originally VAZ), a Russian state-owned company.

The first cars manufactured by AvtoVAZ were produced with technical assistance from Fiat and marketed under the Zhiguli designation. The Lada brand appeared in 1973, initially being overseas-focused before becoming AvtoVAZ's main brand for all markets in the 1990s. Renault took control of the brand in 2016. Technical assistance from the French company started in 2008, after it acquired a minority AvtoVAZ stake. Lada was re-acquired by the Russian government in 2022. source

And here it is. There's no exhibition without at least 10 Dacia, which is a Romanian car.

S.C. Automobile Dacia S.A., commonly known as Dacia, is a Romanian car manufacturer that takes its name from the historical region that constitutes present-day Romania. The company was established in 1966. In 1999, after 33 years, the Romanian government sold Dacia to the French car manufacturer Groupe Renault. It is Romania's largest company by revenue and the largest exporter, constituting 8% of the country's total exports in 2018. In 2024, the Dacia marque sold 676,340 passenger and commercial vehicles.

The first Dacia 1300 left the assembly line ready for the 23 August parade in 1969, and was exhibited at the Paris and Bucharest shows of that year. Romanians were delighted with the modernity and reliability of the car, and waiting lists were always lengthy. By 1970, there were two variants: the standard 1300 and the 1300L (for Lux); in 1974 the 1301 Lux Super was introduced, which had novelties such as a heated rear screen, a radio, wing mirrors on both sides and a more luxurious trim. This was reserved for the Communist Party nomenklatura. source

Most of the participants know each other and meet each other at various events. You can say it's a club, a closed group of people, like a family.

While I was watching the parade, was thinking how different things are, depending on where you live. Not long ago I exchanged some comments with a friend of mine, a Venezuelan photographer, who posted some photos of old cars. I asked him if those old cars are part of the exception or it is what you mostly see on the roads. He said it is the latter.

To explain what I mean, these cars you see on the photos are not for everyday use. The owners are keeping these cars garaged, in good condition and have another car, or two, for every day use. In Venezuela and Cuba as well, they use these because there's no other option, they can't afford to buy a new one.

In western countries you pay a high price for this hobby. If your car has an Oldsmobile certificate, then you have lower taxes, but otherwise it's cost an arm and a leg to use such a car on a daily bases. This is how every government wants to make sure to reduce pollution and fuel consumption as well.

Maintaining such a car is a financial burden, so it's not for everyone. It's an elite club for those who can afford it and are really passionate about it.

Let's see who likes these and if you have a favorite.

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