Castro's funeral car is a UAZ

Old school: Check.
Military motif: Check.
Communist: Check.

What's that troop transport truck in the front? Is it Chinese?

Russian SaabKyle04

Something about imitation and flattery. Here's a UAZ van. First, I have been mispronouncing it "WAZ" the whole time. Second, contrary to the title, the engine is not covered in the video. It is nevertheless an interesting look at a vehicle that is almost non-existent in North America. For more of this Russian's videos, click here.

Kim Jong-Il funeral motorcade video preview

Wow!  This was his father's funeral motorcade.  American limos, black W140s, green W123s, UAZ's, an old Merc Pullman, and lots of motorcycles, all in the formation of an arrow.

The video cuts between the motorcade and screaming Koreans.  The volume should be turned down.

Vintage Soviet Iron, Courtesy of Kiva

A while back, I touted Kiva, a website that links Westerners with Third World entrepreneurs in need of micro loans. I made a $25 loan to Salom, a Tajik cab driver who needed to make some repairs to his aging Russian cab. It is a wonderful idea. The site is so popular, in fact, that oftentimes it runs out of entrepreneurs to lend money to.

My man Salom and his IZH.

So while the site is waiting to sign up more participants, I did a search of Tajik cab drivers who received loans in the past. It is a veritable walk down memory lane. The old Soviet clunkers cling to life out of necessity in this poor, mountainous, underdeveloped country. Parts are scavenged, improvised, or hand-made. Life for the drivers, like their cars' idle, is rough. But there is a quiet dignity in what these men and their cars do everyday to support their families.

CKY

Saving Georgia

Is little South Ossetia really worth fighting over?


CKY

Tamerlane's Top 100 Cars of All Time

Recently, I posted the 31 cars that would be in my fantasy garage and the three trucks I would pick to make Costco runs. But what if I had Sultan of Brunei money? If I could pick 100 of my favorite cars, what would fill up the remaining 66 spots?

On a rare night battling insomnia recently, I came up with the list within 20 minutes. I sat on the list for a while, in case I changed my mind or was reminded of a car that I had overlooked. About 95% of my original list remained intact. Feel free to compare my top 100 with Top Gear's, Automobile magazine's, Channel 4's, and Jeremy Clarkson's.

Here are the remaining 66, in alphabetical order:

1. Alfa Romeo Montreal
2. Alfa Romeo Spider
3. Alfa Romeo 159
4. Audi Quattro
5. Audi S8
6. Bentley Blower
7. Bentley Continental Type R
8. BMW 3.0 CSL
9. BMW M3 E30
10. BMW M5 E39
11. Cadillac Eldorado Brougham
12. Chevrolet Camaro (3^rd generation)
13. Chevrolet Corvette C3
14. Citroen 2CV
15. Citroen DS
16. DeTomaso Mangusta
17. Dodge Charger (from Bullitt)
18. Ferrari 400i/412
19. Ferrari Daytona
20. Ferrari Testarossa
21. Ford Escort Mark I
22. Ford GT40
23. Ford Mustang GT350 (the original)
24. Ford Mustang LX
25. Ford Taurus SHO
26. Ford XB GT Falcon
27. Infiniti Q45
28. Jaguar XJR
29. Lamborghini Espada
30. Lexus SC400
31. Lincoln Continental (1960s)
32. Lotus Esprit
33. Lotus Seven
34. Maserati Quattroporte I
35. Maserati Quattroporte III
36. Maserati Quattroporte V
37. Mazda Cosmo
38. Mazda Miata
39. Mazda RX-7 (FD)
40. Mercedes-Benz 450SL
41. Mercedes-Benz 500E
42. Mercedes-Benz 560SEC
43. Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman
44. Mercedes-Benz Gelandewagen
45. Mercedes-Benz W113 Pagoda
46. Mitsubishi 3000GT
47. Plymouth Superbird
48. Pontiac Firebird Trans Am (a la Smokey And the Bandit)
49. Porsche 356
50. Porsche 944
51. Rolls-Royce Corniche
52. Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III (Chinese Eyes)
53. Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe
54. Subaru Impreza WRX
55. Sunbeam Tiger
56. Tatra T603
57. Toyota 2000GT
58. Toyota Land Cruiser 40 Series
59. Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Series
60. Toyota Supra Mark IV
61. Trabant
62. UAZ 452
63. Volkswagen Beetle
64. Volkswagen Golf GTI (Mark 1)
65. Volkswagen Transporter (2^nd generation)
66. Willys Jeep

CKY

UAZ That?!

The UAZ 452 was introduced in 1966. Its looks are cute to Westerners, but not necessarily to those who lived during the Soviet era, as it was often used by the police. When it's running, it's nimble and will cover any terrain with ease. It broke down often, but was simple to repair. The starter, which was especially prone to break down, has a hand crank.

One can still find the 452 throughout the roadless wilds of Siberia, the Russian Far East, and Mongolia. To see them in action, they acted as great support vehicles in Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman's Long Way Round.




CKY