Usually, it's Russian millionaires that buy the big American Luxury vehicles. However this was not the case with two custom models that made their way into Odessa’s harbor, destined for the States.
The two cars, a two-door convertible and a four-door coupe, were designed and manufactured by a Russian coach-builder to combine the lines of Soviet classic automobiles with modern performance. We would call this mix of German mechanics and Russian mafia menace perv-formance, but we won’t for fear of government censorship.
Building expenses for these two one-offs were covered by an US citizen who was formally an Odessa resident. His biggest desire was to have something that reminded him of his home-country. According to the coach-builder, the two cars have an estimated worth of $300,000 (that’s RUB9,153,226 in Russia).
First off, the four-door limousine is clearly built on a BMW 3 Series platform, with the BMW logo on the steering wheel and BBS wheels from the 80’s being a clear tell of this. The car has a retro look to it, with side exhaust pipes and lots of chrome trimming, but it also incorporates modern features like pearl-white paintjob and air-conditioning.
The blue two-door convertible seems to be based on an old Mercedes CL convertible, having the same folding cloth roof and a Mercedes interior, covered in what we would describe as echo alligator skin. It does look a little unfinished for a car worth $300,000 though. Both cars have been made to resemble Pobeda cars (Soviet models produced from 1946 until 1958).
The two cars, a two-door convertible and a four-door coupe, were designed and manufactured by a Russian coach-builder to combine the lines of Soviet classic automobiles with modern performance. We would call this mix of German mechanics and Russian mafia menace perv-formance, but we won’t for fear of government censorship.
Building expenses for these two one-offs were covered by an US citizen who was formally an Odessa resident. His biggest desire was to have something that reminded him of his home-country. According to the coach-builder, the two cars have an estimated worth of $300,000 (that’s RUB9,153,226 in Russia).
First off, the four-door limousine is clearly built on a BMW 3 Series platform, with the BMW logo on the steering wheel and BBS wheels from the 80’s being a clear tell of this. The car has a retro look to it, with side exhaust pipes and lots of chrome trimming, but it also incorporates modern features like pearl-white paintjob and air-conditioning.
The blue two-door convertible seems to be based on an old Mercedes CL convertible, having the same folding cloth roof and a Mercedes interior, covered in what we would describe as echo alligator skin. It does look a little unfinished for a car worth $300,000 though. Both cars have been made to resemble Pobeda cars (Soviet models produced from 1946 until 1958).