Days go by that you don't seen them anymore: the square east bloc Lada's...
But we've managed to find one which is, with almost 350.000 kilometres on the odo...
...very appropriate for 'High Mileage'.
Let's see what's left of it.
Full beam headlights don't work... - That was the problem with last years MOT too.
They've fitted a new switch back then. - Okay
It needs to warm up a bit...
Nice. Everything okay.
This needs to be pressed... - Can't we use a tie wrap for that?
This is installed well. It's just like a bike carrier.
...This part is actually from a bike carrier. - Yes.
Look, can you see that...? Over the years the plastic becomes too hard.
It's green.
This cap broke, and the rod over there. It's the plastic that cracks.
At a certain age, That's what happens...
It's says: battery condition 100 percent...
Loaded at 50 percent.
This one is bold. It's 1.1.
This one is even bolder and worn sloped.
Henny, what seemed to be the problem with the throttle cable?
When I parked it after the test drive, I used the throttle and heard something come loose...
The coupling ball, that connects the carburettor is made out of plastic...
...and got cracked because of it's age. I had the misfortune to break it off.
Right in front of the car workshop. How lucky can you be? - Couldn't have did it any better.
What did you discover on the car? How is it doing?
During the test drive I heard yawning... But that comes with a car like this, I guess.
...it's old. But still drives nice.
During the inspection we got a list full of flawes.
But they all have to do with the age and it's high mileage.
They're all small things which are not disastrous.
I've found three things that are MOT failure.
The tire on rear right only has a profile left of 7 mm. That needs to be changed.
The rubber of the ball joint is cracked. That needs to be changed too...
And the full beam lights don't work...
That needs attention too.
And the pile of rust in de corner?
- It is getting spots everywhere.
It's nothing to get afraid of yet. But it definetely needs attention.
Willem, your car is looking like a chapel from the inside. What's going on?
The stuff you see in the car on some places is what I collected on the locations I took the car to.
And that's the way you documented all the 347.000 kilometres it's got?
Yes. It's visualised by all the stuff you see here.
You've bought the car new. - As a matter of fact I did.
What encourages you to keep it going?
It became a challenge, because someone said this Lada would be on the scrap heap in five years.
I wanted to prove he was wrong.
- So you're running the car purely on pigheadedness.
It is what I'm known for.
What did you experience with the car?
Well, I'll give you a few examples.
I have worked on it with a pendulum saw...
...to put on a 220V socket.
Any other person would start crying when you do that on a car.
But you can do that with a Lada. - I did'nt have any problem doing it.
Ofcourse I knew what I was doing.
And I built the bike carrier myself.
Because I took the car on vacation a lot...
...and it needed to pull a caravan as well.
So I wasn't able to put the bike carrier on the tow bar...
...and had to invent my own construction.
Which I wanted to stay on permanently.
There are some things that are worrying me... There is some rust on the car.
- So I have seen.
I'm planning to get working on it next year...
...and get rid of the rust. - You want to refurbish it?
Yes. That's what I want.
Do you go on travelling with it? - Oh yes. I saw Kiev in someones agenda for next year...
...and go to Ukraine.
But in the end the trip wasn't convenient for him. And not for me too, because the car isn't ready yet.
So we've decided to go the year after that.
We try to get some more people enthousiastic and go that way with a bigger group.
What do people in those countries think when you, as a westener, arrive in a Lada?
The people in the east, and especially the Russians, think it's weird...
...we do something like that.
They say we have cars over here that are a lot better then a Lada...
so why would you choose a Lada?
But if you take a look at Hungary...
...We went to Budapest. - Yes.
...in 2011 There is a very big group of people there...
who think the Lada is awesome.
There are several Lada clubs over there.
I've seen a lot of enthousiastic people...
who've built there car into a show car. - Tuning!
...Like that. Tuning.
One even put a part of an Alfa Romeo on the engine block.
It supposed to look like a turbo.
But these cars are not original anymore...
I've also seen a lot of people who want to keep it original.
That's the fun part of my car.
From the outside is a real 2104...
But if you see how it is modified from the inside...
...it sends out who I am. Willem.