Andre Citroen's Birthday

Banshee · Post by **Banshee** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 4:54 pm

It was on 5th of February. Here are some photos of our picnic in Kharkiv, Ukraine. BX can easily work as off-roader

Not to repost for ages, here is my topic at the CitroenClub Ukraine
http://citroen-club.net.ua/forum/viewto ... =4&t=10437
Not much text there, but if you need translation - feel free to ask

rayfenwick · Post by **rayfenwick** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:45 am

Great photos, nice Niva too.

Banshee · Post by **Banshee** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:13 pm

Thanks, Ray!
Niva is deeply tuned and is used in various off-road events and competitions as competing car and sometimes as press or marshal car.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:56 pm

Hello Banshee,

nice photos. It looks bloody cold - we normally have picnics in the summer. Luckily you've got a Citroen Helmet!

Banshee · Post by **Banshee** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 5:14 pm

Hello!
In fact it's pretty warm as for winter time. Whole day was around +2C. So it also been little bit wet

Thing is, I already got used to Ukrainian weather. Even more: I also prefer summer picnics, but there is some charm in winter forest. And also nature in that area, called Kharkivska Oblast' (pretty much the same as County of Kharkiv, if they've only had normal political system) is partially rather similar to England. That helps to tame nostalgic notes in dull mood of mine

rayfenwick · Post by **rayfenwick** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:26 pm

Banshee wrote:Thanks, Ray!
Niva is deeply tuned and is used in various off-road events and competitions as competing car and sometimes as press or marshal car.

One thing I miss from Moscow is the cars. I have a secret fetish for Soviet machinery...

citsncycles · Post by **citsncycles** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:13 am

I've always liked eastern block machinery, although not neccesarily Russian. My Skoda Estelle was scary round corners, but the Rapid was great fun! I had a Wartburg for a while - there's nothing quite the sound of a 3 cylinder 2 stroke at full chat, which is why I'd love another one day!

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 2:09 am

rayfenwick wrote:I have a secret fetish for Soviet machinery...

That's no way to talk about Natalia...

Banshee · Post by **Banshee** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:02 am

Who is Natalia?

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:55 am

Sorry - just my attempt at humour.

Natalia is Ray's (Russian) wife.

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:59 pm

What is it with Eastern European women? They all seem so darned beautiful! Maybe the cold is the secret...

rayfenwick · Post by **rayfenwick** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:30 pm

mat_fenwick wrote:
rayfenwick wrote:I have a secret fetish for Soviet machinery...
That's no way to talk about Natalia...

Oh Matt... she'll hunt you down....

rayfenwick · Post by **rayfenwick** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:33 pm

Banshee wrote:Who is Natalia?

Natalia is my wonderful wife. I'm not sure how I managed it, either....

rayfenwick · Post by **rayfenwick** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:56 pm

citsncycles wrote:I've always liked eastern block machinery, although not neccesarily Russian. My Skoda Estelle was scary round corners, but the Rapid was great fun! I had a Wartburg for a while - there's nothing quite the sound of a 3 cylinder 2 stroke at full chat, which is why I'd love another one day!

I know what you mean. Amongst my guilty desires are the Skoda Rapid, and the (not very communist) SAAB 96. Bringing it back right-wing is my love of the big trucks. Our neighbour had a ZIL 130 in the usual light blue and white paint scheme.

Some of the flash cars like GAZ Chaika and Pobeda have obvious appeal, but even the standard Zhiguli/Lada is also somehow appealing, but I have a real soft-spot for the Niva.

A couple of years ago, I saw an old 1977 film of a then-new Niva going head-to-head with a contemporary Range Rover across a ploughed field, and the Niva (meaning "crop field" in Russian) made the Range Rover look quite silly.

Compared to the magic-carpet civilisation of big Citroens, the Niva is shockingly basic, but therein lies some of its charm - I can't help but like a car that can be fixed in the middle of nowhere using nothing more than a boulder and a piece of string.

One day I'll have another... (looks around to make sure N isn't reading this..

)