It’s amazing what some people regard as classics. Bearing in mind that some of my choices are pretty weird too, I would never throw stones at someone else’s dream car but sometimes I do wonder…

Take this old warrior, for instance - a Volkswagen Microbus “altered” with all the latest gear. I know that owners often fell in love with these things - some of them almost lived in them. Two of my friends from the seventies swore by theirs and I have to admit that they were practical, reliable and had a certain charm merely through familiarity. But that “gudda-gudda-gudda” engine noise that reverberated through the tin can that served as a body and the upright truck driver stance behind the wheel always put me off somehow.

It surprises me that they are still regarded as classics but, apparently, this is the case. That one up there has been done up by Volkswagen of America as some sort of publicity stunt and contains all sorts of modern technology. You can read about it here.

But the one that takes the biscuit has to be the guy in Budapest who is trying to sell his Lada 1200 estate car as a classic. In the early 70s FIAT was trying to be the biggest European car manufacturer and, as part of the plan, they set up factories to produce their model 124 in several countries of the old communist bloc. The Lada was the Russian version.

It was outdated in Western Europe even before they started rolling off the production lines but I suppose it must have been a pleasant change to Easterners after their usual diet of Volgas and Zils. They managed to sell a few in the West but it was an uphill struggle against the latest that other manufacturers were offering.

In the photographs the car looks to be in very good condition and has a very low mileage. If you’re interested, it could be yours for only $13,000. Just wander over to Serious Wheels and have a look. All Russian parts, too…