Soviet-Era Car Spotted in Newton
On Sunday, a Soviet-era vehicle was spotted in a Newton parking lot by local blogger Lorianne DiSabato.
DiSabato says she and her husband did a double-take when she saw the car parked among Hondas and Subarus in the central parking lot of Newton Centre. She peered in through the windows and saw Russian letters on the radio dials.
“The car was obviously old, well-maintained, and had Russian plates. Normally when you see classic cars, they’re American, but this clearly wasn’t,’’ she told Boston.com
DiSabato admits she isn’t much of a car buff but couldn’t help but take notice:
“I don’t know much about cars, but I know enough to gawk and take pictures when a relic from Cold War Russia pulls up and parks in the neighborhood.’’
The car appears to be a GAZ Volga-M-21, known as an “Akula,’’ which translates into “Shark.’’ The Akula made its debut in 1958. But unlike its namesake, this car has a deer on the front of the hood, which was the staple of all Volgas until 1961.
Kamil Kaluski, east coast editor of Hooniverse.com, has done extensive stories on eastern European cars.
“High-ranking government officials commonly used the car during the Cold War,’’ said Kaluski. “It came with a variety of engines. It was a KGB kind of car.’’
Kaluski said it’s likely the car is registered to drive legally in the US.
“You can register any car over 25 years old,’’ said Kaluski. “But you probably have to fill out more paperwork.’’
In addition to Soviet officials, Volgas were also used as taxicabs, police cars, and ambulances.
Unfortunately, this story creates more questions than it answers. Who owns the car? How did it get here? Tip us if you know anything.
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