Smuggled Pobeda Returns to California

Motor Trend 1952 "I Smuggled a Car out of Russia"

THIS IS A STORY with a beginning and an ending, but no middle. The middle is lost somewhere behind the Iron Curtain where it will have to remain as long as that part of the world is in bondage.The story began on a June afternoon in Helsinki, Finland. As president of Abbey Rents, Stanley F. Slotkin was in Finland buying furniture for his United States stores. He was late for an important meeting and he hurriedly hailed a waiting cab in front of his hotel. He jumped into the back seat and gave the driver directions. Leaning back, he divided his glances between the old buildings of Helsinki whizzing past outside, and the unusual details inside the taxi. The taxi seemed different from those he'd seen in other European cities. His curiosity was aroused. "This is a very comfortable car," he said to the driver. "What make is it-Finnish?""No" replied the driver, it is a Victory. In Russian, a Pobeda. Slotkin, whose personal cars range from Plymouth to Jaguar, was deeply interested, "Russian," he inquired. "Could an American buy one?"
The driver seemed startled "Buy one" he gasped. "No one can buy one."
http://russiancars.lefora.com/2009/07/30/stanley-slotkins-pobeda-article-arch...

ЭТА ИСТОРИЯ с началом и концом, но без середины. Середина затерялась где-то за Железным Занавесом, где она и должна будет оставаться столько, сколько эта часть мира будет оставаться несвободной. История началась июньским вечером в Хельсинки, Финляндия. Президент компании Эбби Рентс, Стенли Ф. Слоткин находился в Финляндии для закупки мебели для своих магазинов в Соединенных Штатах. Он опаздывал на важную встречу и поспешно окликнул такси, стоящее у его отеля. Вскочив на заднее сидение, он дал шоферу необходимые указания. Откинувшись на спинку, он перевел взгляд со старых домов Хельсинки, проносящихся мимо, на необычный интерьер такси. Такси, казалось, отличалось от тех, что он видел в других европейских странах. Его любопытство усилилось. "Очень комфортная машина" — сказал он шоферу. "Чьего она производства — финского?" "Нет" — ответил шофер. Это Победа. По-английски — Victory.
Слоткин, у которого были машины от Плимута до Ягуара, был сильно заинтригован. "Русский", спросил он — "а может Американец купить такую?" Шофер заметно вздрогнул. "Купить такую?" — он воскликнул. "Никто не может купить такую."
Полная статья http://gaz20.spb.ru/magazines/motor_trend_1952_1.htm

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[mushler]

My messages seem to show in wrong order. So read the last one first and so on...

[MaxMyrmyr]

@mushler Stanley Slotkin was a son of Russian immigrants, he was also a collector of old books among other things, so it's possible that he was in Finland or FSU for other reasons. I found dozens of articles in the archives in which details also don't match. Thanks for your input, if there are other observations, please share.

[mushler]

Nice story, but hardly a true one. Too many details do not match.

[MaxMyrmyr]

@mushler what are you referring to?

[KapteinOpel]

Smuggled my ass. They were in free sale all over Scandinavia! The Norwegian government even had an agreement with Soviet on getting eastern bloc cars cheap in exchange for fish! Btw I read a(newer) article on the car, with sayings like "reasonably sorted given its name and origin" or "better than you would expect from an early Soviet car" and so on. Americans are arrogant,M20 is every bit as modern as a contemporary amcar, engine is a modernized Dodge(ha ha) Not to mention its built like a tank.

[mushler]

The simpliest explanation for the story about the car would be that it didn't happen in Finland but in some Soviet country. But then again, would Stanley have been in a Soviet contry shopping furniture like that?

[mushler]

So Stanley could have walked into "Konela" dealer and buy legally almost any Soviet made car. And so I don't think that he would have even needed to smuggle it out of the country, unless the car really was stolen from somewhere. It's true that Pobedas were used as cabs in Finland at that time. It was considered a good warm car for the cold climate and it was available. I read the old article elsewhere in the net and it had more details that didn't sound right.

[mushler]

@MaxMyrmyr For example, Finland never was behind iron curtain and anybody who had the money could buy a car. Not many citizens could afford buying a car after war and the market was regulated. Regulations were mostly affecting western cars, because there was goverment limits in spending foreign currency. These limitations did not affect that much soviet products because the trade with east was mostly done by exchanging products, not money.

[MZMA402]

Cool M 20 ;]

[30mnt]

Максим Молодец! И оформил фильм на 5+ и Музон классный подобрал!