Standard Little 9 - Multiple Prizewinner in Bulgaria

Ian Homer's page
May 23
2 min read

Updated: May 25

James Norris writes:

I moved to Bulgaria in 2013, bringing my small collection of cars with me. My Little Nine joined me in my village back in 2017.

I've not taken the Nine out; only visitors have seen it occasionally.

Bulgaria has a history of motor cars, and the Lovech Classic Retro car show is in the town where the Moscovich was produced. The factory still stands.

I saw a Facebook post for a national organisation called Avangard, which organises car rallies throughout Bulgaria. I learned that the endpoint and Classic car show would be just a few kilometres from my home, so I polished my little Nine and thought I'd join the many Trabants, Lada, Zaska, and Moskovich, to name but a few. I was surprised to find a 1929 Mercedes, Fiats, VWs and some exciting Soviet bikes and cars.

From the moment the Nine was unloaded, many people came to view it, which made it a little nerve-racking to get her off the ramps. In total, there were over 250 cars at the event.

It was busy. I speak virtually no Bulgarian, but many people were interested in talking about the Nine and complementing the car that I employed my youngest son to translate, who did a great job.

I was unaware of any competitions and awards at the car show, and I just went to enjoy a sunny day and see lots of interesting cars. So, I was very surprised when they asked me to stay close to the stage as I've got a couple of awards.

The first was from a sponsor for the most beautiful car at the show. Then, I was presented the Avangard Cup for Best Car at the show (translated as Best of Many as written on the cup).  It was a fantastic event that made me an extremely proud Standard owner. During the event, I received four invitations to other shows, one of which is in the capital Sofia. It is a three-day event usually held at Aleksander Nevski Cathedral. It's going to be a busy summer for the Standard. 

Later in the evening, I also learned the car had appeared on national TV during a report on the first Lovech Classic car show, made by the Bulgarian equivalent of the BBC. Viewable here https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16EoqBRMH8/

“Editor: - Well done James, it looks like your Standard is going to become very famous in Bulgaria!

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