At the foot of Pirin, among vineyards and old stone houses, time seems to have hit the brakes. In the village of Kapatovo near Petrich, we come across an unusual place – a vintage car museum, where history comes to life on four wheels. Over 60 vintage cars and dozens of motorcycles are presented here. Some of the exhibits are unique not only for Bulgaria, but also for Europe. Such as an extremely rare Pierce-Arrow – an official car of the White House from 1909 to 1933, which was used by American presidents, or the legendary Ford Model T from 1912 – the first car produced on an assembly line and a symbol of the new industrial era. Each car has its own story, which is revealed by curator Kristian Zhelev. Among the most interesting exhibits is the private Rolls-Royce of the Bacardi family.

"The owner was Lord Bacardi. On the rear doors we can see the coats of arms and on the threshold there is a plate with the inscription Produced by Rolls-Royce - Louis Gomez del Campo, Lord Bacardi. This is a car associated with a specific historical figure."

The retro museum in Kapatovo also contains a rich collection of old Mercedes cars, as well as the first Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962). The collection is constantly enriched with rare and valuable cars. The team participates in auctions in Europe and America and in recent years the museum has often received interesting vehicles from Bulgaria. A special place is given to the cars connected with the country’s history:

"We have four cars from the collection of the National Service for Protection. They are extremely valuable historical cars. These are two ZIS - the first luxury Soviet limousines, used as representative cars in Bulgaria. We have exhibited two old black and white photographs - one of Yuri Gagarin riding in exactly this ZIS; the other is of Khrushchev and Todor Zhivkov, also in one of our ZIS cars. And we also have an ARO - a Romanian off-road vehicle, which is very valuable. First, because it was a gift from Nicolae Ceaușescu to Todor Zhivkov. And second, because it has nothing to do with the standard ARO as it has a much longer chassis, a higher ceiling, tables and a wine bar in the back, as well as seats for the security guards. An extremely rare and valuable car. We have a Bulgaralpine, which was owned by Ilia Chubrikov (one of the doyens of Bulgarian motor sport).”

The region of Petrich has long been famous for its wines and cozy cellars, where tastings become a real ritual. In Kapatovo, right next to the museum, there is also a winery, which complements the experience. Usually, guests first look at the car exhibition and then go to the tasting room, we learn from Kristian Zhelev.

"The region has developed as a wine tourism zone. Here there there are many wine cellars in close proximity to each other. The neighbouring Sandanski is a very lively city, very touristy. Many people come to visit the cellars, do wine tours and tastings. The museum is a wonderful addition, because both wine and old cars tell stories. The combination of tasting plus a visit to the retro museum turned out to be very successful. This was also one of the owner's ideas - to have the museum next to the winery. During the weekend, 300-400 people visit us. And we have already reached 3000 tickets per month, which is a very large number for the museum," Kristian Zhelev says.

Read also:

• Childhood memories or the lessons of the past

• Vintage cars from the National Service for Protection fleet exposed at the National History Museum

• 7 unusual must-see museums in Bulgaria

Author: Veneta Nikolova

Publication in English: Alexander Markov

Photos: Museum of Retro Cars, Kapatovo