The first stage of the Historic Rally Cup has started in Moscow

Despite the rain and wind, the first stage of the historic Rally Cup took place in Moscow on June 7.

Rare Mercedes, Porsche and BMW cars gathered on the highway, but Soviet cars attracted the most attention. Many cars, like the 1964 Moskvich-403, have been preserved in almost pristine condition.

"This is 95% native paint. There is still a 1964 light bulb in one of the headlights," said participant Dmitry Patoka.

This season, the participants dedicated the rally to the legendary Moskvich, which turns 80 this year. During the Soviet period, more than 2.5 million of these cars rolled off the assembly lines.

"Our storage facilities are located on the territory of the former Moskvich plant. It was one of the most popular export cars of the Soviet Union, of course, this is our pride," said Dmitry Kozhanov, General Director of the Polytechnic Museum.

The length of the route, the route of which the organizers keep secret until the start, was 90 km. There are two more stages of the Moscow Cup ahead, they will start at Vorobyovy Gory and VDNKh.

Last September, the crew of the Moskvich-403 won the Moscow Cup in a historic rally. At that time, a total of 100 unique crews took part in the third stage of the Cup. They started and finished at the Museum of the Special Purpose Garage of the Federal Security Service of Russia.