Talk Morgan Forums Community General Photo Gallery From my archives. Queuing for fuel Hungary 1986

Queuing for fuel in central Hungary 1986

Cracking photo

We don’t appreciate how well off we are here these days, but maybe you gave those locals a bit of hope.

I wonder if the other motorists are thinking, “ look at this poor fellow, he can’t even afford a modern car, he has to drive an old thing from the thirties.”

Amazing glimpse into the past, l”d love to see more.

Brilliant photo...

The development of the former Soviet Block countries has proceeded at a fantastic pace: 1986 was only 3 years later that the border with Austria was opened and 4 years before German re-unification.

I wonder if that petrol station is still there?

I went through the USSR & the Eastern Block in 1975 and was in Katowice Poland in 1992. It amazes me now when I see place like Poland, the Chezch republic & Hungary. The change is massive.
Former Eastern bloc colleagues though miss some of the upside of communism vs our have it all society.

It's a wonder you didn't get gassed by the two-stroke fumes coming out of all those Trabants!!!!
It's amazing when you look at the change all over Eastern Europe, including East Germany
from driving Trabants, Wartburg's & Lada's & now they are all driving luxury barges like Mercs, BMW's & Audi's.
Amazing what the redistribution of wealth within the EU has done!!!

I had the +8 (still have the car) in Hungary in 1986 and 1987 whilst working there. Travelled the country. Miskolc, Debrecen, Pecs, Budapest, Balaton. Used to go to Vienna to see my great aunt and popped over into Yugoslavia several times for a break from Hungary. Border crossing out and in to Hungary with the car was minimum 4 hours. Raced James Hunt in Budapest in August 1986 when he and Murray W covered the first Hungarian GP. His rental Corsa against the +8. Guess who won?

The mid 80's were fun for professionals traveling the wild east.
Crossing borders was bad, but I never needed 4 hours.
Ignoring speed limits was cheap with enough cricket lighters, cafe, cigarettes or similar goodies for trading.
Some Hungarian roads were good for fast transit. Local cars movd with 80kph, Westeners with 100miles/hour...

Early July 1978 I, and 4 colleagues, drove from Poole to Dresden to be part of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies 12th annual Meeting. We had a newish Ford Granada.

Crossing into East Germany at the Bad Herdsfeld on the A4 was interesting: this section of the A4 wasn't finished at the end of WW2 and as it crossed the East/West border 3 times it was abandoned, so travellers, who wanted to go from west to east Germany had to leave the autobahn at exit Obersuhl and drive through the villages of Wölfterode and Herleshausen on country roads to the border station Herleshausen, and continue driving on country roads on the east german side to the autobahn exit Eisenach-West. The west German part of this country road was upgraded to Federal Road 400 because of its importance for east-west travel.

It took us about 3 hours to cross on the way into the DDR, where the car was comprehensively searched, including under the rear seat. a Returning it took about 20 mins back to the FRG!

We were unaware of the DDR Speed limit, so drove at about 140kph... some sections of the A4 had been repaired with stone sets...they were interesting at speed....!

Happy days....

I used to cross at Hegyshalom coming to and from Austria, occasionally Sopron. And somewhere south of Pecs when I crossed into the old Yugoslavia. The puszta was always clogged with broken down Russian Army vehicles, usually tank transporters. In 86 there wasn't much faster than the +8, but with Hungaroring opening to sports car races after the first GP in August 86 it was seriously dangerous driving on the main drag between Hegyshalom and Budapest on race weekends. Porsches at 100 MPH+ not expecting a car at a very slightly reduced speed heading towards them on the non-dual carriageway part of the road. I never got caught or stopped in the Morgan in the 18 months I was there. There were so few Western cars: top of the range from Hertz was a Volvo 343 and there were so few Western business men in Budapest with vehicles. It was mostly Embassy cars. The British Military Attache had a Range Rover! That wasn't the case in Czecho where I was stopped 5 times in a morning, driving at the end at 30 KMH. By the fourth time I was out of cash and bribery gifts. I did meet one German in a 4 seater in the summer of 86 or 87 though.