AD Baltic clients repeat the 1977 expedition "From Ocean to Ocean"

We are pleased to announce that this year we are sponsoring one of the most noteworthy projects – RAF minibus expedition initiated by one of our loyal customers – the big vintage car enthusiasts as well as the members of the Latvian Antique Automobile Club. The expedition is called "From Ocean to Ocean" and it repeats an expedition that took place in 1977, when the three RAF-2203 vans produced in Soviet Latvia held a test journey from Liepaja, a Latvian city on the Baltic Sea shore – to Vladivostok, one of the largest cities on the eastern coast of Russia.

Back then, in late May 1977, the RAF-2203 minibuses were led by test driver Valdis Brants. Among the participants of the journey was also Riga Motion Pictures Studio documentary crew, two journalists and a doctor.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the expedition and the Latvian Antique Automobile Club’s 45th anniversary, this year's legendary expedition to Vladivostok is repeated with three renovated RAF-2203 vans following the same route.

The road to Vladivostok is about 11 000 kilometres long following the route: St. Petersburg – Moscow – Nizhny Novgorod – Kazan – Naberezhnye Chelny – Ufa – Chelyabinsk – Petropavlovsk – Omsk – Novosibirsk – Irkutsk – Baikalsk – Ulan Ude – Chita – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok.

The same as in 1977, three RAF vans started their journey each carrying 6 to 9 passengers. Unlike the 1977 journey when part of the route had to be passed in railway carriages, this time they plan to go all the way themselves.

"The aim of this expedition is the desire to show that, despite the fact that there are no longer any large automobile manufacturers in Latvia, we still have excellent engineers, renovators and fantastic human relations and enthusiasm potential, and also one of the best motor museums in Europe – Riga Motor Museum," explain AAC members.

By the 22nd day of expedition, the club members have already reached Irkutsk, which means that half of the journey is already complete. However, not without problems – every now and then starter stops working on one of the vans or they run out of fuel in the middle of the forest, and in Miass city someone even broke the van’s wing mirror, so the participants have to make unplanned stops for vehicle repair on a regular basis. Nevertheless, they do not lose their spirit of adventure and continue to move forward. You can keep track of their adventures in the diary of the journey on Antique Automobile Club’s website: http://aak.lv/liepaja-vladivostoka-brauciena-dienasgramata