Handles more than drives
“From a young age, I was interested in technology, and especially in cars. Over time, the hobby grew stronger and stronger. It ended with the fact that my father allowed me to repair the Moskvich that was parked in the yard and was not suitable for driving. I remember it was bright orange,” Matas laughs.
Then, when he had just started studying at the university, he managed to cope with the task – the car was revived and he drove it himself, attracting the attention of those around him.
After graduation, he bought a black Oldsmobile 98 Regency Brougham. This is a big 1985 3.8 Liter V6 American car like we see in vintage movies.
“I paid only 800 euros, but it needed major maintenance. In less than a year, I replaced the necessary parts, restored and drove. One problem is that since it’s an old car, it keeps breaking down, leaking fluids, etc. while driving. Sometimes it seems that I manage more than I drive”, says M. Sakalauskas.
He invented the event
Driving a historic car is often difficult – although it looks majestic from the outside, fuel consumption is well above modern averages, it cannot be driven every day, and it has special insurance requirements. The main joy of such car collectors is festivals and events dedicated to vintage, retro, American cars.
“I always participated in the local Dzūkija antiques events, but it wasn’t enough. I found out that there is an annual American car event on the beach called American Spirit and since then my friends and I have been going to that event every summer. More and more friends got infected with the collecting disease, bought American cars and more and more people from Aly took part in the event on the seashore,” says Matas.
The active dzūkas soon became friends with the president of the American car club V8 Donatas Žukauskas, who, together with his colleagues, has been organizing the race of American cars and motorcycles since 2008.
“We discussed that we also need similar events in Dzūkija, so the idea was born to jointly organize a Garage Motor Show, where we are expecting not only American cars, but also other impressive cars whose owners want to be proud of,” M. Sakalauskas smiles.
Double car celebration
Thanks to the efforts of car lovers, the aforementioned “Garage Motor Show” will be held for the second time in the city center of Alytus, on the Town Hall Square itself, on May 3-4.
On Friday, the celebration will begin with the registration of participants and the first-ever car disco where, the organizers promise, not only the best music will emanate from the cars, but also the cars themselves will sway to the beat. The “Moskvič” car restored by Matas in his youth will also compete in the car disco – don’t be fooled by its appearance, because inside are built-in speakers capable of making the club sound.
Many entertainments and competitions are waiting for you on Saturday – the event will be opened by an airplane show over the Alytus City Hall Square, there will be competitions such as “Garso” and “Popcorn” throwing competitions, the audience and the commission will choose the most beautiful cars.
The official season of the 2024 Lithuanian “Street Race” championship will also be launched in the city center. The first race of the season in the capital of Dzūkija is organized by the well-known and well-known organizing forces of “Jaunasis lečeršininkas” and “Marimotors Racing” among participants and spectators. By joining forces, they will organize not one, but even three stages of the Lithuanian “Street Race” championship, which makes up half of the entire season’s calendar. Having decided to realize such an ambition, the organizers baptized their series of stages with the name “Go4Race”.
The double car event will be crowned by Stan’s concert in the evening. The event is free for spectators.
