Antti Kautonen
@julkinen
Automotive writer, photo taker, coffee drinker, classified ad browser. As old as the cars I like.
Setomaa is a tiny, fascinating region at the border of Estonia and Russia. They have their own language, own currency and lean heavily into old traditions, ways and dresses. Considering the neighbour, you would have to. We bought souvenirs and had lunch at Värska, near the fizzy water bottling plant
Back at work after our big tour of Estonia. Lake Peipus (the largest trans-boundary lake in Europe), Tartu university town, Võrumaa, Setomaa, the Valga/Valka Estonian/Latvian border town, and finally a few days at the beach in Pärnu. Great country, good roads, really nice food, excellent weather.
With a two-liter 10-valve engine, the V70 will have a little less power than it needs, and at its core it’s yet another 850 facelift, but it just looks so good in this spec. Especially compared to a tall 300-hp rollerskate with a recycled bathtub for an interior.
I won’t bore you with the old spiel about driving a thirsty car forever vs replacing it with an EV, but these cars parked next to each other really stopped me in my tracks. Despite its freshness, tech and packaging, the EX30 can never match the old V70 in integrity, longevity, ergonomics or style.
Having lunch at the border town of Valga/Valka, where you can have one foot in Estonia and the other in Latvia. I also spotted this municipal Mitsubishi i-MiEV while taking shelter from the rain.
1937 Mercedes-Benz 290 W18 according to Estonian vintage car website. Restored in recent years with renewed running gear. It was displayed at car events back in the ’80s (B&W pics), 2005 photo shows it didn’t have the canvas top before the restoration work.