Jovan bought a 40-year-old junk "Fica", they all laughed at him, and then he reached Paris with it and the tears started (PHOTO)

Foto: Privatna arhiva

Jovan Jovanovic (25) from the village Bagrdan, just by Jagodina, is a great lover of cars "Fica" (Zastava 750), and he turned his love into an adventure. He managed to reach Paris with a 40 years old car. 

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He was drawn to old cars ever since he was little, he liked tweaking under the hood. First meeting with "Fica" happened when he was 14 years old when older friends bought that car and made a convertible.

- After some time I have decided to get one. In the neighboring village, I saw one by accident, sitting under an oak tree. I immediately asked the owner to sell it to me, but he didn't want to do it because the car was falling apart - Jovan remembered.

Foto: Privatna arhiva

Foto: Privatna arhiva

However, he was persistent for months and he managed to convince him. The seller didn' want to charge anything - he got it as a present. It wasn't in any driving condition, so he took it home with a tractor. When his parents saw the tractor, their first words were "why did you bring that graveyard". 

In spite of all of the negative comments and without support to fix it, he completed the bodywork and he drove around the yard since he didn't have any papers.

HOW DID FICA CRAWL UNDER HIS SKIN 

After one year, Jovan took his drivers license, he added more money and he bought another "Fica", but this time with papers.

- There were negative comments again, but I paid no attention to it. I was persistent, I worked days on that car, it was literally like "love on first sight". It was in my blood, like love and desire - said this great lover of the "Fica" model.

He worked and he went to school, he didn't go out like everybody else so he could save the money to pay for registration of his car, which was made in '77. He drove it with pride, with a will and with the biggest smile around his face.

Foto: Privatna arhiva

Every "Fica" that he has bought, he earned with his own 10 fingers, since he didn't have support from anybody. He would buy a car each year of this model, and in 2018 he bought 14 of these vehicles, one of them was literally bought for a pack of beers. He currently has 7 of them, some are used for car parts, some for further restoration. 

He dreamt about these cars, that he was buying them, that he goes to gatherings. He fell in love with all of them. He always had a desire to go somewhere far away with them, and he has done it.

- I went to Macedonia for the first time on August 27th, 2017, with a friend, it was amazing. I couldn't take the smile off of my face, I had no fear, so I traveled 700 km on the first try without problems. An even bigger desire and love for "Ficas" was born there. I wanted to travel the world with it - Jovan said.

Foto: Privatna arhiva

When he didn't have anything to do around the car, he would simply pull down the front seat and he would lie down, close his eyes and rest.

This fan of "Fica" went to Paris in September 2016, since the business opportunities were better, and he left his cars with a heavy heart. He said that "he almost dropped a tear", but he said to himself - I will be back.

He has spent 7 months in Paris and he told himself each day - I will fix one up and I will come here with it, in France. I returned to Serbia, but he soon got back to the city of light, where he has been working for five months and he decides to go back to a vacation into his village.

He made a solid decision to prepare one and to head to Paris with it. He worked three days and nights around bodywork without anyone's help, on preparations, and on the paint job. There was the 14th "Fica" fest and he wanted to finish it by then.

- I asked the older drivers to give me bits of advice for a longer trip, where I should pay attention. I got various answers, some even told me that "Fica" is for a junkyard, but there were mostly answers "Well done, kid, you are young, bring spark plugs, cables, belts, carburetor, flange, and to put petrol in it", I listened to each advice - Jovan remembered.

Foto: Privatna arhiva

Three days before going to Paris, his friend "faithful doctor" joins the plan, to help him finish up the mechanical work.

They had to change several things on the engine - radiator, water pump, he placed a box with thermostat, he added scale with the temperature indicator, new oil, antifreeze - they packed up everything and they waited for the moment of departure.

While saying goodbye to the parents, Jovan noticed that they were "mad, grumpy, they were nervous and they worried how will he make the trip".

Foto: Privatna arhiva

ROADTRIP ACROSS EUROPE 

He started going on August 22nd in the afternoon, and he made a first little break in Novi Sad. Then he crossed Serbian, and then Hungarian border and he entered EU. Everything happened as Jovan expected it.

- I was driving in the right lane with the average speed of 80 km/h where the car kept a normal temperature of 80 to 85 degrees. Everybody who passed me over was waving at me, they took pictures and I could see a smile on their faces. After 15 hours I got to Viena, where I stayed for a couple of days - Jovan said.

The driving through Viena was incredible, everybody asked him if "Fica" was for sale, and he, of course, responded that it was not. He started his trip again on August 29th in the afternoon, he filled up the gas tank and he went to the highway where "little orange lightning" attraction continued.

Foto: Privatna arhiva

He was stopped by a truck driver, a Serb, because he thought that he bought "Fica" from his grandfather. He was greeted in Salzburg and Munich, he was simply an incredible phenomenon.

- I turned off the engine in front of the apartment in Paris where I currently live, I took a deep breath and I told myself: "Jovan, you made it". Tears started dropping, and there was something hard on my chest, you feel the heat in your body. You see a great success in front of you, the one you dreamed about and you accomplished it - Jovan was sincere.

Foto: Privatna arhiva

"Ficko", as Jovan calls it, is being driven around Paris when the weather allows it, and it traveled 2224 km without a single malfunction.

- I would never trade it for any newer car because "Fica" is love, everything else is just a ride. The only and true love is this car. I've said it 100 times. He is the one who never disappointed me - he concluded the conversation.

Fica is Fica, and someone who doesn't like retro cars can enjoy these expensive "beasts" 

(Telegraf.co.uk / S.Cenad - s.cenad@telegraf.rs)