A VEHICLE rally with a difference takes place at the Fox and Hounds near Bridestowe on August 5 to 7. Dartmoor Pact 2005 is unlike other classic car and motorcycle events in that it is aimed at the great unloved and uncared machines of the motorised world - those produced in the former eastern bloc. Cars such as Trabant, Lada and Skoda and motorcycles produced by MZ, Jawa and CZ are gaining cult status, as people search for something uniquely different yet affordable. To the dedicated followers of everything eastern bloc and vehicular, owning something produced on the other side of the former Iron Curtain is more than just owning a car or bike to get from A to B, it becomes a way of life. Enthusiasts are even known to dress up in uniforms of the Soviet empire and embark on trips to far flung corners of what were Warsaw Pact countries to trace machines, spare parts and archive material. In the south west there is a growing eastern bloc vehicular scene. Local club, the Devon Great Westerners have almost 40 members in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, with machines ranging from East German MZs and Trabants, to Russian Ural motorcycle combinations and Lada police cars. Organisers are hoping if the weather is fine, more than 60 people will attend the rally. It is anticipated one of the machines in attendance will be a rare Russian Izh Springbok motorcycle, reported to be the only one ever imported into the UK. A varied range of activities are planned throughout the weekend at Dartmoor Pact 2005, culminating in a world record attempt at the most people to cram into a Lada Riva.
