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Cruising Night - 'cool cars' a.k.a. 'Classic Cars' in Helsinki
once a month it's cruising night in Helsinki (and probably also in the rest of
Finland): the cool cars, mostly big old american cars get fueled and then they
all take off to 'the city': in this case it's Helsinki.
Quite many people in Finland seem to like old cars, especially driving (and taking
care of) big and/or old, mostly american cars seems to be a hobby for
many people (but also old (and not soo big) european cars can be basically found
everywhere on cruising night). ...
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Since having a car in Finland is quite expensive anyways, you can also drive
a 'cool car'.. - ..which might be more expensive if you use it every day. But
if you only register your car for the summer months - and only take it for a ride
every now and then, e.g. on 'Cruising Night', then it is still an affordable and
somehow beautiful waste of time.
Once a month, actually it's always on the first friday of the month, it's the
night of the big, old, mostly american 'Classic Cars': the Cruising Night: Corvettes,
Thunderbirds and Mustangs get a special treatment, get fueled, packed with friends
and fellows off they go to the 'Big City' for some friday night cruising downtown
Helsinki.
This Cruising Night takes place on quite a regular basis: it's the first Friday
of the month - when the monthly wages have arrived on the bank accouts, so people
can actually afford enough fuel to go cruising.
The density classic cars, especially of american cars may be related to the phenomena
you could name the "uncle from america" -phenomena: around the 1900s
also many Finns left Europe, following 'the American Dream', hoping to make it
in the U.S.A.... So basically almost every finnish family can point out at least
some connection to the United States.. - ..so classic cars - dream cars - you
may find on the streets of Helsinki, are indirectly part of this finnish american
dream.
The following pictures were taken on a Friday afternoon, a couple of hours before
the actual Cruising Night. I could have taken by far more pictures if I had skipped
the Grilli-Diner with friends - but that was out of question...:)
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