07 Aug Sofia sportscar legend from the 80s

Bulgaria might be not famous with its car industry, but the prototype sportscar called Sofia from the 80s is a story worth mentioning. The Sofia car is meant to be the first ever Bulgarian sportscar and was a project of the enthusiastic engineer Velizar Andreev. He did first prototypes of a sportscar already in the 60s, later on in the 70s he was working on a buggy prototyp with the help of some mechanical engineering students.  In 1981 Andreev presented the ready buggy at an anual exhibition at the Plovdiv fair which was a sensation for the Bulgarian audience back then. The car was entirely designed by Andreev with a fibreglass body and mechanics based on the infamous VAZ 2101 known also as Zhiguli.

 photo: http://varg1.blog.bg

In 1985 Andreev presented the sportscar Sofia, which was produced afterwards in 12 copies named Sofia B.

photo: http://www.sandacite.bg

photo: http://www.sandacite.bg

photo: http://www.sandacite.bg

The mix between a jeep and buggy called Sofia C was produced in 60 copies throughout the years before Andreev’s death in 2001.

photo: http://www.sandacite.bg

Nowadays you can hardly find any of those cars in traffic due the very small production numbers.

Some of the fibreglass bodies are still kept in garages and services around the country. Until recently you could see some of the sportscars through the windows of the former workspace of engineer Andreev at “Sv. Sveti Kiril I Metodiy” Street between the streets Antim I and Otets Paisiy.

We can only wonder what destiny this sportscar could have if the idea was born in better times and Andreev was still alive to keep them coming. His son Bojidar is still working with fibreglass and tuning cars at the outskirts of Sofia and we are planning a visit him and learn more about this mystic and legendary sportscar. It will be wonderful to have once an exhibition dedicated to this adventurous DIY car from Bulgaria.