A private museum that exhibits rare cars has searched far and wide to the point of even arriving in one of the most remote and inhospitable places in the known world. Here is the absurd story of her.
Looking for a rare car can be like finding a needle in a haystack: After all, the world is large and of the approximately 7 billion people who inhabit it not all are exactly interested in helping you find a single, rare car by pointing out the one-of-a-kind piece that their grandfather kept hidden in the barn behind the house.
Ma Ronald Kooyman, director of the Dutch museum of Louwman, is not a person who gives up at the first difficulty. The man after an absurd search worthy of a film in the saga The mystery of the Templars managed to get his hands on a more unique than rare piece, the last Toyota AA in existence to the world that had the patience and the good fortune to find in one of the most inhospitable and feared places on our planet.
The search began in 2008 when Ronald got it into his head to find this historical and extremely important machine for the history of the Japanese brand. By reading some sales announcements from Russia and enlisting the assistance of some of his students and even of a private investigatorthe man has finally discovered something.
In the most remote place
After a few holes in the water, Ronald finally found it a real sales announcement of a very rare Toyota AA, the only one left in the world according to some of its collaborators. It should be known that the Toyota AA is so important because it is the first civilian car ever produced by the Japanese brand in 1935. The car was also honored in 1997 with the Classic, a questionable historical tribute. Already rare at the time – just over 1,700 were built – the AA is now considered unobtainable. Or rather, it was.
Incredibly, our Ronald discovered that what is probably the last AA in at least marching condition in the world was for sale. in Siberia. The great-grandson of a local farmer who had used the car as a tractor for years, unaware of its rarity and its value, had decided to sell the inheritance left to him by his relative.
Buying the car wasn’t difficult for Ronald and his team. To take her out of the country and to deal with the paperwork, however, it took about seven months. Eventually though, the museum director’s determination prevailed and finally, the Toyota AA was restored and on public display. After decades of working as a tractor, we can say that he is enjoying his well-deserved retirement.
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