Porsches, BMWs, and Mercedes: Photos of Western-Spec Police Cars Used in the USSR

The first foreign car joined the Soviet State Automobile Inspectorate in the late 1960s. It was Ford Galaxie Wagon, which was even produced with American police equipments, including a dash light, loudspeaker, and spotlight.

In early the 1970s Soviet police received a luxury car from Western Germany - the Mercedes W108. After Mercedes, it was BMW’s time. In 1973, the German car company organized its first exhibition in the USSR, and after that dozens of BMWs were purchased by the Soviet “to protect and to serve.”

Mercedes and BMW cars were among the fastest in the Soviet police force and much more comfortable than their USSR-made vehicles. Even the Volga 24-24 cars with a top speed of 170 km/h, often used in chases by policemen and secret services, were no match for BMWs that easily accelerated to over 200 km/h.

Foreign vehicles looked pretty exotic compared to Soviet motors. Beside Mercedes and BMW, from the 1960s to 1980s the Soviet Union also imported Nissans, Opels, Audis, Renaults, Volvos, and Fords.

When the Soviet Union fell, Russia opened its gates to Western car designers, and it wasn’t long before more streamlined, sportier models became the norm.

1967 Ford Galaxie Wagon

Mercedes-Benz W108/W109 family

Mercedes-Benz SE/SEL W116 was used by some units of Moscow’s traffic police.

Mercedes-Benz amongVolga models GAZ-24 and GAZ-21, 1974.

The power structures of the USSR (most often talking about the KGB) also received Czech sedans with a V8 engine - Tatra 613. Some of them served in the police.

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30 Amazing Black and White Photos That Document Everyday Life of Shanghai in the Mid-1980s

Shanghai is one of the four municipalities under the direct administration of the central government of the People's Republic of China, the largest city in China by population, and the second most populous city proper in the world. It is a global financial centre and transport hub, with the world's busiest container port.

Located in the Yangtze River Delta, it sits on the south edge of the estuary of the Yangtze in the middle portion of the East China coast. The municipality borders the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the north, south and west, and is bounded to the east by the East China Sea.

Shanghai has been described as the "showpiece" of the booming economy of mainland China; renowned for its Lujiazui skyline, and museums and historic buildings, such as those along The Bund, as well as the City God Temple and the Yu Garden.

These amazing photos were taken by Belgian-American photographer Jerome De Perlinghi that documented everyday life of Shanghai from between 1985 and 1987.

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Top 12 Most Beautiful Cars of the 1920s and 1930s

Creating a list with the most beautiful cars ever made is not an easy task. Especially when tastes differ, and you have to select only a handful out of dozens of incredible designs.

But here we are, with a list that could at least serve as an introduction to the vast field of automotive beauty. Part of a series that will go through almost a century of automotive art, the current list starts with the cars that saw the light of the day before World War II. And what an incredible time was this for beautiful cars!


1. Rolls-Royce Phantom I Jonckheere Coupe (1925).

Rolls-Royce Phantom I Jonckheere Coupe (1925)

Jonckheere Carrossiers of Belgium were the unlikely choice for building a Rolls Royce Phantom I body, perhaps because they were specialized in buses and trucks, not necessarily in luxury cars. But what they did is one of the finest examples of Phantom I cars ever made. With a 7.7-liter engine under the bonnet, this Phantom I started off as a Hooper Cabriolet but was transformed by Jonckheere in an Art Deco masterpiece. It won the 1936 Prix d'Honneur at the Cannes Concours d'Elegance, but then found its way to the US, where an East Coast entrepreneur covered it in gold and displayed it in malls for the paying rednecks to enjoy. Luckily, its current black form dates back to the 2000s, when it was acquired by Peterson Automotive Museum and restored to classic beauty.


2. Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix (1925).

2. Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix (1925)

Bugatti Type 35 is one of the most successful racing cars in history, with more than 1000 wins, from the Targa Florio to the Monaco Grand Prix. The 35B had a supercharged 2.3-liter engine that developed 138 hp. A monster for that time. Regularly sold today for more than $650,000 at auctions, it has a simple yet immortal body, as any legendary racing car should.


3. Duesenberg Model J (1928).

Duesenberg Model J (1928)

What can you do one year before the markets come down crashing? You create one of the most expensive and powerful luxury cars in history, of course. Bought and driven by famous people like Al Capone, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable and many (extremely) rich people, the Model J was the pinnacle of luxury cars before World War II. Its 6.9-liter straight-eight engine produced 265 hp on the normal version and 320 hp on the supercharged SJ model. With an average current sale price of $1.5 million, it can reach up to $10.3 million for some special editions like the Murphy-bodied 1931 Duesenberg Model J.


4. Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Trossi Roadster (1930).

Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Trossi Roadster (1930)

What can be said about a car that was ordered by one of the initial Ferrari investors, designed by Ferdinand Porsche and made by Daimler-Benz? Count Trossi, the future Ferrari President, loved this Super Sport Kurz (Super Sport Short) car made for hill-climbing and bought one after its competition days were over. With a body reworked by Willie White and an impressive 7.1-liter straight-6 engine under the hood developing 300 hp, the Trossi Roadster is one of the most exclusive cars in the world. Ralph Lauren really enjoys it in his collection.


5. Mercedes-Benz W25 Silver Arrow (1934).

Mercedes-Benz W25 Silver Arrow (1934)

Yes, it's the racing car that replaced the Mercedes-Benz SSK after Porsche's departure from Daimler. It wasn't as successful in racing as its engineers hoped for, but it still managed to take the Drivers' Championship in 1935 with Rudolf Caracciola at the wheel. Most important, its simple and perfect shape makes it one of the most iconic cars in history.

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Eyes Closed Snapshots: Vintage Portraits of People With Their Eyes So Wide Shut

“Some of these photos were not what the photographer saw, but what the camera saw as people blinked just as the photo was snapped.” – Robert E. Jackson

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25 Cool Pics That Defined the '70s Bedroom Styles

What did bedrooms look like in the 1970s? Just check out these cool pics to see.

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22 Amazing Found Photos Document Everyday Life of An American Family in the 1910s

These amazing photos from mfophotos were taken by a photographer with the last name of Hewitt. He lived on 7942 Westmoreland Avenue, Swissvale, PA.

Agnes, Margery, John, and Charles Hewitt, Edgewood, PA, May 25, 1913

Margery Hewitt and Mae Newbaker, Maple Springs, NY, summer 1913

Construction of Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, PA, 1912-1913

Machinery Hall, Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, PA, 1913

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Don't Hassle The Hoff! 30 Cheesy Portraits of David Hasselhoff Like You Have Never Seen

David Hasselhoff knows the score and it seems he is always winning. With those baby blue eyes, German perm and Persian rug chest hair, they don’t call him the Night Rider for nothing. The only question is… can you handle this much Hoff? Well can you?

David Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, and producer, who set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. He first gained recognition on The Young and The Restless, playing Dr. Snapper Foster. His career continued with his leading role as Michael Knight on Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch. Hasselhoff produced Baywatch from the 1990s until 2001 when the series ended with Baywatch Hawaii. On screen, he appeared in films including Click, Dodgeball, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, and Hop.

Hasselhoff was first married to actress Catherine Hickland in the 1980s, but their union ended in divorce. In 1989 he married actress Pamela Bach, with whom he had daughters Taylor and Hayley. Hasselhoff filed for divorce from Bach in January 2006, which dissolved into a bitter dispute that took some time to finalize.

The actor later began dating model Hayley Roberts. After the two announced their engagement in the spring of 2016, they were married on July 31, 2018, in Italy.

In November 2015 Hasselhoff claimed he officially changed his last name to “Hoff” via social media, but soon after, his rep clarified that the actor was only making such statements for an ad campaign.

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Beatles Fans Then and Now: Ringo Starr Reunited With Mystery Beatles Fans From a Photograph

During The Beatles’ first U.S. visit in February 1964, Ringo Starr snapped this photo as the carload of teens passed the band on a freeway.

Bob Toth (front passenger seat, left), Gary Van Deursen, (next to him) Suzanne Rayot, Arlene Norbe and Charlie Schwartz pictured by Ringo Starr on the day they cut class to see their idols The Beatles. (Photo: Ringo Starr)

For years no one identified the occupants of the car — and the mystery was solved only after an article in 2013 in USA Today sparked a nationwide search. The gang surfaced and sat down for an interview on TODAY, and finally everything came together.

Fifty years may have passed, but the smiles and excitement remain the same between five Beatles fans who have been reunited to recreate an iconic shot taken by Ringo Starr five decades ago. (Photo: Today)

“I never knew that you were such a gifted photographer,” chuckled Arlene Norbe. “That’s a lucky shot... don’t tell anyone,” joked Starr of the photo.

Norbe, along with Gary Van Deursen, Suzanne Rayot, Charlie Schwartz and Bob Toth met the former Beatle, who was having an exhibit of his photography in 2013, and saw him play live with his All Starr Band. (The missing member of the sextet was Matt Blender, who passed away in 2011.)

When he wasn’t behind the drums, Ringo Starr was behind the lens. He shared over 250 rare and unseen photos from his personal archives in a book published in 2013. Titled Photograph, the book contains, in his own words, “a lot of shots of ‘the boys’ that only I could have taken,” as well as some mementos like letters, promotional posters, and newspaper clippings that his mother was able to save.

“That photo became much bigger than I thought it ever would,” said Starr. “I mean, I just put it in the book because it’s a great shot and then, suddenly in America, everyone was trying to find them!”

Beautiful Kodachrome Slides That Show Kansas City in the Early 1960s

Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the 37th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central city of the Kansas City metropolitan area, which straddles the Kansas–Missouri state line.

Sitting on Missouri's western boundary, with Downtown near the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers, the modern city encompasses some 319.03 square miles (826.3 km2), making it the 23rd largest city by total area in the United States.

The city is composed of several neighborhoods, including the River Market District in the north, the 18th and Vine District in the east, and the Country Club Plaza in the south. Kansas City is known for its long tradition of jazz music and culture, for its cuisine (including its distinctive style of barbecue), and its craft breweries.

These beautiful kodachromes were taken by stevel504 that show Kansas City in the 1960s.

Richards Gebaur Air Force Base Kansas City showing Douglas C-124C Globemaster II Aircraft and some neat vintage cars, July 1961

Linda Hall Library on the campus of the University of Kansas City, July 1961

Paseo High School from Volker Blvd and The Paseo, Kansas City, July 1961

Richards Gebaur Air Force Base Kansas City showing Douglas C-124C Globemaster II Aircraft, July 1961

Kansas City skyline, June 1963

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1940s War Fashion: A Young Woman Demonstrating How to Achieve the Full Leg Effect With Liquid Stockings in 1941

Until the end of the 1930s the best women’s stockings were made from silk. This changed in the United States when DuPont began manufacturing nylon in 1939. Nylon stockings went on limited sale in October of that year followed by a national launch at selected stores in 1940. DuPont struggled to keep up with demand and American women were still complaining of shortages in 1942 when the United States joined the war. Commercial quantities of nylon stockings would not reach the rest of the world until after 1945.

Although most nylon was used to make stockings, some was bought by the American military to replace silk in the manufacture of parachutes. When the United States entered the war, DuPont shifted nylon production to a war footing and production was channeled into national defense uses, including parachutes and bomber tyres, and supplies of nylon for stockings dried up. Silk stockings were also unavailable, as trade with Japan ceased and the American army requisitioned all stores of silk for parachutes, munitions and other military uses.

Women were asked to collect silk and nylon stockings and hand them in to help the war effort.

As silk and nylon stockings vanished from the shelves, women looked to alternatives. Depending on the occasion, what was available, their degree of patriotism and their economic situation, they substituted with stockings made from other fibres, wore socks, covered their legs with trousers, went bare-legged or used leg make-up – also known as cosmetic stockings, liquid stockings, bottled stockings and phantom hose – to give the appearance of stockings.

In England, wartime austerity led some women to try their hand at making their own cosmetic stockings from published recipes.

Applying the cosmetic stocking liquid, lotion, cream or stick evenly so that there were no streaks would also have taken practice. Fortunately, help on how to achieve the best results was available from the place of purchase and from articles in newspapers and magazines.

The end of the war saw nylon stockings return to the shelves followed by a corresponding decline in the use of substitutes. DuPont began producing nylon for stockings within two-weeks of the Japanese surrender and this produced what reporters of the time called the ‘nylon riots’ of 1945 and 1946 as women scrambled to buy them in the United States. In those parts of the world where things remained economically depressed and/or clothes remained rationed, cosmetic stockings lingered longer and were still being sold in the 1950s, well after the war was over.

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Then and Now Photo of Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross Shows Their Long-Lasting Love For 40 Years

Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross have a Hollywood love story that has held the test of time. They are one couple who has proved to be an exception in Hollywood, where many couples break up. They have been married for 34 years and their love story is adorable.

Then and now photo of Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross in 1978 and in 2019.

Elliott is 74 and is known for his roles on The Ranch, A Star Is Born, Tombstone, The Big Lebowski, and Justified. Ross is 79 and is known for her roles in The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Stepford Wives.

Ross and Elliott met in 1978 while filming the horror movie The Legacy in London, in which they played a couple who are among a group of guests terrorized at a creepy English estate. Actually, Elliott had a small role in Butch Cassidy nearly a decade earlier, but he and Ross never met on set. “I didn’t dare try to talk to her then. She was the leading lady. I was a shadow on the wall, a glorified extra in a bar scene,” Elliott told AARP The Magazine in 2015.

Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross in Legacy. (1978)

Back then, Ross was on her fourth husband and Elliott had never been married. Ross divorced in 1979 and married Elliott in 1984. Their daughter, Cleo Rose, was born later that year and is now a musician.

Elliott nearly passed on his breakout role as Cher’s biker boyfriend in the 1985 film Mask because he and Ross were on their honeymoon in Hawaii. After Elliott told his agent he wouldn’t return early to test for the role, Ross made sure she got her new husband back in time to audition and it seems that was a good decision.

As for Elliott’s theory on why their relationship has lasted so long, he said it was their common sensibility. “We have a common sensibility, but we also work at being together,” he told AARP. “You work past the s—; you don’t walk away from it. That’s how relationships last.”

Elliott was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in A Star Is Born.

Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross at an event for the Oscars, February 24, 2019. (Photo: Jeff Kravitz / Getty Images)

(via Pop Culture)