Russian traveler drives old Lada to Africa after years in garage
The old Lada had been sitting unused in a family garage for years before the journey.
Timur Shakurov from Kazan drove solo from the capital of Tatarstan to Africa in an old VAZ-2109 car. This was back in 2019, but the story went viral only in 2025. Six years later, new followers asked Timur to repeat the challenge. His blog is growing every day, and the 38-year-old traveler is preparing for a new tour of America in that same «Ninth.» The editors of 116.RU found out how much such road trips cost and why he only took a stuffed teddy bear as a companion.
After crossing continents, he left the plush bear he found in a dumpster in Africa.
Timur has dreamed of embarking on such a journey since childhood. He loves driving and feels confident behind the wheel, so deciding on such an adventure was not difficult. Especially since he already had experience with car tourism and even a trip on a Eurotour.
His social media posts featured scenic landscapes from the many countries he drove through.
«It seemed like an interesting idea, and even a bit of an adventure. And yes, before this there were similar trips to Europe, I practically traveled all over Europe. I»ve also been around Russia, drove to Lake Baikal, also in a domestic car,« the traveler said.
Warm summer conditions across his route allowed him to sleep in a roof-top tent.
«Everyone Found Excuses Not to Go»
He packed lightly, carrying only essential items for the long-distance road trip.
Timur decided to go in the old «Ninth» not to make the journey harder or to stand out. It simply had been sitting idle in his relatives« garage since 2003 and finally had its moment.
His first major driving adventure was a trip to Crimea back in 2012.
«No one had used it for many years; it stood in the garage, rotting and gathering dust. So I decided to go in it specifically because I knew it wasn»t needed by anyone anyway. And I didn«t plan to make the return trip in it. So a cheap car was the most ideal option for me,» Timur explained his choice of vehicle.
Despite his extensive travels, he has spent most of his life in his hometown of Kazan.
The Kazan native tried to find travel companions both on social media and among friends and acquaintances, and even among followers. As a result, he set off on the trip with a stuffed teddy bear that he found in a dumpster on the way out of the city.
The story of his epic drive went viral online six years after it happened.
«Everyone then found some excuses not to go,» Timur recalls.
«I Wasn»t in a Hurry Anywhere«
The stuffed bear accompanied him through numerous countries before being left behind in Africa.
The entire journey, starting from leaving Kazan, took 30 days. The motorist had no goal of reaching the destination quickly, so he had the opportunity to explore new places and take photos, which he later shared on social media. On his journey, Timur drove through 13 countries.
Retrieving the car from long-term airport parking in Morocco will incur significant fees.
His route first went through the Caucasus region, then the Balkan Peninsula and Europe. Reaching the Iberian Peninsula, the driver entered the northern part of Africa via the Strait of Gibraltar. Despite Timur driving over 8,000 kilometers in total, he doesn«t consider the journey difficult for himself.
«I drove at a pace comfortable for me and wasn»t in a hurry anywhere. If there were any beautiful places, I calmly stopped. If I needed to eat, rest, or refuel, I made such stops. Of course, there were no problems with gas stations or places to rest and eat, because most of my route went through European countries.«
«Slept in a Tent on the Roof, Went to Campsites to Shower»
The traveler«s budget was small. On food, gasoline, car repairs, and associated small expenses, he spent 2,000 dollars. At today»s exchange rate, that«s approximately 155.8 thousand rubles (around $2,000). He didn»t spend on hotels — he set up a special tent right on the car roof and slept in it. Fortunately for the Kazan native, the warm summer weather allowed it. The only uncomfortable moment was the lack of air conditioning in the «Ninth.»
«I only went to campsites to shower, and a couple of times did a big laundry, but I didn»t stay overnight. By the way, the climatic conditions hardly affected my journey, since in Russia, Turkey, Europe, and Morocco there was practically the same warm summer weather. And so overall there weren«t any serious difficulties,» Timur shrugged.
Croatian Mechanics Helped Repair the Car
As with any trip, there were breakdowns along the way. Timur was, of course, prepared for such events, given the age of the car. Once he got a flat tire — that happened in Morocco. And in the mountains, dust got into the carburetor, and the car«s engine started acting up. The traveler was helped by workers at a car service in Croatia who adore Russian cars.
«I couldn»t figure out what was wrong for two days. In Croatia, the guys from the local car service helped me. They turned out to be fans of our domestic cars. The service owner even had a whole collection of «Zhigulis.» There was another breakdown at some point, it seemed serious. The timing belt (gas distribution mechanism belt) broke, but many followers write in the comments that for a car like mine, that«s to be expected,» the blogger shared.
«I»ve Been to the North, But Haven«t Driven in the South»
Close people and parents support Timur in his unusual hobby, as he has been behind the wheel for years. The motorist has already traveled all over the northern part of Europe, so when choosing the route, he kept strictly to the south.
«Initially they were cautious, but roughly speaking, after the first trip… The first trip was to Crimea in 2012. And after that trip, no one had any questions anymore. Everyone knew that traveling is my passion,» the motorist noted.
«And I didn»t choose the route to Africa by chance. I«ve been to the north of the country, but I haven»t driven in the south, nor in the Balkans. I haven«t been to these countries, like Greece, and it was very interesting to drive through them specifically,» Timur explained.
Fame Came After Six Years
Timur didn«t plan to become a blogger and initially shared moments from his life and trips little by little, for himself. But back then, for some reason, it didn»t generate much interest from the online audience.
Unexpected attention and response from viewers came to the traveler much later, six years after the road trip. Videos and photos with the old «Ninth» against the backdrop of different countries spread across the internet. Timur admitted that it was a surprise for him.
Now he has over 6,000 followers, and the blog continues to grow. He is supported not only with words but also financially, through donations, awaiting the new journey. Quite recently, Timur also created a Telegram channel to stay in touch with viewers. Now the restless motorist is planning to go on a trip around America.
For the future journey, Timur is preparing completely differently — thoughtfully and thoroughly. To set off again in the «Ninth,» it will need to be picked up from the parking lot at Casablanca Airport, where it has been standing for six years. Since it«s physically impossible to cross the sea by car, the blogger plans to ship the car by boat to America (that will cost about 2,000 dollars). Timur himself wants to go there by plane.
«A Follower Found My Car in Africa»
«Due to such great interest, the idea came to give this »Ninth« a new life. My car at the airport [in Morocco] was discovered by one of the followers. It»s still standing there, although I was sure it had long been disposed of or sent for scrap,« he said.
About the specific states and cities in America that he plans to visit, Timur is keeping quiet for now. Especially since he is still negotiating to get the car from the African parking lot. How long the journey will take and what the route will be is also unclear so far.
«I haven»t pulled off such an adventure with shipping a car from Morocco to the USA yet. It will need to be repaired and prepared for the journey. This is a completely different budget, of course, than my trip from Kazan to Africa,« the blogger estimated.
To get the «Ninth» admitted into the USA, he will also need to spend on new American license plates for it. After the journey, Timur promises to raffle them off among his most active followers.
Timur Shakurov was born and has lived his entire life in Kazan. He graduated from the Tupolev Kazan State Technical University. Since childhood, the 38-year-old blogger has been passionate about sports, plays football, and rides a snowboard. Behind the wheel, he has driven through many regions of Russia and covered even more kilometers on the territory of other countries, including Turkey, Africa, and the northern and southern parts of Europe.
