From Lviv to Monte Carlo: Ukrainian-Polish crew in 90-year-old car to open the most prestigious rally

Espreso saw the unique car off on its long journey.

The team, consisting of Svitlana Kravs from Lviv and Michał Kumiega from Poland, will cover more than 2200 kilometers to reach their destination. They will open the competition on the main podium in Monte Carlo. And Lviv has thus joined the five European cities from where the participants take a preliminary start, becoming the sixth city of Star Trek. The crew was given this opportunity by the Royal Automobile Club of Monaco.

The car itself is also a special moment, as the team is heading to the most prestigious European winter races. The unique Peugeot 201 C1932 from the Jan Potocki collection also celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. The car will travel the entire long distance on its own, and the drivers will take turns on the road.

However, the team aims not only to represent Ukraine and Poland at the rally but also to raise money for the needs of young Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression. They plan to help five different orphanages in Ukraine. 

"First of all, this trip has a charitable purpose," says Michał Kumiega. "Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, I have been coming to Ukraine with various kinds of assistance as a volunteer. But now it has become more difficult to finance it, so now we are helping in this way."

While the team was getting ready to go and talking about their upcoming trip, young artist Mykhailo Darahan managed to create a memorable sketch about an extraordinary event in Lviv.

The crew started symbolically from the Potocki Palace. Here, the participants also redeemed a themed stamp and managed to see a performance by the Avantura nativity scene, which had been caroling for Ukrainian soldiers in hospitals and other locations throughout the Christmas holidays.

Event organizers claimed they plan to resume the big Carpathian rally in the future, but for now, they are postponing this dream until Ukraine's victory when they will be able to invite guests from all over the world.