The Grey Astra
Is it possible for a boring, grey, diesel-powered Opel Astra to bring some excitement and create positive memories? It may sound surprising, but it turns out that yes. The few days I spent with this car brought back some nice memories.
It’s been quite a while since I last had the chance to take a press car on a road trip. What I used to bring back from those journeys were not only reviews with my impressions of the cars, but, more importantly, memories of interesting places. I enjoy the process of searching for locations and discovering picturesque small towns, local museums, and stunning landscapes. Unfortunately, in the case of the Astra, I didn’t have time to plan any proper trip with it. Still, I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures – photographing cars is something automatic for me.
It was all spontaneous. I loaded one of my favorite cameras, a Nikon F3, with a roll of film, paired it with a 50mm lens, and drove into the city to take care of some errands. Finding a parking spot in the center of Łódź is always a challenge. After a few laps, I finally found some free spaces in the parking lot belonging to the Off Piotrkowska complex – a place that, a few years ago, gained international recognition for transforming post-industrial ruins into a trendy and stylish space. I hadn’t planned to take photos there, but sometimes luck is on your side.
When I thought I was done photographing for the day, I noticed a beautiful Rzemiosło sign on one of the modernist buildings near the Górniak market, the southern end of the city’s most famous street. Rzemiosło means “craftsmanship” – it has nothing to do with the plastic Opel, but it felt worth preserving this sign for the future, just in case someone ever comes up with the silly idea of demolishing the building.
Driving the Astra had its positives too. First of all, I’m glad that someone still makes a classic mid-sized estate car: much more practical and sensible than the ever-popular SUVs. In one of the reviews I read, this car was described as being aimed at people with conservative tastes. Well, I’ve never thought of myself as particularly conservative, but it turns out there might be some truth to that when it comes to cars. I definitely prefer an estate to an SUV. I also quite enjoyed driving a simple diesel paired with a slow automatic gearbox. It’s definitely not a dream setup, but it reminded me of the one I had in my old BMW. The car was in terrible technical condition, but I still have fond memories of it.
Often, the key to success lies in the absence of pressure and expectations. I’ve learned more than once that the photos taken with no hope of creating a masterpiece often turn out the best. Two of this year’s photo sessions that I consider among my best were done exactly this way – the first at Tierp Arena, and the second in Łódź. I’m glad that a grey diesel Astra inspired me to take the latter ones.
