Sofia (car)

Sofia was the trademark used for two-passenger vehicles manufactured in Bulgaria in the 1980s and 1990s based on the designs of the engineer Velizar Andreev. Andreev came up with the idea of building a purely Bulgarian car as early 1979 and produced several prototypes and 72 productions cars until his death in 2001.

Beginnings

The attempt made by the Bulgarian engineer Velizar Andreev to design and manufacture a domestic sports car during the socialist year was a heretical act, which caused resistance beyond the narrow professional circle of his colleagues and all the way to the top echelons of political power.

Velizar Andreev attended the MEI (the Institute for Machinery and Electrical Engineering) in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he graduated in 1962 with a degree in automobiles, tractors, and lift cars. His graduate project was a mock-up of a passenger car. (His first car, however, was designed and built in 1960; this fully functional prototype, with a modern, American carlike silhouette unfortunately did not survive.) When Andreev's graduate project was shown to the commission which was to grade it, it did not fit the commission's members' conservative view on automobile styling, so they gave only a passable grade to the avant-garde design with flip-up headlights.In 1979 Andreev established the "Sofia Club", which served as a meeting ground where ideas regarding the design and manufacture of a Bulgarian-made sports car could be freely discussed. About the same time, Andreev collaborated with several auto mechanics students and several engineers to build his first prototype sports car. The finished prototype was displayed to the public in October 1981 at the Plovdiv Fair. The attractive prototype was made of fiberglass and was entirely designed by Andreev, both mechanically and visually. The engine and some mechanical components were borrowed from the VAZ 2101 "Zhiguli", but as a whole, the prototype was very similar to the future "Sofia" production car. The major differences between the prototype and the production car were the prototype's shorter wheelbase, lack of roof or doors (a roll bar mounted above the two passengers' heads was supposed to protect them in the case of an accident), and the much larger tires.

In fall 1985 the Plovdiv Fair showcased the very first prototype of the sports car "Sofia", painted in dark-red metallic color. The prototype was made in 1984 by Andreev and several other collaborators.

Production

In 1986 a small industrial cooperative called "Avantgarde" was formed to begin the production of the sports car "Sofia B", whose annual production volume was initially planned at 200 cars. In 1989 the Plovdiv Fair once again showcased the final version of the "Sofia B", painted in gray metallic color; the manufacture of the car was supported by the machine-building firm "Balkankar" and the Bulgarian Ministry of Machine-Building. The car's headlights were no longer of the flip-up type, instead becoming exposed and mounted on the front of the hood; the car's rear was also radically restyled. The gull wing doors were abandoned as well, which did not detract from the design while, at the same time, making the car easier to produce and live with. The interior also received numerous corrections and improvements.

In 1990, after a three-month long effort, Andreev completed the prototype of a light SUV named "Sofia C", with an engine borrowed from a Lada passenger car. That same year also saw the start of serial production of both the "Sofia B" and the "Sofia C", made by Andreev's own private company "Vilicar".

During the 1990s, Velizar Andreev broadened the scope of his automotive-related activities by not only producing his own cars, but also by tuning private passenger cars and converting passenger cars into commercial delivery vehicles. In 1997 Andreev also produced a prototype of a small passenger bus, based on an "Avia" chassis, which prototype was exhibited at the Plovdiv Fair.

End

Until his death in 2001, Velizar Andreev successfully defended and advanced an idea that seemed ludicrous to many others - the design and serial production of Bulgarian sports cars. His automotive workshop became the first and, until now, the only applied school for young Bulgarian car designers.

Production numbers

*"Sofia-B" (1985–2001): 12
*"Sofia-C" (1990–2001): 60