The following blogpost is not written by me, but instead a friend of mine, Biggie Sprinkle over on Bluesky (18+ warning ahead of time). May make this a recurring thing if people like the guest spots...
I'd first like to thank Stup for having me on today for my first and last blog of 2025. Had a small eye opening experience a moment ago,at the time of writing this so I'm racing against time to say I actually did it in 2025 heh. Without a further ado, the thing I'd like to write about is the Yugoslav auto industry. Primarily it's VW Golfs assembled in Sarajevo from the 70s all the way up until the early 90s but as any history enthusiast should, you all know what happened afterwards. Shit hit the fan. But that's only the brief story of it, they did Beetles and Prinz cars beforehand, the prinz being lesser known model assembled there. All the VW golfs had the badge and marking TAS on the front but on the back it was JGL (short for Jugoslavija. The way it was natively written). I used the word "Assemble" quite deliberately since parts were brought in and were only put together.
All factory workers were natives, Bosnians from around Sarajevo, Serbs, Croats. But the quality control and overseer was German to ensure that every vehicle that left the assembly line was up to snuff with the golfs and other VW cars being made elsewhere.
As you can imagine they were used domestically, some were made for export but if you want a real Mcoy TAS you're gonna need to visit Sarajevo or find a guy who knows a guy. They were popular amongst driving instructors but first and foremost the police. Aka "Milicija" (or just Militia). Following the same colour scheme as the rest of the service vehicles, specialty plates included with "Rudi Čajevec" (Rudy Chayevets) lights and sirens mounted on top. They remain an icon well after the collapse of the former state.
Nostalgia still prevails for simpler times and these cars were certainly a symbol of that amongst a plethora of other things, the country made it's own stuff and was an industry giant in a range of different fields so naturally people are gonna also long for the time where it was a rarity for anything to be imported let alone have the tag of "made in China". It's a common saying that whilst the former police force roamed the streets peace and order went without saying. Even their presence was enough to send criminals in a panic and have them running for their lives. They were tough but strict!
Side note over, I'd also like to bring your attention to another variant which TAS actually pioneered and that's the enclosed pickup variant of the golf MK1. I'll admit I was surprised that we came up with it first but I'm glad we did. I'm well aware the concept of an enclosed pickup is nothing new but to have a third party just randomly suggest something and have others quickly follow suit is just a bit mind blowing wouldn't you agree?
Another popular and cult vehicle that came out of that factory is the golf MK2. Same labels and everything as I mentioned before. Oddly enough I failed to mention the reason behind needing to know someone who knows someone to get your hands on a TAS golf is because for one reason or another despite having had a factory make them German imports are nowadays extremely common compared to the domestically produced models. While yes MK1's are still a common sight and are still on the roads primarily driven by village folks or people who live in rural areas or for the same reason folks in the US drive old vehicles. You are far more likely to see multiple MK2's parked in the same parking lot outside of a supermarket. Food for thought I guess?
I hope I anyhow enlightened any of you which happened to stumble upon this blog but before a formal goodbye I wanted to bring your attention to the model market as well. Deagostini made both of these cars in 1/43 scale which usually come with magazines that delve into the history and deeper details that I might've blown over accidentally. Technical drawings and other fun trivia included! Amongst other Yugoslav classics which were a common sight on those roads. The lowest and starting price for any of them is 25. 30 or 35. That's in marks, the original price for the magazine sold in Serbia is around 2-300 dinars. And since there's a demand for them people naturally triple the price. From an old ad i found out the original price for the magazine was actually 6 marks at most. Oh well that's inflation for ya. I've managed to amass a small collection of said vehicles. Funnily enough the mark 1 being my most recent "deviation" since I've been on a streak with the Zastava 101. Another lada esque story of a design inherited from the Italians but built upon the folks who licensed it. But that's another story for another day. Happy new year's and a happy 2026!
- Sincerely Biggie Sprinkle