The story goes that In 1991, amidst the economic chaos and high crime rates following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Rezo Enukidze purchased his dream car: a sleek, blue VAZ-2106.
On the very first night he parked it outside his apartment block in Tbilisi's Digomi district, thieves stripped the vehicle of its wheels and tires.
Furious and determined to protect his investment from being further vandalized or stolen, Rezo refused to park on the street again. The next day, he hired a heavy-duty industrial crane, drove it into the courtyard, and hoisted the entire car up onto the roof balcony of his fourth-floor apartment.
When bewildered neighbors asked what he was doing, Rezo famously stated that the car would stay safely on the balcony "until better times arrived."
A Landmark for 27 Years.
The "better times" never truly manifested for the vehicle. Rezo never purchased new wheels or drove the Lada again, but he treated it with immense pride. For nearly three decades, he could be seen stepping out onto his balcony to regularly wash, polish, and clean the completely stationary vehicle.Over the years, the apartment block became an iconic local landmark and an underground tourist attraction, with travelers from around the world visiting Digomi just to photograph the floating car.
Rezo Enukidze passed away around 2016–2017. In December 2018, his family finally decided it was time to lower the vehicle. A crane was brought to the building once again, lowering the Lada back to the ground. Because it had spent 27 years protected from the elements and completely untouched by road wear, the car was rolled away as an immaculate, time-capsule collectors' item.
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