“I have seen Europe from all angles“
Kamil’s passion for vintage cars stems all the way back to his childhood. Born in 1983, when Poland was still under communist rule, he remembers his parents’ Polski Fiat 126p well, which was one of the mass-produced domestic cars that dominated the streets back in those days.
When his wife’s uncle wanted to get rid of his old Fiat 125p in 2013, Kamil was very eager to rescue the old treasure from the scrap metal press and decided to restore it to its old glory instead. It took a year and a half for him to finish this project. Working with the car sparked Kamil's nostalgia, so he started to read up on classic cars on Polish websites, where he stumbled upon a charity race called “Złombol”.
“Złombol”, which literally translates to ”Junk-bol”, is a charity car rally racing event that starts in Katowice, Poland. The goal of the rally is to travel around 2,500 km - with several pit-stops all around Europe - using a car that was built or designed during the communist era. The rally takes place every year during the summer months. Participating teams raise money for orphanages by selling promotional space on their cars.
Immediately, Kamil was hooked on the idea to join the race with his own car and travel all over Europe, while raising money for a good cause. He convinced three neighbors and friends to found a rally team. The search for the perfect car began and three months later he bought a 27-year-old Polonez.
Kamil has been working for the Hellmann branch in Krakow for more than 10 years, handling direct load transportations for all over Europe. Naturally, he approached his marketing department when collecting donations to join his first “Złombol” in 2017 and the reaction could not have been better. Ever since then, Hellmann Poland has been his main sponsor and has proudly displayed the Hellmann Logo on the rear window of Kamil’s Polonez for all to see. On social media and the Hellmann Intranet, colleagues from all over the world follow his route across Europe and cheer him on.
Apart from a “Covid-break” in 2020, he and his team have taken part in every rally, travelling to all corners of the European continent: Spain, Greece, Ireland, Turkey, and finally Albania this summer. The team takes turns driving and only makes stops to sleep, usually at camping sites. This way, they were able to travel 5,000 km (more than 3,000 miles) in just one week!
“Normally, I plan the routes for my direct load customers. Now, I finally get to see the roads for myself. You could say: I have seen Europe from all angles!”, he says with a smile on his face.
His vast cartographic knowledge didn't prove much use though when his car broke down near the Albanian border – for the first time in five years! Together with his team, he pushed the old Polonez across the border and luckily got it running again. Along the way, he has made a lot of new friends, many car-crazy like himself.
His wife is usually quite worried when he travels and would never join him on these reckless adventures across Europe. However, Kamil is confident that he has already instilled in his eight-year-old daughter his enthusiasm for vintage cars and that she will join him as soon as she is old enough.
As much fun as Kamil is having with the “Złombol”, he is even prouder of what his team and the other partaking teams have achieved for charity. In 2022’s rally alone, the 800 teams raised 2.7 Mil. Zloty (~550,000 USD or EUR). The funds raised go to children in orphanages all over Poland to fulfill their dreams, pay for camps and excursions, and to support their hobbies.
Next year’s rally destination is still unknown, but for Kamil it’s a sure thing that he’ll be in the race again. Until then, his precious Polonez will hibernate in the garage and dream of warm summer days along Europe’s shores.
