Just as a bit of distance and a new generation growing up has fueled Ostalgia—nostalgia for East Germany—and led to tours of Berlin and other cities in the Trabi cars of that era, parts of the former Yugoslavia are seeing a similar phenomenon, and it has its own car to idolize: the Yugo.
Yugoverse Tours in Belgrade is run by a group of Gen Z enthusiasts who are also involved in collecting, repairing and renovating the little cars, whose production ended with the split of Yugoslavia into several different countries, leading one wag to say that the Yugo would now be available only in parts.
Based on the Fiat 128, which was licensed to Yugoslav manufacturer Zastava, the small, simple and relatively inexpensive car was the best seller not only in Yugoslavia but elsewhere in the Balkans and many are still on the road. In the U.S., they were marketed from 1985 to 1992, but after a splashy start, sales fell off quickly as the car earned a reputation for poor safety and reliability.
