(At this point I wished I had remembered to tell him about the other old one I had seen nearby several years earlier...)
The owner of the car seemed pleased to meet someone as enthusiastic about his oddball car as he was, so he told me to go ahead and climb inside and check under the hood. The interior was in typical shape for the age of the car, with a few rips and marks of wear, but nothing major wrong with it. Under the hood the original engine was still in place, with a fusebox that would look more at place in a house than a car reminding me that this was a rugged Russian car dating back to only one year after my birth!
I am once again reminded that it's important to relax and enjoy a stroll once in a while. We all spend so much time rushin' around that we risk missing great finds, like this lovely Russian!