Motor cars today rule our lives. The ever-growing race to drive either the biggest and most expensive models, or the smallest eco-friendly varieties, has gone beyond all rational logic. In Bulgaria, the consequences of this unstoppable trend are especially severe because the relationship between the car and our cities is neither being planned or managed. Anarchy reigns.

The challenge for our generation is to refine a range of systems and means for transport which combine convenience, economy, and consideration for the planet’s future. They should also respect the heritage and architecture of our cities, the peace and beauty of our countryside, and the safety of all road users. On none of these counts can Bulgaria be proud of its record and achievements to date.

For me a wonderful spin-off from living and working here has been to assemble a fine collection of classic cars dating from the 1920s right through to the early 1990s. In the communist years there were privileged people who owned and took meticulous care of some iconic motor cars from past decades.

Those I have been lucky enough to find, and have carefully restored, include a BMW Dixi from 1928, a Mercedes saloon from 1958, a Balkan motorcycle from 1962, a pair of Volkswagen Kostenourki (Beetles) from 1965, and a Polski Fiat 126 cabriolet which I acquired in Warsaw.

At my other home in Scotland I run a 1932 Rolls-Royce and Austin and Morris cars from the mid 1930s. I recently sold a 1935 Bentley four-seater sports car, a 1929 Swift saloon, a Citroen 2CV bought in Varna and a 1952 Ferguson tractor. Today in Bulgaria my regular car is a modern Lada, with a sticker on the rear window which says "My other car is a Rolls-Royce".

My favourite car of all time is the vintage BMW Dixi. I found it as a complete wreck in a tumble-down garage in Krum Popov street in Sofia. My absorbing spare-time activity in the three years I worked as an advisor to the Bulgarian prime minister was the total restoration of this little gem of a car, assisted by a wonderful team of experts in Sofia. Individually, and as a team led by a highly committed project manager, they produced an "as-new" automobile just as it would have left the factory in Eisenach in September 1928. Nowhere else in the world could I have done such a job at an affordable price.

There are several well attended rallies around the country, ranging from Varna, Shipka, Sofia and elsewhere, and recently we have attracted rallies of fine vintage vehicles from other countries whose organisers recognise Bulgaria as a new and interesting destination.

It remains a remarkable fact that the central configuration of the motor car – internal combustion engine, steering wheel, three pedals, gear lever etc has changed very little in the last 110 years. My own absorbing small collection is testimony to that. We even see VW and Fiat building new cars today which are replicas of their most iconic old-timers! The big question, which for me is an open one, is whether today’s finest new cars will be treasured possessions in a collector’s portfolio in the year 2100!