(July 10, 2026) – Ivaylo Popivantchev, Bulgaria’s official Porsche importer and a hardcore classic car enthusiast, gives a personal tour of his hometown, Sofia, behind the wheel of a custom vintage ride.

Traffic is completely gridlocked across all three lanes of Tsarigradsko Shose Boulevard. Sitting behind the wheel, Ivaylo Popivantchev drums his fingers impatiently against the leather before spotting an opening, darting toward the exit, and breaking into the heart of downtown Sofia.

It is spring, and the heavy cloud cover that blanketed the Bulgarian capital for days is finally breaking up. Fresh green buds on the trees look like vibrant bursts of color against the city backdrop. Out of the clearing haze, the stunning panorama of snow-capped mountain peaks emerges, with several summits towering over 6,500 feet. Sofia is cradled by three separate mountain ranges: the Vitosha to the west, the Balkans to the north, and the Rila to the south. “We can hit the ski slopes in under half an hour,” Popivantchev says with a knowing smile that doesn’t entirely make sense until later.

The Collection at Porsche Center Sofia
Popivantchev is a soft-spoken, reserved man with a firm, confident handshake. At 62, he stands as one of Eastern Europe’s most successful automotive entrepreneurs, serving as Bulgaria’s official Porsche importer and a dedicated classic car collector. He shares his massive collection with the public right inside the showroom at Porsche Center Sofia. In fact, his dealership—Vitosha Sports Cars, named after the nearby mountain range—recently took home the 2024/2025 Classic Partner Award for “Best Point of Experience – Showroom Setup.” It marks the very first time this prestigious honor, highly sought after by certified Porsche classic service centers worldwide, has gone to an Eastern European location. “It’s a massive honor,” Popivantchev says. “It means everything to me.”

For our drive through the city, he chose a very specific car: a 1993 911 Carrera 2 (964) Cabriolet with a factory Turbo-look widebody. “It’s the ultimate daily driver,” he notes, pausing to let a noisy streetcar pass. “It looks incredibly sporty, yet it’s completely comfortable.”

Almost every single detail remains exactly as it left the factory decades ago. Popivantchev stresses that every piece of leather, every engine bolt, and every minor component must be completely authentic for a classic car to hold its true value. He catches his passenger looking down at the center console, where a modern smartphone is secured in a mounting bracket that definitely didn’t exist in 1993. “A small concession to modern times,” he says with a laugh. “I drive this car year-round, in all kinds of weather. It’s definitely a challenge, so I took some liberties. I added a hardtop for the winter, upgraded to more modern headlights, installed a Porsche Classic audio system, and threw on a set of Speedline wheels.”

Bringing History Back to Life
Popivantchev pulls over at the curb and points out a long, striking building—Bulgaria’s oldest market hall. Built roughly 120 years ago in a Neo-Renaissance style, the structure features a sweeping glass roof and a green iron skeleton built by the very same foundry team Gustave Eiffel used for the Eiffel Tower in Paris. “Restored flawlessly,” notes the importer, who clearly appreciates historic structures brought back to their peak luster.

Over the millennia, the Romans, Huns, Ottomans, and Russians have all left their mark on Sofia, a city repeatedly caught in the crosshairs of global empires. Kings, emperors, and czars have all held power here, where archaeological digs show continuous human settlement dating back over 5,000 years. Situated in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, the city sits on the western edge of Bulgaria, an EU member nation. The borders of Serbia and North Macedonia are incredibly close—just 37 and 46 miles away, respectively—while the popular beaches of the Black Sea lie about 250 miles to the east.

Driving through the streets reveals a landscape of stark contrasts: beautifully renovated historic landmarks sit right next to weathered, gray Soviet-era apartment buildings with balconies hanging at precarious angles. Massive, imposing Stalinist architecture, like the current parliament building (Partiyniya dom), gives way to modern districts where glittering glass high-rises showcase the city’s current economic tech boom.

A Trip Down Memory Lane
Cruising through Sofia doubles as a tour of Popivantchev’s own childhood. He points out a side street where he used to play soccer, notes the apartment building where his grandmother lived, and looks out toward the distant horizon where he first learned to ski—eventually working as a ski instructor after earning his economics degree. Back then, groomed ski resorts barely existed. To this day, he strictly prefers skiing untouched natural terrain alongside his 19- and 23-year-old sons, who share his obsession for dropping into deep powder. He describes it as “the ultimate definition of freedom, pure motion, and a rush of physical adrenaline.”

Further down the road, he points to a spot where a modern office building now stands, explaining that it used to be the site of his father’s watchmaking shop. His voice softens as he recalls spending his after-school hours there as a kid, using precision tools to tweak microscopic screws, springs, and gears until a watch kept perfect time. His lifelong obsession with complex, high-end mechanics is clearly hereditary.

On the way to the Porsche Center, we pass the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral—Sofia’s most famous landmark and one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world. Popivantchev parks out front and heads inside, buying four candles. Inside, the deep chant of a priest echoes as a choir joins in. A dozen parishioners kneel on the cold stone floor, completely immersed in prayer. The roar of city traffic outside completely vanishes. After a brief moment of quiet reflection, we walk back to the car. The 911’s original Wimbledon Green Metallic paint blends seamlessly with the aged green copper domes of the cathedral.

Stepping Inside the Vault
We arrive at the Porsche Center on the edge of the city. The main showroom houses the bulk of Popivantchev’s personal stash, which has grown to well over 100 cars. Inside the massive facility, cutting-edge new models sit side-by-side with flawlessly restored pieces of Porsche history. Right by the front door sits a pristine, white 1953 356 1500 Cabriolet. Just past it is a first-generation 1966 911 Targa, followed closely by a 1974 911 Carrera 2.7 Targa (G-Series). The lineup goes on forever, but Popivantchev wants to show off his private garage.

A short drive later, we stop in front of his home, where a garage is built directly into the hillside underneath the house. A sign hanging by the entrance reads “Ali Baba’s Cave.” Stepping inside, the air smells heavily of fuel, oil, vintage leather, and cold metal.

Popivantchev explains how he transitioned from academics to the ski industry, eventually starting a business importing American cars after the fall of the Soviet Union. However, everything changed when he bought a 356 A Coupe and an original 911 2.4 Targa, sparking an absolute obsession with the German brand. His business grew exponentially from there, culminating in him securing the official Porsche import rights for Bulgaria three years ago.

He points out a beautiful 1963 356 B Coupe—matching his birth year—which he tracked down from a collector in Texas. Popivantchev had the entire car stripped down and rebuilt to factory spec, returning it to its gorgeous original Bali Blue finish. When he bought it, the car had been repainted red. “The bodywork was exceptionally well done, but it wasn’t the color it left the factory with,” he says.

This absolute commitment to originality is his golden rule. If an engine manifold is in perfect shape but technically from the wrong model year, it gets replaced. If the seat leather isn’t the exact factory grain, it gets ripped out. To achieve this level of perfection, Popivantchev built dedicated in-house restoration departments right inside the Porsche Center, including custom carpentry, paint, upholstery, metal fabrication, and specialized engine assembly shops. Because vintage Porsche expertise is incredibly rare in Bulgaria, he trains all of his specialists entirely on-site.

Popivantchev reaches into the vintage brown leather bag he’s carried all day and pulls out his laptop. He flips it open, scrolls through some files, and mutters something quietly in Bulgarian. He pulls up a video clip of three skiers tearing down an insanely steep mountain face covered in fresh powder.

The first skier flies down the cliff side, hits a natural kicker, throws a massive backflip, and stomps the landing. “That’s my son, Mateo,” Popivantchev says, beaming. The second skier drops in, launches off the cliff, pulls off another flawless flip, and skis away clean. “And that’s Rodin,” the proud father notes. As the third skier drops in—pinning it in a dead straight line down the mountain—he abruptly closes the laptop screen with a quiet chuckle. “Oh, and that’s just me…”

Does his run end with a flip too? Ivaylo Popivantchev just smiles.

Text first published in Christophorus Magazine, issue 419.

Text: Philip Wesselhöft
Images: Petar Draganov

Copyright: All images, videos and audio files published in this article are subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part is not permitted without the written consent of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Please contact christophorus@porsche.de for further information.