Team Bean a hit as Slovenians prove they love their cars

Two of the biggest TV stars in Slovenia welcomed The Daily Telegraph’s team Bean to the country amid a flurry of national media interest. SPONSORED CONTENT

Two of the biggest TV stars in Slovenia welcomed The Daily Telegraph’s team Bean to the country amid a flurry of national media interest.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host Jure Godler and RTV’s The Morning Show presenter David Urankar greeted the 100-year-old red Bean sportster as it rolled into Ljubljana.

“We are a country of two million people and we have 1.2 million cars registered,” Mr Urankar said. “We really love our cars, especially the old timers like this Bean.”

The pair hosted a media event put on by one of the trip’s major sponsors, Harvey Norman, at its flagship Slovenian store.

The Daily Telegraph’s cartoonist Warren Brown and Editor-at-large Matthew Benns joined Slovenia’s MasterChef 2024 winner Luka Pangos to cook a new take on the national favourite dish of Carniolan sausage.

Matthew Benns, Slovenian RTV Morning Show presenter David Urankar, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host Jure Godler and Warren Brown with the Bean. Picture: Supplied

“There is a lot of nostalgia for the things from the old Yugoslavia, like this traditional sausage and old cars like your Bean,” Mr Pangos said.

Across the border in Croatia, a similar event held at Harvey Norman’s flagship store in Zagreb saw the old world meet with the new.

Croatian social media influencer Sara Valentic with the red Bean in Zagreb. Picture: Supplied

Social influencer Sara Valentic, who has a huge following for her motorbike related posts, saw huge similarities between the open topped vintage car and motorcycling.

“This is nearer to riding a motorbike than driving a car,” she said. “It really captures the adventurous spirit of travelling that people have forgotten.”

Motoring social influencer Josko Car clambered all over the venerable Bean for his Top Gear style review.

“I have never ever seen a car like this before,” he said. “I cannot believe you are driving across the world in a car with the original 2.4 litre, four-cylinder engine.”