After being demobilized, Ivan Cheprasov came to work in the motorcade. The chief assigns Ivan an ancient wreck that no one has bothered to repair. 'Colombina'—as the drivers jokingly nicknamed the old car—became a 'touchstone' for Ivan, testing his resilience and skill. Additionally, Colombina serves as a highly humanized metaphor for metal in Ivan's life, continuing the tradition of Soviet social realism by portraying another archetype, in this case, the ideal chauffeur.