Poze deprimante din Bucurestiul anului 1986 / Depressing Bucharest pictures from 1986

O serie de diapozitive surprinse de un architect American in 1986. De remarcat cat de deprimant arata Bucurestiul. Culorile sunt amarate, strazile pustii, lumea lipista de eleganta. Masinile sunt in mod general Dacia, desi remarcam un Fiat 1800, un Renault Gordini si - cel mai special - un Mercedes Cobra. Ultima poza, surprinsa cu 15 ani inainte in 1971 din acelasi unghi (de Willy Pragher), arata cat de cat diferenta.

A set of slides taken by an American architect in 1986, showing a very depressing Bucharest. The colours are muted, the streets deserted, the people inelegant. Cars are generally Dacias, although we can see a Fiat 1800, a Renault "Gordini" and, most unusually, a Mercedes Cobra. The last photo, taken from the same angle fifteen years previously (by Willy Pragher) shows how much things have changed.

 

Mercedes 170V la Slanic Moldova in doua poze vechi

Doua imagini vechi cu un Mercedes-Benz 170V in staiunea Slanic Moldova. Prima a fost surprinsa la sfarsitul anilor 30 si arata o masina din Hotin (Basarabia). Desi e inmatriculata cu numarul 3, nu inseamna ca era cea de-a treia masina din judet: numerele apartineau proprietarului si nu necesar masinii. Vila Majestic inca exista, astazi find hotelul Coroana Moldovei.

35 de ani mai tarziu, o masina identica nu mai era un semn al prosperitatii. Mercedesul rosu din poza numarul doi era cea mai saracacioasa masina din parcare, masinile antebelice (chiar si Mercedesurile, mai ales cele mici) fiind socotite "rable" de om sarac sau, in cel mai bun caz, excentric. In anii 70, cateva mii de masini antebelice inca circulau pe strazile tarii, numarul lor scazand rapid dupa ce proprietarii lor le schimbau cu masini moderne. Daca imi permiteti un paralel erau precum masinile anilor 60 in perioada 1995-2005. Ma intreb ce s-o fi intamplat cu exemplarul din vedere.

Ca punct de interes, am avut sansa sa admir un Mercedes antebelic la Slanic in 2008, cu ocazia raliului Carpati Retro. Un loc frumos, care merita vizitat.


Two old images showing a Mercedes-Benz 170V in the resort of Slanic Moldova. The first is from the late 1930s and shows a car from Hotin (Bessarabia). Although it's registered as car number 3 in the county, plates belonged to the owner and not necessarily the car. Vila Majestic still exists, nowadays being the Coroana Moldovei hotel.

Thirty five years later, ownership of a similar car was no longer a sign of wealth. The red Mercedes in the second photo was the least impressive car in the car park, pre-war cars (even Mercedes, especially smaller ones) being considered as old wrecks for poor people (or, in the best case, eccentrics). In the 1970s, several thousand pre-war cars still drove around on Romania's roads, their number reducing dramatically as their owners traded up. It was a little like 1960s cars in Romania in the 1995-2005 period. I wonder what happened to this particular one.

Incidentally, I had the chance to admire a pre-war Mercedes in Slanic Moldova myself, when the Carpati Retro rally toured there in 2008. Worth a visit!

 

 

 

Isetta - din nou / Isetta - reloaded

Cititorii fideli, va mai amintiti de Isetta din Constanta? Se pare ca inca una a mai supravietuit. Acest exemplar din 1956, tot imatriculat ca o motocicleta, a fost pus recent de vanzare in judetul Prahova. Dupa numere, nu a circulat timp de cel putin 30 de ani.  Spatele a fost modificat pentru adaptarea stopurilor de TV, dar altfel nu pare in stare proasta.

Inca o Isetta a aparut pe strazile capitalei, participand la un eveniment destinat vehiculelor istorice. Masina pare in stare extrordinara, facand furori pe lana sorile ei mai luxoase. Presupun ca e din import.

Exemplarul din Constanta, am auzit, a fost vandut intre timp. Sper sa fi ajuns pe maini bune. Cert este ca automobile interesante inca se mai scot la iveala.


Faithful readers might recall the Isetta found in Constanta. It seems that another has also survived! This example from 1956, also registered as a motorbike, was recently for sale in Prahova county. Judging by the license plates it has not been on the road for at least thrity years. The rear has been modified to accommodate TV tail-lights; apart from that it looks in reasonable condition.

Another Isetta recently took part in a classic car parade in Bucharest. It looks excellent and seems to have caused a stir among its more expensive counterparts. I assume it's an import.

The Constanta car, I heard, has now been sold. I hope it's in good hands. And I'm also glad to see that other interesting vehicles keep popping up.

Packard 1939 in deplasare / 1939 Packard far from home

Acest superb Packard a fost surprins in Oxford in anii 30 sau 40 de catre un englez pasionat de numere de inmatriculare straine. Mai precis, este un Super Eight Convertible Sedan din 1939 - practic, varful de gama a unei marci deja foarte prestigioase. Cine stie ce cauta, sau la cine era in vizita, la Oxford... [Foto John Pemberton / Europlate]

This splendid Packard was snapped in 1930s or 1940s Oxford by an English photographer interested in foreign number plates. More precisely it is a 1939 Super Eight Convertible Sedan - top of the range for a very prestigious manufacturer. Who knows what it was doing, or who it might have been visiting, in Oxford... [Photo John Pemberton / Europlate]

Brasov si Bucuresti in 1974

Un set de poze vechi din locatii destul de bine cunoscute: Bucuresti, in mod special zona Garii de Nord, si centrul Brasovului. Nesurprinzator, autorul este un turist strain. Remarcam: Pobeda cu numarul 1-IF-4084, SR-101 carand paine, Triumph 2000 sau 2500 Estate langa Fiatul 1100 si broscuta de corp tehnic, si microbuzul VW rosu. Dar, cel mai interesant, TV-41 de transport copii, si un Volga pick-up carosat in Romania (despre care am mai scris), amandoua pozate in detail excelent. Ca bonus, avem un mix de fotografii alb-negru si color.

A set of old photos from well-known locations: Bucharest, especially the Gara de Nord area, and the centre of Brasov. Unsurprisingly, the author was a foreign tourist. Of interest: the Pobeda, registered 1-IF-4084, SR-101 carrying bread, Triumph 2000 or 2500 estate next to the Fiat 1100 and the technical corps VW Beetle, and the red VW minibus. But, best of all: TV-41 school minibus, and a Volga pick-up rebodied in Romania (I have written before about these), both photographed in excellent detail. As a bonus, photos are both colour and black-and-white.

 

 

 

 

 

Un Cadillac foarte special / A very special Cadillac

O prezenta in paradele masinilor istorice inainte de 1989 era acest Cadillac, un Series 70 Convertible Coupe din 1936. Era destul de modificat - motor de Volga, cutie neoriginala, semnalizaotare de SR si punti de ARO, printre altele - dar totusi era una din cele mai spectaculoase masini din acea perioada. A fost prezentat in cateva filme - Facerea Lumii in 1971, Zidul in 1975, si Oglinda in 1993 - iar in anii 90 a plecat, pe rotile ei, catre Germania, unde a fost uitata intr-o sura. In aceasta perioada s-a ivit si zvonul putin probabil ca ar fi o fosta masina regala - mai precis, un dar din partea primarului de la New York catre Elena Lupescu. Dupa poze, se pare ca modificarile ar fi fost facute la inceputul anilor 60.

Astazi, masina se afla in mainile unui pasionat german, care o va restuara. Nu surprinzator, nu se afla nici un pic de evidenta despre povestea cu masina regala - ba dinpotriva, pozele cu Cadillacurile in dotarea regala arata masini complet diferite. Totusi, s-a ivit un amanunt si mai special: aceasta masina, cu seria de sasiu 1, a fost capul de serie pentru Cadillac Series 70 1936 si prezentat la Salonul Auto din Paris! Unele dotari, spre exemplu emblema de pe capota (furata in Germania), sunt comanda speciala de la uzinele General Motors. Deci cum ar fi ajuns in Romania?

Sunt in legatura cu proprietarul - oricine are informative despre aceasta masina il rog sa ma contacteze sau sa lasa un comentariu.

Ever-present in 1980s vintage car parades was this Cadillac, a 1936 Series 70 Convertible Coupe. It was heavily modified - Volga engine, ARO rear axle, strange gearbox, and SR indicators - but it was still a spectacular vehicle. It was used in several films - Facerea Lumii in 1971, Zidul in 1975, and Oglinda in 1993 - and was driven to Germany in the 1990s, where it was abandoned in a barn. At this time the improbable legend surfaced that it was a former royal car - more precisely, a gift from the Mayor of New York to Elena Lupescu, the then King's mistress. From the pictures, it seems as if the modifications were made in the early 60s.

Today the car is in the hands of a German collector who intends to restore it. Unsurprisingly, there is no evidence to suggest its royal story: indeed, photos of royal Cadillacs at that time show very different vehicles. However, research has yielded an even more special detail: it seems that this car, with cassis number 1, was the forst 1930 Series 70 ever built and was presented  at the Paris salon! Some details, including the bonnet mascot (stolen in Germany) were specially ordered from the General Motors factory. So how did it reach Romania?

I am in contact with the owner: if anybody has any more information about this car, do contact me or leave a message.

Inainte de 1966

 

 1971, in filmul Facerea Lumii

 

 

 

1975, filmul Zidul

 

Anii 70 / inceputul anilor 80.  

 

La parada in 1986

 1993 - filmul Oglinda 

 

2006 - in Germania 

 

Masina astazi se prezinta in aceasta stare, inainte de restaurare.