29 February 2012

Cu Fiat 125 prin Romania / Around Romania by Fiat 125

Aceste imagini, din 1970 si 1971, imi inspira destul de multa nostalgie. E vorba, cum spune istoricul Dan Ciachir, de epoca in care se descopera automobilul proprietate personala. Pentru prima oara, clasa mijlocie isi poate permite asa ceva, si multi descopera placerile (si peripetiile) automobilismului. Masina era iubita, bibilita, apare in toate pozele "la iarba verde" - e ca un nou membru a familiei. In cazuri fericite noaptea se tinea in garaj; dar pentru calatoria anuala spre litoral trebuia sa fie protejata noaptea sub o prelata... In hierarhia masinilor Fiat 125 era la top, numai 250 fiind aduse in tara oficial pentru vanzare pe piata libera. In zilele de astazi cand, pentru majoritatea lumii, automobilul e pur si simplu alt bun casnic care se schimba odata la trei-patru ani, atitudinea romaneasca anilor 70 fata de automobil e o memorie distanta, vizibila numai rar, in fata vreunui bloc vechi, cand mai vedem vrreun pensionar lustruindu-si Dacia 1300 veche, pastrata impecabil...

These photos, from 1970 and 1971, bring back a sense of nostalgia. This is the era when Romania discovers the automobile. For the first time, the middle classes could, en masse, buy them, and many discovered the pleasures (and frustrations) of driving. The car was loved, polished, a feature in all photos - just like a family memember. The aim was to keep it in a grage overnight, but when it was time for the annual trip to the seaside, great care was taken to cover it in a tarpaulin lest it should get damaged. In the car hierarchy the FIAT 125 was right at the top, only 250 being officially imported for public sale. These days, when the car is just another dispoable good to be bought and sold three or four years later, 1970s Romanians' love for it is a distant memory, only brought back occasionally when, in front of some tower block, we come across a pensioner still polishing his ancient but impeccable Dacia 1300...






22 February 2012

Automobilul Rodica, 1957 / Rodica microcar, 1957

Dupa razboi, in toata Europa fenomenul microcar era in voga. Pur si simplu, nu erau bani pentru masini mari si luxoase. In Europa comunista, nicu nu dadea bine asa ceva: masina era un lux burghez si deci neptrovita pentru majoritatea poporului. Totusi, dorinta pentru transport personal a supravietuit. Mai ales in Cehia, Polonia si Ungaria, au fost construite multe automobile de mic litraj, de obicei artizanal sau in serie foarte mica. Printre altele, ungurii aveau Balaton si Alba Regia, polonezii Mikrus, si cehii Velorex. Dupa anii 60, cand au intrat pe piata masini "normale", nu mai erau atat de cautate, majortatea fiind abandonate cand se strica cate ceva.

Si in Romania au fost cateva tentative. Malaxa (1946) e poate cea mai cunoscuta, si cea mai mare. Printre altele amintim: M.R. construit in 1945 de Radu Manicatide; IAR din 1947, dezvoltat sub inginerul Radu Mardarescu si construit in trei exemplare; microcarul Oszkar Beke din 1957, inspirat dupa Isetta, cu motor de Zundapp si inca in existenta in Oradea; MR-1957, inca un minicar cu 3 roti din 1957 facut de ing Manicatide, cu motor de 5.5cp; si, in anii 60 si dupa, eforturile lui Iustin Capra.

Se pare ca, tot in Brasov (sau, ma rog, orasul Stalin cum era pana in 1960), a mai existat un microcar; e vorba de automobilul Rodica. Nu am multe detalii, dupa spusele unei enciclopedii ar fi fost facuta de un inginir, Nicolae Lucaci, in 1957. Avea un motor de 13cp, tot dezvoltat de Lucaci, care ar fi parucrs destui kilometri cu masina. Greu de spus ce e fapt si ce e poveste, totusi imaginea nu minte. Detaliile acestei mica decapotabila par a fi inspirate un pic de Skoda Felicia, un pic de Volga... Cine stie ceva mai mult despre aceasta masina, vreau sa aud de la ei!


In post war Europe, microcars were in great vogue. A continent struggling to rebuild itself could not afford expensive automobiles; at any rate, behind the Iron Curtain cars were a dangerous bourgeois commodity and therefore frowned upon. Nevertheless, there were several valiant efforts to build microcars, especially in Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. These were either home-made one offs or built in small numbers. Among the best known makes are the Balaton and Alba Regia from Hungary, the Velorex from Czechoslovakia and the Mikrus from Poland. After the 1960s, when "real cars" became far more of a mass market commodity, most of these unusual little vehicles were abandoned.

Romania tried to make some too. The best known is prbably the 1946 Malaxa. However, there were others: in 1945, Radu Manicatide's MR microcar; in 1947, Radu Mardarescu's IAR, of which three were allegedly built; the 1957 Zundapp-engined Oszkar Beke three-wheeler, inspired by the Isetta and still in existence; another 1957 three-wheeled microcar with a 5.5 hp engine built in Stalin City (now Brasov) by Radu Mardarescu; and, finally, Iustin Capra's efforts of the 1960s and beyond.

Another Brasov-built car has come to light: the 1957 Rodica. Details are scanty: it seems that it was built by an engineer called Nicolae Lucaci, who also penned the 13hp engine. It covered a respectable amount of kms; after that, little is known. But at least the photograph, showing a small convertible with a few styling cues from the Skoda Felicia and a few more from the Volga, does not lie. If anybody knows more about this vehicle, I want to hear from them!

15 February 2012

SR-101 - o noua descoperire / SR-101 - a new discovery

Cautand prin imagini vechi, mi-am dat seama ca nu prea exista multe poze cu SR-101. Deci m-am gandit sa le scot in evidenta pe aceastea. Unele sunt foarte cunoscute, altele nu prea! Sper ca cel putin cea din Tms e in premiera. Ceea ce este interesant este ca se pare ca ar fi fost doua tipuri de SR-101. Unul avea "SR" stampilat in fata, celalalt (varianta 2) avea "Steagul Rosu" cromat. Prima varianta avea "Steagul Rosu RPR" pe aripa, a doua nu. In final, a doua varianta are masca radiatorului cu riduri - exact ca la ZIS-150 dupa care e copiat SR-101. Supravietuitorul din uzina se pare ca face parte din prima varianta. Un exemplar din varianta 2 se vede si pe o coperta din anii 50, dar, dupa poze cel putin, e varianta mai putin comuna. Ma intreb, tinand in cont similaritatea cu ZIS, daca e de fapt prima serie?

Looking through old images, it struck me that remarkably few exist with the SR-101. Therefore, I thought I'd show these. Some are very well known, others less so. Hopefully at least the one from Timis is a complete novelty. What was interesting is that there seem to be two types: one with "SR" embosseed on the front and one with "Steagul Rosu" (Red Flag) chromed on. The former type also has "Steagul Rosu RPR" (People's Republic of Romania) on the side wings, unlike the second version. Finally, the second version has the lines of the radiator grille continuing onto the bodywork - exactly as on the ZIS-150 from which the SR-101 was copied. The survivor in the factory is of the former variety. The second variety, also photographed for a contemporary book cover, seems somewhat rarer. I wonder, given the ZIS similarity, if it is the earlier one?











7 February 2012

Multumesc... / Thank you...

Astazi am intrat pe pagina cu statistici si hop, aflu ca acest blog a fost citit de 100,000 ori. Si in Romania, si peste hotare, in cele mai ciudate tari... Deci trebiue sa va multumesc, dragi cititori, pentru interes, pentru comentarii, si pentru ideile voastre pentru articole.

Daca aveti idei in plus despre ce vreti sa cititi, scrieti-mi, sau ca un comentariu, sau la blackvolga@googlemail.com.

Multumesc din nou, si vizionare placuta in continuare!


Today I had a quick look on the stats page and it turns out this blog seems to have been read a hundred thousand times. In Romania, but also abroad, sometimes in the most bizarre countries... So thank you, dear readers, for your support, interest, comments, and ideas.

Any more thoughts about what you'd like to read about, just drop me a line, either as a comment or on blackvolga@googlemail.com.

Thank you once again - and happy reading for the future!