11 September 2013

Doua bijuterii pierdute / Two lost jewels

Recent a aparut pe Facebook o pagina extrordinara, Romania in negru pe alb, sub initiativa dlui Florin Cicos, un vechi colaborator. E o rezursa minunata cu sute de fotografii de exceptie, toate din Romania, cu tema automobilistica. Nu pot sa il recomand destul.

Printre poze apare un Lorraine-Dietrich din 1907 in fata unei cladiri care mi se parea cunoscuta. Un Google rapid imi confirma ca am dreptate: este vorba de conacul Hagi Tudorache din Gradistea, judetul Ilfov, construit in 1896. Una din cele mai somptuoase conace din Tara Romaneasca, cu un interior superb care supravietuise in intregime pana acum vreo 10 ani ... dupa care, caramida cu caramida, cladirea s-a distrus, unrmand a fi demolata complet in 2013. In prezent a ramas o anexa si o gramada mica de moloz. Iar Lorraine-Dietrich a disparut si el in ceata istoriei.

In lista de proprietari de automobile din acea perioada, nu apare niciun Tudorache, Theodoraki, sau alte varatii al numelui. Deci probabil era masina unei rude sau unui musafir. Ramanem doar cu o poza foarte valoroasa, de interes atat pentru iubitorii de istorie sau arhitectura cat pentru pasionati de automobilimsul romanesc.

Recently Florin Cicos, an old contact, has set up a fantastic page called Romania in black and white. It's a superb resource of old photos, all from Romania, all with a motoring theme. I can't recommend it enough.

Among the images is this 1907 Lorraine-Dietrich in front of a building which seemed familiar to me. A quick Google proved my hunch was correct: this is the old Hagi Tudorache manor from Gradistea, Ilfov, built in 1896. One of the most sumptuous manors of Wallachia, with a superb interior which had survived complete until about ten years ago .... after which, brick by brick, it was destroyed, with the final demolition happening in 2013. Currently, an annexe remains alongside a small pile of masonry. The Lorraine-Dietrich is of course long disappeared in the mists of history.

No Tudorache (or any variant spellings) appears in the lists of vehicle owners published in that period. So it was probably the car of a guest or a relative. All that remains is a very valuable photograph, of interest both for lovers of architecture and history as well as people interested in Romania's motoring past.

More: here and here.




2 September 2013

Licitatie in 1947 / Auction in 1947

Liciatia unei prefecture din decembrie 1947. Era cateva luni dupa stabilizarea monetara, iar cursa valutara era 150 lei = 1 dolar american. Deci Mercedesul incepea la 1466 dolari, iar Fordul la peste 2300. Incredibil de scump: in America, un Ford nou-nout incepea la aproximativ 1100 dolari, iar cu 2300 dolari iti cumparai, tot nou, un Chrsyler, un Buick, sau cel mai ieftin Packard. Mercedesul, avand patru cilindri, ar fi fost un model 170 Cabriolet - o investitie superioara daca ne gandim la valoarea actuala. Pun pariu ca fericitii castigatori nu s-au bucurat foarte mult timp de masinile lor: o saptamana dupa licitatie, regale Mihai abdica si se desfasura o noua si funesta epoca in istoria Romaniei.

A town hall auction from December 1947. This was a few months after the monetary stabilization and the official exchange rate was 150 lei to the US dollar. So the Mercedes would have started at 1466 dollars and the Ford at over 2300. This was incredibly expensive: in the States a brand news Ford started at roughly 1100 USD, and with 2300 USD you could get, new, a Chrysler, Buick or even an entry-level Packard. The Mercedes, being four cylinder, must have been a 170 Cabriolet - a superior investment bearing in mind current prices. However, I bet the auction winners did not get to enjoy their cars for long: a week after the auction, the King would abdicate and a new and sombre chapter of Romania's history would begin.