Reclame auto "second hand" din presa comunista / Advertisements for second-hand vehicles in the Communist press

 Incepand cu anul 1966, mica publicitate din presa romaneasca - in mod special, Romania Libera - se receschide, si, odata cu acest "dezghet", apar fel de fel de reclame extrem de interesante.

Din care aflam ca parcul auto romanesc era extraordinar de bogat, modele rare si scumpe precum Porsche, Lancia, Jaguar si chiar Maserati fiind o prezenta. Modele interbelice sunt si ele in evidenta - inclusiv celebrul Jaguar SS100 care a apartinut regelui Mihai - iar licitatiile organizate de IDMS ofera modele recente din occident, e drept, nu intotdeauna in starea cea mai buna. Si ortogrofia lasa de dorit!

Majoritatea anunturilor sunt din Bucuresti dar nici provincia nu era chiar saraca (cine conducea un Cadillac 1967 in Campina anului 1969?!). In unele cazuri, masinile ne sunt cunoscute si din alte surse - spre exemplu, Jagarul E-type care era la licitatie in anii 80, sau Chevrolet-ul din 79 de vanzare in Suceava anului 1989 care exista si astazi. 

Aceste reclame sunt din perioada 1966-70. Voi mai pune.

From 1966 onwards, Romanian media became free to publish small ads once again, and with this new freedom came some seriously interesting ads.

From which we find that there was a fascinating variety of vehicles to be found on Romanian streets, including rare and valuable models of Porsche, Lancia, Jaguar and even Maserati. Pre-war cars were a big presence, and state-run auctions allowed citizens to get their hands on recent Western brands, admittedly not always in the best of conditions. The spelling is pretty dodgy too!

Most ads are from Bucharest but the provinces also had interesting vehicles. Helpfully for a historian, some of the cars are known from other sources too, for instance an E-type Jaguar for auction in the 1980s, or the 1979 Chevrolet for sale in 1989 Suceava and still existing.

These ads are all from 1970 - I will put some more recent ones up in due course.

Duesenberg in comunism / The Communist Duesenberg

Recent, dl Stefan Eugen Chriac a publicat pe Facebook un set extraordinar de imagini aratand doua masini la studiourile Buftea in anii 60. Masinile erau de recuzita, si dupa spusele lui, ulterior s-au casat. Studiind pozele mai atent, mi-am dat seama ca era vorba de doua masini exceptionale, un Mercedes 540K Cabriolet Sindelfingen, si un Duesenberg J. 

Dar nu un simplu Duesenberg J! Dupa prelungite conversatii cu expertii Duesenberg, se pare ca Duesenberg-ul din poza e unul din cele putine carosate la Paris, de carosierul Fernandez et Darrin. Doar sase sunt cunoscute, fiind printre cele mai spectaculoase creatii pe baza de Duesenberg. Printre ele a fost, in 1933, un Boattail Speedster, care a fost expus la salonul de la Paris in 1933 (poze mai jos). Nu se stie exact pe care sasiu a fost montat, dar expertii cred ca e vorba de masina cu sasiul J-373, care a fost atestat ultima oara in 1940, in serviciul armatei romane, desi exista zvonuri ca ar fi fost ulterior la Kiev.

Detaliile masinii de la Buftea sunt uluitor de similare, cu exceptia spatelei caroseriei, care posibil a fost modificat. Barile Cronos au fost montate pe multe Duesenberguri carosate in Franta, inclusiv chiar masina printului Nicolae, o creatie Letourneur et Marchand. Deci, desi nu potem fi siguri, 95% sansa e ca e vorba de celebrul Boattail Speedster.

Nu stim ce s-a intamplat cu masina. Cert, a jucat in cel putin un film, Setea (1960), unde apare in stare mai buna. Dl Chiriac spune ca ambele masini ar fi fost casate. Dar totusi ... chiar in anii 60 erau destui oameni cu o cultura auto cre ar fi stiut ca un Duesenberg sau un 540K nu se arunca la gunoi. Sa fi scapat catre occident, ca masina de colectie? Se practica, dar in acest caz aproape sigur ar fi iesit la suprafata o masina unicata ca Duesenbergul. Sau catre URSS? Si asta e posibil, desi in anii 60 nu prea se mai cautau masini interbelice in URSS, fiind destule de fabricatie autohtona, mai moderne si mai practice. Speranta moare ultima, si ce minunat ar fi ca intr-o zi, sa se deschida o usa de garaj din Bucuresti, si, sub decenii de praf...

In filmul "Setea", filmat in 1960

Imagini originale

Comparatie intre cele doua masini

In revista Vu, in 1933

Recently, Mr Stefan Eugen Chriac placed a series of photos on Facebook showing two cars at the Buftea film studios at some stage in the 1960s. They were used as props and, according to him, were subsequently scrapped. But the photos show two very special cars indeed: as well as a Mercedes 540K Sindelfingen Cabriolet, and a Duesenberg J. 

Not just a Duesenberg J, either! After a fair amount of research and some lengthy conversation with Duesnberg experts, the conclusion seems to be that this is a rare European-bodied Duesenberg from the Fernandez and Darrin coachworks in Paris. Only six F&D Duesenbergs are known to have been made, including, in 1933, a Boattail Speedster, exhibited at the Paris Salon that year. It is unclear exactly which chassis it was on, although the consensus seems to be that it was on car no J-373. This car was last heard of in 1940, in the service of the Romanian army, although there have also been rumours that it was later seen in Kiev. 

The Buftea car has remarkably similar details, with the exception of the rear of the bodywork, possibly a later modification. The Cronos bumpers are a feature of many French Duesenbergs, including another Romanian car, Prince Nicholas's Letourneur et Marchand Faux Cabriolet. So although we cannot be quite sure, the chances are this is the Boattail Speedster.

The fate of the car remains a mystery. It appears in at least one film, Setea (Thirst), filmed in 1960, where it can be seen in rather better condition. The archivist, Mr Chiriac, claims the cars were scrapped. And yet ... Even in the 1960s people must have known better than to scrap two such impressive cars. So did they follow other exotica to the West? If so, then surely a unique car such as the Duesenberg would have surfaced by now. Or East? But by then, pre-war cars were no longer really sought after as transport, as there were more than enough newer, more practical ones being made locally. Might it therefore still be in Romania? One can only dream, that one day, a Bucharest garage door creaks open, and underneath, covered by decades' worth of dust...