Sinaia 1953

O familie destul de importanta din Bucuresti in fata la Peles in 1953. Masina e un superb Tatraplan. Un exemplar din 14 importate in Romania de nou, poate. Dar numarul? Temporar? Posibil de CD, inainte de numere CD-101 introduse in 58...

A quite important Bucharest family at Peles in 1953. The car's a Tatraplan, potentially one of just fourteen imported into Romania from new. But the plate? Could it be temporary? Or early diplomatic before the introduction of the CD-style plates in 1958...

Sinaia 1940

Trei poze de exceptie, facute de un grup de turisti polonezi vizitand Romania in 1940 in Skoda lor ,,Popular''. Fara discutie cea mai interesanta imagine e semnul pus de ACRR (Automobil Club Regal Roman) langa ramasitele unui tourer, probabil de prin 1930, aratand ce se intampla daca soferul nu are grija... Acest obicei putin macabru se practica in Romania si mai recent, pana curand pe soseaua Piatra-Neamt Bacau fiind expusa o carcasa accidentata de Peugeot 104. Interesant, totusi, ca aceste semne erau puse de un corp particular si nu de stat sau de ministerul transporturilor.

Three exceptional pictures taken by a group from Ploand touring Romania in 1940 in their Skoda Popular. Without a doub the most interesting one os of the sign advising drivers to take care and, by showing the mangled wreckage of a circa 1930 tourer, telling them what happens if they don't... This habit lasted until modern times; until farily recently, on the stretch of road between Piatra-Neamt and Bacau, the carcass of a Peugeot 104 was disaplyed prominently by the roadside with similar grim implications. Interestingly, however, in pre-war Romania it was the equivalent of the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) who put such signs up, and not the Ministry of Transport.

Stavropoleos 1937 - 1988

Doua imagini cu frumoasa biserica Stavropoleos din Bucuresti, din 1937 si 1988. Sursa: Willy Pragher, Picasaweb. Masina din prima poza e un taxi Chevrolet din 1934.



Two images with the picturesque Stavropoleos Church in Bucharest, 1937 and 1988. From the Pragher archives and Picasaweb respectively. The car in the first photo is a 1934 Chevrolet taxi.

Happy 23 August din nou!

Remember???

Happy 23 August

Remember???

Placerile automobilismului, 1930 / The Joys of Motoring, 1930

Dintr-un alamanah. Masina avariata e un Chevrolet din Plo(i)esti.
From a yearbook. The wrecked car is a Chevrolet from Plo(i)esti.

Vechi si nou la Hotel Parc / Old and new at Hotel Parc

Doua vederi, prima din 1975, a doua din 1977. Cea din '75 arata o Pobeda, masina deja demodata si pe cale de disparitie in anii 70 datorita consumul ridicat si faptul ca erau pe piata masini mult mai moderne, dupa importurile din anii 60 si intrarea in productie a Dacilor 1100 si 1300. Cine stie ce o fi cautand la un hotel "de lux". (Ca fapt divers, inca circula una in nordul tarii, proprietatea unui domn in varsta care o scoate din garaj de cateva ori pe an, neavand alta masina.)

Intr-a doua vedere modernitatea cladirii e reflectata in superbul Fiat X1/9 din prim plan. 99% ere masina unui strain in vizita la Bucuresti ; totusi, chiar in vremea comunismului, erau asa masini in tara, una apartinand pilotului de raliu Eugen Ionescu-Cristea.


Two postcards from 1975 and 1977 respectively. The first shows a Pobeda, an unusual car to be parked in such a smart hotel. By 1975 the antiquated Pobeda was fast disappearing off the roads. It drank too much and far more modern cars were relatively easily available. (Although one example is still in use today as a regular (though rare) driver, in the north of the country.)

In the second picture the modern lines of the builing are echoed by the angulat Fiat X1/9 in the foreground. Almost defintiely, it belonged to a foreigner passing through Bucharest; however, even in Communism, such cars did exist in Romania, one belonging to celebrated rally driver Eugen Ionescu-Cristea.