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!
