Poza centenara / Centenarian photograph

Aceasta poza, veche de 100 de ani, dateaza din 1913 si surprinde un domn bucurestean cu masina sa. Nu sunt expert in masinile mai vechi de 1930, si va trebui sa apelez la experti sa aflu ce marca e, dar in acea perioada, in Romania, marcile mentesti si frantuesti erau cele mai populare, marcile americane venind la putere numai dupa primul razboi mondial. Numere Bc semnificau Bucuresti, nu Bacau, in acea perioada. Pana la primul razboi mondial se ajunsese la peste 1000-Bc. Interesant, exista o poza [jos] cu masina inregistrata precedent, adica 491-B, desi e pe o masina mult mai moderna. Numerele erau emise catre proprietar, nu catre masina, deci atundci cand se schumba masina era foarte posibil ca numarul sa ramana la fel. Adica, daca aveai numarul mai mic, insemna ca erai in avangarda propretarilor de automobile. Ma intreb daca aceasa idea, redolenta de snobism burghez, a contribuit la cultul "numerelor mici" din epoca comunista. 492-B cred ca a fost emis prima data prin 1910; automobilul, la fel.

This hundred year-old photo was taken in 1913 and shows a Bucharest man with his car. I'm no expoert in pre-1930 vehicles, so any experts will have to help me; all I know is that in pre-WW1 Romania, French and German makes were most popular, American cars only becoming frequent on the roads after 1919. The Bc plates meant Bucharest in that period. Until WW1, at least 1000 cars had been reigstered in the capital. Interestingly, there exists a picture [below] of the number plate registered previously, 491-B, on a far more modern car. The reason was that the plates were given to the owner and not the car. When the car changed, the number would remain the same. That meant that families with a low-numbered plate could pride themselves on having been very early vehicle owners. I wonder if this rather petty snobbery contributed to the Communist-era obsession of having low-numered plates. This particular one would have been issued around 1910, and the car looks of a similar era.