Masinile Renault 18 de la Comitetul Central / Renault 18 cars for the Central Committee

Patru poze exceptionale, luate de dl Romulus Cristea in decembrie 1989 la garajele CC si puse pe picasaweb. Am scris acum ceva timp despre un Renault 18 care putrezeste in Holboca, judetul Iasi. Se spune ca ar fi fost masina de serviciu a lui Elena Ceausescu - greu de dovedit, dar numarul 1-B-180 oricum semnifica o origine importanta. In afara de exepmlarul alb, si un exemplar greu vizibil intr-o poza cu Cercul Militar in 1986, nu stiam despre alte poze cu Renaulturile 18 aflate in Romania inainte de 1989 ... pana acuma. Se pare ca masinile dn doatarea statului (in primele patru poze) sunt Renault 18 GTL (adica, cu dotari suplimentare dar motor de 1,4 similar cu cel de Dacie) ante 1982. Existau si in Bucuresti si in judete, de obicei pentru primii secretari. R18 de mana a doua a fost importat la greu in anii 90 si majoritatea inca in existenta sunt cazane. Le tin minte pe post de taxiu pana prin 2003: designul nu mi-a placut niciodata, dar scaunele erau extraordinar de comode... O masina, uitata astazi in mare parte, care a avut o istorie mica dar importanta.

Four exceptional images taken by Mr Romulus Cristea in december 1989 at the Central Committee Garages, and placed on picasaweb. I have written about one such car quietly rotting away in Holboca, Iasi county. It is alleged to have been Elena Ceausescu's official car - difficult, though, to prove, although the "small number" plate was certainly for VIP use. Except for this white car, and another example dimply visible in a 1986 photo of the Military Club, I knew of no other images of Romanian Renaults 18 before 1989 ... until know. It seems that the state-owned cars (first four photos) are Renault 18 GTL (ie higher trim level, but with a 1.4 engine similar to the Dacia's), pre 1982. They existed in Bucharest and also the counties, mainly at county party secretary level. The R18 was heavily imported second-hand in the 1990s; the ones still existing are invariably wrecks. I remember them as taxis until about 2003; the design seemed to me to be ugly, athough the seats were unbelievably comfortable... A largely forgotten car - and one with a small but important history.

Suceava 1908

Aceasta poza, datand din 1908, a fost suprinsa in zona Sucevei si arata o familie instarita cu un Laurin & Klement Type A Voiturette din 1906. Am mai scris despre primele masini din Romania. In acel caz - referitor la o poza din 1905 - se putea specula despre proprietar, din cauza unei interesante liste cu numele si adresele proprietarilor, si numerele lor de inmatriculare. Singura adresa din nordul tarii este un anume baron Kapri din Roman, care detinea masinul cu numarul 130. De fapt, conacul era la Granicesti, jud, Suceava, deci e posibil sa fie a lui. Totusi, nu se poate trage o concluzie definitiva - foarte posibil, nu ar fi fost singur proprietar de masina cu proprietati in judet. Oricum, o poza interesanta care ne arata ca Skoda are istorie in Romania de aproape 110 ani!

This 1908 photo, from the Suceava region, shows a well off family with a Laurin & Klement Type A Voiturette, of 1906 vintage. I have written before about Romania's earliest cars. In that case -about an unidnetified 1905 vehicle - I could speculate about the identity of the owner from an interesting list showing the names and addresses of car owners, as well as their vehicles' plates. The only address from northern Romania was a certain baron Kapri from Roman. Actually, his country house was in Suceava county, in Granicesi. Quite possibly this was his - although, given that he may well not have been the only vehicle owner with land in the county, it's difficult to be sure. Anyway an interesting photo which shows that Skoda's presence in Romania spans over 110 years!