S-a furat o bomba (1961) / A bomb has been stolen (1961)

Scene din filmul "S-a furat o bomba", turnat in 1961 in Romania, regia Ion Popoescu-Gopo. Mai multe despre film aici.

Foarte interesant in domeniul automobilistic, filmul arata cateva din masinile cele mai interesante care existau in 1961 pe soselele romanesti. Cum am mai scris, existau cateva modele extreme de surprinzatoare pe sosele. Presupun ca unele apartineau marilor actori, altele erau prorpietatea casei de filme, iar altele erau imprumutate... Totusi unele modele, spre exemplu Cadillac, Alfa, Ford Fairlane si Fiat 1800, ar fi fost nou noute. Nu rau pentru o tara in mijlocul comunismului!

Scenes from the film "A Bomb has been stolen", filmed in 1961 in Romania and directed by Ion Popescu-Gopo.

An extremely interesting from an automotive point of view, as it shows some of the more exotic vehicles circulating in 1961 Romania. As I have written before, some of the cars in that era were very surprising indeed. I suppose some were major actors' private cars, others belonged to the studio, and others were borrowed ... However, some, notably the Cadillac, Alfa, Ford Fairlane and Fiat 1800, would have been brand new at the time. Not bad for a country in the throes of Communism!

TV-4 vazut din spate. Nu am vazut vreodata poze atat de clare din acest unghi.

Cadillac 1960. Sa fie cel folosit ulterior de Ceausescu pana in 1978?

FIAT 1800B nou nout

TV si GAZ 69

FIAT 1100 - nu stiu sa fi surpavietuit asa ceva in Romania. Numerele, facute pentru film sunt foarte ciudate.

Opel Kapitan, masina care inca exista in cateva exemplare, unele in stare buna

Alfa Romeo Giulietta ...

... si un Chevrolet 1953

Citroen ID (sau DS) si Opel

Mercedes Ponton si prima masina importata official aici, Skoda Felicia

O americanca mai moderna: Ford Fairlane 1960

Saviem, se pare

Autocar Chausson, o prezenta cunoscuta in acea perioada

Inca un Kapitan

Buick 1951 - masina de inalt communist

Jawa, cu numere de Bucuresti

Uratenia asta este IFA H3B, fost autobus de la inceputul anilor 50

Poze deprimante din Bucurestiul anului 1986 / Depressing Bucharest pictures from 1986

O serie de diapozitive surprinse de un architect American in 1986. De remarcat cat de deprimant arata Bucurestiul. Culorile sunt amarate, strazile pustii, lumea lipista de eleganta. Masinile sunt in mod general Dacia, desi remarcam un Fiat 1800, un Renault Gordini si - cel mai special - un Mercedes Cobra. Ultima poza, surprinsa cu 15 ani inainte in 1971 din acelasi unghi (de Willy Pragher), arata cat de cat diferenta.

A set of slides taken by an American architect in 1986, showing a very depressing Bucharest. The colours are muted, the streets deserted, the people inelegant. Cars are generally Dacias, although we can see a Fiat 1800, a Renault "Gordini" and, most unusually, a Mercedes Cobra. The last photo, taken from the same angle fifteen years previously (by Willy Pragher) shows how much things have changed.

 

Mercedes 170V la Slanic Moldova in doua poze vechi

Doua imagini vechi cu un Mercedes-Benz 170V in staiunea Slanic Moldova. Prima a fost surprinsa la sfarsitul anilor 30 si arata o masina din Hotin (Basarabia). Desi e inmatriculata cu numarul 3, nu inseamna ca era cea de-a treia masina din judet: numerele apartineau proprietarului si nu necesar masinii. Vila Majestic inca exista, astazi find hotelul Coroana Moldovei.

35 de ani mai tarziu, o masina identica nu mai era un semn al prosperitatii. Mercedesul rosu din poza numarul doi era cea mai saracacioasa masina din parcare, masinile antebelice (chiar si Mercedesurile, mai ales cele mici) fiind socotite "rable" de om sarac sau, in cel mai bun caz, excentric. In anii 70, cateva mii de masini antebelice inca circulau pe strazile tarii, numarul lor scazand rapid dupa ce proprietarii lor le schimbau cu masini moderne. Daca imi permiteti un paralel erau precum masinile anilor 60 in perioada 1995-2005. Ma intreb ce s-o fi intamplat cu exemplarul din vedere.

Ca punct de interes, am avut sansa sa admir un Mercedes antebelic la Slanic in 2008, cu ocazia raliului Carpati Retro. Un loc frumos, care merita vizitat.


Two old images showing a Mercedes-Benz 170V in the resort of Slanic Moldova. The first is from the late 1930s and shows a car from Hotin (Bessarabia). Although it's registered as car number 3 in the county, plates belonged to the owner and not necessarily the car. Vila Majestic still exists, nowadays being the Coroana Moldovei hotel.

Thirty five years later, ownership of a similar car was no longer a sign of wealth. The red Mercedes in the second photo was the least impressive car in the car park, pre-war cars (even Mercedes, especially smaller ones) being considered as old wrecks for poor people (or, in the best case, eccentrics). In the 1970s, several thousand pre-war cars still drove around on Romania's roads, their number reducing dramatically as their owners traded up. It was a little like 1960s cars in Romania in the 1995-2005 period. I wonder what happened to this particular one.

Incidentally, I had the chance to admire a pre-war Mercedes in Slanic Moldova myself, when the Carpati Retro rally toured there in 2008. Worth a visit!

 

 

 

Isetta - din nou / Isetta - reloaded

Cititorii fideli, va mai amintiti de Isetta din Constanta? Se pare ca inca una a mai supravietuit. Acest exemplar din 1956, tot imatriculat ca o motocicleta, a fost pus recent de vanzare in judetul Prahova. Dupa numere, nu a circulat timp de cel putin 30 de ani.  Spatele a fost modificat pentru adaptarea stopurilor de TV, dar altfel nu pare in stare proasta.

Inca o Isetta a aparut pe strazile capitalei, participand la un eveniment destinat vehiculelor istorice. Masina pare in stare extrordinara, facand furori pe lana sorile ei mai luxoase. Presupun ca e din import.

Exemplarul din Constanta, am auzit, a fost vandut intre timp. Sper sa fi ajuns pe maini bune. Cert este ca automobile interesante inca se mai scot la iveala.


Faithful readers might recall the Isetta found in Constanta. It seems that another has also survived! This example from 1956, also registered as a motorbike, was recently for sale in Prahova county. Judging by the license plates it has not been on the road for at least thrity years. The rear has been modified to accommodate TV tail-lights; apart from that it looks in reasonable condition.

Another Isetta recently took part in a classic car parade in Bucharest. It looks excellent and seems to have caused a stir among its more expensive counterparts. I assume it's an import.

The Constanta car, I heard, has now been sold. I hope it's in good hands. And I'm also glad to see that other interesting vehicles keep popping up.

Packard 1939 in deplasare / 1939 Packard far from home

Acest superb Packard a fost surprins in Oxford in anii 30 sau 40 de catre un englez pasionat de numere de inmatriculare straine. Mai precis, este un Super Eight Convertible Sedan din 1939 - practic, varful de gama a unei marci deja foarte prestigioase. Cine stie ce cauta, sau la cine era in vizita, la Oxford... [Foto John Pemberton / Europlate]

This splendid Packard was snapped in 1930s or 1940s Oxford by an English photographer interested in foreign number plates. More precisely it is a 1939 Super Eight Convertible Sedan - top of the range for a very prestigious manufacturer. Who knows what it was doing, or who it might have been visiting, in Oxford... [Photo John Pemberton / Europlate]