Renault 18 de prim-secretar / The First Secretary's Renault 18

De pe pagina facebook "Muzeul Cineastului Amator", doua imagini de o importanta deosebita, aratand o vizita oficiala in judetul Caras-Severin in 1983, inclusiv cu masina primului secretar, un Renault 18.

Am mai scris despre Renault-urile 18 de la Comitetul Central. Surpriza surpriza, acesta e un model diferit. CC-ul avea GTL-uri negre, iar aceasta masina e un TL, mai simplu. Culoarea parea a fi "bleu ocean 430", sau poate "bleu fonce 460", cum era pe Dacia 2000: e greu de spus deoarece pozele sunt un pic decolorate. Astazi, numai o masina din seria de TL a supravietuit, la Iasi, in paragina, vopsit alb.

De remarcat numarul de inmatriculare 1-CS-101, primul pe judet.

Via Facebook, two very special photos showing an official visit in 1983, including the first secretary (the most important Communist Party official in the country)'s Renault 18.

I've written before about the Central Committee's fleet of Renault 18s. But this is a different one - those were black GTLs, whereas this is a dark blue lower-specification TL. It's difficult to say for sure what type of blue - "bleu ocean 430", or possibly "bleu fonce 460" as on the Dacia 2000. Today, only one from this series of TLs has survived, in Iasi, painted white and in poor condition.

Worth noting the 1-CS-101 registration number, the first one issued for the county.

Totul despre Dacia Denem / All about the Dacia Denem

Un document foarte rar, recent intrat in colectie: totul despre Dacia Denem. Acest material a fost pregatit de catre importator si difuzat presei britanice ... care a ramas profund dezinteresata. O informatie noua, cel putin pentru mine: se pare ca ideea a fost din start sa se importe ARO 10 sub numele Dacia Duster. Si nu se vorbeste deloc despre Denem Base, care nici macar nu venea cu roti, noul proprietar trebuind sa plateasca 40 lire in plus pentru acest "lux".

A very rare document, recently added to the collection: all you would ever need to know about the Dacia Denem. This document was prepared by the importer and sent to the UK press ... who largely remained profoundly uninterested (with the notable and somewhat ironic exception of Country Life). New info, at least for me: it seems it was always the idea to import the ARO 10 as the Dacia Duster. And there's no mention of the Denem Base, which notoriously had wheels as an "optional extra" for the grand total of £40.

High-life in 1980

Trei poze (via fototech.ro) de la inceputul anilor 80. Suntem in Bucurestiul vechi, aristocrat, locuit de elita capitalei: bulevadul Dacia colt cu strada Henri Coanda. Anul e 1980 sau 1981. Masinile din prim plan sunt cele cunoscute din epoca comunismului, desi cu mult-ravnitele numere scurte, cu trei cifre. Vedem, in spatele lor, langa resedinta ambsadorului german-federal, si cateva masini vestice - Mini, VW Golf, Ford Taunus - toate cu numere patrate TC, pentru angajati de ambasada care nu erau creditati diplomatic - plus o Dacie, tot cu numere TC - prima oara cand am vazut asa ceva. Un colt de lux intr-o lume foarte gri...

Three photos (via fototech.ro) from the early 1980s. We're in the old aristocratic Bucharest, lived in by the elite: the corner of Dacia Boulevard and Henri Coanda Street. The year is 1980 or 1981. The cars in the foreground are the usual Communist makes, although with the three-digit license plates that were a sign of social distinction at the time. Behind them. outside the West German Ambassador's residence, are a few foreign makes: Mini, VW Golf, Ford Taunus - all with square semi-diplomatic license plates given to non-accredited Embassy employees - and a Dacia with the same plates, the first time I've seen one. A bit of luxury in a very grey world...

Masinile Bucurestilor, in pozele lui Hedy Loffler / The cars of Bucharest in the photos of Hedy Loffler

In anii 50 pana in anii 70, erau in mare voga carti foto cu diferite aspecte ale Romaniei, fotografiate artistic. Printre ultimele publicate a fost albumul Bucurest (1984), de Hedy Loffler. Fotografa a incercat cat mai posibil sa treaca peste atmosfera funesta a anilor 80. In mare masura a reusit, desi cartea nu s-a vandut in multe exemplare si astazi nu se gaseste foarte des. Masinile surprinse in carte sunt in ton cu timpul - adica foarte multe Dacii 1300, dar si cateva surprize...

From the 1950s till the 1970s, photo books showing artistic images of Romania were very fashionable. One of the last to be published was Bucharest (1984), by Hedy Loffler. She tried hard to overcome the sombre atmosphere of the 1980s, and was at least partially successful, although few copies of the book were sold and today it's quite rare. The cars in the images are of their era - that is, a great deal of Dacia 1300s, but with a few surprises among them too...

Mercedes W114

Opel Kapitan

Masinile turistilor yugoslavi / Yugoslavian tourists' cars

Ford Capri, proprietar strain / Ford Capri owned by a foreign resident

VW Broscuta, proprietar cetatean strain / VW Beetle owned by a foreign resident

Mercedes rent-a-car in ultimul an de folosinta / Mercedes rent-a-car in its last year of use

Simca

Dacia Estafette

Dacia Estafette

Dacia 1301

VW Golf, la Intercontinental

Un Fiat 1100 timpuriu / An early Fiat 1100