Masini oficiale, 1966 / Official cars, 1966

Dintr-o arhiva sarba, imagini impresionante cu vizita lui Tito in Romania in aprilie 1966. Se vad o gramada de Mercedesuri si Opeluri Admiral, proaspat importate de stat, plus celebrul Cadillac decapotabil din 1960 folosit initial de Dej, apoi de Ceausescu. Remarcam si flota de motociclete BMW, un Chevrolet Impala model 1962, folosit pentru filmari, care astazi supravietuieste in Austria, o limuzina Mercedes 600 Pullman, si inca un Cadillac 1960, berlina. Adaugam si cateva poze cotidiane facute de echipa iugoslava. Numerele, in format xxxx-B, urmau sa se schimbe in luna urmatoare.

From a Serbian archive, some impressive images of Tito's visit to Romania in April 1966. There are a lot of Mercedes and Opel Admirals, recently imported for use by the state, plus the famous 1960 Cadillac convertible first used by Gheorghiu-Dej and then by Ceausescu. Also visible is the fleet of BMW motorcylces, a 1962 Chevrolet Impala used for filming, which still exists in Austria, a Mercedes 600 Pullman, and a 1960 Cadillac Sedan. Also featuring are a few shots of daily life made by the Yugoslavian team. The licence plates, in the xxxx-B format, were to change in the following month.

Opel Vectra in flota guvernului / Opel Vectras in the Government fleet

In 1993, Serviciul de Protectie si Paza a cumparat o mica flota de Opel Vectra pentru flota oficiala. Aceste masini erau mai mult folosite de presedinte si anturaj, insa si alti demnitari se deplasau cu ele. Imagini cu asa ceva sunt relativ rare - in anii 90, nu mai era la moda sa fotografiezi vizitele oficiale. Primele trei poze au fost surprinse in Ploiesti de un turist britanic. Masinile au fost si negre, si albastru inchis, si au supravietuit pana prin 2006. Masinile au inlocuit Daciile si Aro-urile invechite, inclusiv o bruma de Dacii 2000 care si-au facut treaba pana cel putin 1995. Alte masini folosite in primii ani dupa 1989 au fost un Renault 25, dar de la Mitterrand, un Rover 800, care inca exista in colectia unui pasionat din tara, si cateva Opeluri Frontera. Mercedesurile au venit mai tarziu...

In 1993, the Romanian government bought a small fleet of Opel Vectras for official use. These were largely used by the President and his entourage, though also by other senior officials. Images with them are quite rare - in the 90s it was no longer popular to take photos of visiting politicians. The first three photos were taken by a British tourist in Ploiesti. The cars were black or dark blue, and lasted till about 2006. They replaced the old-fashioned Aros and Dacias, including a few Dacia 2000s which lasted till at least 1995. Other cars used in the post-1989 period were a Renault 25 received from Mitterrand, a Rover 800 which is still around in a private collection, and a few Opel Fronteras. The Mercs were to come later...