Masini romanesti modificate in DDR 1: Dacia / Romanian cars modified in DDR 1: Dacia

Ce se intampla atunci cand se combina imaginatia germanica cu produsele romnanesti...

Foto: Auto Agenda / Deutsche Strassenverkehr

1-3: Coupe "Schmoz", fabricat la Chemnitz in 1974 cu componente Dacia, VW, Lada si Skoda. Desi multa din tablarie e de origine romaneasca, masina e din punct de vedere tehnic de inspiratie Volkswagen, cu motorul plasat in spate si tractiune tot pe spate. Masina inca exista si recent a fost vedeta unei expositii dedicata masinilor facute artizanal in Germania Democrata.
4-8: Dacia 1300 Pick-up, derivat din 1300 si nu 1302, carosat de o firma anonima din Germania Democrata. Un model cu dorinta de a fi un camper van! In Anglia firma Dormobile facea chestii similare pe baza de Morris Marina si Ford Escort. Circa 1975.
9-11: Dacia Funeral, model conceput ca dric, fabricat cu cativa ani mai tarziu de aceeasi fabrica. Circa 1982. Imi imaginez ca pentru uvreun defunct iubitor de Dacii, ar fi masina ideala pentru ultima calatorie...

In urmatoarele capitole vom aminti si despre modelele, tot din Germania Democrata, pe baza de ARO si de TV.

What happens when German imagination couples with Romanian products...

1-3: Coupe Schmoz, built in Chemnitz in 1974 using bits of Dacia, VW, Skoda and Lada. Although much of the bodywork is Romanian in origin, the read-engined rear-wheel drive configuration belies its Volkswagen origins. The car still exists and was recently featured in a museum exhibition of hand-made East German cars.
4-8: Dacia 1300 pick-up, made from a 1300 not a 1302, bodied by an anonymous East German firm. Clear Ccamper van influences, not unlike what Dormobile was doing to the Morris Marina and Ford Escort at the time. Circa 1975.
9-11: Dacia Funeral, a hearse made several years later by the same works. Circa 1982. I can imagine that for the lover of Dacias this was the only way to make one's final journey...

To follow: East German takes on the ARO and TV.

1972 - Bucuresti x6, Brasov x1

Sapte poze din 1972, sase din Bucuresti si una din Brasov. Mi-e greu sa decid care imi e preferata - Ateneul, strada Stavropoleos, sau casa roz. Inclin spre casa roz in stiulul neoromanesc (strada C A Rosetti colt cu Nicolae Golescu), probabil pentru ca celelalte scene sunt bine cunoscute si arata similar si astazi, dar casa roz e destul de departe de perioada sa de glorie. Un alt punct de interes reprezinta TV-urile din fata Casei Sfatului. Sunt din aceeasi serie (1964-1967), dar unul are stergatoarele montate deasupra parbrizului, celalalt nu. Ma intreb de ce...
Pozele suprind cam ultima perioada inainte sa domineze Dacia 1300 parcul auto romanesc. Cu doar trei ani mai tarziu, scena va fi foarte diferita.

Seven photos from 1972, six from Bucharest and one from Brasov. Difficult to say which is my favourite of the Athenaeum, Stavropoleos street, or the pink neo-Romanian house (corner of C A Rosetti and Nicolae Golescu streets); probably the latter, as it is not only less a well known building but one which is now rather far from its glory days. Another point of interest is the two TVs visible in the Brasov photo. Although from the same series (1964-67) the windscreen wipers are in completely different places, one above the windscreen, the other below it. I wonder why...
These are the last few years before the Romanian streetscene got taken over by the Dacia 1300; three years on, these photographs would have looked rather different.

Salt peste timp - Lloyd LP 600

Lloyd era o masina destul de populara in Germania anilor 50. Simple, fiabile, ieftine, era fara discutie o masina pentru clasa muncitoare. Se pare ca au ajuns si in Bucuresti. Ma intreb daca a masina rosie e de fapt cea din poza alb-negru, reinmatriculata in anii 90 cu numere 2B si cinci cifre. Din pacate, nu cred ca a supravietuit vreun exemplar in Romania, desi prin 2006 un tip cumpara piese pentru asa ceva.

The Lloyd was fairly popular in 1950s Germany. Definitely a car for the people, it was simple, reliable, and cheap. It seems as if a few made their way over the Iron Curtain and ended up in Bucharest. I wonder whether the cars in the photo are one and the same. Sadly, I doubt there are any left over here, although I do recall seeing, in 2006, an ad looking for spare parts.

Masinile studentilor straini / Foreign students' cars

...Care nu erau deloc precum masinile studentilor romani!

De obicei erau inmatriculate pe numere incepand cu 12, senificant proprietari straini, desi nu sunt exact sincer cand a inceput acest obicei: cert e ca numere 13-B au inceput sa fie emise in 1977, anul cand vad prima poza cu o masina pe 12-B. In anii 80, cand stundetii veneau mai mai mult din tari arabe, marci raspandite erau Mercedes (bot de cal), BMW, Volvo (240), si masini japoneze. In anii 70, ca de obicei, veneau masini si mai interesante...

1980 - Mercedes (bot de cal)
1972 - Fiat 128 station wagon
1971 - MGB la caminul Grozavesti. Inca un model care nu a lipsit din Bucurestiul comunist, un model MGC (13-B-278) circuland prin capitala in anii 70 si 80.

...Which were nothing like Romanian students' cars!

These were generally denoted by license plates beginning with 12, meaning the owner was a foreigner, although it is unclear when this started - probably around 1977. In the 1980s, students came mainly from Arab countries, and the most popular cars were the stacked headlight Mercedes, BMW, Volvo 240, and smaller Japanese cars. As usual, in the 70s the cars were rather more interesting...

1980 - a stacked headlight Mercedes
1972 - Fiat 128 station wagon
1971 - MGB in Grozavesti. Another car which existed in communist Bucharest, where a superb MGC, registered to a Romanian, drove round in the 70s and 80s.

Placutele de inmatriculare pentru familia regala / Royal family license plates

Pentru ca astazi e ziua in care regele Mihai implineste 90 ani, m-am gandit sa pun ceva cu tema regala... E vorba despre tablitele care impodobeau masinile familiei regale in perioada interbelica. Nu toate masinile lor aveau asa ceva - spre exemplu, Duesenbergul printului Nicolae circula cu numarul 10-B in anii 30 - dar majoritatea aveau. In anii mai recenti, regele Mihai a fost vazut margand cu Dacia Logan cu numarul B-xx-REX: amuzant, dar nu atat de estetic ca aceste superbe tablite. Masinile in poze sunt Aero 30 (existent si astazi), Hispano-Suiza, si Mercury 1939.

As today is King Michael's 90th birthday, I thought I would present something with a royal theme, most specifically the special number plates used on royal vehicles in the interwar period. Not all royally-owned cars had them - Prince Nicolae's Duesnberg, for example, had the simple 10-B - but most did. More recently, the King has been seen in a Dacia Logan with the plate B-xx-REX: witty, but not as aesthetically pleassing as these superb plates. The vehicles visible are Aero 30 (still in Romania today), Hispano-Suiza, and Mercury 1939.

Calatorie in timp / Journey back in time

In acest video superb se poate vedea Bucurestiul in 1964 dintr-un taximetru Volga, nr 10214-B-Tx. Multe zone sunt relativ centrale si cunoscute - Lipscani, Victoriei si Magheru sunt inconfundabile - dar, per total, e vorba de un Bucuresti complet schimbat.

Din punct de vedere automobilistic, doua puncte de interest: microbuzul TV-4M nou nout, model care se introdusese chiar in acel an, si americanca din anii 50 (Buick? Chevrolet) in fasa unei case de mahala. Cum am mai spus, in anii 50 masinile americane erau foarte cautate de catre nomenclatura. Multe si-au gasit drumul peste cortina de fier, si unele exista chiar astazi - de obicei, din pacate, in stare avansata de degradare.

In this superb video one can see 1964 Bucahrest from the windscreen of a Volga taxi, registered 10214-B-Tx. Many areas are central and well-known - Lipscani, Victoriei and Magheru are unmistakeable - but overall Bucharest has changed enormously.

From an automotive point of view, the two interesting sights are the brand new TV-4M minibus, introduced that year, and the 1950s American barge (Buick? Chevrolet?) parked outside a suburban house. As I have said before, American cars were very popular with the Romanian nomenklatura in the 1950s. Many found their way across the Iron Curtain, and several exist now - sadly by and large derelict.

Mercedes 600 ... x2

Toata lumea stie ca pentru cele mai importante parade oficiale, Ceausescu folosea un Mercedes 600 Pullman Landaulette (foto 1,2, din fototeca comunista). Intre 1964 si 1980, modelul 600 era varful de gama a companiei din Stuttgart. Peste doua maii au fost construite, marea majoritate berline. 59 Laundaulette decapotabile au fost fabricate. Masina exista si astazi intr-un muzeu in Bourgogne, Franta (foto 3, 4), dedicat masinilor prezidentiale. Ar fi interesat de aflat cum a iesit din Romania (dupa anii 70 nu a mai fost folosit, si nu a fost in licitatia din 2004, deci probabil a plecat putin dupa 1980), dar nu ne ocupa asta azi, pentru ca, rasfoind prin imagini vechi, am descoperit ca in Romania a mai existat un model 600, de data asta o "simpla" berlina. Masina se vede in poza 5. nu e atat de spectaculoasa ca Landaulette, bine inteles, dar oricum e vorba de un model care la vremea lui concura in direct cu Rolls-Royce, Bentley, si Cadillac Fleetwood. Dupa numere, masina se afla in dotarea guvernului. Ma intreb unde mergea, si pe cine cara in 1972, cand fotograful, un turist german, a indraznit sa o fotografieze...

Ca postscript, 600 nu e extinct in tara, un exemplar identic cu cel din poza 5 fiind in colectia Tiriac.

It's very wel known that Ceasuescu's top official car was a Mercedes 600 Pullman Landaulette. Between 1964 and 1980, the 600 was the top of the range Mercedes. Over 200 were built, but only 59 were Landaulettes. Ceasuescu's car still exists today (photo 3,4) in a museum in Burgundy, France, dedicated to presidential cars. I wonder how it reached there - the car was not used after the 1970s, was not in the 2004 auction of the Ceasuescu cars, so I assume it was exported in the early 80s. However, the shock of today is realising that there was more than one 600 in Romania at the time - the car in photo 5. It's not as spectacular as the Landaulette, of course, but still very impressive considering it was a direct competitor to Rolls Royce, Bentley, and Cadillac Fleetwood. Judging from the plates it was Government owned. I wonder where it was going in 1972, and who it was carrying, when the German tourist took the risk of taking a snapshot...

Incidentally the 600 lives in Romania, an example identical to photo 5 being in the Tiriac collection.