Mamaia 1940

Desi in zilele de astazi in fata Rexului se gasesc mai mult masini de fite, in anii 40, clientela era mai modesta. Totusi, masinile sunt modele noi, si in orice caz a avea masina in Romania interbelica era semn de nivel social inaltat. Printre modele se recunoaste un Opel Kapitan.

De remarcat ponderea masinilor americane. Surse interbelice spun ca intre 70 si 80% de masini in Romania erau de provenienta americana. In timplu razboiului, conform presei din 45-47, au plecat aproximativ 22,000 masini din tara. In schimb, au sosit cam 28,000 din strainatate, majoritatea fiind modele europene. Din motivul asta exista atate antebelice europene intr-o tara care in mod general cumpara masini americane.

Sursa: arhivele Willy Prager.




While these days most cars parked outside the Rex are super-luxury models, prewar taste was somewhat more modest. However, the cars seen in this picture are relatively new models; at any rate, owning a car in those days was in itself a sign of high status.

Note the number of American makes. Before the war, according to contemporary sources between 70 and 80% of cars in Romania were of American origin. However, during WWII about 22,000 of these cars left the country. According to the immediate postwar press, about 28,000 cars found their way back into Romania, from other European countries whose cars tended to be locally built. This explains why such a high propertion of surviving pre-war cars in Romania are European makes.

RIP Opel Super Six (sau ce ramasese din el)

Cei care urmaresc blogul automobilia-romania.blogspot.com sigur au vazut poze cu o bijuterie de Opel Super Six, gasit in stare decenta (poza cu masina grena) dar totusi relativ precara, si frumos restaurat. E fantastic ca asa ceva se intampla, si il felicit pe proprietar si pe cei care l-au sprijinit.

Si inca o poveste despre un Opel Super Six, sau, ma rog, ce a ramas din el. Era de vanzare le 4tuning, drept Moskvich. Suma ceruta era de 200E. Clar nu mai ramasese nimic original decat farurile, aripile, si masca. Poate rotile, poate ceva mecanica. Fusese bricolat intr-un pickup in cel mai grosolan fel posibil. Nu s-a vandut deci proprietarul s-a distrat si si-a ars masina. Nu e mult de plans - era irrecuperabla. Totusi, parti de Super 6 se gasesc super-greu, foarte multe exemplare fiind distruse in razboi. Ce frumos ar fi fost daca macar aceste parti se salvau!

Retroparada 1984

Dintr-o bogata colectie de poze ale raliulor de altadata postate pe internet, am gasit si cateva poze surprinse la startul Raliului Dunarii din 1984, cu o parada de antebelice.

Din pacate constatam ca nu toate masinile prezentate mai exista in tara. Un Wanderer decapotabil de o culoare identica exista in Giurgiu insa nu sunt sigur daca e aceeasi masina. Nash Lafayette 36 albastru 2 B 4068 e disparut. Steyr XVI Tourenwagen, aceeasi masina care apare in filmul Ciuleandra, a disparut din tara dupa revolutie. Plymouth 1938 e posibil se mai existe in stare de epava, in tara inca sunt vreo 10 exemplare. La curte la dl Filipciuc este un exemplar albastru inchis care a ars partial in turnarea unui film: e posibil sa fie cel din poza. Nu imi dau seama ce este tourerul rosu si negru inmatriculat in Sibiu, dar in arhiva autoturismelor antebelice existente in tara nu figureaza. In plus sincer nu imi dau seama ce cauta Morrisul in parada: fiind masina din anii 60, nu e nici foarte vechi si nici exemplar unic in tara, existand mai multe exemplare in perioada comunista, e drept majoritatea in capitala.







From a fabulous picture collection of 1980s Romanian rallies, these rare shots of a pre-war parade before the start of the 1984 Danube Rally.

Sadly not all of the cars still exist. A Wanderer convertible of the same colour still exists in Giurgiu but I am not sure whether the two are one and the same. The 1936 Nash Lafayette (2 B 4068) has now disappeared. The Steyr XVI Tourenwagen also left the country after the revolution: before it was seen regularly at parades and films. As regards the 38 Plymouth the situation is unclear as there are still several such cars existent in Romania. In Bucharest in the collection of Mircea Filipciuc there is one very similar example, the same colour, partially burnt out after a filming accident. I am not sure what the red and black tourer is but no such car appears in the image collection of pre-war cars existent in Romania. Finally I'm not too sure what a Sixties Morris Minor is doing in such a crowd: by the standards of 1984 it was neither very old, nor extremely rare - there were several such cars registered in Romania, mainly in Bucharest.

Permis de conducere, anii 20 / 1920s Driving License

Recent de vanzare pe eBay.
Recently for sale on eBay.

Postcards 1

Din colectia personala de vederi vechi.

In poza cu Intercontinental se remarca primul model de microbuz TV.
In Timisoara se vede un Polski-Fiat 125p kombi. Modelul nu a fost importat oficial in Romania. Banuiesc ca masina e in tranzit prin tara.
In ultima poza, se vede o autospeciala construita pe baza de Bucegi/Carpati, folosit ca transport turistic mai ales in zonele montane.
De remarcat si curatenia si aerul de civilizatie vizibil in poze...






From my old postcard collection.
In the photograph with the Intercontiental hotel, you can see the first model of TV minibus.
In Timisoara a Polski-Fiat 125p kombi is visible. This model was never offivcially imported in Romania; probably it belongs to a foreign tourist.
in the final photograph you can just about make out an open-top bus, coachbuilt on a Bucegi/Carpati truck platfomr, specially used for transporting tourists in mountainous regions.
Also note the general air of cleanliness and civilisation visible in all the pictures...

1968 - Renault-ul cu perdele - The Renault with curtains

Cantareata Helen Shapiro dirijand traficul in Bucuresti, 1968.

The singer Helen Shapiro directing traffic in Bucharest, 1968.

Science Fiction: Mrs Ceausescu's Citroen

Exista o tendinta ca orice masina veche mai speciala care a existat in tara in "epoca comunista" sa fi avut un proprietar celebru. Sau era masina lui Dej, sau era a Ceausestilor; cateodata mai apare inca un personaj cunoscut al epocii. De obicei e vorba despre Volga / ZIL / ZIM / Dacia 2000 / Dacia 1301 / Mercedes. Cateodata este un sambure de adevar, fiind vorba despre fosta masina unui mare smecher sau inalt nomenclaturist, sau o masina care a facut coloana oficiala de cateva ori, sau o masina din garajele de stat. Cert este ca daca credem orice spune in mica publicitate (pentru ca oricare cumparator s-ar lauda cu "fosta masina lui nea Nicu") trebuie sa constatam ca si Dej si Ceausestii au avut zeci sau chiar sute
de masini intre ei.

Asta este cazul unui Citroen CX 2400 Prestige de vanzare in Targoviste care se gaseste la http://www.ieftineala.ro/index.html . Clar spune ca masina fusese dat dar de regele Spaniei in 1986 lui Elena. Buuun. In plus circula prin capitala, in timpul comunismului, cu numarul 17-B-4031. Buuuun. Revolutia a gaist-o in garajul Securităţii de Comandamentul Naţional de Grăniceri. Si-a facut treaba si la politia frontierii in Constanta, pana in anul 2002, cand s-a vandut. Buuuuuun.

Totusi sunt unele detalii care nu se potrivesc. Masina in poze e clar un CX seria 1, deci nu are cum sa fie din 86. Daca are numarul de serie 00003 (fapt nedocumentat) inseamna ca anul de fabricatie trebuie sa fie 1976. Deci ar fi surprinzator ca regele Spaniei, in 1986, sa fi dat Ceausestilor o masina veche de 10 ani. De fapt nici nu s-a u intalnit in 86. E posibil, doar, sa se fi intamplat in 1979, cand Nicolae si Elena a vizitat Spania la invitatia regala. Totusi trebuie sa ne intrebam ce s-a intamplat cu masina intre 1979 si 1986.

Numerele 17-B au fost emise in doua serii: prima in 1979-80, a doua in 1987-88. Din nou, daca era masina Elenei, aproape sigur ar fi avut 1-B cu trei sau patru cifre, corespondand cu restul masinilor familiei si oficiale.

Blindata nu e. Unica in Romania anilor 80 nu era - masina alba, de exemplu, exista, fiind importata din Germania prin 86-87, si am auzit de cateva alte exemplare. O mica cercetare arata faptul ca cuvantul "Ceausescu" nu exista pe talon. Aproape sigur era o masina de ambasada, sau proprietatea unui strain, sau o masina importata
si apoi confiscata. Posibil sa fi fost vanduta la licitatie de catre stat. Posibil chiar sa fi fost folosita de forte speciale, precum alte "masini tari". Samburele de adevar exista intrucat Nicu Ceasuescu la un moment intr-adevar avea un Citroen, inmatriculat 1-B-232. In plus, nu e primul CX "al Elenei" sa fie pus la vanzare ... acum cativa ani exista si exemplarul visiniu de mai jos. Constatam ca e o masina aproape sigur fara legatura la fostii dictatori, si ramanem pe faptul ca de fapt e o masina de serie in stare nu chiar excelenta.

Din pacate povesti false, unele create ca solutia unui mister, altele fabricate din dorinta de a vinde un obiect, exista peste tot, exista bine inteles si cateva masini bona fide. (Un bun prieten are DS-ul lui Henri Coanda, spre exemplu, iar primul proprietar personal a Volgii mele a fost sef de securitate pe Vrancea.) E foarte important sa invatam sa facem distinctie dintre povesti si realitate!






In Romania there is a tendency for every old car to have had a famous former owner. Normally it is either Dej or Ceausescu, but occasionally it is any other illustrious person around at the time. The cars tend to be Volga / ZIL / ZIM / Dacia 2000 / Dacia 1301 / Fintail Mercedes. Sometimes there is a grain of truth, the car having being owned or used by a former high-ranking official, or hving taken part in a few motorcades, or having belonged to the State garages. But if we believe everything the sellers of these cars say then it turns out that Dej and Ceausescu had tens if not hundreds of cars between them.

This is the case with a Citroen CX 2400 Prestige advertised as having been owned by Elena Ceasuescu at http://www.ieftineala.ro/index.html . Apparently it was given to her by Juan Carlos of Spain in 1986. It was driving round the capital with the plates 17-B-4031. At the Revolution it was in a garage of the Romanian secret border police. It carried out some work over the next decade with the border polce in Constanta before being withdrawn and sold in about 2002.

But some things don't stack up. From the photo it's clearly a Series 1, so was at any stage not new in 1986. If it is indeed the third ever nade (which is dubious) then the year is 1976. Would the King have given Ceasuescus a 10-year old production car? Doubtful. In fact, they did not even meet in 1986. it is possible (just) that the car could have been given as a gift in 1979, when the Ceasuescus spent a few days with the Spanish royals. But that still leaves unclear what happened to the car
between 1979 and 1986.

The plates beginning 17-B were issued in two series, first in 1979-80 and second in 1987-88. But if it had been the Ceasuescus it would have had the "important" 1-B plates wtih three or four digits, as all their other cars did.

It is not armoured. It was certainly not unique in 80s Romania - among a few others I've head of, the white one in the picture was definitely around then, having been imported from West Germany in 1986/87. A few questions reveal that the word "ceasuescu" appears nowehre on the logbook. Perhaps it was a former Embassy car, or one imported by a foreigner, or sold by the State at auction having been abandoned or confiscated. Possibly, too, it maight have been owned by the Securitate or other special forces. Other Western models certainly were at the time. The grain of truth is that Nicu Ceasuescu did at one stage have a Citroen, registered
1-B-232. But, interestingly, a couple of years ago, another CX (the burgundy example) was put up for sale, also "having belonged" to Elena Ceasuescu... We can only conclude that this particular car is almost certainly not linked to the former dictators. All that remains is that it is a normal production car, albeit a desirable model, and in need of a bit of TLC, to put it kindly.

There are many stories being circulated by many wheeler-dealers. Doubtless there are a few bona fide cars around as well. (A good friend owns Henri Coanda's DS, for example, while the first "non-Government" owner of my Volga was head of the Vrancea securitate.) But we must learn to tell the difference between pretty stories and the truth.