Dacia 2000, Hotel Bucuresti, 1984

Din arhiva fotografica Viorel Simionescu - una extrem de bogata, cu niste imagini deosebit de interesante aratand excursii din anii 60, o poza din 1984 aratand doua Dacii in fata hotelului Bucuresti.

Una din ele e o foarte rara Dacia 2000. Dupa oglinzi, e cea mai slab echipata versiune Dacia 2000, un Renault 20 TL cu motorul de 1,6. Aceste masini au fost folosite de ONT pana cel putin anul 1990.

Cel putin trei Dacii 2000 au supravietuit, doua TL-uri si un TS (motor 2 litri).

From the Viorel Simionescu photo archive - a rich archive with particularly interesting photos from trips in the 60s - a photo from 1984 showing two Dacias outside the Hotel Bucuresti.

One of them is a very rare Dacia 2000. From the mirrors, this is the lowest-spec Dacia 2000 made, corresponding exactly to the Renault 20 TL powered by the 1.6 engine. These cars were used by the Romanian National Tourist Office until at least 1990.

At least three examples of the Dacia 2000 have survived - two TLs and one TS (with a 2-litre engine).

O noua imagine cu Dacia Denem / A new image of the Dacia Denem

O poza surprinsa in 1984, cu noua masina a unei familiei: Dacia Denem L nou-nouta. E una din numai doua poze "de epoca" cunoscute cu Dacii britanice, in afara de cele din fabrica. (Cealalta, poza 3, surprinde un break modificat cu bare de R12 phase 1).

Cu aceasta ocazie am cules toate pozele existente cu Dacia Denem...

Erau patru dotari -  Base, L , GL si GLX (break-ul fiind disponibil numai in variantele Base, L si GL). Masina rosie e inregistrata ca un L, desi lipseste banda de cauciuc pe caroserie. Break-urile din pozele 3 si 5 sunt GL, avand portbagaj pe plafon. Masina albastra din poza 4 e un GL (capace cromate). Dacia alba SHU e un Base iar break-ul RGK e un L. Dacia alba, RTF611Y, e un GLX, varf de serie, cu jante Gotti, acoperis cu vinilin, si geamuri electrice.

Precizez ca toate modificarile - inclusiv schimbarea volanului - au fost facute in Marea Britanie, la atelierele Abbey Hill, in Yeovil, in sud-vestul tarii. Din nou, insigna Dacia a fost exclusiv pentru piata britanica.

Observam ca au existat cateva variante diferite. Se pare ca primele examplare aveau jante simple si bare cromate; ulterior au fost dotate cu jante Canada si bare negre (ca in prima poza). In plus, la capitolul capace, au existat si "romb" si "testoasa".

Conform unei reviste din 1990 (ultima poza), au fost si exemplare diesel, cu motor 1,6. Personal, nu cred; oricum, Denem Diesel nu apare in nicio statistica.

Din pacate, din cele aproximativ 700 vandute, numai una e sigur existenta. Restul e memorii...

A 1984 photo with a proud family's brand new Dacia Denem. It's one of only 2 period non-factory photos of a Denem. (The other - photo 3 - is an estate with R12 bumpers).

With this occasion I gathered all the photos existing of Denems...

There were four trim levels: L Base, L, GL and GLX - the estate only being available in Base, L and GL. The red car is an L though for some reason missing the side rubbing strips. The estates in photos 3 and 5 are GL - the give-away being the roof rack. The blue saloon in photo 4 is also a GL (chromed hubcaps). A128SHU is a Base model and the RGK estate is an L. Finally the white saloon, RTF611Y, is a top of the range GLX, with Gotti alloys, a vinyl roof, and electric windows.

All these modifications, including the change over to RHD, were carried out in the UK, at Abbey Hill in Yeovil. The Dacia emblem was also exclusively for the British market.

There are some variations. The earlier versions seem to have had chrome on the bumpers and R12 wheels. Later cars came with black bumpers and fancier wheels (as in photo 1). Hubcap designs also varied.

According to a 1990 magazine, there was also a 1.6 diesel. I doubt it personally. Certainly none of the records indicate any having existed.

Sadly, from 700 odd examples sold, only one is known to have survived. The rest: memories...

Mai multe imagini cu Alfa 8C regelui Mihai / More images of the King Michael Alfa 8C

Am mai vorbit citiorilor mei despre Alfa Romeo 8C care a apartinut regelui Mihai. Aici cateva imagini de exceptie aratand masina in anii 40 si in perioada comunismului.(surse: Curtea Veche, Florin Cicos, Motor Sport Magazine). Ultima poza e din 1988.

Desi masina a avut o viata grea, se vede nesperabil de bine conservata. In perioada actuala, pe sasiu se afla o caroserie tip spider; caroseria originala Touring se afla intr-o colectie particulara in Germania.

I have written before about King Michael's Alfa Romeo 8C. Here are some exceptional images showing the car in the 1940s and under Communism. (sources: Curtea Veche, Florin Cicos, Motor Sport Magazine). The last photo is as late as 1988.

Although the car had a hard life, it's shown in a pressy exceptional state of preservation. Currently, the chassis has spider bodywork fitted; the original body, coachbuilt by Touring, is in a private collection in Germany.

Un prototip Dacia sau o iluzie optica? / A Dacia prototype or an optical illusion?

O carte postala din 1986 cu o Dacie care arata cel putin neobisnuita.

Sa fie o iluzie optica? Sau un prototip papuc, cum e acest exemplar fotografiat in Ardeal in 2011?

A postcard from 1986 with a very unusual-looking Dacia.

Is it an optical illusion? Or a prototype, such as this example, photographed in Transylvania in 2011?

Tour de Roumanie (1967)

De pe pagina Facebook Valiza cu fotografii, doua poze din Galati aratand Turul Romaniei din 1967. Pagina precizeaza ca e vorba de "Turul României", ediţia a XVI-a, a doua etapă Ploieşti-Galaţi, ajunsă în oraş în ziua de 13 septembrie. Pe 14 septembrie, ora 13.00 din centrul Galaţiului se dădea startului celei de a III-a etape, Galaţi-Gheorghe Gheorghiu Dej.

Masinile sunt Fiat 850, Volga, si un Opel Rekord Olympia P2 Caravan - toate prezente comune pe strazile Romaniei, primele doua modele fiind importate oficial.

Ma intreb daca filmul "Vin Ciclistii" din 1968 (despre care am mai scris) surprinde acelasi eveniment.

From the Facebook page The suitcase of photos, two images showing the 1967 Tour of Romania. The page says that this is the 16th edition, the second stage between Ploiesti and Galati. The cyclists arrived in Galati on 13 September and set off on the 14th at 1pm towards Gheorghe Gheorgiu Dej (the city not the person).

The cars are Fiat 850, Volga, and an Opel Rekord Olympia P2 caravan - all frequently seen on the streets of Romania, the first two being official imports.

I wonder if the 1968 film "The Cyclists are Coming" (about which I've written before) covers the same event.

Vizite oficiale in 1956 - Official visits in 1956

Din 1956, trei poze aratand vizite oficiale in Romania - prima a liderului iugolsav Tito, celelalte doua a liderului nord-corean Kim Il Sung.

1. Parada in fata casei Scanteii. Mai exista poze din acceasi parada - le-am prezentat aici. Vedem, din nou, ZIS-110 si Gaz-12 ZIM. Cele doua masini din fata ZIS-ului sunt Chevroleturi model 1954. Si ,pentru prima oara, observam masina fotografului: un Land Rover, una dintr-o serie (se pare, destul de mare) importata in anii 50. Oare ce sunt motocicletele?

2. Kim Il Sung in vizita la uzinele Steagul Rosu - poate cea mai veche poza existenta din fabrica.

3. 2 ZIS-uri si ce pare a fi o americanca in spate.

From 1956, three photos showing official visits in Romanian. The first is the Yugoslavian leader Tito; the second two show the North Korean leader Kim Il Sung.

1. Parade in front of the Press House. There are other photos around of this parade - I presented them here. We can see once again ZIS and Gaz-12 ZIM models in use. The two cars in front of the ZIS-110 are 1954 Chevrolets. And, for the first time, we can see the photographer's car: one of a batch (quite a large one, it seems) imported in the mid-50s. I wonder what the motorcycles are?

2. Kim Il Sung visiting the Steagul Rosu factory - perhaps the earliest photo of the factory on record.

3. 2 ZIS-110 convertibles, and what seems like an American car in the crowd behind.

Din Craiova interbelica / From inter-war Craiova

Ca un oras mare, Craiova avea o gramada de masini... Aceste poze, puse pe Facebook pe contul "Craiova de ieri", surprinde o parte din ele. In 1933 prefectura Craiovei avea 733 autovehicule inscrise (din care 83 taximetre) - la sfarsitul deveniului numarul ajunsese cert la peste o mie (autobuzul aeroportului Craiova purtand numarul 1234-Cv). Judecand dupa poze, majoritatea erau de origine americana, desi se vede si o representatnta FIAT.

As a large city, Craiova had a lot of cars... These photos, posted on Facebook on the "Craiova de ieri" (Craiova of yesterday) account, capture some of them. In 1933 there were 733 vehicles registered at the town hall, of which 83 were taxis. By the end of the decade that number had increased to at least a thousand, the Craiova airport bus being registered 1234-Cv. Judging by the photos, the vast majority of vehicles were American, although the FIAT dealership is also visible.