Gaz M20 Pobeda - part 2

Inca niste poze cu Pobezi in Romania. Surse diferite. Va urma: ce-a ramas din ele.
Several more photos from different sources with Pobedas in Romania. To follow: what is left of them.

Volga care dispare / The disappearing Volga

Doua imagini din inceputul anilor 60 cu Calea Marasesti din Bacau. Ghiciti diferenta...
Two images fron the early 60s of Marasesti Way in Bacau. Spot the difference...


Ma intreb de ce. Motive estetice? Sau poate gramada de masini luxoase nu arata deloc proletar? Cine stie...
I winder why? Aesthetic reasons? or simply that too many luxury cars in one shot was hardly true to Socialist ideals? Who knows...

Premii de motociclism, anii 40 / 1940s motorcycle trophies

Recent de vanzare pe eBay. Cu siguranta niste piese rare! ARMA = Asociata Romana a Motociclistilor Amatori, fondat 1934.
Recently for sale on eBay. Definitely rarities! ARMA was the Amateur Motorcyclists' Association of Romania, founded in 1934.

Vacante, anii 70 / Seventies Holidays

Un set de poze din anii 70. De exceptie e Mercedesul "bot de cal" cu numar scurt, mare semn de distinctie sociala in anii 70. Exemplare la mana doua costau cam 100-120 mii de lei, adica trei Trabanturi noi, sau o Volga si jumatate. Alta masina interesanta e Mercedesul microbuz. Oficiul National de Turism a avut o mica flota inainte sa cumpere Irannationaulrile alb cu albastru prin 1976, care inca sa mai vad astazi circuland.

A set of snaps from the 70s. Worth mentioning is the Mercedes saloon with a three-digit license plate, a sign of high social distinction back then, when a second-hand example cost about 100-1200 thousand lei, or three new trabants or a Volga and a half. Another interesting vehicle is the Mercedes minibus, one of a small fleet oned by the National Tourism Office and used until around 1976, when they were replaced by the blue and white-liveried Irannationals which can still be occasionally seen around Romania.

GAZ M20 Pobeda

Cea mai des importata masina in Romania anilor 50. Costa 75,000 lei, dar foarte putini au cuparata asa ceva ca masina particulara, fiind vorba de o perioada unde orice bun burghez era vazut cu mare suspiciune. Putine au supravietuit, cel mai bun exemplar fiind un model 4x4 in Bucuresti. La Piatra Neamt inca mai circula (e frept, foarte rar) un exemplar nerestaurat. Restul sunt cam in stare de epava si nu cred sa existe mai mult de 20.

Cateva poze de epoca, pre 1966...







The most often imported car in 1950s Romania, the Pobeda as freely available for sale at 75,00 let, although few found their way into private hands, such bourgeois goods being regarded as deeply suspicious. A handful survive, the best being a 4x4 version in Bucharest. There is also an old man in Piatra Neamt who uses his as his only car, about twice a year. The rest are in terrible condition; I do not think there are more than about 20 left.

Some pre-1966 photos...

Sinaia 1953

O familie destul de importanta din Bucuresti in fata la Peles in 1953. Masina e un superb Tatraplan. Un exemplar din 14 importate in Romania de nou, poate. Dar numarul? Temporar? Posibil de CD, inainte de numere CD-101 introduse in 58...

A quite important Bucharest family at Peles in 1953. The car's a Tatraplan, potentially one of just fourteen imported into Romania from new. But the plate? Could it be temporary? Or early diplomatic before the introduction of the CD-style plates in 1958...

Sinaia 1940

Trei poze de exceptie, facute de un grup de turisti polonezi vizitand Romania in 1940 in Skoda lor ,,Popular''. Fara discutie cea mai interesanta imagine e semnul pus de ACRR (Automobil Club Regal Roman) langa ramasitele unui tourer, probabil de prin 1930, aratand ce se intampla daca soferul nu are grija... Acest obicei putin macabru se practica in Romania si mai recent, pana curand pe soseaua Piatra-Neamt Bacau fiind expusa o carcasa accidentata de Peugeot 104. Interesant, totusi, ca aceste semne erau puse de un corp particular si nu de stat sau de ministerul transporturilor.

Three exceptional pictures taken by a group from Ploand touring Romania in 1940 in their Skoda Popular. Without a doub the most interesting one os of the sign advising drivers to take care and, by showing the mangled wreckage of a circa 1930 tourer, telling them what happens if they don't... This habit lasted until modern times; until farily recently, on the stretch of road between Piatra-Neamt and Bacau, the carcass of a Peugeot 104 was disaplyed prominently by the roadside with similar grim implications. Interestingly, however, in pre-war Romania it was the equivalent of the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) who put such signs up, and not the Ministry of Transport.