La frontiera - 1972 - At the border

In Oradea. Courtesy of Picasaweb.

IFA in Piata Victoriei, 2003

Pana prin 2003-4, in mijlocul Pietei Victoriei statea un frumos IFA F9 in doua culori, pe post de reclama. Ulterior a disparut. Ca toate marcile din anii 50, aceste masini sunt astazi foarte rare in Romania, probabil nu mai mult de 6 sau 7, din care, in afara de 1-B-3961, sunt numai doua in stare decenta, una in CS si una maronie in B, ambele pe numere vechi. Se mai stie ceva de saraca masina? (prima poza: Flickr)




Until about 2003 or 2004, in Victory Square in the centre of Bucharest, there stood an IFA F9 as a mobile ad. Later, the car was to disappear. Like all 50s cars, these are now very rare in Romania: probably no more than 6 or 7 exist, and only two (except for this one) in anywhere near decent condition, one in Bucharest and one in Caras-Severin, noth of which have not been driven for over ten years. I wonder what happened to this survivor... (first photo is from Flickr)

Skoda 1200 in Romania, part 2

Acum cateva saptamani am vorbit prima oara despre Skoda 1200 in Romania. Povestea Skoda in Romania continua ... In anii 50 si 60, varianta 1200 furgoneta a fost folosita de Posta Romana si, foarte posibil, si ale intreprinderi de stat. Skoda 1200 Furgon, in acea vreme, era cam singura furgoneta produsa de tarile comuniste, cu exceptia unei variante de Moskvich 401 si 407, produse in serii foarte mici, si Skoda 1102 Furgon, model mult mai vechi, cu origine entebelice, care si el era folosit in Romania anilor 50. Pentru carat marfa usoara, deci, Skoda 1200 era varianta ideala. Aceste masini au fost folosite pana cel putin in 1964, in Romania. Prima imagine, destul de bine cunoscuta, e de pe un timbru emis in anii 50. A doua e de pe o carte postala datata 1961, sigur nu mai veche de 1957 cand au aparut primele 40 de Wartburguri in Romania. A patra poza e din 1964 si, foarte interesant, arata si un Land Rover (despre prezenta carei am sa povestesc mai tarziu); ultimile doua imagini sunt din Polonia, din anii 50.

Some weeks ago I spoke for the first time about Skoda 1200s in Romania. Skoda's story in Romania contiunes ... In the 1950s and 60s, the van variant of the 1200 was used by the Romanian pOst Office, and quite possibly other state enteprises too. In those days, it was the only small commercial vehcle being produced in the Eastern Bloc, except for pehrpas the van versions of the Moskvich 401 and 407, maide in very small qunatities, and the older Skoda 1102 van dating to before the war; as such, the 1102 Furgon was the ideal choice for carrying light goods. These cars in Romania were isued until at least 1964. The first picture, fairly well-known, is from a stamp produced by the Romanian Post office in the 1950s; the second dates from between 1957 (when the first Wartbrugs arrived in Romania, 40 of them) and 1961 (when the postcard circulated); the third picture dates from 1964 and, fascinatingly, shows a Land Rover (the explanation for its presence in Romania is another story); the final two pictures show Skoda 1200s in simlar use in 1950s Poland.

Opel Kapitan Cabriolet, 1938 - 1940

Modelul Opel Kapitan, desi folosind vechiul motor 2/5 in sase cilindri de Opel Super Six, purta o carosierie noua, ultramoderna, si unitara, in stil Art Deco. A fost foarate bine primit : peste 25 000 exemplare au fost construite incepand cu 1938, si porductia a contiunat dupa razboi intr-o forma mai mult sau mai putin modificata pana in 1953. 4,560 din astea erau decapotabile, majoritatea carosate de Opel, dar 248 ajungand la firme celebre precum Glaser si Hebmuller.

S-a vandut decent si in Romania, iar, in timpul razboiului si imediat dupa, foarte multe exemplare au fost aduse, ceea ce inseamna ca Opel Kapitan e unul din cele mai raspandite modele antebelice in Romania, unele exemplare fiind folosite zilnic pana in anii 80. Robusta berlina in patru portiere, bine inteles, era mult mai potrivita pentru o masina de familie decat modelele cabrio. Stiu de cel putin zece berline care inca mai exista intr-o forma sau alta, desi nici una nu e in stare de circulatie sau cu numere noi. Iar din Kapitanele decapotabile, masina alba, destul de bine prezervata (chiar cu capacele originale), era de vanzare acum vreo zece ani in Oradea, si exexmplarul rosu se spune ca inca mai e in tara, poza fiind postata in albumul Automobilia cu ce mai exista in Romania. Ca la toate aceste modele care au supravietuit in RO, farurile hexagonale au fost inlocuite cu unele rotunde, probabil de Volga sau de TV. Intr-un viitor post am sa prezint berlinele existente, Kapitanul in parerea mea fiind una din cele mai frumoase masini antebelice, fapt dovedit de poza 1, aratand un cabriolet Opel in Romania in 1941, sau de exemplarul Hebmuller in poza 4, fotografiat de mine la Riga in mai 2010.






The Opel Kapitan, although with the same 2.5 six-cylinder engine from the Opel Super Six, had an ultra-modern Art Deco unitary body. It sold well, over 25,000 examples beginning with 1938; modified, it survived in the Opel line-up until 1953. Of these, 4,560 were convertibles, mainly Opel-bodied four-light examples but also 248 which would received elegant bodywork by famous coachbuilders such as Glaser and Hebmuller.

It was a popualr car in Romania, too, selling decently before the war. During wartime, a reat many found thier way to Romania, and under Communism the Kapitan was a frequently-seen pre-war car, some remaining in daily use until well into the Eighties. The robust four-door closed version, of course, was far more suited for a family workhorse than convertibles, and at least ten have survived to this day in Romania, none of them, unfortunately, in working order. Of the convertibles, the white one was running, in reasonably good condition, and for sale in Oradea circa 1999, while the red example is still allegedly in Romania. Like every single other Romanian example, the delicate hexagonal headlights were crudely replaced by round ones, probably from a Volga or TV van. In a future post I will present surviving examples of the saloon, as the Kapitan is one of my favourite pre-war cars. Its modernist style is I think clearly shown in photo 1, showing an Opel-bodied version in 1941 Romania, and photo 4 of a Hebmuller version I was lucky enough to see in Riga this May.

Buick Electra, 1968 - 2009

In coloana oficiala lui Ceausescu in anii 60, se gaseau mai multe feluri de masini. Bine-inteles, era masina in care calatorea iubitul conducator, de obicei sau un Cadillac decapotabil din 1959, sau celebrul Mercedes 600 Pullman landaulette. In spate, de obicei erau Mercedesuri sau Volgi, ambele de culore neagra. Cateodata, se mai zarea si cate un Opel Admiral negru, o broscuta de militie, un Jaguar 420, tot de militie, sau chiar o limuzina sovietica, ZIL sau Ceaika, desi nu foarte des, dezrusificarea fiind o tema importanta in politica de externa. Dar in una din pozele din fototeca comunismului, se vede un Buick Electra, model 1959. Probabil a fost adusa de noua pentru un inalt demnitar, masinile americane fiind foarte in voga pentru elita politica a anilor 50. (Dej conducea un Cadillac ca masina personala.) Oricum, fara discutie facea furori in perioada respectiva.

Astazi, un exemplar identic, foarte posibil chiar masina din poza, se gaseste in paragina in Mioveni. Fara discutie masina a avut o viata grea dar interesanta. Ma intreb cate alte bijuterii zac in parcari provinciale...

In Ceausescu's motorcade in the 1960s, there were several types of cars. Of course, there was the Dear Leader's own vehicle, either a 1950 Cadillac convertible or his famous Mercedes 600 Pullman landaulette, to be used on the most auspicious occasions. Then there were either black Volgas or black Mercedes 220s, or, more rarely, the odd black Opel Admiral, militia VW Beetles or Jaguar 420s, or even the odd Soviet ZIL or Chaika limousine, though not often given the official policy of de-Russification. And in one of the photos published online by the centre for investigating Commmunism in Romania, we can see a 1959 Buick Electra. It was probably brought new for very a high official, American cars being very fashionable among the Fifties Communist elite. (Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej's private car was a Cadillac.) It must have caused quite a stir on the streets of Bucharest.

Now, an identical model, perhaps even the same car, languishes in a parking lot in Mioveni. It bears the scars of a hard life in Romania, but it must have some fascinating stories to tell. I wonder how many similar jewels lie unloved in provincial side streets...

Nu Volga neagra ... ci Volga pick-up / Romanian-made Volga pick-ups

In anii 60 in Bucuresti, pentru taximetre de carat marfa, se foloseau IMS-uri, ARO-uri M461, sau TV-uri. Prin 1970, totusi, au inceput sa circule pe strazile capitalei si Volga M21 pick-up, carosate special la uzinele ITB. Din poze de epoca, aflam ca masinile erau un albastru deschis, spre bleu. In plus, se pare ca nu a fost o serie de Volgi cumparate si carosate: majoritatea masinilr sunt modele 1958-62, adica invechite, probabil foste masini din dotarea vreunui minister, bune numai pentru carat marfa. Dupa 1975/6 nu mai apar poze cu Volgi M21 in dotarea ITB-ului, desi o poza, din 1978 (penultima), arata un pick-up simplu, probabil scos din taximetrie si folosit particular. In mijlocul anilor 70, ARO 24, model mult mai modern, le-a inlocuit; ARO 24 urmeaza si el sa fie inlocuit de autocamioneta Dacia 1302 in 1978/9.

Ultima poza arata un Volga pick-up care a supravietuit in Romania: daca e un supravietuitor unicat din lotul ITB sau o modificare home-made, n-am nicio idee. Multi astazi asociaza Volga M21 cu nomenclatura comunista, insa iata un model mult mia putin cunoscut, si in plus, unicat in Romania (desi se pare ca si uzinele de la Gorki au incercat asa ceva in serie extrem de mica).

In the 1960s, commercial taxis in Bucharest were ARO and IMS trucks, and TV pickups. However, in about 1970, Volga M21 pick-ups started to ply the streets. These were specially coachbuilt at the ITB works in Bucharest. From old photos, it can be seen that they were painted a medium shade of blue. It also seems that there were not a specific seris of cars imprted from new: most of the models visible are older, pre 1962 Volgas, indicating that they were taken from the services of various Departments owing to advanced age or use, and places as workhorses in the state-oned taxi fleet. By 1975/6, they were being replaced with the far more modern ARO 24 range, which in turn would be replaced by the Dacia 1302 in around 1978/9.

The second to last photo, taken in 1978, shows a rather battered example without ITB livery, presumably withdrawn from taxi use and used as a private hack. The final picture shows a surviving Volga pick-up. Whether it is a unique survivor of the original Bucharest cabs, or a home-made conversion, I do not know.

Most people these days associate the Volga M21 with Communist nomenklatura. However, here is one model of Volga which is far less known and, moreover, unique to Romania (although, to be fair, it seems that the Gorky works also tried something similar, in very limited quantities).

Masinile regale, vol I / Royal cars, volume 1

Ieri a fost ziua Regelui: a implinit 89 ani. In afara de traditionalul "La Multi Ani", m-am gandit sa va arat niste imagini mai putin cunoscute cu tema regala...

1) Mercedes 540K Cabriolet Sindelfingen, pozat in anii 40 (Pragher)
2, 3) Landaulette Hispano-Suiza folosita de regele Carol II in anii 30 (Pragher / video de arhiva)
4) Regele Mihai in vizita in Romania, 1992, intr-un Rover seria 800 oficial. (Corbis)

Mai vor fi...

Yesterday was the King's birthday; he is 89. As well as wishing him many happy returns, I thought I would use the opportunity to show some less well-known photos of Royal cars over the years...

1) Mercedes 540K Cabriolet Sindelfingen, pictured in the 1940s (Pragher)
2, 3) Hispano-Suiza landaulette upsed by Carol II in the 1930s (Pragher / archive footage)
4) King Mihai visiting Romania in 1992, in an official Rover 800 series. (Corbis)

More to come...