Romaniashite

[Adrian_pt]

On the following pages I'll whack a selection of the best things I've seen over in Romania...

[Adrian_pt]

 

and here is my first attempt at putting up a picture ... Late '60s Merc, spotted last summer. In Romania they call this model "bot de cal" (horse's face), due to the vertical headlights.

[Adrian_pt]

Now I know it works, a few more:

 

Worst Renault 16 I've ever seen. Been off the road seven years.

See how many parts are off a Dacia (R12)... including the frankly amazing mirrors, which are off the pick-up version.

This is stupidly rare: a Dacia prototype, made around 1995 and in daily use. Unique as far a sI know, but factory-made.

Again:

I almost bought this, but it was a real dog. 1987 Wartburg. 300 quid.

Dacia 1100. Now pretty rare. This is from late 1969 to 1971.

'68 Mosky

Earlyish Dacia Sport - the only vehicle in the world where the rear screen is exactly the same as the front one!

Holy grail - Tagora!

Absolutely stunning Escort Mk1

Lovely Fiat 850. For a time in the 60s, the Fiat range was officially imported, and these were very popular. Up until a few years ago, they, the 1300/1500, the 600, and the 800, were pretty regular sights. Now most have been scrapped as everyone finds they can afford something newer.

Another massive rarity: Audi 80, completel with colour-coded block of flats.

Finally, another view of that catastrophic R16!

 

I have more, some equally shite, some far, far worse, so watch this space!

[carlo]

A Romanian Tagora, now I've seen everything. Looks like fabulous spotting country.

[Adrian_pt]

It's pretty good - I didn't even have to try hard to find that lot.

 

A few more things:

DAF

Disastrous Mosky

Opel, VW

A friend's photo, this, but I couldn't resist. It seems as if this 1936 Opel Olympia (not Moskvich) was in daily use until the 90s.

1958 GAZ 69, pretty heavily modified but still going strong. Spoke to the owner, farmer chap, didn't see why anyone was especially interested in his car!

Saving the best till last - although most of the stuff is pretty wrecked, you can still find immacualte gems. This 1975 Dacia, one owner from new, has been garaged all its life and has covered 35000 km. The owner was quite high up in the Communist Party, so he was allowed to order a special borwn interior when black vinyl was standard. It's still going strong on the Sundays when the owner puts on his driving gloves and takes it out!

[Mash]

Excellent tat there! Wow for the Tagora I'm pretty sure I saw one of those facelifted Dacias in Italy last week, certainly looked mor rounded than the original R12 shape. It was paerked up on the side of the Autostrada, so presumably broken down!

[Adrian_pt]

There were shitloads of re-designs of the basic R12 shape, as they carried on making them till 2004, and the pick-up till 2006. They're mainly common as muck over there so I've on;y really bothered to photograph the truly weird variations.

 

Anyway, a heavy tat update:

 

Mk 2 Scrote

 

Knackered Merc

 

2 Trabis, an increasingly rare sight

 

Fiat 1100R, the version with the rounnd tail lights, incredibly rare. This was for sale for the princely cost of 400 quid.

 

Dacia 1325 Liberta, circa 1991 - the secnd hatchback version they tried to do. Pretty rare, never exported. Was top of the range at the time.

 

Dacia 1320. This started production in 1988 and nly lasted 3 years before being superseded by the 1325. seems incredinbly wasteful to me. The design's a bit influenced by the Renner 20 (also produced in CKD form as the Dacia 2000)

 

Knackered old Dacia 1300 on the old-style plates, which have been illegal for eight years.

 

Granny hearse.

 

Anywhere else this would be scene. The Romanians still use them for carrying things round, there's only a "community" as such in the big cities.

 

Another hearse. I've also seen a Fiat 125 hearse, the mind boggles...

 

Stunning and original 1970 Dacia 1300, one of the very very first.

 

Nouveau Riche Shite (but still pretty sweet)

 

DDR Shite

 

Dying Porsche. For a very poor country it's amazing what they throw away.

 

RWD Opel shite

 

Stunningly desirable Fiat 1800. 3200 Euro as it's a proper classic.

 

Yet another old Merc, in pretty good solid condition.

 

Lovely 850

 

Not really shite. This is part of a good friend's collection of Romanian tin. The 4x4 is an ARO M461 in original army condition.

 

The van is truly special as it's the earilest in existence - a 1967 TV-51 van. A facelifted version of these was very briefly sold in England as an ARO in '76, and then a Tudor in 1980. I saw one in Bristol scrappy in 2003 and couldn't believe my eyes. Interesting that they were designed in the same year as the VW T2 - a fair bit more quirky and modern in my opinion.

[mk2_craig]

That recent Suzuki Swift doesn't half look out of place. The shagged Metro appears to be on Mk1 Fiesta wheels! Which is something I thought wasn't possible; perhaps somebody's drilled extra holes in the rims...

[pogweasel]

Grananada Hearse is superb. Of course it would be hi-abbed, painted with dulux and smashed to pieces in seconds if it was over here.

[mk2_craig]

Both of the hearses appear to be on Italian plates. Evidence of some underground trade between the two countries perhaps? (boom boom)

[Adrian_pt]

More.

 

2 further ARos, both immaculately restored, the rear one is the 5th earliest in existence we think

 

Effortless rat look:

 

Skoda 1000MB, this is now being restored by the guy who did the AROs

 

I'm not sure what's most exciting in this (shocking quality, I know) photo

 

Maserati in a pretty bad way

 

1 owner R10

 

Nice Taunus

 

R20 as opposed to Dacia 2000 (the Dacia was only dark blue or black)

 

Skoda in a very smart neighbourhood

 

Fiat 1800 again, this far more knackered

 

Dacia 1100 in good daily shape

 

Fiat 125 missing plate, otherwise fine and very straight

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm221/Adrian_pt/DSCN5035.jpg

 

 

Immaculate Merc

 

Escort Mk1 two-door, these would probably be worth several billion over here

 

Unremarkable Dacia 1310 estate, circa 1990/91, not used since 2000 but still pretty straight

 

Outrageously lovely Volvo

 

This is true shite, circa 1976 TV-12 pick-up:

 

Mega-rare Dacia 1300 estate in period colour. This really could be a scene from the grim '70s...

 

Nice Fiat 1300

 

Three photos have to be devoted to this as it is really super shite. 1964 Opel Admiral, ex-Ministry of the Interior, now spending its final ways as a workhorse in a remote rural village. Amazingly battered but unbowed.

 

Nice Dacia Sport

 

Cleanish and very early Dacia 1300

 

Interesting Oltcit pick-up; this is one of the very last produced, probably in 1995/96 after the Daewoo take-over. You can see "Rodae" instead of "Oltcit" on the back. This version was never exported, and in normal hatchback version it's pretty solid gold shite anyway.

 

Final one for today: another shot of that mess of a Wartburg. The rear bumper is off an earlier model; the stickers on the back... Words fail me.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm221/Adrian_pt/DSCN3661.jpg

[Adrian_pt]

I never even clocked the Metro I was so busy looking at the Fiat! You're right though, that is horrific.Gravely bad joke re the hearses. I think it's pretty easy to get away with not registereing them, actually: in a small town in a very supersitious and religious country you don't want to piss off the person burying you..

[reallyloud]

 

I think its a Fiat 850 coupe, in front of a standard 850. Some truly amazing shots there, keep them coming.

[mr-reno-139]

excellent stuff there did the rest of us R16 lovers notice the collapsed rear swing arm mountson the lovely blue example

[Adrian_pt]

Britshit:

(some of these have appeared in PC mag before, so apologies for repetition - also, most, but by no means all, were taken by me)

 

Vauxhall

 

Pretty nice Triumph

 

Lovely Jag still going strong. The Romania police used to use the big 420s as police cars right until the 80s, when they were scrapped or exported to Africa. This would have been imported right after the Revolution.

 

Vauxhall, photographed in 2002 and since, I think, scrapped.

 

Rover P6; I know of at least four, of which one is a very early '63 model. Three letters on the (old-style) number plate indicates a pretty important owner, most people had four.

 

Dying Hillman

 

These Farinas seem to have been pretty popular in the 60s and 70s. The Wolseley is absolutely perfect, but at the 6000 E asking price it should be... Although some shite is dirt cheap, especially old Renaults, as more and more people cotton on to the fact that "Western" countries place great value in their classic cars, some people ask silly prices. I've seen 10000E asked for a Mk 2 Capri with a bodykit, 16000E asked for a '65 Jeep Wagoneer, 45000E for a terminally dead '37 Oldsmobile coupe, and - best of all - 40000E for a Mk3 Cortina! Crazy....

 

Last but not least, a pretty nice Vauxhall Victor.

[/img]

 

Coming Next: a selection of Fiatshite. Watch this space....

[Spottedlaurel]

Excellent stuff there, educational too. Amazed at the variety of facelifts they managed to get out of the R12 design.Love the big Opel.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Nice Taunus

 

Hey, check out whats in my Photobucket!!!

 

 

SNAP!

[Jazzy Jeff]

These pictures remind me of what Portugal used to be like about 15 or so years ago. Replace all the Renault 12's with Renault 4's and it's like stepping back in time.

[r.welfare]

Those 1410 Sports are something else. Were they pre- or post-Communist era? I can't see them having sold many if it's the latter, what with elderly Mantas and Sciroccos becoming available!

[CortinaDave]

Love the tornarse. Shite's quite expensive over there by the sound of it though... pity

[AnthonyG]

It's interesting what was available back in the day in these 'non aligned' semi- Communist countries - Yugoslavia (as was) was the same. Imagine the Romanian police roaring around in Jaguar 420s whilst the local crims had a nicked Fiat 1800 at best. You can tell Romania had its own source of oil. Interesting that Renault allowed dacia a year old design (an R12 in 1970 - obviously there were no exports I guess).

[r.welfare]

Wasn't unusual at the time - Fiat signed the deal with the Soviets to create Lada in 1966, when the 124 was introduced. The first Lada was built in 1970 - we didn't get the buggers until '74, mind.

[Adrian_pt]

Dacia Sport was available, in 3 difft versions, from '83 to '91. Got the original road tests lying around at home. Post-Revolution, though, there was just no need for it. Some pretty impressive things were available in the 60s and 70s. If you were man enough, you could import lots of things from the West; many people with relatives abroad sent "presents" (the Saxon villages round Transylvania, legend has it, had the highest percentage of Mercs in the Iron Curtain); also, there were lots of interesting cars officially ordered from Romania during the very brief period when it was open to hte Wwst and Ceausescu was on the front of Time magazine.The flipside was that, since the 60s, most of the wonderful stuff in Romania disappeared towards the West if it didn;t get melted down. The 60s phenomenon was Swedish tourists who would arrive in Romania, buy a 40-year old "fun car" and drive it out of the country. Lots of superb cars (Duesenberg, Bugatti, BMW 328, Mercedes SSK) disappeared, as well as some standard 20s and 30s models. In the 80s, several quite shadowy firms "confiscated" many other cars from before the war, often on the basis of the elderly owners being accused of Fascist/monarchist sympathies. The cars were then sold for hard currency over the border. The biggest exodus came after the revolution, when the borders were out of control. As a result there are probably about 50 roadworthy pre-war cars in Romania; in 1988 there were over 800 just in "cosmopolitan" Bucharest.

[Adrian_pt]

Oh, almost forgot - after the Jags and Mercs and Volgas were scrapped (too thirsty, when fuel rationing was 40l per month), the Securitate Dacias were either fitted with 2000 cc Renner engines, or 1.7 units from the Volvo 340! Sadly they weren't quite as plush as the leccy-windowed Denems sold over here...

[Gompo]

Excellent pics, look forward to an update soon..Cheers, Greg.

[ChinaTom]

leccy windows? Denem? Don't remember that! Are you sure? I recall some numpty ordering a vinyl roof on one though (a late uncle sold them briefly in a village garage in Suffok).Now I want one even more.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Wow astounding pictures - thank-you for sharing!

[MrRegieRitmo]

Fiat 1100R, the version with the rounnd tail lights, incredibly rare. This was for sale for the princely cost of 400 quid.

As owned by Mr N Bickle (as can be said for alot of things! )

[MrRegieRitmo]

 

I think its a Fiat 850 coupe, in front of a standard 850. Some truly amazing shots there, keep them coming.

Agreed

[MrRegieRitmo]

Maserati in a pretty bad way

Thanks for the 146 also!

 

 

Fiat 125 missing plate, otherwise fine and very straight

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm221/Adrian_pt/DSCN5035.jpg

 

Why doesn't the above pic show up?

 

 

Fiat 1800 again, this far more knackered

Did you not snap that Fiat (or Seat) 131 / Supermirafiori ?