IMS-57
The first model was IMS-57, named by the factory initials (Intreprinderea Metalurgică de Stat) and the year it was released. A total of 914 vehicles were built between 1957 and 1959, mostly handcrafted. During World War II, on the site of a paper plant belonging to Letea company from Câmpulung-Muscel, the production of plane propellers and shooting equipment for airplanes produced by IAR Brașov was organized. After the production was abandoned, a group of workers begun building the first Romanian motorcycles in 1953. The design (from Russian GAZ 69) and production of the first Romanian all-terrain vehicle IMS-57 began in 1957, using the parts that were produced as well as upgrading. The 914 units of IMS-57 produced had the following characteristics: coachwork with two doors and tarpaulin, 3260 cc gasoline engine, 50 hp (37 kW) at 2,800 rpm, 80 km/h (50 mph), 24 L/100 km (12 mpg‑imp; 9.8 mpg‑US) consumption. The construction was handicraft: the equipped chassis in functioning condition were tested on the route Câmpulung-Colibași where they were bodyworked, painted and finished in the Pitești factory UAP. The tin parts were made on wooden lasts. Among other oddities, the IMS-57 had manual windshield wipers.
M461
A new model, the M461, was started in 1964. The design was similar to the previous models but every panel was different and the cars are clearly distinguishable. It showed look and finishing improvements, and a redesigned mechanics. Its engine had four in-line cylinders, 70 hp (52 kW), a maximum speed of 100 km/h (62 mph), and a 17 L at 80 km/h (50 mph) consumption.
| Name | Capacity | Power | Torque |
|---|
|
| 2.5 Petrol | 2512 cc | 70 hp (52 kW) at 4000 rpm | 160 N⋅m (118 lb⋅ft) at 2500 rpm |
|
The export of M461 begun in 1965, to China and Colombia (2,000 pieces). The M461 was a very good performer for its time, having won a few international competitions: 1970 Forests Rally (Belgium), 1973 Sons of Beaches (Oregon). With improvements in their technology and performances, some 80,233 M461 land vehicles were produced by 1975, out of which 46,549 were exported and more were used by Romanian Army. About 3,000 M461s are still on the road in Romania, with a very active owners' club. Many of the cars were until recently used by the army. Late versions were known as M473 on the German market. It was eventually replaced by the ARO 24 Series vehicles.
The Ford Anglia is a small family car that was designed and manufactured by Ford UK. It is related to the Ford Prefect and the later Ford Popular. The Anglia name was applied to various models between 1939 and 1967. In total, 1,594,486 Anglias were produced. It was replaced by the Ford Escort.
The Reliant Kitten is a small four-wheeled economy car which was manufactured from 1975 to 1982 in saloon, van and estate variants by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England. It was Reliant's second attempt at selling in the small car economy market after the 1960s Reliant Rebel.
The Ford Prefect is a line of British cars which was produced by Ford UK between 1938 and 1961 as an upmarket version of the Ford Popular and Ford Anglia small family cars. It was introduced in October 1938 and remained in production until 1941. Returning to the market in 1945, it was offered until 1961. The car progressed in 1953 from its original perpendicular or "sit-up-and-beg" style to a more modern three-box structure. Some versions were also built and sold by Ford Australia.
The Renault 5 is a five-passenger, three or five-door, front-engine, front-wheel drive hatchback supermini manufactured and marketed by the French automaker Renault over two generations: 1972–1985 and 1984–1996.
ARO was a Romanian off-road vehicle manufacturer located in Câmpulung. The first ARO vehicles were produced in 1957, and the last in 2003. For a short while, Daihatsu-powered AROs were sold in Spain and produced in Portugal under the "Portaro" brand. In Italy, AROs were produced and sold under the ACM brand, often fitted with Volkswagen engines.
The GAZ-69 is a Soviet four-wheel drive off-road vehicle produced by GAZ between 1953 and 1956 and then by UAZ between 1956 and 1972, though all of these light truck class vehicles were known as GAZ-69s. It was also produced in Romania until 1975.
The Studebaker Champion is an automobile which was produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, from the beginning of the 1939 model year until 1958. It was a full-size car in its first three generations and a mid-size car in its fourth and fifth generation models, serving as the junior model to the Commander.
The Fiat 600 is a small, rear-engined city car and economy family car made by Italian carmaker Fiat from 1955 to 1969 — offered in two-door fastback sedan and four-door Multipla mini MPV body styles. The 600 is considered a pop icon of the Italian economic miracle, and the three-row seating Multipla, though diminutive and odd-looking, is seen as one the first mass-produced minivans.
The Dacia 500 Lăstun was a small city car manufactured by Tehnometal, Timișoara, under the auto marque Dacia. The name derives from the Romanian for house martin, a small bird related to swallows.
The MGA is a sports car that was produced by MG from 1955 until 1962.
The Riley RM is a series of executive cars and compact executive cars that were made by Riley Motors from 1945 until 1955. They were the last models developed independently by Riley before its parent company, Nuffield, merged with Austin to form BMC. The RM series was produced in Coventry until 1949, when production moved to the MG works at Abingdon. Until 1952, models were marketed as the Riley 1½ Litre and the Riley 2½ Litre. the term RM has been used retrospectively to encompass models produced before 1952.
The Austin Cambridge is a medium-sized motor car range produced by the Austin Motor Company, in several generations, from September 1954 through to 1971 as cars and to 1973 as light commercials. It replaced the A40 Somerset and was entirely new, with modern unibody construction. The range had two basic body styles with the A40, A50, and early A55 using a traditional rounded shape and later A55 Mark IIs and A60s using Pininfarina styling.
The Austin A70 Hampshire and later Austin A70 Hereford are cars that were produced by Austin of Britain from 1948 until 1954. They were conventional body-on-frame cars with similar styling to the smaller A40 Devon and A40 Somerset models respectively, though with an entirely different larger and wider body on chassis construction. 85,682 were built.
The FSO Polonez is a motor vehicle that was developed in Poland in collaboration with Fiat and produced by Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych from 1978 to 2002. It was based on the Polski Fiat 125p platform with a new hatchback design by Zbigniew Watson, Walter de Silva and Giorgetto Giugiaro. It was available in body styles that included two- and four-door compact-sized cars, station wagons, as well as commercial versions as pickup truck, cargo van, and ambulance. Production totaled more than one million units, excluding the pickup truck and van variants. The Polonez was marketed in other nations and was popular in its domestic market until Poland joined the European Union in 2004.
Goggomobil was a series of microcars produced by Hans Glas in the Bavarian town of Dingolfing between 1955 and 1969.
The Mercedes-Benz W111 was a chassis code given to a range of Mercedes-Benz vehicles produced between 1959 and 1971, including four-door saloons (1959–1968) and two-door coupés and cabriolets (1961–1971). Their bodywork featured distinctive tailfins that gave the models their Heckflosse nickname — German for "fintail".
The Mazdaspeed3 is a sport compact hatchback introduced for the 2007 model year by Mazdaspeed and produced until 2013. The Mazdaspeed3 is a performance-enhanced version of the 5-door Mazda3.
The Simca Aronde is an automobile which was manufactured by the French automaker Simca from 1951 to 1964. It was Simca's first original design, as well as the company's first unibody car. "Aronde" means "swallow" in Old French and it was chosen as the name for the model because Simca's logo at that time was a stylized swallow.
Rocar was a van, light truck, bus and trolleybus manufacturer based in Bucharest, Romania. The firm also produced light offroad vehicles and later heavy road vehicles. During its existence, the company produced over 350,000 vehicles.
The Hennessey Venom GT is a limited-production high performance sports car manufactured by US manufacturer Hennessey Performance Engineering. The Venom GT is based on the Lotus Elise/Exige.
