Bucharest by Dacia 1310
Fancy stepping down the rabbit hole and touring Bucharest by Dacia 1310, the symbol of Ceausescu's Romania? Look no further!
A Dacia is a rebadged French Renault 12 from the late 1960s. In France they were produced between 1969 and 1978 whereas in Romania they were pretty much the only car available from 1969 through 2004 when Romanians finally were able to take out bank loans and overnight started driving top of the range Mercs and BMWs.
The car is a true window into the Ceausescu regime as every owner had to become an adept mechanic himself to keep the car running. My experience has been no different and its been a challenge from the day I bought Mihaela.
Dacias have all but vanished in Bucharest as a recycling program in 2004-2005 took them off the streets, but they are still the main mode of transport in certain remote rural areas of Romania. I imagine that when they were brand new they drove a bit better, but with only 62 horse power and no power steering Dacias were always the most rudimentary of cars. The smell of oil mixed with cheap vinyl is the dominant impression as you hold on tight trying to finesse the thing through city streets.
Come join me for a retrospective tour of Romania's capital before EU emission restrictions erase the car forever from Bucharest's streets in 2023!
The ride is limited to three passengers. Davin is fully insured.
DATE: Ongoing.
TOUR LOCATION: Central Bucharest and outlying communist bloc neighborhoods.
PRICE: 50 euros per person with a maximum of three passengers for four glorious hours of sightseeing abandon.
For further details and booking, contact Davin at:
davin@davinellicson.com