Made because well.. To discuss eastern bloc vehicles and their special brothers and sisters, eg GAZ 21 to 23, ZIL 130 to 133 GYa etc
Well let me start with one prototype, probably my favourite, 1963 Škoda 1000 MB Kombi It still exists today! It was made from one of the 1961 Škoda prototypes which had an accident during testing, it proved that reworking the rear-engined 1000 MB into an estate wasn’t really feasible. Mainly thanks to the water-cooled engine which was difficult to both adapt and cool. Thanks to that the old Škoda Octavia Combi stayed in production until 1971 (which means that it outlasted even the original 1000 MB by two years!).
This reminds me of the Chevy Corvair Greenbrier. Despite it not being an eastern bloc vehicle, it has a rear engine EVEN as a van. Seeing this Skoda 1000 still be a rear engined vehicle even as a station wagon actually made me remember about this van. Another thing, is the fact that the 2101 that came with the 1.3 liter engine usually When it was Milicija, it had a 1.5 liter engine. Not sure if it even made much of a difference but still a cool thing you don't hear about much
Yeah, there were few rear-engined estates but all of them were air-cooled, there was of course the Volkswagen type 3 Squareback And the Chevrolet Corvair Wagon. I would love to own the Type 3 but they are quite expensive.
I've never seen that Type 3 before. It resembles the Amphicar. About motorcycles, do you know any eastern bloc motorcycles? Because currently I own one of these:
Oh, Ural, or Dněpr as it is know in Czechia. Always wanted to own one but it probably uses as much fuel as that 1000 MB --- Post updated --- For Czechia there are several bikes synonymous with the Eastern bloc times. The small and humble mopeds Stadions S11, S22 and S23 Jawa build Jawetta Standard and Sport models (It actually hasn't got a frame, the body is a unibody monocoque) Then there are small motorcycles all collectively sold under the name Jawa Pionýr (except the last model 23 which was sold under the name Mustang) This should help --- Post updated --- Then there were the big machines CZs 125, 175 and Jawas 250, 350 and for some time even 500 OHC (only four-stroke model) Look at those massive drums on the 500 OHC
Were Dneprs at all common in the Cesky Republic? Or was it more Jawa's and IZh? I'd think with the decent road structure of the Czech republic perhaps the smaller lighter bikes like Jawa? Here in england some modified Urals and Dneprs were sold under the name "Cossack". Interesting bikes and very rare here.
The Dněpr was realy only sold to military and even there there were only few. However many were imported after 1989. Jawas were of course the way to go: fast, light and pretty reliable also fuel efficient. Izh motorcycles were newer sold in Czechia (then Czechoslovakia of course) however east German MZs and Simsons were. --- Post updated --- Also what is your experience with the Ural like?
Since I have a KMZ K-750, basically a Dnepr, the name came around once the 650cc model arrived (overhead valve rather than side valve) Mine's a 750cc side valve, so before the Dnepr name which is why it's accurately called a KMZ rather than a Dnepr, but they're really nice. I've only seen one running, mine is a restoration project and is quite rusty. Previous owner screwed up the wiring and since then I have not been able to fix it (covid and lack of time) but from the one I've rode it's heavy, but nice. Once mine is restored I'll be running it solo (no sidecar). From what I've researched over the past 7 months or so, routine servicing seems to be the norm, much like every eastern bloc vehicle from the 70s and 60s. I am hoping that within at MOST the next 4 years, that I'll get it restored, but I think it will be more like 2.
Well I wish you the best of luck, running the original KMZ K-750 (I believe they were built between 1959 and 1962 but I could be wrong my memory is a little fuzzy with these bikes) There was actually a point in the mid 50s when the Czechoslovak police decided to replace its single seat 500 OHC with new Jawas 500 OHC type 02 with bigger brakes, stronger engine and with a doble seat instead of a single seat, during that USSR tried to push through the adoption of the KMZ M72 (for unification purposes), however last thing that was wanted by the Czechoslovak police was adoption of a Russian machine (mainly because at the time they were experiencing severe shortage of parts for their GAZ M20 Pobeda police cars) Thankfully mainly during the testing Jawa proved superior for Czech condition (better roads and higher required top speed also handling was crucial) The 500 OHC had 28 HP and a top speed of 135 kph (145 kph when lying flat) compared to the M72s 22 HP and a top speed of 110 kph. This was crucial since cars like the Tatra 600 or higher models of Škoda Spartak could excide speed of 120 kph which was unattainable by the M72. Whilst, in Russian conditions (those tests were also done) the Jawas OHC engine proved way to complicated and finicky for Russian conditions without proper service. Original Type 01 500 OHC Jawa: The Modernised type 02
Well the funny story is, as more cars came into the USSR, they had to start converting to using cars as well, to not only catch up, but for drunkards. They'd usually be plopped into the sidecar but that eventually became too much. As for the cars, I'd prefer Skoda 100 and 105 They're very pretty cars, both of them. A car that reminds me of the Skoda 100 is the Hillman Imp
¨ Just the idea of the police officer with the drunken men probably fiddling with the controls of the motorcycle. Czechoslovak police always had a car on call so that if there ever was a need to take someone away, they’d just wait ‘till that car arrived. I think that the Imp looks nice, simple and clean but that rear hatch always leaves me puzzled. Czechoslovakia had the advantage of having quite nice car imported so among the Wartburg, Škodas, Trabants, Moskvitches and Ladas you’d also have brand like Ford, Fiat, Renault or Hillman. In USSR your choice was either ZAZ, VAZ (LADA) or Moskvitch. Here are some prices just to give you an idea (1977-1978) Škoda 105 L 57 000,- Škoda 120 GLS 65 000,- Škoda 110 R 66 800,- Trabant 601 36 500,- Trabant 601 Universal 39 500,- Lada 1200 58 000,- Lada 1500 72 000,- Lada 1600 76 300,- Dacia 1300 66 000,- Wartburg 353 56 300,- Wartburg 353 Tourist 64 300,- GAZ 24 Volha 105 000,- Tatra 613 284 000,- and from the west: Austing Alegro 102 000,- Renault 5 TL 96 000,- Chrysler 180 98 000,- Ford Cortina 1600 85 000,- Renault 15 TL 101 000,- Fiat 131 Mirafiori 104 300,- Saab 99 CM2 125 000,- Saab 99 CM4 132 000,- Simca 1307 115 000,- Also, that photo of the 1000 MB is from 1992 that means that that nice looking Škoda was already 28 year old when the picture was taken
One thing I like about the VB (V. Bezpecnost) is their siren. The Tesla AZD 501. I think it fits the roof of the car perfectly, and gives the retro eastern bloccish feel. Another thing is the fact that this was the model that the soviets based their siren "SGU-60" on which resembled the sound and look of the AZD. What's interesting about the SGU-60 model, is that each one made sounded slightly different. Whether it be speed, how long each pattern sounds for, or how pitched it was. You can see how different they can be. On the GAZ 66 in this video, the mobile command, it sounds once or twice quick and then once slowly. From what I've researched it has something to do with the resistors and wire length inside the siren, and a screw adjustment. You can hear it in this video
Yeah, the Tesla AZD 501 truly suits the Eastern bloc atmosphere. I believe that Soviets used different frequencies so that the sirens wouldn’t blend together, thanks to that you’d be able to tell if there were two cars coming from different directions.. Although there is nothing better than a group of Tesla sirens... Older 1200, 1201 and early 1202 used a different siren (as far as I know later 1202s used the same siren as can be heard with the firefighters in the video above) here the older style siren can be heard:
My god did a bomb go off in that first one?? :O So many ambulances, and you can see old GAZ 21 in Verejna Bezpecnost colours. I think that old siren is just a generic mechanical one. Before SGU-60 though, soviets used Tesla AZD, a GDR two tone martinhorn, and BEFORE that was this thing called a "Gas siren". Literally a steam train whistle, but it was attached to the exhaust, and when a valve was opened via a foot pedal, it would let gas in and create an awesome sound you could hear for MILES. you can hear it here. And at 1:32 in this video is even better:
That generic siren on the Škoda 1200 is also a Tesla I just can remember which model. The first video is from a 1986 TV series Sanitka (Ambulance in Czech). It follow a carrier of a doctor Hanzlik who ended his work as a surgeon (for personal reasons, his boss was a jerk and they hated each other) and went to work for the Ambulance system (something that he is badmouthed for at home and at work since being a doctor for the Ambulance was seen as a lower class job) in the end it follows him from the year 1956 ‘till 1975. At first there are struggles with not having enough doctors and bad condition of the Ambulances (Unforgettable sentence from the mechanic to one of the drivers was that" the third gear jumps out and it pull to the left very hard!") but as the years progress there are new ambulances, and it all culminates in the last eleventh episode (from which is that scene). The culmination is a plane crash into a garden colony in Suchdoly (a group of gardens for people that live in flats so that they can still have somewhere were to spend time on the weekends) This last episode also shows that the Ambulance service that at first struggled was now at its full strength. Several actors said that the prepared set was so real that it was actually hard to watch and few of them even head mental breakdownsbafter they finished filming. Scenes from that episode: Unbelievably that plane crash isn’t just made up there was a plane crash into that exact garden colony in 1975 here are some pictures of the real event. It is also why we know that that movie ends in 1975. I also should mention one interesting feature of those old 1200 and 1201 Ambulances and that was their Tesla Fremos radio transmitter. That gave them their iconic 1.7 m long antennas that were shortened on some (not all) ambulances used in Prague because it would hit the roof of the car when driving over the medieval cobblestone streets of Prague, which would cause interference. Of course, as late as the early 70s there were still some old Škoda 1101 Ambulances with their 32 HP engine and such a small amount of space that there was no actual passenger seat. Just a small cover for the spare tire!
That filmography is absolutely stunning. That set looks like it's real, and if I weren't told that it was a TV set I would never know. About the Tesla radio, I had no idea they did those radios as well. I only know their 501 siren but that's about it. The ambulances look really nice, they look like the Sanitarka from the USSR during the 50's. Can't find any pictures right now though. And while we're on the topic of the CSSR, I've just come across a video which shows the "Banjo Band" with Ivan Mládek from the 60s to the late 2000s. Is it true that Mládek and his band was popular during CSSR times?
Tesla was Czechoslovakia’s main electronics producer so basically everything was from Tesla. Car radios, record players, televisions, reel to reel recorders, thelephones, electronic components, even computers. You name it, Tesla probably made it. Here is a great site with most of their domestic appliances: http://www.oldradio.cz/english.htm Ivan Mládek was immensely popular (and it could be said that he still is) he even had his own comedy shows after 1989 that were very popular. My favourite song from him is the song Zkratky (Abbreviations) In the first comment under that video there is even a pretty accurate translation into english. Poles used pretty interesting Ambulances, they were modified GAZ M20, late on their own Warszawas, they had minimal space but compared to our 36 HP Škoda 1200 they were faster. Poles also used our Škodas Delivery of new Ambulances Škoda 1101 for Poland Škoda 1201 in use in Warsaw But most interesting photo is this, the Austrian Red Cross with their basically new Škoda 1200 Ambulances helping Netherlands during the 1953 Flood. Also found this video which also shows the arial shots of the plane crash set and several funny and interesting moments during the series, first about 27 seconds are the actual intro of the series:
Lmao I cannot imagine an M20 being used for anything but a Milicija car. That looks frighteningly claustrophobic, but then again I'd rather be rushed to hospital than die lol. Another thing that I have noticed is how every single eastern bloc country before the 1960s, either used flashing lights or steady burns, or no lights at all. A good example is the GAZ M20 police car from USSR While this is just a model it has the same "A" on the spotlight which would be lit when responding. I cannot find a single video of this car using any sort of "Siren". The only one is from a 50's detective film which used the gas siren, which may not be accurate, as many films were back then in terms of sirens) You'd see a car equipped with a tesla AZD use the Martinhorn sound, see a Truck with the SGU-60 use the Gas siren (which isn't inaccurate, but the SGU-60 would be used alongside the gas siren) etc, which brings me onto the Santiar cars which only had white lights with red crosses, and most likely a Two tone martinhorn Which then moved onto these during the seventies And I believe these were equipped with a siren, but those who remembered these at the time say they nearly never remember the siren being used, and if they did they can't remember the model. I'd assume probably a martinhorn or maybe an electric siren lost in history. And as for Mládek, I think Embecko because it's about the Skoda 1000 IIRC
