← Continued from Page 3 of "From Dacia 1300 to Dacia Logan/Duster. The History of a Controversial Brand"But don’t get it into your head that Dacia was the people’s car and anyone could easily afford and purchase one. No way, the reality was in fact quite bleak. Dacia 1310 cost, at that time, around 5000-5500 Euro. Now try to imagine that a “regular” Romanian made about 100-150 Euro per month! It was pretty harsh for the poor “idiots” who yearned for a somewhat decent means of transportation.
Furthermore, it could take years and years until your car was available, at which point the lucky owners to be were taken to a parking lot and left to take their pick based only on their basic senses (if they there fortunate enough to have any) and the car’s paint color. Once selected, the car could not be exchanged regardless if it was defective (something which happened quite often).
People had to figure out by themselves a way to get the cars home, where repairs were promptly kicked-off.
Frequently, it happened so that the cars had to be picked up from the actual production plant, which was fatal for buyers who did not have sufficient fuel to last for a journey several hundred miles long. Remember, gas was drastically rationalized by the communist regime, just like bread, butter, meat, milk and many other basic products.
Owners did everything in their power to protect their dear treasure, an investment which ruined their decades-long savings and, in some cases, cash loans from relatives and friends. Some went even as far as not removing the seats’ plastic packaging in order to safeguard them from harm for as long as possible.
Turning back to Dacia history, the brand’s management decided in 1980 that it was high time to bring forth a new, diminutive car, especially designed for the typical Romanian family which had, on average, two children. It was Dacia Lastun’s welcome party!
Manufactured at the Timisoara factory, Dacia Lastun was supposed to be an “ahead of its time” concept, a revolutionary vehicle aiming to deliver two full sized seats for adults and two minute ones in the rear, for the kids.
A fuel consumption of only 3.3L per 100Km, a top speed of 60 mph, extremely reduced size, a 499 cm3 two cylinder engine, everything brings to mind the shiny hideous boxes renowned brands try to cram down our throats at much, much bigger prices, under the pretext of reduced fuel consumption and... progress.
It’s easy to notice that Dacia understood the necessity for such a vehicle long before the financial crisis that currently shakes the planet from its very foundations came about. Moreover, the Dacia engineers used a special synthetic resin based material instead of the ordinary steel and aluminum, in an attempt to lower the car’s weight as much as possible, subsequently leading to reduced fuel consumption.
But, like it always happens when things try to go ahead of their time, the project failed miserably. The world didn’t need a car without a spacious boot, people didn’t want to drive go-karts with Lilliputian engines and technological issues that popped up like mushrooms after a rain shower. And so, Dacia Lastun did not last long, being discontinued in 1989 after being produced in very few numbers and plagued by countless defects.
And because 1980 was the year when recreational herbs grew freely around Mioveni, an ultra-limited edition Dacia 1310 Break Limousine model saw the light of day. It was, in fact, a Dacia 1310 wagon with 7 seats that looked unusual to say the least. Only 5 of these were ever made.
Furthermore, it could take years and years until your car was available, at which point the lucky owners to be were taken to a parking lot and left to take their pick based only on their basic senses (if they there fortunate enough to have any) and the car’s paint color. Once selected, the car could not be exchanged regardless if it was defective (something which happened quite often).
People had to figure out by themselves a way to get the cars home, where repairs were promptly kicked-off.
Frequently, it happened so that the cars had to be picked up from the actual production plant, which was fatal for buyers who did not have sufficient fuel to last for a journey several hundred miles long. Remember, gas was drastically rationalized by the communist regime, just like bread, butter, meat, milk and many other basic products.
Owners did everything in their power to protect their dear treasure, an investment which ruined their decades-long savings and, in some cases, cash loans from relatives and friends. Some went even as far as not removing the seats’ plastic packaging in order to safeguard them from harm for as long as possible.
Turning back to Dacia history, the brand’s management decided in 1980 that it was high time to bring forth a new, diminutive car, especially designed for the typical Romanian family which had, on average, two children. It was Dacia Lastun’s welcome party!
Manufactured at the Timisoara factory, Dacia Lastun was supposed to be an “ahead of its time” concept, a revolutionary vehicle aiming to deliver two full sized seats for adults and two minute ones in the rear, for the kids.
A fuel consumption of only 3.3L per 100Km, a top speed of 60 mph, extremely reduced size, a 499 cm3 two cylinder engine, everything brings to mind the shiny hideous boxes renowned brands try to cram down our throats at much, much bigger prices, under the pretext of reduced fuel consumption and... progress.
It’s easy to notice that Dacia understood the necessity for such a vehicle long before the financial crisis that currently shakes the planet from its very foundations came about. Moreover, the Dacia engineers used a special synthetic resin based material instead of the ordinary steel and aluminum, in an attempt to lower the car’s weight as much as possible, subsequently leading to reduced fuel consumption.
But, like it always happens when things try to go ahead of their time, the project failed miserably. The world didn’t need a car without a spacious boot, people didn’t want to drive go-karts with Lilliputian engines and technological issues that popped up like mushrooms after a rain shower. And so, Dacia Lastun did not last long, being discontinued in 1989 after being produced in very few numbers and plagued by countless defects.
And because 1980 was the year when recreational herbs grew freely around Mioveni, an ultra-limited edition Dacia 1310 Break Limousine model saw the light of day. It was, in fact, a Dacia 1310 wagon with 7 seats that looked unusual to say the least. Only 5 of these were ever made.
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