CARS FROM THE BALKANS WHICH HAVE MARKED HISTORY

21.05.2020

The revival of the automobile industry in the SFRY after the Second World War was one of the priorities for the development of the economy. The main task was to design a vehicle that would motorize the nation and start further economic development. This is exactly what these cars from the Balkans served for! Since the 1950s, several cult models have been produced that have marked the upbringing of several generations of drivers. Take a look at the five most popular cars produced in the Balkans.

# 5 CITROEN DS “Shark” Citroen made history when it presented its technological marvel - the Citroen DS - at the Paris Motor Show in 1955. The model was so innovative for its time, that some thought it looked like a fantasy monster, while others were delighted with the hitherto unseen design. The DS is the most popular Citroen car, a model that confirmed the attitude of the French to try new things and push the boundaries. The DS, or the Shark popular in our country, was certainly not the most numerous car due to the specific appearance of the front part (for the jealous Frog), but it was very desirable. It became accessible to the inhabitants of the former Yugoslavia, after the production of Citroen cars was contracted in Slovenia. The company Cimos was founded in Koper, and in addition to the famous DS, the models Diana, AX, CX, BW, Ami, Visa and GS were produced. Speaking of Slovenia, we cannot fail to mention the cooperation with another French car manufacturer - Renault. The specific Renault 4 was produced in about 577,000 units in Novo Mesto.

# 4 GOLF Before Bosnia and Herzegovina became famous for its numerous Golf cars, and future Golf drivers were sometimes stereotypically characterized as Bosnians, the production of another German manufacturer - NSU - was carried out here. Although NSU had a very popular model at the time - the Prinz, the company's excessive experimentation led to their bankruptcy, when they were bought by VW. Based on the cooperation of the new owner and UNIS, TAS - Car Factory Sarajevo was created. In the beginning, TAS produced the famous "Bug", and since 1976, the future legendary model of the Balkans - Golf - has been produced here. GOLF I was produced from 1967 to 1985, when the production of the second generation of the historical model began. In total, about 150,000 copies were produced in Sarajevo.

# 3 OPEL The German car manufacturer Opel established cooperation with the Liknica Kikinda factory in the late 1970s. As part of this cooperation, the production of metal castings was carried out in Kikinda. The then owner of Opel, the American company General Motors, established cooperation with the Foundry, which created the IDA - Car Parts Industry. Thus, the production of Opel cars began in Kikinda, and the Cadet, Ascona, Senator and Omega models were assembled. Due to its reliability and cheap price, the cadet has become a very popular model in Serbia. During the cooperation, about 38,700 Opel cars were assembled in Kikinda.

# 2 FICO Fico was not the first car to be produced in the Kragujevac car factory, the first Zastava Auto model produced as many as 923,487 cars modeled on the Italian 600 and 600D models. Production began in 1956, with the purchase of a license, and this cooperation will mark the history of the Serbian automobile industry. Fico was a car that successfully motorized the nation. It was cheap, light and very easy to repair. Also, its batteries appreciate the low amount of electricity demand. Although it was intended for city driving and narrow Italian streets, that did not stop our drivers from going on vacation with their whole families and luggage on the roof. The popularity of fiche led to an increased need for infrastructure, so at that time the first highway in the Balkans was built, which stretched from Belgrade to Nis.

# 1 STOJADIN Zastava 101 is without a doubt the most numerous car in the former Yugoslavia. Especially if we include rigid Lada cars, which are also based on the Fiat model. You won’t see it on the streets in large numbers today, but it was unavoidable from the 70s until the late 90s. The model was produced on the basis of the Fiat 128 model, and with minor cosmetic changes it was produced from 1971 until 2008, when a record 1,273,532 copies were produced. Although there were minor cosmetic changes over the years, as well as name changes, he remained popularly known as Kec or Stojadin.

BONUS - DACIA Although when we talk about the Balkans, we mainly think of the countries of the former Yugoslavia, when it comes to popular cars, we cannot neglect our Romanian neighbors. The Dacia 1300 was the Romanian equivalent of a fiji, a car that motorized the nation. In almost 35 years of production, a total of 1,959,730 models came out of the production lines. Unlike other manufacturers on the list, Romanians are the only ones who successfully produce cars today. Since Renault bought the company, the Logan model has been launched, surpassing the success of the legendary 1300. Logan is the modern equivalent of simple, cheap cars, with a very good price-quality ratio.