The brand under which Russian cars were produced at the beginning of the 20th century. "Russo-Balts" were produced at the "Russian-Baltic Carriage Works" (RBVZ, founded in 1869 in Riga), which in 1908 had an automobile division.
The Russo-Baltique designer, the very first of which left the factory in 1909, was Julien Potterat, who previously worked for the Belgian automobile company Fondu and took all his early developments as a basis.
The very first model was the C-24/30 with a 24 horsepower engine. It was the “C” model that was destined to become the most massive in the history of the plant - a total of 347 pieces were sold, including various modifications, including those on a half-track. Subsequently, models "K" and "E" appeared, as well as cargo "D", "M" and "T".
In total, a little more than 600 cars were produced, which can be called a very good result for those times. Moreover, if the first models were assembled from parts ordered abroad, then later it was possible to establish the production of everything necessary at the plant itself. Sports "Russo-Balts", trucks, firefighters, buses and even armored cars were produced. These cars were known all over the world. They were owned by many famous Russian bankers and industrialists. Several "Russo-Balts" belonged to royal family, although Nicholas II himself treated them rather coolly.
In 1918, the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works was nationalized and renamed the First State Armored Plant. About a dozen "Russo-Balts" were released already under Soviet rule.
Subsequently, the model "Russo-Balt C 24/40" of the release of 1915 formed the basis of the first Soviet passenger car "Prombron" (a total of 5 units were produced). The former production facilities, where Russo-Balts were assembled, went to completely different owners.
But the Russo-Balt brand was not forgotten. A brand whose history is much shorter than the legend about it, Russo-Balt, is today associated with primordially Russian cars, so it is not surprising that there are those who want to revive the brand. Since the beginning of the century, it has been owned by A:Level, which was renamed Russo-Baltique in 2002. In 2006, the first car was presented - Russo-Baltique Impression, developed with the participation of the German studio German Gerg GmbH. However, almost no one was interested in the unusual concept and the work was curtailed, although it was originally planned to launch production in very small batches, no more than 15 pieces per year. But there is no doubt that attempts to revive Russo-Balt will be made in the future.
Many don't even realize. Today we will get acquainted with the RussoBalt automobile brand, which can rightfully be called the pioneer of the Russian automobile industry.
background
The first car with an engine internal combustion entered the territory Russian Empire way back in 1891. It was a car of the French company Panard-Levassor. It belonged to the editor of "Odessky list" Vasily Navrotsky.
In St. Petersburg appeared in 1895, and in Moscow - in 1899.
The first mass-produced car produced on the territory of the Russian Empire was the Frese and Yakovlev model, presented to the public in 1896. But this car did not arouse interest among official circles.
The motor and transmission were manufactured at the Yakovlev plant, and the chassis and wheels were made at the Frese factory. Both externally and structurally, the model was very similar to the Benz car. Nevertheless, the car had prospects. On the this moment it is not known how many such cars were produced, but their history was very short. This is due to the fact that in 1898 Yevgeny Yakovlev died. At first, his companion Pyotr Frese bought engines abroad, but then he decided to sell his power to the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works. At this enterprise, not only cars were made, but also rural equipment, as well as airplanes on kerosene engines. The plant was very large and had its branches in different cities: Riga, Tver, St. Petersburg, and later also in Taganrog and Moscow.
First models
The automobile department of the plant was formed by 1908 in Riga. And already in May next year the first RussoBalt car appeared. The car was created based on the prototype of the Belgian Fondue model, unknown to the general public. In building Russian version Belgian designer Jalien Potter participated. Domestic experts, namely Ivan Fryazinovsky and Dmitry Bondarev, also made a significant contribution to the creation of the car. The well-coordinated work of the three designers led to the release of a series of machines. It included cars - K-12, S-24 and E-15 - and trucks - T-40, M-24, D-24 - cars. The most popular model was the C-24. It accounted for 55% of the output.
Car "Russo-Balt": recognition
The models produced at the carriage plant were distinguished by their strength and reliability. They have repeatedly taken part in various international competitions: rallies and runs. In Monte Carlo and San Sebastian, they were among the best. Speaking about the reliability of cars, they always remember how one copy of the S-24 of 1910 was able to drive 80 thousand kilometers without serious breakdowns. At that time, this was an incredible achievement for the entire automotive industry and the RussoBalt brand.
The car has been recognized high level- the imperial garage in 1913 got hold of two RBVZ cars. The first of these was the sensational model S-24, and the second - K-12. 64% of the plant's products were purchased by the Russian army. The machines were in demand mainly among staff workers and doctors. By the way, there were models on the chassis of which an armored body was installed.
Production features
The Russo-Balt car, whose photos evoke a sense of pride, had a simple but very durable design. The main parts, namely the crankcase, cylinders and transmission, were cast from aluminum. Rotating parts: wheels and gears - were planted on ball bearings. The casting of cylinders together with the block was a curiosity and was used only in the S-24 and K-12 models - the flagship models of RussoBalt.
The car was produced in large batches. It is noteworthy that the parts in the car of one batch were completely interchangeable. And between batches of the same model there could be significant differences: the number of gears, engine power, wheelbase, design individual parts. The geometric parameters of the parts were measured in the metric system. Almost all parts of the cars were made directly at the wagon plant. I had to buy ball bearings, oil pressure gauges and tires on the side.
Crew departments were both in St. Petersburg and in Riga. Each of them produced bodies for certain models. The body of the Russo-Balt had many modifications: closed limousines, open chaises, popular among Europeans, landau, cigar-shaped torpedoes and others. At the exhibition of 1910, held in St. Petersburg, the wagon plant presented five models at once. A year later there were six.
The country of the Soviets, apparently, did not need cars. Therefore, their release was gradually reduced, and in 1926 it completely stopped. And the factory capacities in their entirety were reconfigured for the defense industry.
Let us analyze in more detail what the cars produced by Russo-Balt were. Specifications will help us with this.
"Russo-Balt" K-12
Cars K-12/20 of the V series, released in 1911, had a maximum power of 20 horsepower, which is indicated in the title. In 1913, the next series appeared - XI, its power was already 24 hp. from. The car was called accordingly - K-12/24. Features of this model include:
Cylinders cast in a common block;
One-way valve arrangement;
Thermosiphon cooling system.
The gearbox was installed separately from the engine, and the torque was transmitted to the rear wheels using a cardan shaft. The car weighed about 1200 kg, so the rear springs were ¾-elliptical, not semi-elliptical. In the early series, the wheelbase was 2655 mm, while in the later series it was 2855 mm.
The K-12 model was most often purchased for personal use, because it was the cheapest among the cars of the wagon plant. Nevertheless and wealthy people frequently chosen. Among the owners of the K-12 in the back of a landole, there are several prominent personalities: Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich, Prince Count Sergei Witte, industrialist Eduard Nobel.
In total, the plant produced 141 copies of the K-12 car. They were presented in five series. Here is a description of the V series of 1911:
Motor - in-line, 4-cylinder, 2.2-liter, with lower valves;
Power - 12 horsepower at 1500 rpm;
Gearbox - mechanical, three steps;
Frame - spar;
Brakes - drum, rear;
Suspension - spring, dependent;
Maximum speed - 50 km / h;
Body - open, 4-seater.
"Russo-Balt" S-24
The most expensive RBVZ passenger car was the S-24 car, which was produced until 1918. A car with a 6-seater body has found wide application among staff workers Russian army. Other bodies were also installed on its chassis: two-seater racing, luxury landole and limousines. There was even a half-tracked winter version - a snowmobile. main feature this car is a motor. Its cylinders were cast in two blocks, and the valves (lower) were located on both sides of the cylinders. Water was circulated through the cooling system using a centrifugal pump. Behind, between the springs, there was a gas tank, the fuel from which was supplied to the engine compartment by means of exhaust gas pressure. To make riding on cobblestones and dirt more comfortable, the rear suspension included three interconnected semi-elliptical springs: two longitudinal and one transverse. Depending on the type of body, the weight of the car was 1540-1950 kg.
The model was produced in nine series, each of which was better than the previous one. In 1912, the plant abandoned its carburetor and began to install the French Zenith carburetor on the S-24. This, together with a change in the profile of the cylinder cams, made it possible to raise the rated power from 30 to 35 horsepower. In the same year, the wheelbase was lengthened from 3160 to 3165 mm. In 1913, the power of the car was again increased by introducing a 4-speed gearbox.
In nine years, 347 C-24 models were produced. 285 of them had an open torpedo body. The rest were distributed approximately equally among limousines, landole and double-phaetons. This was the flagship Russo-Balt - a car, the reviews of the owners of which noted mainly its reliability and ease of maintenance.
Concept Impression
Carriage factory cars were not forgotten, and quite recently there was an attempt to revive Russo-Balt. The car, whose history is even shorter than the legend about it, is associated with the original Russian car industry, so there are people who want to return it. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the brand has been owned by A:Level. In 2002 it was renamed Russo-Baltigue. In 2006, the Impression concept was presented, in the development of which the German atelier German Gerg GmbH took part. It was planned to produce only 15 cars a year and sell them to collectors. However, the unusual concept could not interest anyone, and production was curtailed.
Model for a tuple
After an attempted revival in 2006, the Russo-Balt brand was again talked about. In 2013, it was proposed to launch the production of special models for this. This would make it possible to pay tribute to the great Russo-Balt brand. The 2013 car was supposed to be assembled on the Rolls-Royce-Phantom platform. Unfortunately, to this day, this project has not been implemented.
Conclusion
So we learned what Russo-Balt (car) is. Overview of models, specifications and expert opinion helped us to give the most complete assessment of the first Russian auto brand. It’s a pity that it’s really difficult to call this car Russian. After all, it was built on the prototype of the Belgian model. Nevertheless, without the work of domestic designers, perhaps the world would not have known about the RussoBalt brand. The car definitely deserves attention, and it is quite possible that it will still remind of itself.
I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that the most beautiful and stylish Russian car is the Impression sports coupe of the oldest national automobile brand Russo-Balt (Russo-Baltique) in a new modern incarnation revived in 2003, when the Moscow company A: Level was the current RussoBalt Company was registered.
Impression was released last year on the fact of the 100th anniversary of the brand and fully meets the high quality standard of the products of the predecessor company, the automobile department of the famous Putilov factory, which received the title of supplier of the court of His in 1913. Imperial Majesty. It seems that the heads of the current royal families of Europe would not be without pleasure to ride in this "imperial" style coupe, the radiator grille of which is crowned with a medallion with a double-headed Russian heraldic eagle.
The design of the coupe was developed by Zviad Tsikolia from Tbilisi, who is now collaborating with Peugeot, and not so long ago working with Bugatti designers. By the way, in the design of the Impression, he used the motifs of the stylistic decisions of the Bugatti models of the 50s and 60s, as well as the chic cars of the "golden age" - the 20s and 30s of the last century, distinguished by elegant massiveness, light pomp and shocking comfort. The director of the Russo-Balt Company, Ivan Shishkin, said that such piece machines at the company's enterprise can be built two or three copies a year, but, as is customary in the world of luxury models, no more than 15–18 Impressions will be produced in total at a price of about 1 .5 million euros apiece.
Everything about the car is top notch.
The style of the design of the exterior and interior of the model, the quality of the finish and materials used, its saturation high technology from the arsenal of premium limousines - all this is marked by the stamp of perfectionism. So, the dashboard is made from a single piece of a very rare African tree, which has alternating light and dark stripes in the cut. a biturbo engine from Maybach, which accelerates a heavy coupe-limousine more than 5 meters long to a “weave” in a mere 4 seconds, maximum speed- 314 km / h. The air suspension of the coupe is active, allowing you to change the amount of ground clearance. The car is equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission and is shod with R22 tires. Fuel consumption depending on the style and driving conditions from 11 to 35 liters per 100 km.
