It is enough just to go online to understand how Russians feel about domestic cars: with bitter irony. At the same time, few people know that less than a century ago, the Russian automotive industry not only flourished, but also outpaced foreign ones in all respects.
Back in the days Russian Empire the Russo-Balt plant was famous all over the world for its cars: limousines, chaises and even double racing cars were known for their quality and luxury. This is eloquently evidenced by their price: while the European Renault and Opel cost only 5,000 rubles each, the Russo-Balt model C could only be purchased for 7,500.
These cars can no doubt be called the pride of the Russian Empire and thanks to the victories in prestigious rallies: for example, St. Petersburg - Monte Carlo in 1912 and 1913.
Moreover, "Russo-Balt" was the first car to reach the top of Vesuvius. The strength of this car is evidenced by a curious incident that occurred during one of the runs: the driver ran into a hut; at the same time, the hut fell apart, and the car remained almost unscathed.
Now many drivers complain about the inconvenience while driving on Russian "harsh" roads. In Russo-Balt, all this was provided for: the rear wheel suspension was made in a special way to ensure a comfortable ride on cobblestones and dirt roads.
In addition, the creators took care of the harsh Russian winter: since there were no studded tires at that time, the car was equipped with skis and rubber tracks with metal ridges.
Of course, many Russian famous people of that time could not resist buying such luxury car: Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov purchased three "Russo-Balts", Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna Romanova, Prime Minister Count Sergei Witte, Prince Boris Golitsyn and many others - one car each.
So what happened to the brilliant and successful project called Russo-Balt? Its sad story began during the First World War: the plant was evacuated from Riga to Moscow. However, the last blow was the nationalization of "Russo-Balt" in 1918 by order of the Council of People's Commissars - after it, the plant produced almost nothing but military equipment.
However, the legend Russian car industry has not been forgotten. In 2002, an attempt was made to restore the brand, but it was unsuccessful and was forgotten, leaving behind the Russo-Balt Impression concept.
Cars of the brand "Russian-Baltic", or "Russo-Balt", were produced by the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works (RBVZ). His production capacity were located in Riga, St. Petersburg and Tver, and since 1916 - in Moscow and Taganrog. The plant produced not only railway cars, but also agricultural machines, stationary oil engines and airplanes.
The first car was ready in the early summer of 1909. Its basis was the machine of the little-known Belgian company Fondu. The designer of the "Russo-Balts" was an engineer Julien Potterat invited from Belgium, who worked in collaboration with Russian specialists Ivan Fryazinovsky and Dmitry Bondarev. Soon at RBVZ they already released Cars families "K-12", "S-24" and "E-15", as well as three models of trucks "D-24", "M-24" and "T-40". The most massive model was the S-24, which accounted for 55% of the total output.
"Russo-Balts" were distinguished by their durability and reliability, as evidenced by their success in rallies and long-distance runs, in particular, at the international Monte Carlo and San Sebastian rallies. Noteworthy is the fact that one of the copies of the "S-24" series III, released in 1910, traveled 80 thousand kilometers in 4 years without major repairs. The reputation of the RBVZ machines was so high that two samples of the K-12 and S-24 models were ordered by the Imperial Garage in 1913. Moreover, 64% of all vehicles of the plant were purchased by the Russian army, where they were used not only as staff and ambulance vehicles, but also as a chassis for building armored cars.
RBVZ machines had a simple and robust design. They used cast aluminum crankcases for the engine and gearbox, as well as pistons. The wheels and gears of the transmission rotated on ball bearings. On the "K-12" and "E-15" models, the cylinders were cast in a common block, which was rare for those times.
Cars "Russo-Balt" were assembled in large series, within which there was complete interchangeability of parts. different series of the same model sometimes had significant differences in engine power, number of gears, wheelbase and arrangement of individual units. The dimensions of the parts were indicated in the metric system. RBVZ manufactured all components and parts independently. As a survey conducted by the War Department at the end of 1910 showed, only tires, an oil pressure gauge and ball bearings bought on the side. The plant had two crew departments in Riga and St. Petersburg, where it produced the same type of body for its cars: Torpedo, phaeton, limousine, berlin, landole and others. In 1910, 5 "Russo-Balts" were exhibited at the International Automobile Exhibition in St. Petersburg, and 6 were exhibited at the next salon in 1913. different machines RBVZ.
Russo-Balt K-12
Cars of the model "K-12/20" of the "V" series, manufactured in 1911, had an engine power of 20 hp, which is reflected in the factory designation. Cars of the K-12/24 model of the XI series, dating back to 1913, were more powerful - 24 hp. The design feature of "Russo-Balta K-12/20" is cylinders cast in a common block, one-way (and not two-way, as on the "S-24" model) valve arrangement, thermosiphon (without pump) cooling system. The gearbox was installed separately from the engine, and the torque was transmitted to the rear wheels cardan shaft. Since the K-12/20 machines were quite light (about 1200 kg), then rear springs they were not semi-elliptical, but 3/4-elliptical. The wheelbase on the machines of the later series was 2855 mm, while in the early ones it was 2655 mm.
The K-12 model was the cheapest among the RBVZ cars, and it was she who was most often purchased for personal use. It is known that the famous poet, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, retired Prime Minister Count Sergei Witte, Prince Boris Golitsyn, industrialist Eduard Nobel became the owners of such cars with landole bodies.
In total, RBVZ produced 141 cars of the K-12 model in 5 series.
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"Russo-Balt K-12/20" series "V" (1911) |
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Engine: |
in-line 4-cylinder lower valve |
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Working volume: |
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Power: |
20 HP at 1500 rpm |
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Transmission: |
mechanical 3-speed |
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spar |
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Suspension: |
dependent spring of all wheels |
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drum on rear wheels |
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open 3-door 4-seater |
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Max Speed: |
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Russo-Balt S-24
Most expensive passenger model RBVZ "S-24" was produced until 1918. Its last copy was handed over on April 26, 1918 to the district board of the Petrograd Air Fleet. These vehicles with open 6-seater bodies were widely used as headquarters vehicles in the Russian army. Other bodies were also installed on the S-24 chassis - luxurious landole and limousines, double racing ones. Even half-track variants were built - autosledges.
Main Feature machines of the "S-24" series was an engine, the cylinders of which were cast in two blocks, and the lower valves were located on both sides of the cylinders. Used to circulate water in the cooling system centrifugal pump. Fuel from the gas tank located at the rear between the springs came under the pressure of the exhaust gases. The rear wheel suspension, in order to ensure a comfortable ride on cobblestones and dirt roads, consisted of three interconnected semi-elliptical springs: two longitudinal and one transverse.
The cars of all 9 series made were noticeably different. So, in 1911 they used tires the same size for front and rear wheels(880x120mm). The following year, the plant abandoned the RBVZ carburetor in favor of the French Zenith and changed the profile of the cams camshaft, which made it possible to increase power from 30 to 35 hp. In the same 1912, the springs were lengthened, and wheelbase increased from 3160 to 3165 mm. A further increase in power falls on 1913, along with the introduction of a 4-speed gearbox and rear axle with shafts of the same length. At the same time, the plant began to make frames with an increased wheelbase of 3305 mm for cars with closed bodies. Depending on the body type, the curb weight of cars ranged from 1540 to 1950 kg.
For 9 years, RBVZ produced 347 S-24 vehicles, 285 of them - with open bodies torpedo, 17 limousines, 14 lan-doles, 10 double-chaises and 21 other types. One "Russo-Balt S-24" with a landole body entered the Imperial Garage. Other copies were owned famous people, for example, Andrei Nagel, editor of the magazine "Automobile", shipbuilder, professor Konstantin Boklevsky, banker Alexander Putilov.
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Russo-Balt S-24/40 series XIII (1913) |
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Engine: |
in-line two-block 4-cylinder lower valve |
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Bore and stroke: |
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Working volume: |
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Power: |
40 HP at 1500 rpm |
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Transmission: |
mechanical 4-speed |
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spar |
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Suspension: |
spring all wheels |
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drum on rear wheels |
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open or closed 6-seater |
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Max Speed: |
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Those who are interested automotive history Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century, of course, will agree with me that one of the bright cars of those years, produced on the territory of the Russian Empire, there were cars " joint stock company Russian-Baltic Carriage Works" ("RBVZ"), located in the city of Riga.
By the way, here is a plaque of this enterprise from the Museum of the Moscow Railway:
The process of creation and development of "RBVZ", its securities and manufactured products are devoted to many articles, monographs and books published both in our country and abroad. I would especially like to note the work of our historian L.M. Shugurov "In pursuit of Russo-Balt", which he wrote for almost two decades. In Russia, they even released an audio book: "Knight of the Silver Age" - the history of "Russo-Balt" (if you search, you can find it all and enjoy the story), new books and articles are being prepared for implementation, perhaps in the near future a high-quality documentary(Why not?). All this proves that interest in "RBVZ" is not weakening, and especially in the products of its automotive department, formed in 1908. Unfortunately, only single copy car "Russo-Balt". This is a K12 / 20 car, manufactured in 1911, which aroused great interest among the sophisticated public at the "Oldtimer Gallery" by Ilya Sorokin, which took place in the spring of 2012 in Moscow and is constantly exhibited in the automotive department of the Polytechnic Museum of the Russian capital.
in the Museum of the film concern "Mosfilm" there is a very scary replica of "Russo-Balt" K12 / 20, very scary)), but this does not prevent it from being filmed
Fire truck "Russo-Balt" D24 / 40, located in the Riga automobile museum, unfortunately, is not entirely original parts. By the way, in 2014 he was "changed shoes" in new tires.
That is why the products of enterprises, workshops and single craftsmen creating scale models this is, in fact, the only opportunity to see the cars produced by RBVZ in volume. And it's great that thanks to the initiative of the employees of the Saratov association "Tantal" (later renamed "Agat"), since 1978, five different modifications of Russo-Balt cars familiar to many in 1/43 scale were released (photos here to place I won’t, as many have seen them), which later made it possible to expand the line of RBVZ car models by “converting” these products.
"Conversions" were created as plausible (i.e. prototype real car still existed) and not very much, for example mail car, created by an unknown author from the city of Ivanovo (on the next photo)
Fantasy "Russo-Balts" can be seen a lot in the catalogs "Car in the palm of your hand", especially in the second part. There are just none))
Serious single masters such as Vitaly Molotkov, Andranik Manukyan, Andrey Samoldin, Igor Ilyushin, Yuri Kiper, Zinovy Lachterman (with the help ofStanislav Kirilets) and others, and associations, such as EKAM, Saratov Laboratory of Minimodels, AB-Models, tried to create copies of real prototypes. Do not think that scale models of Russo-Balt cars were made only on the basis of Tantal products. Known and completely created from scratch, for example, by the workshops "Russian Variant", "Eastern Models" or by the masters Igor Bortsov, Evgeny Baburin, Dmitry Volodichev and the previously mentioned Andranik Manukyan.
I do not have a goal to show all the "conversions" here, I will show some of them, starting with a photo of interesting "conversions" first created on the basis of Saratov models:
Alteration of the master from the Baltic States
"Russo-Balt Grand Turismo", author Andranik Manukyan (if you look closely, you can see the wheels from the Kazan model AMO-F-15)
A copy of this medical vehicle was created in the distant 90s by the EKAM workshop
Fireman, author Andranik Manukyan
Limousine by Andranik Manukyan
"Russo-Balt" С24/55 Monte Carlo Rally, author Andranik Manukyan
"Russo-Balt Cucumber", author Andranik Manukyan
"Russo-Balt" С24/40 Torpedo, chassis 376, XIII series, 1914, author Z other Lachterman
"Russo-Balt" C24 / 30 with Kegress propulsion, author Zother Lachterman
"Russo-Balt" armored car Car Jeffery - Poplavko, workshop "Ural Falcon"
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Russo-Balt" armored car 1914, work of Yuri Pivkin from the city of Penza
"Russo-Balt" E15 / 35, author Andranik Manukyan
"Russo-Balt" T 40/65 with cannon, by Andranik Manukyan
"Russo-Balt" M24/35 1912, authors Artel "Universal" (Ukraine)
"Russo-Balt" C 24/55 Rally Monte Carlo 1912, workshop from Nizhny Novogrod (author of the master model Igor Bortsov)
Unfortunately, most of the "conversions" made in the nineties of the last century and the beginning of the 2000s, as well as high-quality homemade products, are already extremely difficult to find - among collectors these are recognized rarities, but there is no need to be upset, whoever searches will always find it) , unless of course it is interesting .
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 designer of Russo-Balt (Russo-Baltique), the very first of which left the plant in 1909, was Julien Potter (Julien Potterat), who previously worked in the Belgian car company Fondu and based on all his early developments.
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 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 the 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. The 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 people 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 unusual concept almost no one was interested and the work was curtailed, although it was originally planned to start 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.
It is the Russo-Balt S-24/30 car, which first traveled along the roads of the Russian Empire on June 8 (May 26, old style), 1909, should be considered the first-born of the domestic automotive industry. All vehicles with engine internal combustion, which appeared in our country before, were, in fact, single handicraft products. And only the first "Russo-Balt" became a real serial machine industrial release.
The Russian-Baltic Carriage Works (RBVZ), which had been operating in Riga since 1869, initially specialized in the production of carriages for railways Ural and Trans-Siberian Railway. At the beginning of the 20th century, after the completion of the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, which connected the European part of Russia with the Far East, the demand for railway wagons decreased. And the plant switched to the production of military convoys for the needs of our army.
But with the end of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the production capacities of the RBVZ again turned out to be unloaded at full power. It was necessary to start the production of some new civilian products, and the director of the plant, Ivan Aleksandrovich Fryazinovsky, suggested mastering and starting the production of cars - an absolutely new “product” at that time.
Fryazinovsky approached the solution of the problem as an experienced businessman - in 1908, a Automotive department, who studied the possibilities and prospects for the production of cars in Russia. Soon, in 1910, for the Automobile Department of the RBVZ, they bought an existing production facility - the Frese and Co. crew factory, the creators of which, engineers Petr Alexandrovich Frese and Evgeny Alexandrovich Yakovlev, had been working on the design of the first samples of a Russian car with an internal engine since the end of the 19th century. combustion.
In addition to the developments of Yakovlev and Frese, the RBVZ Automobile Department also used advanced European experience, inviting engineers from the Belgian company Fondu to work in Russia. As a result, by 1909, in the Automobile Department of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works, 10 engineers, 141 workers and 3 test drivers were already working on the creation of the first production car in our country.
over creation domestic engine for the first production car in Russia, a Don Cossack and a talented engineer Dmitry Dmitrievich Bondarev worked at the plant. Shortly after the start of production of the serial Ruso-Balt, it was he who headed the Automobile Department of the RBVZ.
This is how the first Russian mass-produced car was born - the Russo-Balt S-24/30, which rolled off the assembly line on June 8 (May 26, old style), 1909. The C-24/30 index was deciphered as follows: 24 - the estimated engine power in horsepower, 30 - maximum power.
Car "Russo-Balt". Photo: cover of the magazine "Behind the Wheel", 1989
Then it seemed incredible that in Russia, with its off-road, the car would quickly become wildly popular. But the creators of Russo-Balt were not mistaken - already the first series was issued in the amount of 347 copies, which was a very impressive figure for the technology of the early 20th century.
The Russo-Balt vehicle was designed taking into account advanced European experience, but much more adapted to Russian circumstances. The first Russo-Balt model S-24/35 was also suitable for winter conditions, skis could be installed on it and rubber tracks with metal combs for increased cross-country ability.
Noteworthy is the fact that one of the copies of Russo-Balt, released in 1910, traveled 80 thousand kilometers in four years without major repairs. The reputation of the cars of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works was so high that two copies in 1913 were ordered by the garage of the Emperor of Russia himself. Moreover, on the eve of the First World War, 64% of all vehicles of the plant were purchased by the Russian army, where they were used not only as headquarters and ambulances, but also as a chassis for building armored cars.
The Russian-Baltic Carriage Works began to develop its production in accordance with the specifics of the automotive industry. New foundries and assembly shops appeared, and the number of workers increased. The design department headed for the release cars in three new series: "C", "K" and "E". All models answered the most advanced technologies that time, and participation in car exhibitions more than once made Russo-Balt cars gold medalists.
The RBVZ model, which has been produced since 1912 under the S-24 index, has achieved special attention and popularity. It was on her chassis that the most expensive crews were installed: limousines, open six-seater bodies, as well as racing cars. By the way, racing specimens of Russo-Balt could develop a record speed at that time - up to 85 km / h. Andrei Nagel, a famous Russian racing driver, made several victorious runs through Europe, Asia and Africa in 1912-1913 in his light streamlined Russo-Balt without any serious breakdowns.
During the First World War, in 1916, when German troops approached Riga, the RBVZ plant was evacuated to the outskirts of Moscow, in Fili, and received the name "Second car factory Russo-Balt. Until 1921, it was considered the most well-equipped plant in Russia and was re-equipped for the manufacture of armored vehicles. The last five copies of the Russo-Balt car were produced here in 1922.
In the following year, 1923, the plant's capacities were redesigned for aircraft production, and in this capacity, the heir to the Russian-Baltic Plant exists in our time, being part of the State Space Research and Production Center named after M.V. Khrunichev.
Only two original copies have survived to this day. legendary car Russo-Balt. The first of them was recreated from fragments of different machines and is in the Moscow Polytechnic Museum, and the second is exhibited in their historical homeland, in Riga. It is thanks to the Russo-Balt car that June 8 can be considered the real birth date of the domestic automotive industry.
