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Can anyone identify this?
- Thread starter clivehorridge
- Start date
That's the one! Can't find images as good as the one I saw on the road, but this is it...
What a beaut!
Trolly busses everywhere in the former Eastern Block, and trams and funiculars etc.
Sometimes makes you wonder why all the pollution comes from the east.......
Oh and public transport is cheap, frequent and reliable too. Just not shiny and new......
Sometimes makes you wonder why all the pollution comes from the east.......
Oh and public transport is cheap, frequent and reliable too. Just not shiny and new......
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Yep JM,
Trolley busses, diesel busses, hybrid busses, trams (old and new), metro (underground), it's all here and as yogi says, very cheap to use and an efficient service.
The key is that it doesn't make money, it makes transport. It's self sufficient, but non-profit making. A concept that works, but has become bad language in the greedy west where profits are the only driving force for doing anything.
I remember working at Landrover in Solihull and I was talking to one of the old boys that had seen the company grow from its beginnings just after the war.
He told me that Landrover's code was to build a basic, reliable and tough vehicle, that would appeal to the military and the farmer or other severe terrain users all over the world.
From 1947 they were produced entirely with that incentive. However, around the early 70's, politics and BL took over and Landrover lost its independence. "They're more interested in making money than they are making good vehicles" he said to me. Too true, from '71 onwards, they were made from chocolate.
In fact, the company did neither, lost money and made bad vehicles.
Sorry for the ramble, but I see a connection with the subject at the beginning of this post. (I've also had a few beers!).
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Trolly busses everywhere in the former Eastern Block, and trams and funiculars etc.
Sometimes makes you wonder why all the pollution comes from the east.......
Oh and public transport is cheap, frequent and reliable too. Just not shiny and new......
Some truth in that yogi but (IMO) the major part of pollution comes from heavy industry, power stations and the like. Heavy industry is almost non-existant now in Romania (much like the UK) but of course, power stations are still generating more and more each year to meet growing demand. They burn what's cheapest, not what's cleanest, so there's a mixture here of oil, gas, coal and nuclear.
Also, the cities still run centralised hot water production and distribution to the blocs, and their 'central termic' hot water station (which is big for Bucharest an other large cities) also burns what is cheap, instead of what is environmentally friendly.
The result is, (again my opinion) the pollution from traffic pales into insignificance compared with other EU countries where most of the pollution comes from traffic, because all other pollutants are more strictly controlled.
I think Euro 5 is now the policy for new cars here, but you still see 1970's trucks belching out clouds of black because they're exempt from the new pollution restrictions!
Sorry another ramble, maybe I should go to bed!
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I do and don't agree with you Clive as regards pollution. I think its the greedy consumerist culture of the west that creates the real pollution, not a bit of heavy industry. I don't think smokey trucks do the harm, I think its the sheer number of Euro 5 trucks that do it because people are convinced they need more 'stuff''
that's my rant over!!!
that's my rant over!!!
Well that has to be true yogi. The affluent west producing demand from everywhere. The biggest problem facing the earth (short term) is the growing affluence of everywhere else! Then there will be 10 fold the number of trucks, Euro 5 or otherwise. Not many Euro 5's in India.
Paddler Ed
Well-Known Member
+1 to being a Sugga
The TPV part of the rego seems to imply that you can get slightly personalised plates, as it's predecessor was the TPV.
I intitally thought that it's code name might have been a P443TPV, which would have fitted as Volvo passenger vehicles of that era were PassenVagens, and therefore carried a prefix of PV*** It'd nearly be right though, as it was a sort of relative of the PV444... scratch that lot... it DOES seem to be the model code according to Wikipedia...
"Terrängpersonvagn m/43 (TPV)" was the military vehicle that was built pre-1950.
I know newer Volvo's better, but I know some of the older bits and pieces...
The TPV part of the rego seems to imply that you can get slightly personalised plates, as it's predecessor was the TPV.
I intitally thought that it's code name might have been a P443TPV, which would have fitted as Volvo passenger vehicles of that era were PassenVagens, and therefore carried a prefix of PV*** It'd nearly be right though, as it was a sort of relative of the PV444... scratch that lot... it DOES seem to be the model code according to Wikipedia...
"Terrängpersonvagn m/43 (TPV)" was the military vehicle that was built pre-1950.
I know newer Volvo's better, but I know some of the older bits and pieces...
Paddler Ed
Well-Known Member
On the other topic; whilst existing vehicle stock in the BRIC countries isn't that great, the next generation of vehicles are all generally EURO IV or higher; the only markets that don't get that are the African market where the ability to come back from where you've gone is pretty high!
I think that as joint ventures increase (Mercedes, Volvo, VW etc) in the Indian and Chinese markets the pollution levels will improve; China is looking at introducing a carbon trading scheme in some areas next year, with a view to rolling it out a year or 2 later.
Ultimately as the middle classes increase in the BRIC countries, the demand for better air quality will increase, and people will shift to less polluting vehicles (look at the removal of 2-stroke motorbike rickshaws in some Indian cities)
I think that as joint ventures increase (Mercedes, Volvo, VW etc) in the Indian and Chinese markets the pollution levels will improve; China is looking at introducing a carbon trading scheme in some areas next year, with a view to rolling it out a year or 2 later.
Ultimately as the middle classes increase in the BRIC countries, the demand for better air quality will increase, and people will shift to less polluting vehicles (look at the removal of 2-stroke motorbike rickshaws in some Indian cities)
Interesting! Yep, personalized plates are easy. When you go to the registry office, they pass you the book to choose which available number you want. I didn't bother changing mine, but the letters are the previous owner's initials.
Cheers!
I love it! Like the retro "car on steroids" look and I'll bet it works well and is tough. Any idea what era it's from, is it from WW2 mid 40's or before?
Paddler Ed
Well-Known Member
1940's for the original Sugga, but that one is a 1950's I think, as it has some styling cues from the post war Volvo's. The problem was that the 1940's designs pretty much got put on hold for 5 or 6 years whilst WW2 happened.
Paddler Ed
Well-Known Member
Look at the C303 and C202/L3314's as well, portal axles, and a torquey engine.
These are great too! I like the C304, 6x6 with portals and locks, a fearsome combination!
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