Do you know what was the first Russian car? Many do not even guess. Today we will get acquainted with the RussoBalt automobile brand, which can be called a pioneer of the Russian automobile industry.
Background
For the first time, a car with an internal combustion engine entered the territory of the Russian Empire in the distant 1891. It was a car of the French company Panar-Levassor. It belonged to the editor of the Odessa Leaf Vasily Navrotsky.
In St. Petersburg, the first car appeared in 1895, and in Moscow in 1899.
The first production car released on the territory of the Russian Empire was the Frese and Yakovlev model, introduced to the public in 1896. But this car did not arouse interest in official circles.
The motor and transmission were made at the Yakovlev factory, 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. At the 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 Evgeny Yakovlev died. First, his companion Peter Frese bought engines abroad, but then decided to sell his capacity to the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works. At this enterprise, not only cars were made, but also agricultural equipment, as well as kerosene-powered airplanes. 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 automotive department of the plant was formed in 1908 in Riga. And in May of the following year, the first RussoBalt auto appeared. The car was created on the basis of a prototype of the Fondue, unknown to the wider Belgian model. The Belgian designer Jallien Potter participated in the creation of the Russian version. Domestic experts, namely Ivan Fryazinovsky and Dmitry Bondarev, also made a significant contribution to the creation of the car. The 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 S-24. It accounted for 55% of the issue.
Russo-Balt car: recognition
Models released at the car factory were durable and reliable. They repeatedly took part in various international competitions: rally and runs. In Monte Carlo and San Sebastian, they were among the best. Speaking about the reliability of the machines, they always remember how one instance of the S-24 of 1910 was able to drive 80 thousand kilometers without serious damage. At that time, this was an incredible achievement of the entire automobile industry and the RussoBalt brand.
The car was recognized at the highest level - the imperial garage in 1913 got hold of two cars RBVZ. The first of them was the sensational S-24 model, and the second - K-12. 64% of the plant’s production was acquired by the Russian army. 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, the photo of which evokes a sense of pride, had a simple but very solid construction. The main parts, namely: the crankcase, cylinders and transmission, were cast from aluminum. Rotating parts: wheels and gears of gears - were planted on ball bearings. The casting of the cylinders together with the block was a curiosity and was used only in the S-24 and K-12 models - RussoBalt's flagship models.
The car was produced in large batches. It is noteworthy that the details in the car of one batch were completely interchangeable. And between the batches of one model there could be significant differences: the number of gears, engine power, wheelbase, design of individual parts. The geometric parameters of the parts were measured by the metric system. Almost all parts of cars were made directly at the car factory. On the side, it was necessary to purchase ball bearings, oil manometers and tires.
Crew departments were both in St. Petersburg, and in Riga. Each of them produced bodies for certain models. The Russo-Balta body had many modifications: closed limousines, open phaetons, lando popular among Europeans, cigar-shaped dashboards and others. At the 1910 exhibition held in St. Petersburg, the carriage plant presented five models at once. A year later, there were six of them.
The country of the Soviets, apparently, did not need cars. Therefore, their release was gradually reduced, and in 1926 completely stopped. And the factory facilities in their entire volume were reconfigured to the defense industry.
Let us examine in more detail what were the cars produced by Russo-Balt. Specifications will help us with this.
Russo-Balt K-12
Cars K-12/20 series V, released in 1911, had a maximum power of 20 horsepower, which is indicated in the name. In 1913, the following series appeared - XI, its capacity was already 24 liters. from. The car was called accordingly - K-12/24. Among the features of this model can be identified:
- cylinders cast by a common block;
- one-sided arrangement of valves;
- thermosiphon cooling system.
The gearbox was installed separately from the engine, and the torque was transmitted to the rear wheels using a driveshaft. The car weighed about 1200 kg, so the rear springs were ¾-elliptical, not semi-elliptical. In the early series, the wheelbase was 2655 millimeters, and in later ones - 2855 mm.
The K-12 model was most often purchased for personal use, because it was the cheapest among the cars of the car factory. Nevertheless, wealthy people often chose her. Among the owners of K-12 in the back of a landole, several outstanding personalities can be noted: Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich, Prince Boris Golitsyn, Count Sergei Witte, industrialist Eduard Nobel.
In total, the plant produced 141 copies of the K-12. They were presented in five series. Here is a summary of the 1911 V series:
- motor - in-line, 4-cylinder, 2.2-liter, with a lower valve arrangement;
- power - 12 horsepower at 1,500 rpm;
- Gearbox - mechanical, in three stages;
- frame - spar;
- brakes - drum, rear;
- suspension - spring, dependent;
- maximum speed - 50 km / h;
- body - open, 4-seater.
Russo-Balt S-24
The most expensive passenger model RBVZ was the S-24, which was produced until 1918. A car with a 6-seater body is widely used among the staff of the Russian army. Other bodies were installed on its chassis: two-seater racing, luxurious landole and limousines. There was even a half-track winter version - a car sled. The main feature of this car is the 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. At the rear, between the springs, was a gas tank, from which fuel was supplied to the engine compartment by means of exhaust gas pressure. To make cobblestone and primer riding more comfortable, the rear suspension included three interconnected semi-elliptic springs: two longitudinal and one transverse. Depending on the type of bodywork, the mass 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 Zenit carburetor on the S-24. This, together with a change in the profile of the cams of the cylinder, made it possible to raise the rated power from 30 to 35 horsepower. In the same year, the wheelbase was extended from 3160 to 3165 mm. In 1913, the capacity of the car was again increased by introducing a 4-speed gearbox.
For nine years, 347 S-24 models were produced. 285 of them had an open dashboard. The rest were distributed approximately equally among limousines, landole and double chaise. That was the flagship “Russo-Balt” - a car, the reviews of the owners of which noted mainly its reliability and ease of maintenance.
Impression Concept
The cars of the car factory were not forgotten, and more recently there was an attempt to revive Russo-Balt. A car whose history is even shorter than the legend about it is associated with the original Russian auto 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 introduced, in the development of which the German company German Gerg GmbH participated. It was planned to produce only 15 cars a year and sell them to collectors. However, the unusual concept was almost unable to interest anyone, and production was curtailed.
Tuple model
After a revival attempt in 2006, the Russo-Balt brand was again talked about. In 2013, it was proposed to launch the production of special models for the presidential motorcade. This would make it possible to pay tribute to the great brand Russo-Balt. The car of 2013 was supposed to be assembled on the Rolls-Royce-Phantom platform. Unfortunately, to this day this project has not been implemented.
Conclusion
So we found out what is Russo-Balt (car). A review of models, technical specifications and expert opinion helped us give the most complete assessment of the first Russian auto brand. It is a pity that it is difficult to call this car really 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 learned about the RussoBalt brand. The car definitely deserves attention, and it is quite possible that it will still remind of itself.