Table of contents:
- Daimler, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes, Renault and others, or how much did the imperial dream of a car fleet cost
- Little Peugeot Tsarevich Alexei - an innovation in the global car market
- How much did the maintenance of the royal cars cost?
- Who got the elite cars after the shooting of members of the imperial family
Video: What cars were in the garage of Nicholas II, and who got the imperial vehicle fleet after the revolution
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Cars were one of the strongest hobbies of the last Russian emperor. Any European monarch could envy the fleet of Nicholas II: by 1917 there were more than fifty "self-propelled carts" in the royal garage. Among them were not only the cars of the emperor and his retinue, but also such innovations as a road train with trailed carts and a tracked vehicle.
Daimler, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes, Renault and others, or how much did the imperial dream of a car fleet cost
The mastermind behind the creation of the royal garage was Prince Vladimir Orlov. In 1905, the first cars of foreign production appeared in the collection of the sovereign: the French phaeton Delaunnay-Belleville and German Mercedes cars with bodies of different types. The luxurious, comfortable Delaunay Belleville was good for driving around the city, and the high-speed Mercedes were meant for long journeys. The luxurious Delaunnay-Belleville made such a strong impression on the Russian emperor that he ordered two such limousines to the manufacturer, which cost the state treasury almost 18,500 gold rubles.
By far Delaunnay-Belleville was the most powerful, most comfortable and of course the most expensive in His Majesty's Own garage. The favorites of Tsar Nikolai Alexandrovich are Landau cars of the Delaunnay-Belleville 70 SMT model (an abbreviation for Sa Majeste le Tsar - His Majesty the Tsar). They were provided with exclusive functions: floor heating, window blinds, electric interior lighting, folding step-ladders. A glass gallery was made on the roof of one of the limousines so that the monarch could stand in the salon in full height.
In 1911, two Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost cars were delivered to the imperial park. The name "Silver Ghost" spoke of the silvery color of the car and the quiet operation of the engine. Later, Nicholas II drew attention to the products of the leading companies Renault, Daimler and the less well-known Serex, Turcat-Mery. The domestic manufacturer in the fleet of Nicholas II was represented by St. Petersburg Lessner and Riga "Russo-Balt". For 6 years, more than half a million rubles have been invested in the vehicle fleet. Prince Orlov was in charge of the car fleet, he also served as the driver of the crowned family for a long time.
Little Peugeot Tsarevich Alexei - an innovation in the global car market
In October 1914, the 10-year-old heir to the throne received a fabulous gift for the Day of the Angel - a miniature two-seater Bebe Peugeot. A pilot single-cylinder model of this vehicle had appeared at an exhibition in Paris ten years earlier. The French company Peugeot positioned its new product as a cheap, extremely simple and at the same time reliable car, maximally adapted to urban conditions. After a series of modifications, "Baby Peugeot" acquired a four-cylinder engine with a capacity of 10 hp. In this version, she came to Russia at the IV International Automobile Exhibition in St. Petersburg and directly from there migrated to the Imperial Garage. A light and compact car (weight - 350 kg, length - about 2.5 m) could reach speeds of up to 60 km / h. Tsarevich Alexei did a good job of driving a car, but the boy was allowed to drive on his own only in first gear along the park alleys. This was dictated by concern for the safety of the heir with hemophilia, for whom the smallest injury received in the accident could become fatal.
In response to an inquiry from Peugeot's management about the performance of its products, His Imperial Majesty's Own Garage Office reported in writing that the vehicles purchased had demonstrated excellent performance. This review served as a great recommendation and has long been used as an advertisement by the French.
How much did the maintenance of the royal cars cost?
As the fleet expanded and the range of applications for motors expanded, the number of garages increased. The first appeared in Tsarskoe Selo, then were built in St. Petersburg, Peterhof, Livadia. If the sovereign was to travel by rail, then the cars had to follow him. At first, they were transported on open platforms, and over time, funds were allocated for the construction of two special garage cars.
For four years, the staff of service personnel - drivers and auto mechanics - has tripled and amounted to 80 people. Their salaries, as well as overhead costs, fuel and lubricants costs annually cost the equivalent of almost a million dollars. Added to this were the costs of compensating for the damage to the owners of livestock (horses, cows), who suffered as a result of road accidents, of which there were quite a few at first.
Who got the elite cars after the shooting of members of the imperial family
After the revolution, the tsarist vehicle fleet was taken over by the new government. All transport was included in the "List of automobiles of the automobile base of the workers 'and peasants' government" and distributed among the Bolshevik leaders. The first number on the list was Rolls-Royce, which served Leon Trotsky. Lenin was provided with two cars - the Turcat-Mery and the beloved imperial Delaunnay-Belleville. However, Vladimir Ilyich almost immediately abandoned the latter, declaring it impermissibly luxurious. Over time, instead of him, Lenin was allocated a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. Sometimes Trotsky or Kamenev used the Delaunay-Belleville, but most of the time the Tsar's limousine was idle. The machine was difficult to operate and required a huge amount of fuel and lubricants. This prompted to declare it unsuitable for everyday use and sell it, which was done in 1928.
A special fate was prepared for the car of Tsarevich Alexei. Bebe Peugeot did not make it to the lists of the carpool of the Provisional Government for a rather curious reason - the small car was mistaken for a toy one. Therefore, at first, the car of the Tsarevich served as an exhibit in an exhibition in the Alexander Palace, dedicated to the life of the imperial family. After its liquidation, he was transferred to the circle of motoring at the Leningrad Palace of Pioneers. The existence of "Baby" ended in 1942, after the bombing.
And some artists are capable of to make art from machines flattened under the press.
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