First Dacia vintage car museum opens in northwestern Romania

Vintage car enthusiasts can now see a collection of old Dacia cars in the newly opened museum in Satu Mare, northwestern Romania. Local businessman Beniamin Kira invested more than RON 1 million (EUR 222,000) in the new museum, reports local Agerpres. “We find ourselves twice in an absolutely singular moment in Romania because it establishes the first Dacia car museum and because it is the first private museum of this kind, made by Mr. Benjamin Kira from his own resources,” said Felician Pop, director of the County Museum. The museum displays 10 Dacia cars of the 1100, 1300, and 1310 models, but also a limited edition of a Logan model from 2015. The visitors can also see a portrait of late Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and several objects from that period. “This is Romania’s first historical museum of Romanian vintage cars. Neither the car plant in Pitesti or other organization in the country managed to do this. These are small but significant steps for the Romanian automotive industry,” said Ioan Vlad, vice president of Retromobil Romania Club. Dacia, the main car manufacturer in Romania, was established in 1966 when the car factory in Mioveni was built. Two years later the first Dacia 1100 car was produced under Renault 8 license, according to information on the company website. French carmaker Renault purchased 51% of Dacia’s shares in 1999, and now holds more than 99% of the company. Romanian car producer Dacia sees record turnover in 2015 Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (photo source: Wikipedia)