ARO IMS

After World War II, the Romanian industry did not initially produce cars, and they were mainly imported from the USSR. In the 1950s, military and government services operated a large number of Soviet cars and, in particular, GAZ-69 SUVs. The production of spare parts for them was started at IMS in Kampulung, and in the future it was decided to start the production of entire SUVs based on and design components of the GAZ-69. So there was a car designated IMS 57, however, was not a copy of the GAZ-69; Romanian engineers did not have the necessary documentation or license ^[3] (which was not used in relations between socialist states, on the basis of a declaration of cooperation) ^{[4] [5]} .

The main difference from the GAZ-69 was the larger in-line four-cylinder gas engine MAS released in Romania. ^[3] The engine had a volume of 3260 cc, but a slightly lower power of 50 hp, with a significantly higher fuel consumption of 24 l / 100 km. ^[3] A two-door metal body was mounted on the chassis. Car production was small-scale, so some elements were made by hand. ^[3] A striking difference from the GAZ-69 and other later Romanian vehicles was the spare tire located on the left rear wing. ^{[3] The} visible difference was also made by the more frequently placed ventilation openings on the sides, as well as the long body. A single windshield wiper had a mechanical (manual) drive. ^[1] A total of 914 vehicles were manufactured. ^[6]

The design was improved in the new IMS M-59 car, it was developed specifically for mass production, primarily for stamping the sheet metal of the body on presses, as in the original GAZ-69. ^[7] The letter M in the designation came from the name of the historical Muscel region, the center of which was the city of Campulung, and the number 59 indicated the year of development. ^[7] The first M-59A model retained the old 3260 cc MAS engine, and its power increased from 50 to 56 hp. thanks to the change of carburetor and exhaust manifold. ^{[7] The} gearbox and rear axle remained the same, but the front axle was replaced, the gearbox of which was shifted to the left side with respect to the longitudinal axis, instead of the right one, as was done on IMS-57 and GAZ-69, and what was connected with the advent of a new, larger engine. Otherwise, the front suspension has not changed. The body, assembled from stamped metal sheets, became more similar to the GAZ-69 than in the previous model, but most of the elements were not common to them. The difference from the GAZ-69 was also made by the taillights from the Carpati truck. ^{[7] The} spare wheel, however, was typical for the GAZ-69, located on the side wall. The new model already had electric wipers.

The next stage of development was the M-59B model , in which a new four-cylinder in-line gasoline engine M207 with a capacity of 70 hp appeared in Brasov . ^[7] This engine was created by halving the Romanian 8-cylinder engine from the Carpati truck (5024 cc), which was based on the Ford V8 engine. ^[7] Therefore, the new engine was called the "half of the Carpathians." The visual difference was three oval openings for the curved starter in the lower part of the radiator grille instead of one (due to a slight displacement of the engine to the side). ^[7] The annual output of IMS M59 increased from 803 units in 1959 to 3,222 units in 1963. ^[one]

The M-461 was a continuation of the M-59B SUV. Marking M pointed to the Muscel region, 4 means the fourth type of SUV, designed in IMS, and 61 - the year of creation of the prototype. ^[8] In relation to the M-59B, more than 80 design changes were introduced, although not of fundamental importance. ^[8] In particular, the M207 gasoline engine with a volume of 2512 cm³ and a power of 70 hp has been preserved. Serial production of the car began in 1964. ^[eight]

The two-door open body, with two benches along the sides in the rear, visually the same as the GAZ-69, did not differ in significant changes. On the sides of the hood there are inscriptions "M461". The windshield still reclined on the hood, and the rear part of the body had a tarpaulin roof with side windows (with additional side windows compared to the GAZ-69) and rear. Inside, the battery and the fuel tank with a volume of 70 liters were moved from the left to the right side, in connection with which the pipe of the filler neck of the fuel tank was moved from the left to the right side of the body, behind the rear wheels. ^{[8] The} gearbox was finalized, a new steering mechanism appeared and the suspension (dependent, on springs) was improved. ^[8] A distinctive feature of the steel caps on wheels and three holes under the curve of the starter under the grille. ^[9]

In 1969, the base model was updated and received the designation ARO M-461C , which was associated with the introduction of the new ARO brand. ^[9] The car was developed specifically for the new European standards, its equipment was improved. First of all, the front turn signals on the wings were moved to vertical supports, although the turn signals themselves were set different, depending on the market (still small orange and round for Romania, rectangular orange production “Trabant” (GDR), for most foreign markets, and also white from Fiat for Italy. ^[9] New wipers manufactured by the German Democratic Republic were used. Some of the cars in the export version had two large side windows and a rear window. ^{[9] The} spare wheel was attached with a rope on the inside to the bottom rear. th door. ^[10]

In export versions, Perkins 4.154V diesel engines with a volume of 2523 cm³ and a power of 71 hp were also installed. (denoted as M461 CDP) and Indenor-Peugeot XDP 4.90 with a volume of 2112 cm³ and a power of 65 hp (designated as M461 CDI). ^{[10] [11]}

Despite the start of production of new cars in the ARO 24 series, the production of the M-461 was not stopped. In 1973, parallel production of the ARO M-473 version was launched with the upgraded L-25 engine from ARO 24, mainly for export. The engine volume decreased to 2495 cm³ (which was beneficial for tax purposes in some countries), but due to an increase in the compression ratio, the power increased to 80 or, according to other sources, to 83 hp. ^[4] Production of the M-461 and M-473 cars was completed in 1975, which was the end of the production of cars based on the GAZ-69 . ^[four]

In Romania and the then socialist countries, which mainly operated the M59 and M461 cars, they were often used by the military and various government services: fire department, forestry and others.

The IMS M59B, in particular, was equipped with the Romanian army, avoiding the purchase of the GAZ-69. ^[8] Also, the M461 has become standard among Romanian army SUVs - the military version has a large 90-liter fuel tank, a reinforced generator for a radio station, a modified chassis, a starter isolated from the water and camouflage headlamps. ^[9]

In 1965, export of automobiles to China and Colombia began, the number of cars exported this year was 502 units. ^[11] Altogether, China and Colombia purchased 2,000 M-461 vehicles. ^[1] Then the SUVs were exported to the so-called countries of people's democracy, to Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Albania and other countries such as Egypt, Greece, Syria, Chile, Congo, Zaire. ^[11] Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Greece, Syria and Egypt used them in their armies (the exploitation of 2,000 vehicles was declared in Egypt). ^[11] They were also sold to the civilian markets of such Western countries as Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, Canada, Portugal, Finland, and the USA. ^[eleven]

In 1972, the M-461 was positively evaluated in comparative trials of SUVs organized by Hobby magazine, winning in terms of price and payload. ^{[4] The} price on the German market was 10,500 marks, compared with, for example, 19,000 for Land Rover 88. ^[12] In general, these cars were exported to 55 countries, and in 1973, exports amounted to about 10,000 units. ^[eleven]

In 1975, 80,223 cars were produced, of which 46,549 were sold for export, most of the remaining were in the Romanian army ^[1] (other numbers: 80,233 were produced, 46,548 went for export) ^[13] .

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  IMS M-59 in Colombia

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  ARO M-461 registered as a classic car in Romania

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  ARO M-461

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  GAZ-69, manufactured by the ARO plant

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  ARO M-461, 1961

• IMS M461 , “ Autolegends of the USSR and Socialist Countries ” No. 168, DeAgostini 2015, ISSN 2071-095X.
• French Prospect ARO M461 .