F#107 - ID - Mystery Solved - Fiat 1100 Special of Zvonimir Kren in 1955

[Allemano]

Yugoslavia..

[faksta]

Of course Point added.

So, all I know is that it was an event in Yugoslavia (on today's Slovenia territory) - a Bled-Tolmin-Vrsic-Bled race in September, 1955. I believe it was a mountain race. If I'm not mistaken, the wheels may be Fiat Topolino ones, but I haven't yet found anything looking exactly like this among the etceterini. I know there was at least one Yugoslav special in fifties (it's not that, though), so this might have been also built there, or, on the opposite, imported from somewhere. After all, it could be simply a foreign (say, Italian) crew on the Italian car, maybe the numberplates could help, but I'm no good in them... Two points for the identification of this car.

[Ray B.]

I looked at period plates of most of the european countries, and Norway's seemed the only ones to look like this, commencing with like W-. That's why I guessed Norway. But that tells us nothing on the car.

[faksta]

I couldn't find a similar plate yet. It looks like H-7949 to me.

[Amsterdam]

Yoegoslavië

Ah!, I am little slow I see, missed the second page

[mtbo]

could be croatian plates, H is for hrvatska, Croatia. In those time  Yougoslav republics had first letter on plates, not towns.

[Ray B.]

Here are the plates for Norway and Yugoslavia. Make your choice.

[faksta]

I have placed it at an automotive license plates forum (yes, such thing exists...), so let's wait now

[Allemano]

I believe that Croatia is more probable...

[faksta]

Well, Croatia sounds very likely. First, the first letter, as mtbo has told us, second - on numberplates forum they suppose these are old Yugoslav plates.

[Allemano]

...and: isn't it a little unlikely that a Norwegian racing team started on an obscure Yugoslavian race event?

[faksta]

Well, it is
BTW, the numbeprlate is H-7943, not H-7949.

[Scott Miller]

Looks like the Chuck Tatum special?

[faksta]

I honestly doubt that - he would hardly go to race in Yugoslavia.

[D-type]

I wouldn't expect a German car to find its way to Yugoslavia in 1955 so I think it must be one of the Fiat-based etceterini.

[pnegyesi]

I am now in touch with the author of the article, who published this picture on-line. He's kinda busy, but promised to get back to me with more details on this and other Slovenian/Yugoslavian specials (this is for you faksta )

[faksta]

Oh, now that's a real New Year present! 

[D-type]

 

Any movement on this?

Faksta, could you possibly post a blow-up of the number plate?  It might help bottom this out.

[Tom_I]

Here's the photo at full size. Enlarging the plate further doesn't help much.

As Faksta said earlier, it's fairly clear that the number is H-7943.

I know it's unlikely, but I was wondering if those could be Ford wheels on the back?

[faksta]

Thanks, Tom for posting a bigger picture.
Sadly, nothing new on this yet. Probably there's nothing to be found in the web, local books or magazines should contain something, but I have none of them. Guess motorsport history in Yugoslavia may bring some interesting cars and people to light, but seems that's not to be done too soon.

Ford Ten wheels look quite similar, but I honestly don't know for sure... Might be those or Topolino ones.

[D-type]

I think the Topolino normally had disc wheels suggesting that a Ford Ten is a more likely source.  Alternatively, what vehicles might the Wermacht have left behind in Yugoslavia?

[pnegyesi]

We have got in touch with the author of the original article and he promised further details, but nothing happened so far. I'll follow this up in the next few days

[faksta]

Not necessarily Wehrmacht related, as there was even a Jaguar based special in Yugoslavia (mentioned and pictured in the same article).

Another thing that makes me interested is a starting number. #74 is quite a lot for a country I (previously) thought had no motorsport back then. Even if all the other cars were production ones, the scales are quite bigger than I could imagine (if only the numbers were assigned in some order).

[jotage21]

Yugoslavia?

[Oguerrerob]

I don't know much about East Europe race but I found this article in Slovenian (translated by Google) with this photos
"Race after WWII
After the Second World War has been with us, despite the inclement conditions in the field of automobile and motorcycle races quite lively.
Then it had a strong lack of vehicles, lack of it was the supply of spare parts and fuel. However, the automobile association in 1945 have already held two competitions next year, it was here already eighteen races. Similarly, until the end of forty years. Then were the most frequent assessment of driving and road-speed racing, they have a significant effect on the public staged in towns and mountain racing. The most popular sporting event in 1947, for example, the evaluation was driving Bled-Ljubljana-Maribor-Zagreb, by the 17th and 18 Slovenian held a Board of motoring and motorcycling.
In the early fifties, the automobile sport in Slovenia has been greatly eroded, it is heavily short of fuel, old vehicles are worn out, but it was not new. In 1949 the whole of Slovenia said to buy just one bike Gilera 500, which of course does not satisfy the needs of riders. Greatly decreased the number of automobile and motorcycle sports, which they had in purchasing vehicles, often find themselves. AMD Kamnik member Karl Licen at an international event in Ljubljana in 1951 appeared as the car that you made it yourself (title photo) and it won several races. He is apparently used jaguarjevo chassis, engine and mechanics is assembled from a variety of forged parts.
Bad conditions at work riders are most obviously reflected in the fact that despite the international racing knowledge and will not be able to measure with foreign competitors with modern vehicles. Automotive and motorsports events in Slovenia have been so up until 1955 most similar meeting of classic cars.
Matija Janežič
Photo: Max Zadnik: 30 years of Slovenian auto moto organizations; AMZS 1979