Roman (vehicle manufacturer)

"Steagul Roşu" redirects here. For the football club, see FC Braşov.

S.C. ROMAN S.A.

Type	Private
Industry	Automotive
Headquarters	Braşov, Romania
Key people	Ioan Neculaie
Products	Trucks, Buses, Diesel engines
Revenue	US$ 210 million (2007)
Employees	3,000
Website	ROMAN.ro

ROMAN (with the DAC division) is a truck and bus manufacturer from Brasov, Romania. The company was established after World War II on the foundation of the old ROMLOC automotive factory built in 1921. In the spirit of the communist days, the industrial plant was named Steagul Roşu (the Red Flag). As of 2000 almost 750,000 trucks had been produced.

History

In 1954, the first batch of SR-101 trucks came out of the factory. The SR-101 was in fact a clone of the ZIS-150 Soviet truck and it came with the same specifications.

In 1958 the company decided to produce a new type, as the SR-101 no longer complied with international vehicle standards. The new design used a Ford Y-block pattern V8 gasoline engine of 140 HP, and its cab has been designed at the Chausson Plant in France. The first V8 SR-131 truck of 3-ton load named Carpati was produced in the summer of 1960, and from 1962 the SR-132 model of 2.5 tons load and 4x4 transmission. In 1964 it started the production of the series named Bucegi, SR-113 a truck of 5-ton load and SR-114 of 4-ton load and 4×4 transmission. Generally, these trucks included all the western technology elements of the time. The range had been completed in five years by the following versions: military vehicle, long vehicle, tip-lorry, crane, forward cab. Torpedo, Perkins, Saviem and Mercedes diesel engines were used for export products.

In 1967, as Carpati and Bucegi types became old fashioned, a tender was launched for a new type featuring the following specifications: load capacity of 12-18 tons, diesel engine, a forward cab, observance of CEE-ONU standards.

Büssing, Mercedes-Benz, MAN-Saviem and Unic came to make offers, and the decision was to sign a contract with the West-German MAN AG company. This contract led to the construction, under licence, of two types of badge engineered ROMAN: medium 135 hp (101 kW) and heavy 215 hp (160 kW), with a load capacity of up to 36 tons. It also led to the production of 8 types of buses: the town, suburban, intercity and tourism versions.

In the 1970s DAC shared the same construction platforms with the Roman trucks but it was not part of the 1971 joint-venture between the German company MAN and the Romanian government. Since 1990 DAC has been the special trucks division of Roman trucks.

In 1976 the Romanian's National Institute for Thermal Engines (INMT) produced the new V8 360 hp (268 kW) engine in cooperation with the Austrian company AVL. After 1989 the Braşov plant started updating the cabin and using Caterpillar diesel engines.

In 1999 Roman trucks took 2nd and 3rd places in Rallye of Tunis.

Since 2002, the heavy truck range has had a new reshaped cabin, called Millennium.

As of December 2005, Roman produces military truck equipment for Iraqi military forces.

In 2005 Roman also unveiled its new line of buses, with urban and inter-city versions.^[1]

Braşov's local football club, which also shares its history with the trucks' manufacturer, uses a ROMAN 17.360 bus.^[2]

See also

• DAC 120 DE

Gallery

• 

  Old SR Bucegi truck

• 

  ROMAN truck

• 

  DAC truck

• 

  Military DAC truck

• 

  ROMAN City bus

• 

  ROMAN I-Line bus

References

1. ^ "Primul autobuz românesc cu podea complet coborâtã". Cargo Magazin. 11/2006. pp. 111–113. http://www.cargomagazin.com/cargo/arhivaVeche/2006/NOIEMBRIE%202006.PDF#page=111. 
2. ^ ROMAN 17.360 HOCLL

External links

• Roman website
• Roman Trucks & Buses
• Bus of the Braşov football club
• Comprehensive collection of Roman trucks photos
• Tram Club Romania - Camioanele Roman. Istoria lor