When did the first cars in Russia appear?

When did the first cars in Russia appear? Before answering this question, you need to understand the very concept of what a car is.

What is a car

The word "car" consists of two parts. "Auto" - is of Greek origin and means "myself", and "mobile" in Latin means "movement".

It turns out that a car is a device that can move independently. That is, this design should have its own engine mechanism - steam, gas, electric, gasoline, diesel - no matter what, if only with his help spinning wheels. So, the first car in Russia appeared just when the design, invented by some craftsman, could move without the help of horse traction or muscular man effort.

But still the forefathers of the domestic automotive industry should be considered those Russian "lefties" who were able to force their designs to move without the participation of horses, and not mention them would be unfair.

Origin of domestic automotive industry

The history of Russia's first car began on November 1, 1752 in St. Petersburg. There was first shown a four-wheeled stroller, which was able to move without the help of horses and other draft animals. It was a steel mechanism, driven by a gate of special design and muscular efforts of one person. The stroller could carry two more passengers, besides the driver, while traveling at a speed of up to 15 km / h. The constructor of the car was a regular serf self-taught peasant, who lived in the Nizhny Novgorod province, Shamshurenkov Leonty Lukyanovich. The mechanism created by him, of course, can not be considered a car, but it was not a cart.

Where closer to the familiar vision of the car was the Russian designer Ivan Petrovich Kulibin.

Crew of Kulibin

The design, invented by Kulibin, consisted of a three-wheeled chassis, on which was installed a two-seater passenger seat. The driver himself, standing behind this seat, had to press alternately on the two pedals associated with the mechanism of rotation of the wheels. Kulibin's crew is especially noteworthy in that it contained almost all the main elements of the future car's design, and it was he who first used the change gear, braking device, bearings and steering wheel in his carriage.

The appearance of the first car in Russia

In 1830, K. Yankevich, who was a recognized master of the art of refining, together with his assistants, assembled "Bystroka" - a self-propelled wheeled car with a steam engine. The engine had a device based on the designs of steam power units II Polzunov, ME Cherepanov and PK Frolov. As a fuel, according to the idea of the inventor, pine wood charcoal was to be used.

The structure was a covered wheeled vehicle, which provided, in addition to the driver's seat, also seats for passengers.

However, the mechanism turned out to be very cumbersome and difficult to operate. Therefore, the design of the machine was not viable. Nevertheless, it was the first domestic car in Russia, which really could be considered a real self-propelled machine with a steam engine.

The appearance of an engine capable of running on gasoline, gave impetus to the further development of auto equipment, since it, due to its relatively compact dimensions, could become the source of the driving force of future cars.

The first cars in Russia with ICE

According to some historians-researchers, the first car with ICE was designed in 1882 in a small town on the Volga. The authors of the machine were engineers Putilov and Khlobov. However, official documents, reliably confirm this fact, so it was not found. Therefore, it is believed that the very first cars in Russia, equipped with liquid fuel engines, were imported from abroad.

In 1891 Vasilii Navorotsky, who worked as an editor of one of the Odessa newspapers, imported the French car Panar-Levassor to Russia. It turns out that for the first time in our country a gasoline car was seen by the inhabitants of Odessa.

Before the capital of the Russian Empire, progress in the form of gasoline cars came only after 4 years. August 9, 1895, St. Petersburg saw the first gasoline self-propelled machine. A little later, several more cars were brought to the capital.

Apparently, the emergence of imported samples in the world market has prompted the action of domestic design engineers.

The first Russian car with ICE

In 1896, at the Nizhny Novgorod exhibition for general review, a fully domestic assembly car was presented, equipped with a gasoline engine. The car was named: "The car of Freze and Yakovlev," in honor of its designers - EA Yakovlev and P. A. Frese. The Yakovlev plant manufactured a transmission and an engine for the machine. The chassis, wheels and the hull itself were produced at the Frese factory. However, it can not be said that the appearance of a Russian car became an exclusive merit of Russian engineers.

Western model for the Russian machine

Most likely, Freze and Yakovlev used the experience of the German designer Benz in the making of his car, and his car "Benz-Victoria" was taken for the standard, which they saw when he visited the exhibition in Chicago in 1893, where he was exhibited, The appearance of the domestic machine was very similar to the German model.

True, it is worth paying tribute to the Russian engineers, the car was not an absolute copy of a foreign colleague. The chassis, body and transmission of the domestic car were significantly improved, which was accentuated in the press of that time, closely watching the novelties in the field of discoveries and inventions.

The documented parameters of the domestic machine, as well as the drawings, did not survive. All judgments about the car are based on surviving from that time, descriptions and photographs. Actually, even it is not known how much machines of this series were produced at all. But in any case, these were the first cars in Russia, from which the mass production of Russian cars began.

Finish line for the first gasoline car

The history of the car assembled by Freze and his companion ended quickly. In 1898, engineer and industrialist Yakovlev died, which, in fact, was the beginning of the end and for the first-born of the domestic automobile industry. The death of the companion forced Freze to buy engines for cars abroad, which, of course, was extremely unprofitable for him. In 1910 he sold all the established production to the Russian-Baltic plant.

Nevertheless, the fact that the first Russian-made cars in Russia appeared thanks to Frese and Yakovlev, is forever inscribed in the history of the domestic automobile industry, and the RBCI is the next step in the development of the production of Russian cars.

The Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant (RBVZ)

The first brand of the car of Russia received the official name of "Russo-Balt". Underneath it, a year before the purchase of the Frese factory, in the summer of 1909, the company produced the first car of its own production.

The cars of this brand have proven themselves to be strong and very reliable, which was confirmed by the success of cars that participated in long-distance runs, automobile competitions and even in international rallies. There is documented fact that one of the machines, produced in 1910 under the index "C-24", for 4 years of operation has passed 80 thousand km without serious breakages and repairs. Even the imperial garage in 1913 made an order for two models of cars "K-12" and "C-24".

60% of the car fleet of the Russian army consisted of Rousseau-Balt machines. And the plant bought not only cars, but also chassis for use on armored cars.

An important fact is that almost all the details, components and mechanisms of the plant were made by own forces. Abroad, only tires, ball bearings, and oil pressure gauges were purchased.

The RBVZ produced cars in large series, and within each of them there was almost complete interchangeability of the units and parts.

In 1918 the company was nationalized and continued its history as an armored factory.