Kings and old cars. This is a combination we actually do not talk about a lot in the PreWarCar.com magazine. The value of cars with historic documentation goes up, especially when there is some regally involved. But that is not what this is about. Today we would like to share a story with you about a great person in the History covering many aspects. Although we will only talk about his (yes, it is a man) link to the automotive history. We would like to dedicate this article to His Majesty King Michael I of Romania. As some of you maybe have heard, he recently passed away at the age of 96.
We understand that the name HM King Michael I not directly rings a bell with everyone. Maybe if we tell you the name of his spouse Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma and later Queen Anne of Romania. HM King Michael I reigned from July 1927 to June 1930, and again from September 1940 until December 1947 when he abdicated from the throne. Cars have always been his lifetime passion. From an early age, cars played a role in his life, as you can see on the first photograph. We are not sure, but can this be a Gräf & Stift?
That he liked cars was known by various important and influential people. A 1936 Aero 30 was a gift from former Czechoslovakia’s president Edvard Beneš.
For his 16th anniversary, the Romanian Ministry of the Air ordered the very first SS100 3.5 Jaguar (#39001). The aviation officials wanted the young prince to remember them through this gift, so they specifically ordered the car in "the color of the sky" for which Jaguar created "Blue sheen". This colour Jaguar reused in the fifties for the X120. To make the car even more special, this is the only SS100 3.5 to have a mascot, called now the "Prince Michael mascot". On October 19, 1937 the car was delivered to the Prince, which was just in time for the October 25th anniversary. In Romania a book is dedicated to this car. The intricate history of the Blue Jaguar, written by a subsequent owner, journalist Radu Portocala.
HM King Michael I also owned a Mercedes 540K Sindelfingen cabriolet, a Delahaye Type165 and a Talbot Lago Record.
Another fascinating car King Michael I added to his collection was an Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 Touring from 1942. Which presumably was the very first Alfa with the iconic heart-shaped front grille.
Besides these wonderful above-mentioned cars HM King Michael I also collected (military) Jeeps of which there are still several exhibited in Romania. In Săvârșin Castle to be more precisely, one of his country houses. Two of the Jeeps being quite significant, the very early prototype Bantam BRC 40 and the Jeep in which General Patton entered Paris in August 1944. Which again was a gift. This time from his cousin the Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. The photographs below show Michael at a later age when performing his hobby. And as icing on the cake, he was the honorary president of Retromobil Club Romania.
His Majesty King Michael I of Romania lived a turbulent life. But cars have always been his joy and lifetime passion. His funeral will be held on Saturday the 16th of December 2017.
Words: editor. Photographs and inside information Radu Portocala.
(c) Royal House of Romania
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Kings and old car: a tribute to King Michael I of Romania
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