Velich István - Fogarasi Gábor: Régi magyar autók (Budapest, 1988)
Előszó
FOREWORD The technical revolution of our century produces most copiously new wonders every hour, so that it takes no more than a few days and we forget the innovations we have found sensational not long ago. This steady motion makes us to turn our interest toward the classical past of technics and culture, which seems so nicely settled down through the distance of time. Looking back is all the more useful, since it brings to view some glorious eras and beautiful successes. We can be proud of the period of Hungarian motorcar production between 1900-1956. The constructions and inventions (carburettor, plate engine) of that time were at world level, often they were even ahead of the development abroad. These things give credit to the spirit of Hungarians who maintained their ground against economic difficulties and fierce competition. Through half a century lasting results were attained by Hungarian automobile manufacturers. Though the prototypes rarely became the cars of the masses, for they could not be produced in large series, but that stemmed from the adverse circumstances and not from the failure of the planning engineers and constructors. Many people are surprised nowadays that in the period referred to more than hundred motorcar types were created in Hungary. Who knows them now? Even the name and the often so dramatic life of the creators have been forgotten. This book serves as a memorial to the Hungarian motorcar industry. Through the publishing of the drafts and drawings of the Hungarian motorcars we would like to bring to memory images of our predecessors lost in obscurity, and to show the results of the struggle going on for nearly half a century. We trust that our efforts will help to better understand our technical culture, to deepen the reverence for the achievements of the past. Most of the relics of Hungarian motorcar manufacturing have been destroyed, leaving only a few old cars as the jealously guarded treasur of the Museum of Transport and of this or that passionate collector. Yet the spiritual inheritance has survived unharmed all the difficult decades. Our book aims at contributing to the handing down of this inheritance. We feel that it comes timely, because no comprehensive book has yet been published on this dynamic period of Hungarian motorcar manufacturing in this country. It was a hundred years ago that Iános Csonka and Donat Bánki became partners and began to work on the development of internal-cumbustion engines. Their experiment led to the invention of the carburettor, thereby revolutionizing the automobile engines. Besides the cars, we also wish to present the most renowned Hungarian designers, inventors and constructors. Based on the documents of the period and on the memory of the eyewitnesses still alive, and searching for the dreams and thoughts of men gone forever, let us try to put together the mosaics of the Hungarian motor history. 9
