In the collection of the Polytechnic Museum in Moscow, there are over 100,000 exhibits covering various fields of knowledge. Among these exhibits is a rare collection of anatomical specimens and skeletons, as well as the first achromatic telescopic microscope and the watches of the Russian master Fyodor Skorodumov. However, the true gem of this rich collection is the automobile. And not just any automobile, but the only surviving example of the Russo-Balt—the first serial-produced Russian automobile.
The presented model, called the "K 12/20", was assembled in 1911 at the Russo-Baltic Wagon Factory (RBVZ) in Riga, hence the name. The client for this car was the Gatchina Imperial Pilots' School. The cost of the Russo-Balt at that time was an exorbitant 5,500 rubles. The "K 12" model was the most budget-friendly, while the most popular "Russo-Balt C24/30" was sold for 8,000 rubles. To put this into perspective, the average monthly salary of a worker was 30-35 rubles, and the annual income of Count Sergey Yulievich Witte, a member of the State Council and former Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire, was 20,000 rubles.
The number 12 in the model's name indicated the estimated engine power in horsepower, while 20 represented its maximum power. Add to this a 2.2-liter engine, and you get an unremarkable compact car, as we would say today. But is that really important? The surviving Russo-Balt is invaluable because it is the only remaining example of a passenger car produced in the Russian Empire before the October Revolution. The first car of this brand was released on RBVZ on June 8 (May 26 in the old style), 1909. It was an elegant two-seater car in gray with a 4-cylinder engine.
Attempts to organize serial production of automobiles in the Russian Empire had been made before. The first domestic car model was presented in the summer of 1896 at the All-Russian Industrial and Artistic Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod. It was a joint project of the carriage factory of inventor Petr Frese and the engineering works of Yevgeny Yakovlev, the creator of the domestic internal combustion engine. The engineers of the first self-propelled carriage wanted to put it into serial production, but the death of Yevgeny Yakovlev put an end to the promising project that the new partners considered unprofitable. Moreover, the Russo-Baltic Wagon Factory did not think about automobiles, as it was engaged in the production of railroad cars, trams, and agricultural machinery. However, the difficult financial situation forced the company to look for new ways of development.
In 1908, an automotive department was established at the factory. It was headed by experienced entrepreneur Ivan Fryazinovsky. Together with him, the new RBVZ project involved the Swiss Julius Pottera, who had gained experience in the Belgian automobile conglomerate Fondu, and the designer Dmitri Bondarev, a graduate of the Kharkov Technological Institute. It is not surprising that the chassis of the first Russian car was almost completely borrowed from Belgian models.
The Russo-Balt could reach speeds of up to 70 km/h and was reliable and rugged. All cars came with a six-month warranty. To demonstrate their advantages, RBVZ sent the Russo-Balt C24/30 on a long-distance rally from St. Petersburg to Riga and back in August 1909. Out of the 19 cars that started, only eight reached the finish line, and the Russo-Balt covered 1,177 kilometers with an average speed of 70 km/h. In May 1910, the Russo-Balt was presented to the public at the Third International Automobile Exhibition at the Mikhailovsky Manege in St. Petersburg. And immediately, the cars found their owners. Among them were the former Prime Minister Count Sergei Witte, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Empress Maria Fedorovna, and Empress Alexandra Fedorovna. The Russo-Balt also appeared in the possession of Emperor Nicholas II himself.
The Russian Imperial family traveled around Crimea on two Russo-Balts in 1914. Other famous owners of these cars included Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, banker Alexei Putilov, industrialist Eduard Nobel, as well as the publisher and editor of the magazines "Auto," "Sport," "Aero and Automobile Life," the famous Russian racer Andrei Nagel. He participated in many car rallies in Russia and abroad with Russo-Balts. And in September 1910, he became the first person in the world to drive a car to the summit of Mount Vesuvius, choosing the same Russo-Balt C24/30 for the feat.
