Dacia Lăstun


The Dacia 500 Lăstun was a car manufactured by Tehnometal, Timișoara, under the auto marque Dacia. The name derives from the Romanian for house martin, a small bird related to swallows.

History

The Lăstun was a low-cost Romanian car for urban transport built between 1988 and 1991, featuring a two-cylinder air-cooled engine of 499 cc, producing, fuel consumption of, a maximum speed and fiberglass bodywork similar to the Lancia Y10. A stretched bodywork prototype 500 Lăstun was exhibited at the 1989 Bucharest trade fair. Another prototype from the early 1990s featured hubcaps, body-coloured bumpers, and head restraints.
The Lăstun was marketed with the advertising slogan was "Un Autoturism de Actualitate".
Production continued until 1992. Due to its size, the Lăstun was primarily a city car, suitable for use as a second car. In 1989 cars received side lights, and in 1991 the Lăstun was lightly restyled to the front, the only modification being a new bonnet with a one-piece grille. Also the small 0.5L engine had some carburateur break-downs, which brought the average petrol consumption to almost, making the car less economical than the long running Dacia 1300 series.
Tehnometal manufactured a total of 6,532 vehicles.

Engines