Mobra being relaunched in Romania

Mobra, a popular motorcycle marque from the communist era in Romania (the name a blend of 'Mo' from motorcycle and 'Bra' from Brasov) is being relaunched — but hopefully without the old joke that read: “Certain death due to a cobra but more certain due to a Mobra."

According to a report in romania-insider.com three entrepreneurs, Dragos Paise, Andrei Postelnicu, and Radu Gherasim, are behind the plans to relaunch the marque, with a local factory set to produce a wide range of models, from scooters to motorcycles. Total investment is tipped to be around 500,000 euros ($A750,000), which is modest in automotive terms but obviously seen as a big enough spend to kickstart production.

The entrepreneurs are currently in talks with technology and design companies for this project, but have already taken the first step by opening a Mobrarep Shop in Bucharest, offering motorcycle clothing, items and accessories across a number of different brands such as Roland Sands.

No indication yet on what models will surface,  but the famous Mobra 50 scooter is likely to get a look in. After years of Soviet era hardware flooding Romania, the Mobra 50 first went on sale in 1971, offering an air-cooled two-stroke engine, 4hp, four gears, a  top speed of 70km/h, consumption of 2.7lt/100km — and cost the equivalent of nearly $A800!

It was the butt of countless jokes, with the one in the opening paragraph a case-in-point. Quality wasn't a big focus…

The Romanian motorcycle industry collapsed in the mid-’90s, with Mobra swept up in the tumult after 23 years of manufacturing. Other popular Romania brands during the communist era included Relaxa mattresses, Dragasani sneakers, Pegas bicycles and Ileana sewing machines — all stars in their own right.