The Dacia 500 Lăstun (Romanian pronunciation:[ləsˈtun]) was a small city 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,[1] featuring a two-cylinder air-cooled engine of 499 cc, producing 22.5 PS (16.5 kW), fuel consumption of 3.3 L/100 km (86 mpg‑imp; 71 mpg‑US), a maximum speed 106 km/h (66 mph)[2] and fiberglass bodywork similar to the Lancia Y10. A stretched bodywork prototype 500 Lăstun was exhibited at the 1989 Bucharest trade fair.[3] 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" (A Contemporary Vehicle).
Production continued until 1992.[2] 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 9 L/100 km (31 mpg‑imp; 26 mpg‑US), making the car less economical than the long running Dacia 1300 series.
Tehnometal manufactured a total of 6,532 vehicles.[3]
