Cars of Estonia

An envelope from Estonia with the minisheet on Tallinn Monte-Carlo electric marathon 2018.

Tallinn was one of the starting points for the Monte Carlo rally in 1930–1939; as of 2011, the legendary competition is driven by electric cars. 2018 marks the first time that the electric car marathon follows the route from the Tallinn–Monte Carlo rally, which was held in the 1930s and was driven along the Baltics Sea coast and through France.
The competitions are organised in two categories: among teams of universities from six countries (these teams will be using the electric car Nissan Leaf EV) and in the so-called free class which accepts owners of electric cars of various makes. The marathon is driven through 10 countries, with stage finishes in 30 cities and the final finish is on the square in front of the Prince’s Palace of Monaco.
The marathon of electric cars is a unique competition on European roads. All team members have to achieve the same race time as the referee’s car, which starts 10 minutes before the participants at each stage of the competition. If a regular rally can be called a battle of the gladiators, then the rally of electric cars is more of a chess game on European roads.
The first postage stamp displays the winning car Hotchkiss in 1933 and the other one shows the Pobeda, which has been converted into a electric car in Estonia and which will be competing for the sixth time and has become the mascot of the rally.

“Pobeda” was first manufactured in 1946 at the Gorky Automobile Plant. The final design of the car was defined by the sketches of the artist Samoilov. The drawings for the automobile were created in the shortest time period.

Originally it was planned to manufacture the car under the name “Rodina” (‘homeland’ in Russian). Joseph Stalin, the stern leader of the Soviet state, when learned of that name,asked only one question: “So how much will the “Rodina” (homeland) sell for?” Thesame day the name of the car was changed, and the future automotive legend received a new name – “Pobeda” (‘victory’ in Russian).

“Pobeda” was the first passenger car with an integrated body. It had no protruding headlights, fenders, running boards. Also, “Pobeda” had an increased glass area. The engine was placed in the front. Combined with an independent front suspension it allowed to make the car lower, making it more stable on the road and more manageable. “Pobeda” was the first car with a trunk.

Hotchkiss were luxury cars made between 1903 and 1955 by the French company Hotchkiss et Cie in Saint-Denis, Paris.The first Hotchkiss car, a 17 CV four-cylinder model, appeared in 1903.With the outbreak of World War I, the factory turned to war production and a subsidiary plant was opened in Coventry, England. Car production resumed in France 1919 with the pre war types AD, AD6, AF and AG. 

During World War I, they produced machine guns and tested them from the factory roof. The 411 was an 11CV model with four-cylinder engine, the 413 a 13CV four and the 615, 617 and 620 were similar six-cylinder types. 

The 1936 - 686, which replaced the 620, was available as the high-performance Grand Sport and 1937 Paris-Nice with twin carburettors and these allowed Hotchkiss to win the Monte Carlo Rally in 1932, 1933, 1934, 1939, 1949 and 1950. The new naming scheme introduced in 1936 consisted of the number of cylinders, followed by the bore of the engine (in millimetres).

The Monte Carlo Rally is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco which also organises the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix. From its inception in 1911 by Prince Albert I it was an important means of demonstrating improvements and innovations to automobiles. The Monte Carlo Rally was to start at points all over Europe and converge on Monte Carlo. The rally comprised both driving and then somewhat arbitrary judging based on the elegance of the car, passenger comfort and the condition in which it arrived in the principality.