A true Hungarian success story: the Ikarus bus

Locals still fondly recall this Hungarian invention which was considered the ultimate Hungarian success story of the distant communist era. Thanks to the Ikarus bus, our country finally gained some well-deserved though short-lived recognition, not only in the Eastern Bloc but, with a little exaggeration, all around the globe. Even though these iconic vehicles turned into portable saunas on wheels during the summer months, they were widely praised all the way from Geneva to Prague. We invite you for a nostalgic time travel to explore the history of the Ikarus, or nylon buses, as they were often mockingly called by the public for their lack of ventilation.

Every country’s socialism was shaped differently, with diverse achievements and lows, marking a technologically booming period with many great inventions. No matter how outdated they may seem today, in their prime time, the Ikarus buses truly revolutionised the country’s transportation infrastructure. The history of Hungary’s once ultra-modern and innovative creation, however, stretches back to the turn of the 19th century, way before the era of Marx and Engels. 

The first wingbeats of Ikarus

The prototype model first saw the light of day at Kovács and Kocsi-gyártó Üzem (Blacksmith and Car Manufacturing) in 1895, under the instruction of Imre Uhry. The test drive of the first bus, which somewhat resembled a carriage, took place around the City Park, in the close vicinity of the factory. To Uhry’s great relief, the journey did not end similarly to the tragic Greek mythological tale in which Daedalus’s son falls to his death due to reaching too close to the sun, but quite the contrary!

By the beginning of the roaring ’20s, the powerful steel horse had blasted its way into the roads of Budapest and soon across the entire country. In the following decade, the company slowly started opening to foreign markets as well. In 1934, for instance, Uhry and his team entered the „Concours d’Élégance” car beauty contest organised in France with one of their buses which were equipped with the latest Gräf & Stift chassis. 

The small family-owned business, which initially started out as a carriage repair shop, not only successfully withstood the global economic crisis but expanded into a large-scale enterprise soon producing hundreds of thousands of vehicles each year. Within a relatively short period, it became one of the leading bus manufacturers in the world, but let’s not run so far ahead! 

Read more: Creations of Hungary – 5 cars built by Hungarians

The golden age of the wonder vehicle

The outbreak of WW2 brought significant changes in all aspects of life, and businesses were no exception either. From 1945, Uhry’s company began to repair the cars of the Soviet army. Apart from cars and buses, their business profile also included the manufacturing and repair of carrosseries, iron and steel structures, vehicle parts, fixtures and various airplane components including cooling systems, hence the name of the firm. 

After the Seige of Budapest, there was a severe shortage of buses in the capital, therefore, the new buses were lifesavers for city dwellers. The mass production of Ikarus buses began in the late ’40s and they soon became the talk of the town. As Múlt-kor writes, the renowned Hungarian weekly paper, Élet és Tudomány (Life and Science) also reported about the latest wonder of the Hungarian technology industry, referring to the Ikarus 30 model as a mobile glass palace. According to one of their November issue from 1951, the working class was ought to feel truly fortunate to be carried around town in such fairytale-like vehicles which would have induced great envy even in the wealthy few of the Horthy regime.