Today Dacia Duster it is one of the best-selling (and loved) cars in the Italian market, for convenience of price, content and lately also for design. The model arrived on the market in 2010, after the first surprising results across Europe for the Romanian brand. However, a Duster model existed even before the turn of the millennium, and was also sold in Italy albeit under another name.
Let’s talk about ARO 10, an off-road vehicle sold by car manufacturer ARO in the early 1980s. In Italy it came under the name ARO-Ciemme Ischia, while in the UK it was marketed just like Dacia Duster 4 × 4, thanks to the industrial agreement between the two manufacturers at the time. The Duster 4 × 4 was available in GLX (hardtop), Roadster and Hard Top Van versions.
The ARO 10 model was based on the mechanics of Dacia 1300 and 1410, cars produced under license from Renault. The bodywork was mounted on a longitudinal-member chassis with independent front suspension with a transverse-arm scheme and coil springs, while the rear suspension obtained, albeit a few years later, a rigid axle with longitudinal leaf springs. Initially the car was equipped with Dacia engines with a displacement of 1.3 cm³ from 54 horsepower; in Italy instead Volkswagen engines were used. Throughout its history, however, Peugeot, Renault and Daewoo engines have also been installed.
Ischia had a good success in Italy, so much so that in 1985 the “Super Ischia” version was marketed: 1.4 liter engine, 69 horsepower, same all-wheel drive, 4-speed gearbox plus the same reduced, front freewheel, increased clutch, bevel gears of the two differentials and new crankcase. It cost 12 million lire: today it would be 15 thousand euros. The car was assembled under license by ARO-Ciemme, in Atessa. The ARO was produced from 1980 to 2006, that is substantially up to the failure of the ARO itself; Dacia, on the other hand, continued with the tradition of the name Duster several years after the conclusion of the first adventure, opting for an SUV body instead of staying on the classic 4 × 4 format.
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