Ros (its badge was only in Greek, the brand spelled 'ΡΩΣ') was the trade name of vehicles produced by the
Greek company 'Stavros Konstantinides O.E.', based in
Athens. The ''Ros'' three-wheeler trucks were the most successful of its kind in Greece, having been produced by the thousands. Ros surpassed in sales even "Greek classics" like ''
Alta
Alta or ALTA may refer to:
Acronyms
* Alt-A, short for Alternative A-paper, is a type of U.S. mortgage
* American Land Title Association, a national trade association representing the land title industry
* American Literary Translators Associatio ...
'' and ''
Styl Kar
STYL KAR (its logo written in Greek as ΣΤΥΛ ΚΑΡ) was named after its founder, the engineer Stylianos Karakatsanis. Its entire history is representative of many Greek companies who were engaged in the construction of simple utility vehicle ...
'', and the characteristic shape of its trucks could be seen for several years in every corner of the country. And for good reason: The 'Rosaki' (meaning 'little Ros', as was fondly referred as by its owners) was one of the most robust and reliable vehicles ever used in Greece. In 2006, 30 years after the end of three-wheeler production, several ''Ros'' were still in use in excellent condition, more than any other three-wheeler type.
The company roots go back to imports of used
German motorcycles after World War II by S. Konstantinides and transformation of motorcycles into crude trucks. The ''Alfa-Ros'' brand was introduced in 1966 when S. Konstantinides cooperated with A. Apostolopoulos, designing and producing 'proper' (unrelated to motorcycles) three-wheeler trucks. In 1968 A. Apostolopoulos made his own company (producing the ''Apollon'' truck, similar in appearance and almost as reliable) and thus S. Konstantinides continued with a new brand, ''Ros''. The ''Ros'' trucks featured metal cabins and 1000cc and 1500cc engines. They were all front engined in contrast to most other rear-engined Greek three-wheelers. A relative of the company founder, Ilias Konstantinides also made his own ''Ilion'' brand producing Ros designs.
''Ros'' terminated production in 1976 when the type could no longer suit the needs of Greek professionals and competition from imported trucks became stiffer.
References
*L.S. Skartsis and G.A. Avramidis, "Made in Greece", Typorama, Patras, Greece (2003) (republished by the University of Patras Science Park, 2007)
L.S. Skartsis, "Greek Vehicle & Machine Manufacturers 1800 to present: A Pictorial History", Marathon (2012) (eBook)
External links
World vehicle manufacturers
{{Automotive industry in Greece
Truck manufacturers of Greece
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Greece
Three-wheeled motor vehicles