Solved TGF-431: RAF 978 Spriditis, Latvia 1960

[targhediferro]

Can you identify this beautiful little bus?  An easy point I suppose.

[richard cuyler]

German?

[targhediferro]

Not German.

[wingroad]

Japanese?

[targhediferro]

Not japanese.

[targhediferro]

Up....If there will be no further answers in Expert's section in the next 24 hours, I'll move it to Pro's.

[richard cuyler]

Is it an outdated Ford model which was built in, say, a South American country? There are definitely lots of styling markers of the Taunus FK1250 van in the design.

[kwgibbs]

Skoda?

[targhediferro]

The styling is actually Taunus-lookalike, but this van is not a Ford built in South America or elsewhere.
And it's neither a Skoda.

[richard cuyler]

Mmm. Styling copy, eh? Chinese?

[targhediferro]

Not Chinese. 

[luisps]

Except the, maybe modified, front looks a Romeo 2º minibus built in Spain under Alfa Romeo license during the '60s.

[targhediferro]

Not a Romeo, neither Alfa Romeo nor Fasa.

[luisps]

Ok, but FASA was the producer of Renault in Spain still in operation but under Renault Automóviles brand name, the company making Romeo vans was FADISA, that become absorbed by EBRO-Motor Ibérica, that afterwards become part of NISSAN.  Just to keep correctly informed the followers of the game...

[targhediferro]

Of course you're right, I confused the names.

[Kytsyk]

Soviet RAF-978 Spriditis.

[targhediferro]

Soviet RAF-978 Spriditis.

That's right...you got the correct answer; actually RAF is not a Soviet marque, but a Latvian one.

[Wendax]

Latvia was part of the Soviet Union back then. 

[pnegyesi]

Please ID this microbus for a point - brand and model are required

[Brock05]

RAF 977 derivative?

[pnegyesi]

I just say, it is from RAF. Locked for you

[Brock05]

RAF 978 Spriditis?

[pnegyesi]

Congrats, another point to you.

Shown at the 1960 Geneva Autoshow

[Wendax]

I had a slightly different version of the Spiriditis lined up as a puzzle, too. 

[pnegyesi]

yeah, that's the RAF 08 Spiridits from 1958