On May 4, 1966, in Turin (Italy), the USSR Minister of Automotive Industry Alexander Tarasov and the President of the Italian concern Fiat Vittorio Valletta signed a protocol “On cooperation in the development of a car design, project automobile plant and its construction in the USSR."
By the mid-1960s, all car factories Soviet Union They produced a total of only 150-200 thousand passenger cars per year. “Pobeda”, “Volga”, “Muscovites” and “Zaporozhets” were distributed exclusively according to lists of enterprises and organizations.
Around the same time, the population in the USSR, according to estimates from the Central Statistical Office, had a certain amount of “free” money and the government was looking for a solution to the problem of increased effective demand.
At the beginning of April 1966, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Alexei Kosygin, at the XXIII Congress of the CPSU, announced the need to build a new automobile plant.
The talk was about organizing mass production of modern, affordable and reliable passenger cars, which would saturate the market and give impetus to the development of related industries.
They offered their services for the construction of a car assembly plant in the USSR General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen, Fiat and Renault.
The proposal to involve Western automakers in the implementation of this idea met resistance within the party and state elite and in any case required taking into account political and economic considerations. Cooperation with American and West German companies was excluded, while Italy, where the position of leftist forces was strong, seemed preferable. The leader of the Italian communists, Palmiro Togliatti, was considered a great friend of the USSR, after whom, after his death in 1964, the city of Stavropol in the Kuibyshev region (now the Samara region) was named.
As a result, the choice fell on the Fiat concern, which had experience of economic interaction with the USSR since the 1920s. There were also commercial arguments in its favor: Fiat agreed not only to build car assembly plant, then transferring it into the ownership of the Soviet government, but giving the USSR the right to produce a modern car on it and sell it in its own interests.
On May 4, 1966, a protocol was signed in Turin on technical cooperation. It provided joint development the design of a mass-produced passenger model based on the Fiat-124, as well as the joint design and construction of an automobile plant in Tolyatti for its production.
On July 20, 1966, a resolution was adopted by the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the construction of an automobile plant with a capacity of 600 thousand cars per year in the city of Tolyatti. The location was chosen after considering several dozen possible sites, including Minsk, Kyiv, Barnaul, Belgorod, Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod), Saratov and Novosibirsk.
There was success in the Togliatti area transport scheme, rich energy resources, well-developed engineering industry.
The terms of cooperation were enshrined in the general agreement dated August 15, 1966. Vneshtorgbank of the USSR received a targeted loan from the Italian state bank IMI for the purchase of equipment ($320 million for eight years at 5.6% per annum).
Construction of the Volzhsky Automobile Plant (VAZ) began in January 1967, and was immediately declared an All-Union Komsomol shock construction project. At the call of the Komsomol Central Committee, eight thousand young specialists and workers came to Togliatti.
In parallel with construction, Fiat engineers were finalizing technical project plant According to the agreement, the concern transferred the rights to the production of two car models to the USSR. Basic model(“Car No. 1”) became the Fiat-124, first presented in Paris in the spring of 1966 and subsequently recognized as the “Car of the Year” in Europe. The luxury Fiat-124S acted as “car No. 2”.
Based on the results of tests in the USSR, Italian engineers made about 800 changes to the design of the base model. The engine was rebuilt, the ground clearance was increased (the clearance between the body and the road), the body and suspension were strengthened. Rear disc brakes were replaced with drum brakes. The gear shift lever was moved down from the steering column. An outside rear view mirror appeared on the left, front bumper— a hole for the manual start handle (“crooked starter”).
It became possible to recline the seat backs to a horizontal position.
The powerful stove heated the interior perfectly; instead of water, non-freezing antifreeze was poured into the radiator.
There's a new one on the radiator grille trademark with the image of a silver rook on a red background.
Operational tests of the resulting VAZ-2101 (“kopeyka”) car began in February 1968. It received its official name “Zhiguli” on September 7, 1970, following the results of an all-Union competition, to which about 30 thousand options were sent. In 1973, the name "Lada" appeared for export cars.
The first six VAZ-2101 cars (two blue and four cherry) were assembled by April 19, 1970, five months before the main assembly line started operating. The first commercial copy of the VAZ-2101 is dated August 18. By October 1, five thousand cars had already been produced, by November 1 - 10 thousand. At the end of December, the technological milestone of assembling 350 cars per day was overcome.
In 1971, the first stage of the plant came into operation, designed to produce 220 thousand cars per year. On December 21, 1973 - on the same day as the millionth copy of the Zhiguli was produced - the AvtoVAZ production association was fully accepted for industrial operation.
Mastering the production of a new passenger car was a technical breakthrough in the field of domestic automotive industry - both in the design of the car, and in production methods, and in equipment. The USSR acquired not a “screwdriver assembly line”, but a full-fledged automobile production, which played a decisive role in the country’s motorization. By the early 1980s, the fleet of passenger cars owned by citizens had grown five and a half times, to almost seven and a half million.
"Kopeyka" became a real symbol of the era. From 1970 to 1986, 2.7 million VAZ-2101 and 640 thousand VAZ-2102 station wagons rolled off the production lines. The modernized VAZ-21011 in all modifications from 1974 to 1988 was produced in the amount of 2.2 million units.
In total, more than 15 million Zhiguli cars were produced in the USSR/RF (about 4 million were model 2106).
The final point was set on September 17, 2012 with the discontinuation of the last classic model VAZ-2104.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources.
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By a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated May 16, 1947, the sale of Moskvich small cars on an individual basis was allowed in Moscow and Leningrad. At the same time, it was recommended that the priority right to purchase be given to servants of science and art, advanced workers and engineering and technical workers.
By subsequent decrees of September 2, 1947 and February 12, 1948, the government invited Glavavtoselmashsnab to open an additional eight more specialized stores selling cars.
June 22, 1948 “On the organization of the sale of passenger cars.” From September 1, 1948, the Ministry of Automobile and Tractor Industry was to launch retail sales of Moskvich and Pobeda passenger cars to the public for cash through specialized stores.
The list of cities in which shops selling cars were to be opened included 12 largest regional centers: Moscow, Leningrad, Tbilisi, Kyiv, Minsk, Baku, Riga, Alma-Ata, Tashkent, Novosibirsk, Sverdlovsk and Khabarovsk. Subsequently, their list was somewhat expanded.
***
In June 1946, the GAZ M-20 Pobeda car rolled off the assembly line of the Gorky Automobile Plant. The cost of the car reached 16 thousand rubles.
For ordinary citizens, it was more realistic to purchase a Moskvich car in the late 1940s. costing its owner only 9 thousand rubles.
***
Production of passenger cars in the USSR in 1945 - 1950.
1945 - 4 995
1946 - 6 289
1947 - 9 622
1948 - 20 175
1949 - 45 661
1950 - 64 554
Volga, Zhiguli, Gaz or Moskvich. These are the most famous Soviet car brands during the USSR. Despite this, you will not find many enthusiastic owners of old cars who were satisfied with owning Soviet vehicles. The thing is that most cars produced in Soviet years were very unreliable due to the build quality.
The reason for the dubious reliability is that most of the cars created in the USSR were based on foreign analogues. But due to the planned economy of the Soviet Union, car factories were forced to save on literally everything. Naturally including savings on the quality of spare parts. Despite the quality of the vehicle fleet in our country, we have a rich history in the automotive world.
Unfortunately, many Soviet car brands ceased to exist after the fall of communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Fortunately, some auto brands Soviet era survived and exist to this day.
These days, the popularity of Soviet vehicles has grown again, as many car models are now of collectible and historical value. The public is especially interested in rare and sometimes strange cars, which were produced during the USSR.
Some of these models existed only in the form of prototypes, which never went into production. Cars that were built by private engineers and designers (homemade) are especially exclusive.
We have collected for you the rarest Soviet cars that appeared in the Soviet Union and make the history of our Russian auto world much more interesting.
GAZ 62
GAZ is the most famous car brand in our country. Cars under this brand were produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant. In 1952, the GAZ automobile plant introduced the GAZ-62 car, created to replace the Dodge “three quarters” (WC-52) military SUV that was used Soviet army during the Great Patriotic War.
GAZ-62 is designed to carry 12 people. The vehicle's carrying capacity was 1200 kg.
The car designers used several innovative solutions when creating the GAZ-62. So the car was equipped with sealed drum brakes, as well as a fan for heating the interior.
The car was equipped six-cylinder engine 76 hp This allowed the car to accelerate to 85 km/h.
It is worth noting that after the creation of the prototype, the GAZ-62 passed all the necessary tests. But some design problems prevented the machine from being launched in mass production. As a result, in 1956, GAZ began working on a new prototype.
ZIS-E134 Layout No. 1
In 1954, a small group of engineers was given the task of building a special military vehicle for military use. The order came from the USSR Ministry of Defense.
According to the instructions of the Ministry, it was supposed to be a truck with four wheel axles that could drive through almost any terrain, carrying with it a large amount of heavy cargo.
As a result, Soviet engineers introduced the ZIS-E134 model. As requested by representatives of the USSR Ministry of Defense, the vehicle received eight wheels, four axles located along the entire length of the body, which made it possible to create a traction force that was similar to that of armored tank vehicles. As a result, the ZIS-E134 truck could easily cope with any rough terrain, which allowed it to go where no other vehicle could reach.
The car weighed 10 tons and was able to carry up to 3 tons of cargo. It is worth noting that, despite the weight, the car could reach a speed of 68 km/h on any type of hard-surfaced terrain. On off-road the car accelerated to 35 km/h.
ZIS-E134 Layout No. 2
After the appearance of the first modification of the ZIS-E134, Soviet engineers and designers soon presented the military department with a second version of the eight-wheeled monster. This car was built in 1956. The second version had a different body design and reinforced beams, which made it possible to give the vehicle amphibious capabilities. In addition, thanks to the tightness of the body and the special design of the technical part, the car could float like a military tank.
Despite its heavy weight (total weight 7.8 tons), the vehicle could accelerate on land to 60 km/h. The speed on the water was 6 km/h.
ZIL E167
In 1963, the ZIL-E167 off-road military vehicle was built in the USSR. The car was designed to travel in the snow. ZIL-E167 was equipped with three axles with six wheels. On non-snowy sections of the road the car could accelerate to 75 km/h. In the snow, the truck could only accelerate to 10 km/h. Yes, his speed was very slow. But nevertheless, the car had amazing maneuverability in the snow. So for ZIL to get stuck in the snow, something incredible had to happen.
The car was equipped with two mounted (in the rear) engines with a power of 118 hp. The monster's ground clearance was 852 mm.
Unfortunately, the truck never went into mass production due to great difficulties in developing industrial production, as well as due to the inability to create high quality box transmission
ZIL 49061
This car is also called "Blue Bird". ZIL-49061 was equipped with six wheels. Unlike its predecessors, this machine went into mass production and became popular in many countries around the world.
The amphibious vehicle was equipped with a manual transmission, independent suspension for each wheel, and two propellers.
In addition to the ability to move on the water surface, the SUV could overcome ditches more than 150 cm wide and snow drifts up to 90 cm high.
The maximum speed of the ZIL-49061 on land was 80 km/h. On water, the car could accelerate to 11 km/h.
The car was mainly used by the USSR military for rescue operations. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the vehicle began to be used by the Rescue Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation. For example, two Blue Birds were sent to Germany in 2002 to participate in a rescue operation following a terrible flood. They turned to us for help, since in Europe at that time there was no similar equipment capable of performing difficult tasks in water and on land.
ZIL 2906
If you think that today's Russian cars very strange, then when you learn about the next rare Soviet car, you will understand that the current vehicles in our country are quite adequate and normal.
During the Soviet era, our country produced ZIL-2906 cars that did not have wheels. Instead, the machine was equipped with spiral shafts, which, when rotating, set in motion unusual car. This allowed the SUV to move through the heaviest muddy off-road conditions.
The car body was made of fiberglass. Two spirals installed instead of wheels were made of aluminum. This vehicle was designed to transport various loads (tree fellings, beams, etc.) through swamps and snow.
Despite his advanced technology the car was moving too slowly. The maximum speed of the ZIL was 10 km/h (on water), 6 km/h when moving through a swamp and 11 km/h when moving through snow.
VAZ-E2121 "Crocodile"
Work on creating a prototype of the VAZ-E2121 (the letter “E” in the model name means “experimental”) began in 1971. The car was developed by order of the Government, which wanted our country to have its own passenger SUV, accessible to the masses. As a result, engineers began to develop an SUV based on the VAZ-2101 and VAZ-2103 models.
Ultimately, Tolyatti designers developed a prototype of the E2121 SUV, which later received the nickname “Crocodile” (due to the body color that one of the prototypes received). The car was equipped all-wheel drive and 1.6 liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, which was developed for the next generation of VAZ-2106 cars.
Despite the good idea and the effort expended, this model never went into mass production. A total of two examples were built for engineering research and testing.
AZLK MOSKVICH-2150
In 1973, the Moskvich automobile plant presented the prototype AZLK-2150. Let us recall that before this, the Moskvich automobile plant had already presented several conceptual 4 x 4 models. But compared to them new model AZLK-2150 had a number of new constructive solutions. For example, the car received a new engine whose compression ratio was reduced to 7.25 (this allowed the car to run on A-67 gasoline). The car was developed for use in rural areas(in agriculture).
Unfortunately, like many stunning Soviet models, the AZLK MOSKVICH-2150 SUV never entered mass production. The reason is shortage Money due to widespread government savings. But it couldn’t have been any other way. In a planned economy, it’s generally surprising how so many high-tech cars appeared in the USSR.
A total of two AZLK-2150 prototypes were built: Moskvich-2150 (with hard top) and Moskvich-2148 (with open top).
VAZ-E2122
AvtoVAZ had another experimental car project, which received the code designation VAZ-E2122. It was an amphibious vehicle project. Development began in the 70s of the last century.
The most amazing thing is that the vehicle moved through the water using ordinary wheels. Eventually maximum speed cars on water was only 5 km/h.
The car was equipped with a 1.6 liter gasoline engine, which transmitted torque to all four wheels.
Unfortunately, due to adaptation for movement on water, the car had many design problems. So the engine, transmission and front differential often overheated due to the fact that these components were located in special closed housings. This was necessary to protect vehicle components from water.
In addition, the car had terrible visibility. There were also significant deficiencies in the operation of the exhaust gas system.
Despite a number of difficulties and problems during the development of the vehicle, the USSR military department was interested in mass production of an amphibious SUV. As a result, the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union ordered several prototypes from AvtoVAZ. But unfortunately, this progressive car project never reached mass production.
UAZ-452k
In the 80s, the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant developed an experimental model 452k based on the famous UAZ-452 “Loaf”. The main difference from standard car there was an additional axle that improved the stability and traction of the SUV on rough terrain.
Initially, two versions of the cars, 6 x 4 and 6 x 6, were created. But during the testing process, the developers realized that due to the complexity of the design, the car turned out to be very heavy, which led to huge expense fuel. As a result, they decided to partially cancel the project. But not completely. The UAZ automobile plant eventually produced about 50 copies and sent them to Georgia. As a result, SUVs were used by various rescue services in the Caucasus from 1989 to 1994. These specimens did not cause any particular problems since the mileage of the cars was relatively low, due to the nature of their operation.
ZIL-4102
When the ZIL-4102 was created, it was supposed to be the successor to the famous ZIL limousine, which was used for many years by government servants and senior officials of the Communist Party of the USSR.
The ZIL-4102 was equipped with front-wheel drive and also had carbon fiber body elements: roof panel, trunk lid, hood and bumpers.
Two prototypes were built in 1988. It was originally planned that the model would be equipped with three types of engines: 4.5 liter V6, 6.0 liter V8 and 7.0 liter diesel.
Since this model was intended for the elite, naturally the car was equipped with elements of luxury and comfort. So the car had electric windows, ten audio speakers, a CD player, an on-board computer and a white leather interior.
Unfortunately, Mikhail Gorbachev was not impressed with the ZIL-4102, and he did not approve the project. That is why the luxurious ZIL never went into mass production. It's a pity. We believe that if this model had appeared in mass production, our auto industry would look different today.
NAMI-0284 "DEBUT"
In 1987, the Russian Research Automobile and Automotive Institute (NAMI) developed a front-wheel drive prototype of the car, which was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1988. The vehicle received the code designation NAMI-0284.
This car attracted enormous public attention at exhibitions and received many positive feedback critics and experts of the global car market.
The car had a unique feature for that time - an impressive low coefficient aerodynamic drag air (only 0.23 cd). This is surprising since many modern cars cannot boast of such aerodynamic characteristics.
The length of NAMI-0284 was 3685 mm. The car was equipped with 065 liter engine, which in those years was installed in the Oka (VAZ-1111).
In addition, the experimental model was equipped with electronic servo steering and cruise control.
Despite the low power engine (35 hp), given the light weight of the car (less than 545 kg), it was capable of accelerating to 150 km/h.
Moskvich AZLK-2142
The first AZLK-2142 "Moskvich" was presented to the public in 1990. Engineers positioned the car in those years as the most modern car ever created by the AZLK automobile plant.
According to the plans of the Moskvich automobile plant, the car was supposed to go into mass production in two years, when the company planned to start producing new generations of Moskvich-414 engines. The general directors of the Leninsky Komsomol Automobile Plant - AZLK - insisted on postponing the release of the new Moskvich model. He believed that in the new promising model power units of a new generation should have been installed.
But ultimately, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the cessation of government funding stopped the project.
It is noteworthy that despite the fact that the car was not mass-produced, it became the starting point for the development of a new generation Moskvich-2142, which was produced in three versions: “Prince Vladimir”, “Ivan Kalita” and “Duet”.
UAZ-3170 "SIMBIR"
The development of the new UAZ SUV began in 1975. It was invented and developed by the leading designer of the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, Alexander Shabanov. As a result, by 1980, the car plant introduced the UAZ-3370 Simbir model. The SUV had high ground clearance, which was 325 mm. The car also turned out to be quite tall (height 1960 mm).
Fortunately, this machine went into mass production. True, due to the planned economy, the car plant could not produce large quantities of the SUV. It is worth noting that the vehicle was originally created by order of the War Ministry. But in the end, serial production began to include both military and civilian modifications.
In 1990, the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant introduced the second generation of an SUV - the UAZ-3171, the development of which began in 1987.
MAZ-2000 "Perestroika"
The experimental model of the MAZ-2000 truck was codenamed “Perestroika”. The truck was developed with the goal of creating a modern truck for use by Soviet transport companies.
The main feature of the model was the model design of the truck. This meant that parts of the car such as the engine, transmission, front axle and steering were located in the front of the car, which reduced the gap between the cab and the loading area. Thanks to the model design of the MAZ-2000 cab, it was possible to increase the volume of the body by 9.9 cubic meters. meters.
The stunning MAZ-2000 truck was first shown at the Paris Motor Show in 1988, where it made an incredible impression on audiences from all over the world. In total, several prototypes were built. But unfortunately the project never received the green light and the model never saw the production line.
Many experts believe that the Perestroika truck became the main inspiration for the designers developing the Renault Magnum truck, which entered mass production at the end of 1990 and then in 1991 received the prestigious Truck of the Year award.
What is the reason that our ambitious MAZ-2000 project “Perestroika” did not take place? After all, apparently there were no obstacles to mass production. According to rumors circulating in the auto world, the project did not take place due to the fact that Mikhail Gorbachev sold the design of an amazing truck to the French. Naturally, all this has not been officially confirmed.
Homemade car "Pangolin"
In the Soviet years, everyone knew that the reliability and performance of domestic cars were not the best in the world. Also our vehicles They didn't have a very good design. That is why many Russian engineers decided that since state automobile factories cannot create cars that are in no way inferior to their foreign counterparts, then it is necessary to create them themselves. As a result, many engineers in the USSR privately, inspired by Western European and American sports cars, began to create their own home-made vehicles.
One such example was the Pangolina sports car, created by Alexander Kulygin in 1983.
The car body was created from fiberglass. The sports car also received an engine from the VAZ-2101. The designer was inspired by the stunning design of the Lamborghini Countach. As a result, Alexander decided to create a car in the same style.
It is worth noting that this homemade car still exists and participates in various car shows.
True, over the years some changes have been made to the design of the machine. For example, new doors were installed in the original design of the sports car, which now open upward.
Homemade car "Jeep"
In 1981, an engineer from Yerevan Stanislav Kholshanosov created an exact copy of the famous American SUV"Jeep".
To build the car, the engineer used components from several other Soviet car models. For example, for a homemade copy of an American SUV, the engineer took an engine from a VAZ-2101. Rear axle, gearbox, electrics, headlights and drive shafts were taken from the Volga GAZ-21
The suspension system, gas tank, instrument cluster and windshield wipers were borrowed from the UAZ-469.
But some parts of the car were created according to an individual project. For example, the front axle of the car was created from scratch by Stanislav himself.
It is noteworthy that the design of the front axle was repeatedly exhibited at various exhibitions throughout the Soviet Union and received several awards.
Homemade car "Laura"
Another example of a designer car is the Laura sports car, designed and built by two engineers from Leningrad, Dmitry Parfenov and Gennady Hein. In our country, even today there is not a single normal sports car. Not to mention the USSR. So the engineers had no choice but to create their own sports car.
But unlike other engineers who actually created copies of cars of foreign analogues, Dmitry and Gennady decided to create a completely new car that was in no way similar to any other vehicle.
"Laura" was equipped with a 1.5 liter engine producing 77 hp, front-wheel drive and an on-board computer. The maximum speed of the sports car was 170 km/h.
A total of two copies were built. It is worth noting that these cars were even noted by the leader of the Communist Party, Mikhail Gorbachev. Sports cars have also received many awards.
By the way, both cars are still preserved and are currently exhibited at various exhibitions.
Homemade car "Yuna"
This sports car was created by car enthusiast Yuri Algebraistov. The name of the car was invented based on combinations of the first letters in the name of the designer and his wife (“Natasha”). The car was built in 1982. This is the only sports car these days, built according to an individual project during the Soviet era, which is still in perfect condition and is used for all its intended purposes.
The fact is that Yuri still constantly updates his car and carries out all the necessary work on time. engineering works. That is why the car is still in good working order and works like new.
At the moment, "Yuna" has covered more than 800 thousand km. True, this became possible thanks to the use of a foreign engine (from the BMW 525i).
Homemade car "Katran"
This car was created by a man who has been obsessed with cars all his life. This car was created by a car enthusiast from the city of Sevastopol. Got a sports car unique design body For example, the car did not have the doors we were used to. Instead, the engineer used a design that made it possible to recline the entire front part of the cabin, including Windshield, so that the driver and passenger can get into the car.
The car also received independent suspension and what's more surprising electronic system cruise control, which could maintain a certain speed even on a descent.
Behind last years The territory of the former Union was flooded with cars not made in its open spaces. And this is not bad at all) Reliable and strict Germans, creative and sophisticated Japanese, stylish and powerful Americans, cheap French and sickening Chinese... since foreign cars arrived, Soviet manufacturers have been in the deepest ass! There are an order of magnitude more Cayennes and Escalades on the streets of Kyiv, Moscow, Minsk than Muscovites, Volgas or Nivas.
But what were they, USSR cars? And how would we see them today, without the Internet and digital photography?..
In 1916, the Ryabushinskys entered into an agreement with the tsarist government for the construction of an automobile plant in Moscow and the production of trucks for the needs of the Imperial Army. The Fiat 15 Ter developed in 1912, which had proven itself well in off-road conditions in the colonial wars of Italy, was chosen as the base model of the car. The plant was founded and received the name Automobile Moscow Society (AMO). Before the revolution, we managed to assemble about a thousand cars from ready-made kits, create our own production capacity failed.
In the early 1920s, the Council of Labor and Defense allocated funds for the creation truck. The same Fiat was chosen for the sample. There were two reference copies and partial documentation.
Automotive industry The Soviet Union started on November 7, 1924. On that day, Moscow saw the first cars of the country's first automobile plant. They walked along Red Square during the October parade - ten red AMO-F15 trucks, which were manufactured at the plant, whose brand is now known to everyone as ZIL.
The F-15 was produced with a power of 35 hp. and volume 4.4 l.
A year later, the first domestic 3-ton trucks were assembled in Yaroslavl, and in 1928 the first four- and five-ton trucks...
but we will talk about Soviet passenger cars
NAMI-1 (1927-1932), maximum speed 70 km/h, power 20 hp. With. The first production passenger car in Soviet Russia, approximately 370 copies were produced.
The features of NAMI-1 included a spinal frame - a pipe with a diameter of 135 mm, an air-cooled engine, the absence of a differential, which, in combination with ground clearance 225 mm provided good cross-country ability, but affected increased wear tires NAMI-1 had no instruments, and the body had one door for each row of seats.
The Spartak plant, the former carriage factory of P. Ilyin, where production began, did not have the equipment and experience for a full-fledged automotive production. In particular, therefore, the reliability of NAMI-1 caused many complaints. In 1929, the car was modernized: the engine was boosted, a speedometer and an electric starter were installed. There were plans to transfer production of NAMI-1 to the Izhora plant in Leningrad. However, this was never done, and in October 1930, production of NAMI-1 was stopped.
Passenger car GAZ-A car was manufactured according to the drawings of the American company Ford (1932-1936). Despite this, it was already somewhat different from the American prototypes: for Russian version The clutch housing and steering mechanism were strengthened.
Maximum speed 90 km/h, power 40 hp.
Passenger car L-1 (1933-1934), maximum speed 115 km/h, power 105 hp.
The Krasny Putilovets plant (since 1934 the Kirov plant) by 1932 stopped producing obsolete wheeled tractors Fordson-Putilovets and a group of plant specialists put forward the idea of organizing the production of executive passenger cars.
The prototype of the car, which received the name "Leningrad-1" (or "L-1") was the American "Buick-32-90" of 1932.
It was a very advanced and complex (5450 parts) machine.
Passenger car GAZ-M-1 (1936-1940), maximum speed 100 km/h, power 50 hp.
Based on the GAZ-M1, taxi modifications were produced, as well as GAZ-415 pickup trucks (1939-1941). A total of 62,888 GAZ-M1 vehicles rolled off the assembly line, and several hundred have survived to this day. Chassis this model exhibited in automobile department Polytechnic Museum in Moscow.
KIM-10 is the first Soviet serial small passenger car. 1940-41, maximum speed 90 km/h, power 26 hp.
Passenger car ZIS-101.
1936-1941, maximum speed 120 km/h, power 110 hp.
This model was distinguished by many technical solutions, previously not encountered in the practice of the domestic automotive industry. Among them: dual carburetor, thermostat in the cooling system, damper torsional vibrations on crankshaft engine, synchronizers in the gearbox, body heater and radio.
The car had a dependent spring suspension on all wheels, a spar frame, vacuum booster brakes, valves located in the cylinder head with a rod drive. After modernization (in 1940), it received the ZIS-101A index.
Passenger car GAZ-11-73.
1940-1948, maximum speed 120 km/h, power 76 hp.
Passenger car GAZ-61 (1941-1948)
Maximum speed 100 km/h, power 85 hp.
Passenger car GAZ-M-20 POBEDA (1946-1958)
Maximum speed 105 km/h, power 52 hp.
Unique car Soviet automobile industry.
The GAZ-M20 prototype appeared in 1944. In terms of the design of the body and front suspension, the car was very close to the Opel Captain, but overall it looked fresh and original, which became especially obvious in the first post-war years, when mass production of “victories” began in Gorky, and leading European companies revived the production of pre-war models. The prototypes of the GAZ M20 Pobeda had a six-cylinder engine; in 1946, a car with a unit “cut off” to two cylinders was launched into production.
In 1948, due to design flaws (the car was put on the assembly line in a terrible hurry), assembly was suspended and resumed in the fall of 1949. Since then, the car has been known as durable, reliable, and unpretentious. Until 1955, a version with a 50-horsepower engine was built, then the M20B version was modernized, in particular, with a boost of 2 hp. motor. The GAZ-M20 G with a 90-horsepower 6-cylinder engine was produced in small quantities for special services. In 1949-1954 gt. 14,222 convertibles were built - now the rarest modification. In total, until May 1958, 235,999 “victories” were produced.
"ZIS-110" (1946-1958), maximum speed 140 km/h, power 140 hp.
The ZIS-110, an “executive” comfortable limousine, was truly a design that took into account all the latest achievements at that time automotive technology. This is the first new product that our industry mastered in the first year of peace. The design of the car began in 1943, back during the war years; on September 20, 1944, samples of the car were approved by the government, and a year later, in August 1945, the assembly of the first batch was already underway. In 10 months - unheard of short term- the plant completed the necessary drawings, developed technology, prepared the necessary equipment and equipment. Suffice it to remember that when the plant mastered the production of ZIS-101 passenger cars in 1936, preparation for their production took almost a year and a half. It should be taken into account that all the most complex equipment - dies for the manufacture of body parts, frame side members, jigs for welding body components - were received from the USA. For the ZIS-110, everything was made in-house.
"Moskvich-401" (1954-1956), maximum speed 90 km/h, power 26 hp.
Moskvich-401 is actually not even a copy, but in its pure form Opel Kadett K38 of the 1938 model, with the exception of the doors.
Some believe that the stamps on rear doors were lost during transport from Rüsselsheim, and were made anew. But the K38 was also produced with a 2-door version, so it is possible that the stamps of this particular version of the car were removed. The commander of the American occupation zone did not take the money brought by the Soviet delegation and ordered that everything needed from the Opel plant be given to the Russians. On December 4, 1946, the first Moskvich was assembled.
Indexes 400 and 401 are factory engine designations. The rest indicate the body model: 420 - sedan, 420A - convertible. In 1954 there appeared more powerful model engine - 401. And the latest Moskvich-401s were equipped with new Moskvich-402 engines.
Passenger car MOSKVICH-402 (1956-1958), maximum speed 105 km/h, power 35 hp.
"GAZ-M-12 ZIM" (1950-1959), maximum speed 120 km/h, power 90 hp. Engine. It is basically a six-cylinder GAZ-11 engine, the design of which began in 1937. Its production began in 1940, and it was used on GAZ-11-73 and GAZ-61 passenger cars, as well as on light tanks and self-propelled guns from the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War and GAZ-51 trucks.
"GAZ-13 CHAIKA" (1959-1975), maximum speed 160 km/h, power 195 hp. With.
Soviet dream car, made in the image and likeness of Detroit baroque.
"Chaika" was equipped with a V-shaped 5.5-liter engine, an X-shaped frame, automatic transmission(!!! 1959 in the yard), the salon had 7 seats. 195 l. With. Under the hood good overclocking, moderate consumption - what else is needed for complete happiness? But to say all this about “The Seagull” means to say nothing.
"The Seagull" appeared in 1959, at the height of the Khrushchev Thaw. After the gloomy "ZIS" and the gloomy "ZIM", she was distinguished by a surprisingly humane, if not feminine, face. True, this face was created in other parts: in terms of design, the GAZ-13 was a shameless copy of the latest Packard family - the Patrician and Caribbean models. And not the first copy, first with Packard they made the ZIL-111 for members of the Politburo, and later they decided to make a simpler limousine to replace the ZIM.
"GAZ 21R VOLGA" (1965-1970), maximum speed 130 km/h, power 75 hp.
"GAZ-24 VOLGA" (1968-1975), maximum speed 145 km/h, power 95 hp.
The Volga GAZ-24, which entered production on July 15, 1970, took six whole years to create. Coming up with a new car is not an easy task, but the Soviet automakers of the sixties knew the way. And when they received the order to prepare a replacement for the beautiful, but too ancient Volga GAZ-21, they did not suffer from doubts and remorse. Have you brought three overseas cars? "Ford Falcon", "Plymouth Valiant", "Buick Special" 60-61? and, armed with adjustable wrenches, screwdrivers and other tools for analysis, they began to learn from experience.
As a result, the “24th” became a real automotive revelation (compared to its predecessor “21P”). Judge for yourself: the dimensions have decreased, and the wheelbase has increased, the width remains the same, but the interior has become more spacious, and the trunk is completely huge. In general, a typical case of “more on the inside than on the outside.”
"ZAZ-965A ZAPOROZHETS" (1963-1969), maximum speed 90 km/h, power 27 hp.
On November 22, 1960, the first batch of brand new cars, which received the serial name "ZAZ-965", went to happy customers. There was soon a huge queue of them, since the price for “Zaporozhets” was set at a very reasonable price – about 1,200 rubles. At that time it was approximately the annual average salary.
Strange as it may seem now, but then the ZAZ-965 was more popular among the intelligentsia than among workers or collective farmers. The reason for this was largely due to the too miniature trunk, which could not be loaded with bags of vegetables. The problem was solved only by the creation of a lattice pallet mounted on the roof of the car, onto which they immediately began to load either half a ton of potatoes or a whole stack of hay, making the “Zaporozhets” resemble Asian donkeys.
ZAZ-968 ZAPOROZHETS, maximum speed 120 km/h, power 45 hp.
ZAZ-968 was produced from 1972 to 1980. It had features such as an improved MeMZ-968 engine, increased to 1.2 liters. working volume, while its power increased to 31 kW (42 hp).
In the first years after the revolution, the Soviet leadership faced a number of serious problems, and the USSR was especially far behind the developed countries of the West in technological terms. One of the main problems for the country's economy was the meager fleet of cars. Even small Finland had a large number of cars in the early 20s, and America or Germany are not even worth mentioning. The problem of the lag was solved as quickly as possible, and already at the end of the 30s, the USSR took one of the first places in the world in car production.
Prombron S24/45
The first attempt to launch mass production of cars was made back in 1921 at the 1st BTAZ plant in Fili, also known as the former Russo-Balt, which was evacuated from Riga in 1916, and was nationalized in 1918. The plant's capacity was idle for 3 years; in 21, they began to repair old equipment and at the same time manufacture kits for new machines according to old drawings. Five cars have already been assembled in next year, and the first car was donated to M.I. Kalinin, who drove it until 1945. In 1923, an all-Union automobile rally took place, in which two Prombron S24/45 cars took part, 38 sets were also created for new cars, and the launch of small-scale production was being prepared. However, it was not possible to expand the production of cars, since the plant was reoriented to the production of aircraft. All available kits were transferred to the second BTAZ plant and 22 cars were assembled there, but even there the plant was repurposed and the production of passenger cars had to be postponed indefinitely.
AMO F-15
The first truly production Soviet car was cargo AMO F-15. It was produced at the AMO plant of the same name named after Pietro Ferrero (Moscow Automobile Society), the future ZIL. The development of the truck was carried out on the basis of the Italian Fiat 15 ter, which was assembled from ready-made kits from 1917 to 1919. In 1924, most of the drawings were received, and the plant also had two ready-made Fiat trucks. The first 10 cars were assembled from ready-made kits of parts in just 6 days and this event was timed to coincide with the proletarian demonstration on November 7. Immediately after this, AMO F-15 cars went for testing, during which the high quality of the cars was confirmed and it was decided to establish serial production at AMO facilities. In 1925, only 113 cars were assembled at the plant, but production increased every year and by 1931 a total of 7,000 copies were assembled. In 1931, it was replaced by new models AMO-2 and AMO-3, and in 1933 the legendary ZiS-5 began to be produced.
The AMO F-15 had pretty good technical characteristics for its time, and for the nascent Soviet industry, the production of such machines was very important. Its dimensions were not much larger than a modern passenger car. The length is only 5 meters and the width is 1.7 m. The carrying capacity was only 1500 kg, and the maximum speed did not exceed 42 km/h. Engine power was 35 hp. at 1400 rpm
NAMI-1
It is NAMI-1 that can be called the first Soviet passenger car production car. Its development was not purposeful, but was a project of a student at the Moscow Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Institute K.A. Sharapov, who tried to combine the simplicity of a motorized stroller and the spaciousness of a car in one product. His scientific supervisor E.A. Chudakov appreciated the ideas of the young engineer and after submitting his graduation project, on his recommendation, Sharapov was hired at NAMI, where, under the leadership of Professor Brilling, a team was created to finalize the project. Full set drawings were made already in 1926 and the car was ready for the first pre-production batch. In 1927, two copies were released in different bodies, who went on the Crimea-Moscow-Crimea motor rally and showed their best side.
However, there were problems with the launch of the series. At the Moscow state automobile plant No. 4 "Avtomotor" (later "Spartak") there simply was not enough experience to establish mass production, and there were also constant interruptions in the supply of components. Final assembly took place at the Spartak plant, and almost all parts were ordered from other enterprises or abroad. Also, the workers did not have enough qualifications for high-quality assembly of machines, which subsequently greatly affected the quality and final price. NAMI-1 cost almost three times more than what was then produced in the USSR under the Ford-T license, and it was simply not bought even in conditions of shortage. According to various sources, a total of 350 to 512 cars were produced, most of which were purchased by Avtodor and distributed among government agencies.
However, despite the mediocre quality, NAMI-1 had good characteristics. It could accelerate to 90 km/h, its three-liter 22-horsepower engine consumed only 8-10 liters of fuel per 100 km, which was an excellent indicator for that time. Subsequently, in the early 30s, a greatly improved version of the car was created, but it did not go into production, since Nizhny Novgorod getting ready to launch new plant with a design capacity tens of times greater than the capabilities of Spartak, and its main model was to be Fords produced under license.
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GAZ-A and GAZ-AA
The Soviet leadership was well aware of the serious lag of the USSR in the automotive industry and used any available methods. One of the most successful steps was the signing on May 1, 1929 by Ford agreement on technical assistance for organizing and establishing mass production of cars and trucks. The plant was built in record time and already on January 1, 1932 it was opened, and on its first running assembly line production of passenger cars was launched under license. Ford-A cars and a Ford-AA truck. These two models were truly the first mass cars in the USSR, and obtaining all the documentation for manufacturing made it possible to begin the development of Soviet cars, modern and not inferior to their foreign counterparts. A large number of modifications were created on the basis of Model A, and already in 1936 at the Gorky Plant the GAZ-M1 became the main model. A total of 42 thousand cars of this model were built, not counting various modifications.
Along with documentation for model Ford-A, the Soviet Union was given documentation for the Ford-AA cargo truck, which was maximally unified in detail with passenger car. Issue 1.5 ton truck also began in 1932, in 1933 the first serial Soviet bus GAZ-03-30 was created on its basis. In 1938, the model received a new 50-horsepower engine and was produced in this form until 1949, and a total of 985 thousand of these trucks were produced in various modifications.
ZiS-5
By 1930, the USSR produced many various cars, however, the most important thing was missing - mass appeal. It was in all factories manual assembly, which naturally affected both the price and the quantity of products produced. The first five-year plan included the creation of several automobile factories with a conveyor belt, and the first was launched in 1931 at the AMO plant, later renamed ZiS (Stalin Plant). Not many were produced at that time successful models AMO-2 and AMO-3, but by 1933 the models were completely modified and the new ZiS-5 went into mass production. On full power The plant came out by 1934, when up to 1,500 cars were produced monthly. But the main advantage of the new car was the fact that all the parts were domestic production and there was no need to pay for licenses and assistance from foreign specialists.
The technical characteristics of the car also looked very decent for its time. The ZiS-5 was equipped with a 5.5 liter engine, which had a power of 73 hp. The carrying capacity was 3000 kg, and it could also be equipped with a trailer weighing up to 3500 kg. Maximum speed - 60 km/h. The design turned out to be so successful that it was produced in various modifications until 1958, and a total of 570 thousand copies were produced.
I-5
The leadership of the Soviet Union understood perfectly well that if they did not produce the entire line of automotive products, they would have to buy them abroad and depend on Western countries. If there were fewer problems with light and medium trucks, heavy trucks were not produced in the union by the 1930s, but they were very necessary for the large-scale construction projects of the first five-year plans. The first heavy truck in the USSR can be called the Ya-5, which was capable of transporting up to 5 tons. However, only 2200 pieces were produced, since it was equipped with American engines which had to be abandoned. Later, they began installing engines from the ZiS-5, but they did not provide the required power and, for the sake of traction characteristics, the maximum speed had to be reduced. Several models were created on the basis of the Y-5, including the most load-bearing one, the eight-ton YAG-12.
If in the mid-20s we can say about the Soviet automobile industry that it practically did not exist, then just 10 years later several giant factories were launched at once, which allowed the USSR to become one of the leaders in the industry in terms of the number of cars produced, and by the 40s we also managed to catch up in terms of quality, and the new ZiSs, GAZs, and Yaroslavl cars were almost worse than their foreign counterparts, and all the country’s needs were fully met. During the first five-year plan, new KIM and GAZ plants were built, and serious funds were also invested in the modernization of such enterprises as AMO (ZiS), Putilovsky Plant, YAGAZ and other smaller plants. The USSR took second place in the production of trucks, second only to the USA in this indicator. By 1941, the milestone of 1 million cars had been reached throughout the entire period. different brands, and in 1940, 145 thousand different cars were produced.
In recent years, the territory of the former Union has been flooded with cars not made in its open spaces. Reliable and strict Germans, creative and sophisticated Japanese, stylish and powerful Americans, cheap French and sickening Chinese... since the arrival of foreign cars, Soviet manufacturers have been in the deepest ass! There are an order of magnitude more Cayennes and Escalades on the streets of Kyiv, Moscow, Minsk than Muscovites, Volgas or Nivas.
But what were they, USSR cars? And how would we see them today, without the Internet and digital photography?..
In 1916, the Ryabushinskys entered into an agreement with the tsarist government for the construction of an automobile plant in Moscow and the production of trucks for the needs of the Imperial Army. The Fiat 15 Ter developed in 1912, which had proven itself well in off-road conditions in the colonial wars of Italy, was chosen as the base model of the car. The plant was founded and received the name Automobile Moscow Society (AMO). Before the revolution, it was possible to assemble about a thousand cars from ready-made kits, but it was not possible to create our own production facilities.
In the early 1920s, the Council of Labor and Defense allocated funds for the creation of a truck. The same Fiat was chosen for the sample. There were two reference copies and partial documentation.
The automobile industry of the Soviet Union started on November 7, 1924. On that day, Moscow saw the first cars of the country's first automobile plant. They walked along Red Square during the October parade - ten red AMO-F15 trucks, which were manufactured at the plant, whose brand is now known to everyone as ZIL. The F-15 was produced with a power of 35 hp. and volume 4.4 l. A year later, the first domestic 3-ton trucks were assembled in Yaroslavl, and in 1928 the first four- and five-ton trucks... but we will talk about Soviet passenger cars
NAMI-1 (1927-1932), maximum speed 70 km/h, power 20 hp. With. The first production passenger car in Soviet Russia, approximately 370 copies were produced. The features of NAMI-1 included a backbone frame - a pipe with a diameter of 135 mm, an air-cooled engine, and the absence of a differential, which, in combination with a ground clearance of 225 mm, provided good cross-country ability, but affected increased tire wear. NAMI-1 had no instruments, and the body had one door for each row of seats.
The Spartak plant, the former carriage factory of P. Ilyin, where production was launched, did not have the equipment and experience for full-fledged automobile production. In particular, therefore, the reliability of NAMI-1 caused many complaints. In 1929, the car was modernized: the engine was boosted, a speedometer and an electric starter were installed. There were plans to transfer production of NAMI-1 to the Izhora plant in Leningrad. However, this was never done, and in October 1930, production of NAMI-1 was stopped.
The GAZ-A passenger car was manufactured according to the drawings of the American company Ford (1932-1936). Despite this, it was already somewhat different from the American prototypes: for the Russian version, the clutch housing and steering mechanism were strengthened. Maximum speed 90 km/h, power 40 hp.
Passenger car L-1 (1933-1934), maximum speed 115 km/h, power 105 hp. By 1932, the Krasny Putilovets plant (since 1934, the Kirov Plant) stopped producing obsolete Fordson-Putilovets wheeled tractors, and a group of plant specialists put forward the idea of organizing the production of executive passenger cars. The prototype of the car, which received the name "Leningrad-1" (or "L-1") was the American "Buick-32-90" of 1932. It was a very advanced and complex (5450 parts) car.
Passenger car GAZ-M-1 (1936-1940), maximum speed 100 km/h, power 50 hp. Based on the GAZ-M1, taxi modifications were produced, as well as GAZ-415 pickup trucks (1939-1941). A total of 62,888 GAZ-M1 vehicles rolled off the assembly line, and several hundred have survived to this day. The chassis of this model is exhibited in the automotive department of the Polytechnic Museum in Moscow.
KIM-10 is the first Soviet serial small passenger car.
1940-41, maximum speed 90 km/h, power 26 hp.
Passenger car ZIS-101. 1936-1941, maximum speed 120 km/h, power 110 hp.
This model was distinguished by many technical solutions that had not previously been encountered in the practice of the domestic automotive industry. Among them: a dual carburetor, a thermostat in the cooling system, a torsional vibration damper on the engine crankshaft, synchronizers in the gearbox, a body heater and a radio.
The vehicle had a dependent spring suspension on all wheels, a spar frame, a vacuum brake booster, and valves located in the cylinder head with a rod drive. After modernization (in 1940), it received the ZIS-101A index.
Passenger car GAZ-11-73. 1940-1948, maximum speed 120 km/h, power 76 hp.
Passenger car GAZ-61 (1941-1948). Maximum speed 100 km/h, power 85 hp.
Passenger car GAZ-M-20 POBEDA (1946-1958). Maximum speed 105 km/h, power 52 hp. A unique car of the Soviet automobile industry.
The GAZ-M20 prototype appeared in 1944. In terms of the design of the body and front suspension, the car was very close to the Opel Captain, but overall it looked fresh and original, which became especially obvious in the first post-war years, when mass production of “Victories” began in Gorky, and leading European companies revived the production of pre-war models. The prototypes of the GAZ M20 Pobeda had a six-cylinder engine; in 1946, a car with a unit “cut off” to two cylinders was launched into production.
In 1948, due to design flaws (the car was put on the assembly line in a terrible hurry), assembly was suspended and resumed in the fall of 1949. Since then, the car has been known as durable, reliable, and unpretentious. Until 1955, a version with a 50-horsepower engine was built, then the M20B version was modernized, in particular, with a boost of 2 hp. motor. The GAZ-M20 G with a 90-horsepower 6-cylinder engine was produced in small quantities for special services. In 1949-1954 gt. 14,222 convertibles were built - now the rarest modification. In total, until May 1958, 235,999 “victories” were produced.
"ZIS-110" (1946-1958), maximum speed 140 km/h, power 140 hp.
The ZIS-110, an “executive” comfortable limousine, was indeed a design that took into account all the latest achievements of automotive technology at that time. This is the first new product that our industry mastered in the first year of peace. The design of the car began in 1943, back during the war years; on September 20, 1944, samples of the car were approved by the government, and a year later, in August 1945, the assembly of the first batch was already underway. In 10 months - an unheard of short period of time - the plant completed the necessary drawings, developed technology, and prepared the necessary tools and equipment. Suffice it to remember that when the plant mastered the production of ZIS-101 passenger cars in 1936, preparation for their production took almost a year and a half. It should be taken into account that all the most complex equipment - dies for the manufacture of body parts, frame side members, jigs for welding body components - were received from the USA. For the ZIS-110, everything was made in-house.
"Moskvich-401" (1954-1956), maximum speed 90 km/h, power 26 hp.
Moskvich-401 is actually not even a copy, but in its pure form Opel Kadett K38 of the 1938 model, with the exception of the doors. Some believe that the rear door stamps were lost in transit from Rüsselsheim and were remade. But the K38 was also produced with a 2-door version, so it is possible that the stamps of this particular version of the car were removed. The commander of the American occupation zone did not take the money brought by the Soviet delegation and ordered that everything needed from the Opel plant be given to the Russians. On December 4, 1946, the first Moskvich was assembled.
Indexes 400 and 401 are factory engine designations. The rest indicate the body model: 420 - sedan, 420A - convertible. In 1954, a more powerful engine model appeared - 401. And the latest Moskvich-401s were equipped with new Moskvich-402 engines.
Passenger car MOSKVICH-402 (1956-1958), maximum speed 105 km/h, power 35 hp.
"GAZ-M-12 ZIM" (1950-1959), maximum speed 120 km/h, power 90 hp. Engine. It is basically a six-cylinder GAZ-11 engine, the design of which began in 1937. Its production began in 1940, and it was used on GAZ-11-73 and GAZ-61 passenger cars, as well as on light tanks and self-propelled guns from the Great Patriotic War and GAZ-51 trucks.
"GAZ-13 CHAIKA" (1959-1975), maximum speed 160 km/h, power 195 hp. With.
Soviet dream car, made in the image and likeness of Detroit baroque.
The "Chaika" was equipped with a V-shaped 5.5-liter engine, an X-shaped frame, an automatic transmission (!!! It's 1959), the interior had 7 seats. 195 l. With. Under the hood, good acceleration, moderate consumption - what else is needed for complete happiness? But to say all this about “The Seagull” means to say nothing.
"The Seagull" appeared in 1959, at the height of the Khrushchev Thaw. After the gloomy "ZIS" and the gloomy "ZIM", she was distinguished by a surprisingly humane, if not feminine, face. True, this face was created in other parts: in terms of design, the GAZ-13 was a shameless copy of the latest Packard family - the Patrician and Caribbean models. And not the first copy, first with Packard they made the ZIL-111 for members of the Politburo, and later they decided to make a simpler limousine to replace the ZIM.
"GAZ 21R VOLGA" (1965-1970), maximum speed 130 km/h, power 75 hp.
"GAZ-24 VOLGA" (1968-1975), maximum speed 145 km/h, power 95 hp.
The Volga GAZ-24, which entered production on July 15, 1970, took six whole years to create. Coming up with a new car is not an easy task, but the Soviet automakers of the sixties knew the way. And when they received the order to prepare a replacement for the beautiful, but too ancient Volga GAZ-21, they did not suffer from doubts and remorse. They brought three overseas cars - a Ford Falcon, a Plymouth Valiant, a Buick Special from 1960-61 - and, armed with adjustable wrenches, screwdrivers and other tools for analysis, they began to learn from their experience.
As a result, the “24th” became a real automotive revelation (compared to its predecessor “21P”). Judge for yourself: the dimensions have decreased, and the wheelbase has increased, the width remains the same, but the interior has become more spacious, and the trunk is completely huge. In general, a typical case of “more on the inside than on the outside.”
"ZAZ-965A ZAPOROZHETS" (1963-1969), maximum speed 90 km/h, power 27 hp.
On November 22, 1960, the first batch of brand new cars, serially named ZAZ-965, went to happy customers. There was soon a huge queue of them, since the price for “Zaporozhets” was set at a very reasonable price – about 1,200 rubles. At that time it was approximately the annual average salary.
Strange as it may seem now, but then the ZAZ-965 was more popular among the intelligentsia than among workers or collective farmers. The reason for this was largely due to the too miniature trunk, which could not be loaded with bags of vegetables. The problem was solved only by the creation of a lattice pallet mounted on the roof of the car, onto which they immediately began to load either half a ton of potatoes or a whole stack of hay, making the “Zaporozhets” resemble Asian donkeys.
ZAZ-968 ZAPOROZHETS, maximum speed 120 km/h, power 45 hp.
ZAZ-968 was produced from 1972 to 1980. It had features such as an improved MeMZ-968 engine, increased to 1.2 liters. working volume, while its power increased to 31 kW (42 hp).
