The most expensive production car of the Soviet era: The coveted and inaccessible Volga GAZ-24

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The Soviet GAZ-24 became a new era for the legendary automobile plant and a visiting card of developed socialism. The 24th Volga stood out as a fundamentally new concept of cars, although it was originally conceived as the heiress of the 21st model and the younger brother of the government "Seagull". Despite the accusations of copying the American model of Ford, the GAZ-24 is still recognizable in the auto world. And in the history of the Soviet automobile industry, it was an inaccessible and coveted dream by all.

A copy of a Ford?

By the early 60s, the USSR clearly lacked modern executive cars. The familiar GAZ-21 with a deer on the hood looked outdated. Khrushchev, as usual, saw as his goal America not only to catch up, but also to overtake. In 1959, an exhibition of American technology was held in Moscow, which spurred new developments. Through the efforts of the designers of the Gorky Automobile Plant, the first sketches of the new "Volga" based on the 21st predecessor were published. Until now, you can hear the version that the Soviet "twenty-four" copied from the Ford Falcon 62 model year.

In general terms, we can agree with the fans of the American car industry. But in the only context that stylistically most cars of that time were distinguished by a wide stern with a massive front, a huge hood and an outstanding radiator grill. By the way, the latter, in the case of the GAZ-24, was inherited from the 21st Volga. So it is unfair to talk about copying the design of the new Volga from Ford.

Soviet standard: plans and realities

Two groups of experienced Soviet designers began to develop the 24th Volga in 1958. By 1964, the designers offered six different GAZ-24 bodies, which were noticeably different in appearance. In 1966, the car model was approved and preparations for mass production began. In 1967, there was a false start, and Autoexport announced its readiness to release a new prestigious Soviet car. However, the crisis provoked in the Middle East (the "Six Day War") did not allow the plan to be realized. All factory potentials were reoriented to the urgent production of military equipment. But the next year, work was resumed, and in 1968 the first experimental batch of 32 vehicles rolled off the assembly line. On July 15, 1970, the Volga GAZ-24 reached the level of mass production.

Initially, the designers offered a complete set of "Volga" with four types of engines from 85 to 195 horsepower. An automatic transmission was also considered. Despite the fact that it was not possible to implement all the ideas, the GAZ-24 looked advantageous against the background of other Soviet cars. Rear-wheel drive acceleration to 100 km in 18 seconds was considered good luck, and the lucky owners of the “twenty-four” from the “golden youth” practiced a burnout on the Volga (warming up the rear tires in place). The second modification was the "Volga" - "catch-up" with its roaring engine of 5, 7 liters, allowing it to catch up with any car available in the USSR at that time. This version reached the 100 km mark on the speedometer in 12 seconds, which seemed unthinkable.

Who bought the Volga-24

The new Volga was seen by every Soviet person as the embodiment of comfort, an indicator of prestige and an elusive dream. In 1970, with the start of mass production of the car, only party officials, store directors, speculators and citizens "with connections" could buy it. A simple driver could not afford such a luxury, even if it was a basic model. The retail price of GAZ-24 started at nine thousand rubles, which in today's money equals 10 million Russian rubles. The version with a radio receiver and a more powerful engine cost 12 thousand. But even with such amounts and opportunities, obstacles arose.

For example, it seemed unlikely to buy a white and black car - most of them were immediately unsubscribed to representatives of the government apparatus and special services. The party elite preferred the "Volga" in the color of a crow's wing. In 1980, southerners, without bargaining, offered 40-50 thousand for such a specimen with a solid filling. The people got the less popular colors. There was a popular classification regarding colors. Yellow cars were called taxis, gray, blue and beige shades - cars for lower managers and successful private owners, the white Volga pointed to the middle manager.

An ordinary person could acquire a new Volga only at a large enterprise. But this required, in addition to possessing a large sum, either to be an honorary leader in production, or to stand in line for several years. There was another way - to become the owner of a used car. These were written off from taxi companies, government garages and ambulance stations. But even there, as a rule, “their own” did.

"Volga" - Brezhnev's all-terrain vehicle and foreign myth

The 24th Volga was also owned by the general secretary. For official trips, Leonid Brezhnev, of course, used The Seagull. "Volga" was allotted for mental occasions, for example, hunting. The Brezhnev all-wheel drive copy was equipped with a powerful type of engine, a special transmission and suspension from the UAZ, because the low heavy structure threatened to "sit on its belly" on the road. There were only five such all-terrain vehicles in the Union.

The GAZ-24 was also in demand abroad. The Volga was sold to the countries of the Middle East, Scandinavia and even the United States, where it was valued at about $ 7,600. But in the American environment, the demand was low, because there were enough similar domestic competitors. As for the states of the socialist camp, there the "twenty-four" was also reputed to be the machine of the elite. Party members and intelligence officers were moving en masse on the Volga. History even preserved the myth of the black "Volga", which was retold in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria during the 70s. Allegedly, a tightly tinted Soviet car with KGB officers was slowly moving along foreign roads. Stopping near the right person, the agents asked the traditional question “What time is it?”, After which the victim disappeared without a trace.

For the Soviet people, a car was not just a means of transportation, but also a sign of luxury. Most often, they saved up for a car for several years and stood in line for a long time. What else did the Soviet people save money for, find out from our review.