Why Zhukov rejected the legendary "Volga" GAZ-21: Wheels that glorified the USSR

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

Before the Great Patriotic War, Soviet citizens did not buy. At that time, it was possible to become a car owner only for hard work. So the first personal cars appeared in the pre-war USSR not at all among members of the party elite, but among the Stakhanovites. For the first time, a Soviet person officially received permission to buy a car only in 1948. The domestic auto industry has established the production of serial cars, which are still recognizable in the world.

Three-ton "Zakhar", loved by the Germans

The people called the light truck ZIS-5 differently - "three-ton", "Zakhar Ivanovich" and simply "Zakhar". Many experts see in the Soviet ZIS the "licked" American Autocar Dispatch SA. The cars are really similar, but it must be borne in mind that at that time in the USSR, the Americans supplied car kits on a legal basis. And Soviet engineers did serious work, embodying in the ZIS-5 not a copy of the Zaoken prototype, but a simplified and more affordable car. Moreover, consumer qualities remained at a high level, and the reliability and unpretentiousness of the captured Zakhars were appreciated even by the Germans during the war.

The symbol of a great victory

Specialists of the Soviet car industry began to plan the production of a people's car back in wartime. And such a car appeared already with Victory. In 1946, the legendary GAZ M-20 was presented. There is a curious case associated with the name of the car. Initially, "Victory" at the design stage was recorded as "Rodina". But after Comrade Stalin's question to the developers about how much they plan to sell Rodina, the M-20 was given the name known today. A truly historic passenger car has earned love and recognition not only in the USSR, but also abroad. "Pobeda" was produced under license in Poland, North Korea, China.

Five-meter ZIM for 40 thousand

Most of the Soviet cars of the 40-50s were intended for high-ranking executives, and not for a private owner. From these considerations, the six-meter GAZ-12 ZIM was designed. The executive class sedan was exported to socialist countries, as well as to Sweden and Finland. The racing versions were produced under the names "Avangard" and "Dzerzhinets". After the rustic "Victory", ZIM stood out for its elegant lines, luxury of details and accents on trifles.

The finish was replete with shiny chrome, while the innovative quality of the finish was achieved by a seven-layer nitro enamel. ZIM became the world's first passenger car with three rows of seats and six windows. The nearly six-meter Cadillac-style car boasted a high level of comfort. Heating was supplied to the rear seats, a tri-band radio was included in the package, the course was unprecedentedly smooth. With all these "miracles" of the highest auto class, ZIM still decided to sell it to private hands. True, the car cost several times more than the "Victory".

"The Seagull" is not for mere mortals

Another representative Soviet limousine from the Gorky Automobile Plant was the "Chaika". From 1959 to 1981, more than 3 thousand units were assembled at GAZ. The Seagull was introduced to foreign consumers in New York and Brussels. The design of the GAZ-13 was in many ways similar to the Packard-1955 and was produced under the serial designation GAZ-13. Until 1989, this luxurious Soviet car was operated by the political leaders of the Land of the Soviets.

Some modifications of the "Chaika" were not available for purchase on the domestic car market, unlike in the Western countries. There are several known "conversion" convertibles based on the GAZ-13. The ceremonial "Seagull" was used by the leaders of the GDR V. Ulbricht and E. Honecker, and two such phaetons still roam in Tajikistan today. In the USSR, in addition to the political elite, "Seagulls" were used by the KGB. The Soviet ambassadors in North Korea, East Germany, Hungary, Mongolia, Bulgaria and Finland also traveled in "Chaikas". By the way, the General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, Khrushchev, presented Fidel Castro with a GAZ-13 as a gift.

"Goat" - all-terrain vehicle

The famous Soviet car with high cross-country ability, GAZ-69, was popularly nicknamed "goat" for the stiffness of the suspension. From the moment of release in 1952 and until 1972, more than 600 thousand units were produced. In addition to being used in the USSR, GAZ-69 was exported to fifty countries of the world in several versions. The initial release was carried out at the Gorky Automobile Plant, and since 1956 production was transferred to the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant. "Kozlik" was performed in two basic modifications: a two-door eight-seater body and a command four-door for five seats.

For maximum versatility and improve maintainability, all the main components and mechanisms of this machine were assembled from serial Soviet cars and trucks. So there were no problems with spare parts and repairs. And as for the cross-country ability, then the "goat" had few equal. Over the impassable roads, bumps and swamps, the "sixty-ninth" made its way with the same efficiency as the vaunted "Land Rovers". At the same time, the "goat" was easy to maintain and surprisingly maintainable.

"Shark mouth" and Zhukov's verdict

GAZ-21, aka "shark mouth", at the starting stage did not like Marshal Georgy Zhukov at all. After that, the car was released with a circulation of 140,000. This "Volga" was not a special technical sensation in the automotive world, being, in fact, a modernized "Victory". Even at that time, the car was a set of standard technical incarnations. The long-awaited innovation of the 21st Volga was planned to make an automatic transmission, which GAZ was going to equip all subsequent cars with.

In fact, it turned out that there was no suitable Soviet oil for the "machine", as well as specialists in diagnostics with repair. For this reason, a good idea crashed into insoluble realities. But the charisma of the "Volga" plugged into the belt even the foreign Ford Mainline, with which they were similar in their contours, not to mention the domestic cars of that time. The deer on the hood has remained an epoch-making symbol in the history of the Russian car industry.

Well, the emergence of the automotive business in Russia is not easy. It will be interesting to know who was the personal driver of the king, and how they solved the problem of special numbers and special signals at that time.