GAZ Volga
The GAZ Volga is an executive car that originated in the Soviet Union to replace the GAZ Pobeda in 1956. Their role in serving the Soviet nomenklatura made them a contemporary cultural icon. Several generations of the car have been produced.
Despite the continuous modernisations, GAZ found it increasingly difficult to keep the ageing design competitive in a market economy. GAZ CEO Bo Andersson decided to discontinue the Volga range in 2010.
First generation, the GAZ-M-21
The first generation Volga was developed as a replacement for the 1946 GAZ-M20 Pobeda mid-size car, based on a brief issued in 1951. The first pre-production batch left GAZ on 10 October 1956. It was built in three distinct series; in total 639,478 Volgas were built from 1956 until 1970. There was also an estate derivative and a rare, V8-engined version developed for the KGB's 9th Directorate as an escort vehicle for motorcades.The first series, nicknamed the Star, was built from late 1956 until 1958. It was replaced by the second series, fitted with a 16-slit grille and nicknamed Akula. There were also continuous improvements throughout the entire production run. In 1962, the third series with its characteristic 36-slit grille was introduced. The new grille prompted the "Baleen" nickname and became a Volga trademark for decades. Originally called the GAZ-M-21, the -M- prefix was a reference to Vyacheslav Molotov, after whom the Volga plant was named. The plant was renamed following the downfall of his career in 1957, and the -M- prefix was gradually removed from the car beginning in 1965. A fourth series was rejected and production of the third and final GAZ-21 continued until 15 July 1970.
The estate was introduced in 1962 and remains rare.
Second generation, the GAZ-24, GAZ-3102 and GAZ-3110
Development of the planned replacement for the GAZ-21 Volga began in 1961. The GAZ-24 Volga was planned to have 7-10 year lifetime, lasting through the 1970s. However, even before its 1968 première, it was already behind schedule and as the USSR slipped into the Era of Stagnation, following Alexey Kosygin's 1965 Soviet economic reform, the car was to become an iconic feature of that era, both aesthetically and technically. Developed in the mid-1960s it would undergo a series of modernisations and facelifts, and despite unsuccessful attempts to find a replacement, the car would only be retired in 2009 - 40 years after the first series began production.First series — the GAZ-24 (1970–1985)
Design of GAZ-21's replacement began in the early 1960s, with sketches gradually showing a more angular and rigid profile. GAZ planned to keep a modernised version of the four-cylinder engine and manual transmission in the base model, but a prototype also appeared with a V6 engine. The first prototypes were built in 1966, and a year later the car was certified for production. For economic reasons the V6 model, despite showing promising results, was deemed unfeasible for mass production. The first batch of 24 vehicles were assembled in 1968 but it took until 15 July 1970 for the car to finally supersede the GAZ-21 on the conveyor belt.Despite its more imposing appearance, the GAZ-24 was in fact shorter in length and 120 mm in height, yet its wheelbase was extended by 10 mm. The lower body waist line, allowed the window area was to be increased, whilst using thinner linings in doors, roof, and other body panels notably increased interior space. The car was powered by the ZMZ-24D engine, an evolution of the ZMZ-21A. Transmission was now a fully synchronised four on the floor layout, and the brakes were improved with a hydraulic vacuum servo unit as well as an independent parking brake. Certain features were retained for their proven reliability, like the kingpin front suspension and recirculating ball steering.
The car was built in several modifications and these were now indicated by numbers rather than letters. Though the vehicle never underwent a generational facelift on the scale of the GAZ-21, nonetheless the car was modernised with continuous technical improvements during production. In the original design brief, the GAZ-24 was to be retired by 1978, but GAZ was forced to update the 24 instead. After a light refresh in 1977, the GAZ-24-10 appeared in 1985, receiving many of the features developed for the GAZ-3102, the 24's intended successor. Including the GAZ-24-10, almost one and a half million such Volgas were produced until 1992. The lion's share of cars were used for the Soviet nomenklatura and the rest mainly in taxi, police and ambulances.
Second series—the GAZ-3102 and derivatives
Manufacture of the 3102 began in 1981, with its official launch the next year. However, such car would never see light, as the 1970s unrolled, the stagnation era effects has significantly thwarted any innovation in Soviet Union's planned economy structure. Moreover, the Minister of Automotive Industry, Viktor Polyakov, had open favouritism for the new VAZ giant, and thus neither AZLK's 3-5 project, nor GAZ's ambitious third-generation Volga would see their respective conveyors. In 1973 more economic solution was adopted for the future car, that rotated around giving a major upgrade to the GAZ-24 by replacing most of the mechanics, the body panels, the interior yet keeping the skeletal body sections and platform, thus avoiding the most costly replacement of production press stamping.The first users of the 3102 were the KGB and other government bodies through 1983. It proved unavailable to the public until after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This limited availability has given the 3102 a particular cachet in Russia, allowing GAZ sell it at a markup.