He began assembling a middle-class passenger car, which was called GAZ-A. The car received an open 5-seater, 4-door chaise-type body and was assembled under license Ford based on the Ford-A car, which was produced from 1929.
In December 1932, the first two GAZ-A cars, it was the first Soviet passenger car model of mass conveyor assembly.
Cars of the GAZ-A brand with an open body were produced until 1934, later a batch of cars with a closed body of the sedan type was produced. closed cars GAZ-A was produced until 1936, after which they were abandoned, due to complex-shaped parts that were easily deformed. Thus, after 4 years from the start of production, the production of GAZ-A cars was discontinued, they were replaced by cars of the GAZ-M1 Emka model.
Design and construction
It should be noted that the GAZ-A car was not an exact copy American Ford, changes were made to its design, adjusted for the famous Soviet roads. The clutch housing was reinforced, the steering mechanism was improved. An additional air filter was also installed, because there was plenty of dust on our “roads”. Improvements were made, but in the end the car turned out to be quite weak, the engine with a capacity of 40 Horse power although it was able to reach speeds of up to 90 km / h, it was only enough to move along good roads. The suspension on the transverse springs could not withstand the loads and quickly failed. Insufficiently rigid frame contributed to the rapid loosening and destruction of the car body.
However, in addition to all the shortcomings, the car also had a small advantage - it was easily repaired and was relatively inexpensive. In addition, thanks to a very low compression ratio (4.2), in hot weather, the engine could run on almost anything that was on fire.
The bumper of the car was made of steel, in the form of 2 stripes, was equipped with a nickel-plated radiator grille, on which the first emblem flaunted Gorky Automobile Plant- a black oval with the letters GAZ and an image of a hammer and sickle. The windshield was made of two layers, with an elastic film laid between them, which turned yellow with time and gave the glass a characteristic yellow tint. Upon impact, such glass did not break into a bunch of small crystals, like modern glasses, but cracked and remained in place, and cracked perfectly. Since GAZ-A was produced mainly with an open body, it was possible to escape from bad weather with the help of a canvas awning. Canvas sidewalls with celluloid windows were also put on above the doors.
The gas tank of the GAZ-A car was located on the rear wall of the engine compartment and practically hung over the legs of the driver and passenger. Thanks to this placement of the gas tank, it was possible to abandon such an imperfect part at that time as a gasoline pump, the fuel flowed by gravity into the carburetor. To prevent the supply of fuel to the carburetor, there was a tap at the bottom of the tank that shut off the fuel supply.
Modifications
Gas-A-Aero
Created in single copy Nikitin A.O. This car was unusual for that time, a streamlined shape. The body had a wooden frame with metal lining. The windshield was V-shaped, tilted back at an angle of 45 degrees, completely enclosed by fairings. rear wheels recessed into the fenders headlights. Due to the narrower wings, the interior of the car has become more spacious.
According to the results of the purge, it showed better results than the serial model, the coefficient drag turned out to be 48% smaller. It was equipped with a forced engine with an aluminum cylinder head, with a capacity of 48 horsepower and could reach speeds of up to 106 km / h. Despite the fact that the engine turned out to be more powerful and faster, fuel consumption was reduced by more than 25%!!!
The unique car was transferred Automobile Council CA to study, where he went missing.
GAZ-A-Aremkuz
Due to the demand for closed type bodies of the GAZ-A model, mainly for use in the Moscow taxi, the Moscow Aremkuz plant, mounted closed 4-door bodies on the GAZ-A chassis. The body frame was made of wood with metal sheathing, equipped with a wooden partition that separated the driver and front passenger from the back of the cabin.
In total, about 500 cars of this modification were produced.
GAZ-A-Kegres
An experimental ski-caterpillar model developed by NAMI (at that time NATI) specialists.
GAZ-A-Sport
GAZ-A-Sport is a sports car based on GAZ-A, built by 57-year-old Leningrad City Council driver Anton Girel. He lengthened the base by 300mm and made a streamlined body, without protruding parts, thereby reducing the weight of the car to 950kg. From hopelessly outdated engine GAZ-A had to be abandoned in favor of the GAZ-M1 engine, which in turn was a copy of the Ford-BB engine.
The engine displacement remained unchanged, but the compression ratio increased to 5.5 units. 2 carburetors were installed and a direct-flow exhaust system, which was 4 short exhaust pipes. Thus, engine power was increased to 55 horsepower at 2800 rpm. For handicraft assembled car this was a great indicator.
It was on this car, in 1937, Girel set a new all-Union speed record of 129 km / h. It should be noted that this was a record Soviet Union, however, he was beaten 24 years ago by tsarist Russia, on a Russo-Balt S-24/55 car, which reached a speed of 142.5 km / h. But as they thought then, it was a different country, a different car ...
GAZ-A "Ambulance"
This model was developed to cover the needs of the population in sanitary engineering. It was decided to put a specialized body on the GAZ-A chassis. However, whether this machine was mass-produced is not known.
Gorky designers involved in the GAZ-M73 project tell the story of the appearance of this car like this. In the fall of 1954, Khrushchev summoned Stepan Akopovich Akopov, Minister of Automobile, Tractor and Agricultural Engineering of the USSR, and gave the task of developing a small a car high cross, which would replace the single-line "ruler" - the main vehicle agronomists and field walkers. Work on the all-wheel drive chassis for the Pobeda body was already in full swing at that time, and Khrushchev, knowing this, commented on his task as follows: “Not the same bosses can ride comfortably off-road at any time of the year!”.
It is quite natural that the Gorky Automobile Plant, the only enterprise in the country that had experience in the production of non-cargo all-wheel drive vehicles, received the task to develop such a car. Initially, it was only about design, that is, about creating a complete package of technical documentation.
Mass production Akopov intended to place the cars at the car plant, the construction of which was planned in Ukraine, so the promising SUV was called "Ukrainian". However, it soon became clear that, for a number of reasons, the creation of a new enterprise would have to be abandoned, and the car was renamed the Mekhanizator. However, it is possible that the story of the name and renaming is just a myth. In the factory technical documentation that has survived to this day, only the factory designation "GAZ-M73" appears.
The design team headed by Grigory Moiseevich Wasserman had to create this car. It was Wasserman and his staff who designed the GAZ-69 and GAZ-69A a little earlier, it was this team that, at the time of receiving the assignment to develop a small comfortable jeep, was working on “crossing” the Pobeda body with an all-wheel drive transmission.
We started with the layout. The tasks that the car had to solve made it possible to be content with a two-seater body, and the remaining reserves payload and length to use for shipping. Nevertheless, the body loomed short and light, which made it possible to make it load-bearing, without a bulky and heavy frame - a revolutionary solution for all-wheel drive vehicles of those years. It was immediately decided that the first two prototypes would be built with different types bodies - pickup and coupe. The coupe had a closed roomy trunk with a spare tire attached to its cover, and the pickup truck had an open cargo platform with handrails behind the closed double cab, spare wheel housed in a special compartment under the cargo platform. The carrying capacity of both versions was 150 kg. Creating the exterior of the car, the designers tried to make it attractive and fashionable in its own way.
Despite the fundamental novelty of the M73, there was no need to design a purely utilitarian vehicle from scratch. It was important to get the result as soon as possible, using the maximum of components and assemblies already mastered by the domestic auto industry. The low weight of the car made it possible to borrow the engine, hydraulic clutch, gearbox with extension cord and brakes from the Moskvich-402, which is being prepared for production. Wasserman designed both driving axles and a transfer case with a demultiplier specifically for the M73, creating reduced copies of similar units of the M72 and GAZ-69.
The suspension configuration was determined almost automatically - dependent, on longitudinal springs. Like all Gorky all-wheel drive vehicles, the bridges were attached to the springs from below, which significantly increased the ground clearance. To increase the cross-country ability of the GAZ-M73, they resorted to radical measures. Quite small subcompact car received large tires 6,70-15 (later these were put on the "twenty-first" "Volga"). Diameter rims was smaller than that of the GAZ-69 and M72, but at the same time, the width of the rubber - both road and with powerful lugs - was greater than that of the SUVs mentioned above.
Already in December 1954, both prototypes of the GAZ-M73 - a pickup truck and a coupe - were ready. In January 1955, they carried out the measurement and weighing procedure standard for all prototypes, and from February 12 to March 22, factory finishing tests were carried out. On urban and suburban asphalt roads covered with a layer of rolled snow, the cars covered 3,738 km, which made it possible to determine the real average fuel consumption of 13.5 l/100 km.
In tests on a snowy forest road, along with a pair of M73, for comparison, one of the first prototypes of the GAZ-M72 participated. While the snow depth did not exceed 25-27 cm, both models moved freely in second gear at a speed of 15-20 km/h. On loose snow depth of 40-45 cm M72 stuck, and M73 such areas on the first low gear passed without problems. The fact is that due to the smaller mass and larger area of contact of the tires with the ground, the small-capacity jeep pushed through the snow cover 25-30 cm less than its full-size counterpart.
The next factory tests took place on April 28, 1955. On this day, on broken primers in the vicinity of the Doskino Gorky state farm, both M73s competed in cross-country ability, as well as the first (bonnet) version of the GAZ-62 medium army all-wheel drive and the experimental GAZ-51 with caterpillar mover, developed by GAZ designer V.K. Rubtsov. The half-track truck was out of competition, but in the class of wheeled SUVs, the M73 won. Cars passed several times in both directions on country road with deep, water-filled ruts. The cars were moving in first and second gears with the demultiplier turned on. GAZ-M73 overcame all sections without stopping. GAZ-62 got stuck in the mud twice.
On May 14, 1955, the M73 pickup truck collided off-road with the serial GAZ-69 and GAZ-69A and with the prototype M72. The test program this time was more diverse. In addition to moving along deep muddy ruts, it provided for crossing fords up to 60 cm deep and overcoming slopes. We do not have information about the successes of the “sixty-ninths”, but as for the rivalry between M73 and M72, the following is known: on the most impassable section of the country road, M72 sat on bridges, twenty meters before reaching the place where M73 sat on bridges. Vulnerable point all the cars turned out to be leaky engine compartment- The water that got there jammed the engines.
The tests revealed a number of shortcomings that should have been eliminated before the creation of an experimental batch of GAZ-M73. So, maximum speed both samples was 85 km / h, which exceeded the specified specifications at 15 km/h. This required a recalculation gear ratio constant engagement in the transfer case, increasing it from 1.15 to 1.36. Dynamics improved automatically, increased pulling force on wheels but change dynamic characteristics transmission required to protect the engine with a 4000 rpm rev limiter. In addition, it was planned to reduce the dry weight of the car by 100 kg, protect the engine compartment and cabin from water when overcoming fords, seal the brakes, and replace six-volt electrical equipment with twelve-volt ones.
The actual width of the cabin was only 1260 mm and it was difficult to drive the car in winter clothes, so it was decided to expand the cabin at the shoulder level of the driver and passenger by 110-120 mm.
Gorky did not have time to implement all the innovations in metal. Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 762 on the deadline for the readiness of prototypes GAZ-M73 No. 3 and No. 4 by July 10, 1955 and the deadline for their official testing (September 1, 1955) was issued on April 24, 1955. However, on June 2, a letter unexpectedly arrived from the ministry ordering the transfer of the project and one of the built samples of the M73 to the Moscow Plant of Small Cars (MZMA). On this short and bright biography of the forerunner of all light comfortable all-wheel drive vehicles ended.
The decision to transfer developments on a small SUV to MZMA was the only one real way save the project. The capacities of the Gorky Automobile Plant in the mid-50s were overloaded with the production of already mastered equipment. We must not forget that GAZ was not only one of the leading manufacturers of finished cars, but also a supplier of chassis for the installation of specialized bodies and equipment, as well as a serious defense enterprise. In 1955, the automobile plant was preparing to master the production of a new base passenger car, the M21 Volga. The conquest of virgin lands required an increase in the production of GAZ-51 trucks. The production of the GAZ-69 necessary for both the army and the national economy had to be transferred to Ulyanovsk. The development of a new model, which also required the supply of components and assemblies from MZMA, was out of the question - after all, the Gorky Automobile Plant was not made of rubber.
Thus, the fruits of the inspired work of the Wasserman group could either simply be “buried” or find an opportunity to develop the topic at another enterprise. Fortunately, ministerial officials and Gosplan chose the second option. Subsequently, using Gorky's developments (primarily drawings transfer box and driving axles), MZMA designers created a four-wheel drive four-door small car "Moskvich-410", and a little later - an off-road station wagon "Moskvich-411", a prototype of modern crossovers. These machines were not very consistent with the original plan - to create a "fly" for virgin machine operators, but they made it possible to realize revolutionary idea Wasserman and prove its viability. The essence of the idea boiled down to two theses: the first - a jeep can have load-bearing body, the second - this body can not be inferior in elegance and comfort to cars.
Almost all cars created in the USSR were copies foreign models. It all started with the first samples produced under license from Ford. As time went on, copying became a habit. The USSR Automotive Research Institute bought samples in the West for study and after a while produced a Soviet analogue. True, by the time of release, the original was no longer produced.
GAZ A (1932)
GAZ A - is the first mass passenger car of the USSR, is a licensed copy of the American Ford-A. The USSR bought equipment and documents for production from an American company in 1929, two years later Ford-A release was terminated. A year later, in 1932, the first GAZ-A cars were produced. 
After 1936 the obsolete GAZ-A was banned. Car owners were ordered to hand over the car to the state and purchase a new GAZ-M1 with a surcharge.
GAZ-M-1 "Emka" (1936-1943)
GAZ-M1 was also a copy of one of Ford models- Model B (Model 40A) 1934.
When adapting to domestic conditions operation, the car was thoroughly redesigned by Soviet specialists. The model surpassed later Ford products in some positions.
L1 "Red Putilovets" (1933) and ZIS-101 (1936-1941)
The L1 was an experimental passenger car, an almost exact copy of the Buick-32-90, which by Western standards belonged to the upper-middle class.
Initially, the Krasny Putilovets plant produced Fordson tractors. As an experiment, 6 copies of the L1 were released in 1933. Most of the cars could not reach Moscow on their own and without breakdowns. Refinement L1 was transferred to the Moscow "ZiS".
Due to the fact that the Buick body no longer corresponded to the fashion of the mid-30s, it was redesigned at ZiS. The American body shop Budd Company, based on Soviet sketches, prepared a modern body sketch for those years. The work cost the country half a million dollars and took months.
KIM-10 (1940-1941)
The first Soviet small car, the Ford Prefect was taken as the basis for development.
Stamps were made in the USA and body drawings were developed according to the models of a Soviet designer. In 1940, the production of this model began. It was thought that the KIM-10 would become the first "people's" car of the USSR, but the Great Patriotic War prevented the plans of the USSR leadership.
"Moskvich" 400.401 (1946-1956)
It is unlikely that the American company liked such a creative development of its ideas in the design of the Soviet car, but there were no complaints from it in those years, especially since the production of "large" Packards was not resumed after the war.
GAZ-12 (GAZ-M-12, ZIM, ZIM-12) 1950-1959
Six-seven-seater passenger car big class with a "six-window long-wheelbase sedan" body was developed on the basis of the Buick Super, was mass-produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant (Molotov Plant) from 1950 to 1959 (some modifications - until 1960.)
The plant was strongly recommended to completely copy the Buick of the 1948 model, but the engineers, based on the proposed model, designed a car that relies as much as possible on the units and technologies already mastered in production. "ZiM" was not a copy of any particular foreign car, neither in terms of design, nor, in particular, in technical aspect- in the latter, the plant's designers even managed to some extent "say a new word" within the global automotive industry
"Volga" GAZ-21 (1956-1972)
The passenger car of the middle class was technically created by domestic engineers and designers from scratch, but outwardly copied mainly american models early 1950s. During development, designs were studied foreign cars: Ford Mainline (1954), Chevrolet 210 (1953), Plymouth Savoy (1953), Henry J (Kaiser-Frazer) (1952), Standard Vanguard (1952) and Opel Kapitän (1951).
GAZ-21 was mass-produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant from 1956 to 1970. The factory model index is originally GAZ-M-21, later (since 1965) - GAZ-21.
By the time mass production began, by world standards, the design of the Volga had already become at least ordinary, and it no longer stood out against the background of serial foreign cars of those years. Already by 1960, the Volga was a car with a hopelessly outdated design.
"Volga" GAZ-24 (1969-1992)
The middle class passenger car became a hybrid of the North American Ford Falcon (1962) and Plymouth Valiant (1962).
Serially produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant from 1969 to 1992. The appearance and design of the car were fairly standard for this direction, specifications were also about average. Most of the "Volga" was not intended for sale for personal use and operated in taxi companies and other government organizations).
"Seagull" GAZ-13 (1959-1981)
Executive passenger car of a large class, created under the clear influence of the latest models of the American company Packard, which in those years were just being studied at US (Packard Caribbean convertible and Packard Patrician sedan, both 1956 model year).
"The Seagull" was created with a clear focus on the trends of American style, like all GAZ products of those years, but was not a 100% "stylistic copy" or Packard's modernization.
The car was produced in a small series at the Gorky Automobile Plant from 1959 to 1981. A total of 3,189 cars of this model were manufactured.
"Seagulls" were used as a personal transport of the highest nomenclature (mainly ministers, first secretaries of regional committees), which was issued as component the required "package" of privileges.
Both sedans and convertibles "Chaika" were used in parades, served at meetings of foreign leaders, prominent figures and heroes, were used as escort vehicles. Also, "Seagulls" came to "Intourist", where, in turn, everyone could order them for use as wedding limousines.
ZIL-111 (1959-1967)
Copying American design on different Soviet factories led to the fact that the appearance of the ZIL-111 car was created according to the same samples as the "Seagull". As a result, the country simultaneously produced externally similar cars. ZIL-111 is often mistaken for the more common "Seagull".
A car upper class stylistically, it was a compilation of various elements of American middle and upper class cars of the first half of the 1950s - mainly reminiscent of Cadillac, Packard and Buick. The basis external design ZIL-111, like the "Seagulls", lay down the design of the models of the American company "Packard" in 1955-56. But compared to the Packard models, ZIL was larger in all dimensions, looked much stricter and “square”, with straightened lines, had a more complex and detailed decor.
From 1959 to 1967, only 112 copies of this car were assembled.
ZIL-114 (1967-1978)
A small-scale executive passenger car of the highest class with a limousine body. Despite the desire to move away from American automotive fashion, the ZIL-114, made from scratch, still partially copied the American Lincoln Lehmann-Peterson Limousine.
In total, 113 copies of the government limousine were assembled.
ZIL-115 (ZIL 4104) (1978-1983)
In 1978, the ZIL-114 was replaced by a new car under the factory index "115", which later received the official name ZIL-4104. The initiator of the development of the model was Leonid Brezhnev, who loved high-quality cars and was tired of the ten-year operation of the ZIL-114.
For creative rethinking, our designers were provided with a Cadillac Fleetwood 75, and the British from Carso helped domestic automakers in their work. As a result of the joint work of British and Soviet designers, ZIL 115 was born in 1978. According to the new GOSTs, it was classified as ZIL 4104.
The interior was created taking into account the intended use of cars - for high-ranking statesmen.
The end of the 70s is the height of the Cold War, which could not but affect the car transporting the first persons of the country. ZIL - 115 could become a shelter in case of a nuclear war. Of course, he would not have survived a direct hit, but there was protection on the car from a strong radiation background. In addition, it was possible to install hinged armor.
ZAZ-965 (1960-1969)
The main prototype of the minicar was the Fiat 600.
The car was designed by MZMA ("Moskvich") together with automotive institute NAMI, The first samples received the designation "Moskvich-444", and already differed significantly from the Italian prototype. Later, the designation was changed to "Moskvich-560".
Already at the very early stage of design, the car differed from the Italian model by a completely different front suspension - as on the first Porsche sports cars and the Volkswagen Beetle.
ZAZ-966 (1966-1974)
The passenger car of an especially small class demonstrates a considerable similarity in design with the German subcompact NSU Prinz IV (Germany, 1961), which, in its own way, repeats the often copied American Chevrolet Corvair, introduced at the end of 1959.
VAZ-2101 (1970-1988)
VAZ-2101 "Zhiguli" - a rear-wheel drive passenger car with a sedan body is an analogue of the Fiat 124 model, which received the title "Car of the Year" in 1967.
By agreement of the Soviet Foreign Trade and by Fiat, the Italians created the Volga Automobile Plant in Togliatti with a full production cycle. The concern was entrusted with the technological equipment of the plant, training of specialists.
VAZ-2101 has been subjected to major changes. In total, over 800 changes were made to the design of the Fiat 124, after which it received the name Fiat 124R. "Russification" of the Fiat 124 turned out to be extremely useful for the FIAT company itself, which has accumulated unique information about the reliability of its cars in extreme conditions operation.
VAZ-2103 (1972-1984)
Rear-wheel drive passenger car with a body type sedan. Was developed in collaboration with by an Italian company Fiat based Fiat models 124 and Fiat 125.
Later, on the basis of the VAZ-2103, the "project 21031" was developed, later renamed the VAZ-2106.
Car GAZ A - soviet car middle class with an open 4-door 5-seater chaise-type body.
Replica of a licensed Ford-A.
The Soviet government in 1932 bought documentation and equipment for the production of this car model from the American company Ford Motor Company.
Modifications and special vehicles based on GAZ-A
Several modifications have been released:
- GAZ-3 and GAZ-6 ("Pioneer", "Fordor") - modifications with a closed four-door sedan body. GAZ-6 was produced in small series in 1934-1936, and GAZ-3 was a variant of a specialized taxi. It was the first Soviet passenger car with a closed body that was mass-produced.
GAZ 3 taxi
After the arrival of GAZ-A cars to consumers, it became clear that open body"phaeton" is not suitable for operation not only in the northern regions, but even in regions with a temperate climate.
The greatest inconvenience was open cars without a trunk when working as a taxi in large cities, their low comfort caused a lot of criticism from the workers of the party and state bodies who used the GAZ-A as official cars. Therefore, on August 21, 1933, the Council of People's Commissars decided to provide all cars produced with closed bodies.
However, with regard to GAZ-A, its execution turned out to be quite difficult, while the Treaty on technical assistance, a prisoner with the American side helped little, since Ford itself at that time was not engaged in the production of closed four-door bodies, but ordered them from third-party bodywork studios Briggs and Murray.
That's why Gorky plant I had to do my own development of a closed body, although with an eye on the Ford Model A Fordor Sedan (factory designation 155/165) and, in particular, on the two-door Tudor Sedan (55B), which had documentation that was transferred along with the drawings of the phaeton. Its design was entrusted to the designer Sorochkin Yuri Naumovich.
The basis of the closed body was the cabin from truck GAZ-AA, including doors that had an all-metal structure and a windshield opening with a visor.
The rear of the body was designed according to its model. Since the technological capabilities of the plant at that time did not yet allow stamping metal parts of this size, the roof had to be made in the form of a wooden frame covered with tarpaulin.
In general, the manufacturing technology of the car was semi-handicraft, due to the fact that the plant did not have stamps, back the bodies had to be welded from several parts, which were made by punching on wooden mandrels using manual pneumatic tools and further fitting in place. As a result, production was slow and greatly increased the cost of the car, and this, in turn, did not give him the opportunity to gain wide distribution.
In 1934, the first seven GAZ-6 cars were manufactured. Later, the GAZ experimental body shop launched a small-scale production, in which only 60 cars were assembled, most of which remained in Gorky and were used to work in taxi fleets or as official vehicles in government organizations.
It should be noted that the problem with the complexity in production and the significantly high cost of a closed body in the United States was solved due to the higher retail cost of the sedan relative to the phaeton (so Ford price The Model A Phaeton was about $500, and the Town Sedan cost over $1,000), meaning that the cost of the more complex manufacturing process was paid out of pocket by the consumer. At the same time, Ford itself, as already mentioned above, was not engaged in the production of closed bodies, but simply ordered them from its partners.
- GAZ-4 - this modification had a cargo-passenger pickup truck body with a carrying capacity of 500 kg.
The car was equipped with a cab from a GAZ-AA truck, with a spare wheel placed in a niche on the left wing. cargo platform- 1.6 by 1.1 m.
Years of issue 1934-1936.
More than 10.5 thousand (there is evidence that 10,648 units) GAZ-4 pickups were produced.
- GAZ-A-Aero - was experienced car having an aerodynamically clean streamlined body on the GAZ-A chassis. Created by engineer A. O. Nikitin in 1934.
- GAZ-A-Aremkuz - it was special modification for work in a taxi, was produced in 1933-1935 in Moscow.
The taxi car had a closed body with an internal partition that separated the driver from the passenger compartment; the body was manufactured at the Aremkuz Moscow Automobile Repair and Body Plant.
GAZ-A-Aremkuz differed from GAZ-3 and GAZ-6, which had an almost completely metal body, a composite wood-metal body - with a wooden frame sheathed with thin metal sheets
It had an original shape with a sloping rear wall, it was also assembled in semi-handicraft conditions, but for such a design it turned out to be even more preferable.
The length of the modification is 4286 mm, the height is 1720 mm, the curb weight is 1350 kg.
Released about 500 pieces.
- On the basis of the GAZ-A car, several types of ambulances were made. who had original design body, including front lining.
- The GAZ-A chassis was used in the construction of light armored vehicles D-8 and D-12.
- On the basis of GAZ-A, three-axle (GAZ-AAAA, GAZ-TK) and half-tracked (GAZ-A-Kegress) vehicles were developed in 1933-1934.
- In parts of the Red Army Air Force, in 1935, a fire engine based on GAZ-A, developed by NATI, was tested, which had a water pump and boxes for storing fire hoses.
In the first half of the 1930s, GAZ-A was the most massive Soviet passenger model, supplied mainly to the Red Army, state and public organizations. The car was not sold to private individuals.
In the Red Army of the 1930s, it was the most massive staff vehicle. In particular, a short-wave headquarters radio station 5-AK was mounted on it.
And in the first half of the 1930s it was the most popular taxi model. An external taximeter was installed on it (on the starboard side) mechanical type, which had a "free-busy" flag.
The decommissioning of these machines began after the appearance of the GAZ-M-1. However, in Leningrad, for example, GAZ-A taxis were operated until March 1, 1938, and only after the order of the Presidium of the Leningrad City Council they were sent from the city to the periphery.
In 1933, cars took part in the Moscow-Karakum-Moscow rally, while they successfully covered more than 9.5 thousand km.
There is urban legend that in Moscow and Leningrad, the operation of a car after 1936 was prohibited, and a few car owners had to hand over the cars to the state and purchase a new GAZ-M-1 with an additional charge, this was due to obsolete by 1936 GAZ-A design and the unseemliness of the appearance of an old-style car in major city. But the first mass batches of M-1 began to arrive only in the second half of 1937, and their production in 1936 amounted to only about 2.5 thousand cars, which, of course, was too little to immediately replace all cars even in large cities.
The displacement of GAZ-A in departmental garages and taxi service took years and took place in a completely natural way, due to the current renewal of the fleet. But by 1940, GAZ-A really disappeared from the streets of Moscow and Leningrad completely.
The contract for the construction of a future automobile plant in Nizhny Novgorod, signed on May 31, 1929 by representatives of the All-Union Council of the National Economy (VSNKh) and the leadership of the automotive industry concern Ford motor company, provided for the production in the USSR of two main cars - trucks and cars, as unified as possible with each other. When in January 1932 the main workshops were already built, and the plant was ready to give the first production, preference was given to the production of trucks, more needed in the national economy. First Cars factory made only next winter, in December 1932. In the first months of the plant's existence, the city was still called Nizhny Novgorod, the plant - the Nizhny Novgorod Automobile Plant, and the cars - NAZ-AA. On October 7 of the same 1932, the city was renamed Gorky, and the plant received the final name GAZ. Therefore, the NAZ brand was worn only by cargo "lorries", and the passenger car was called GAZ-A from the very beginning, popularly - "Gazik".
The passenger car received absolutely the same engine, radiator, hood, motor shield of the body with a built-in gas tank, front bumper and the entire electrical system. The GAZ-AA "lorry" belonged to the class of light trucks, which often use engines and other components from passenger cars.
IN THE USA car ford-a, which served GAZ-A prototype, produced with a variety of body types - closed, open, with two and four doors, sports, pickups. The frame chassis made it easy and cheap to mount any "superstructure". But for production in the Soviet Union, only an open 4-door body of the type was chosen, which in various sources is called a chaise or a convertible. This is due to the fact that it was easier to manufacture. Of course, in a country with a harsh climate, it is impractical. But, firstly, in the 20s and early 30s of the last century, open cars were common in many countries. Secondly, open horse-drawn carriages were still in operation at that time. Thirdly, even cars with closed bodies were still produced without interior heating, and in winter they were not much warmer than under the canvas top of an open car. Ventilation with a closed awning and fastened soft sidewalls was provided by slightly opening the windshield rotating around its axis. So it was on most cars produced before the 50s of the 20th century.
Series Ford-A American The concern has been producing since the end of 1927. At the beginning of 1930, she underwent, as they say now, restyling. From their predecessors of 1928-1929, the new model cars differed in the shape and dimension of the wings, hood and other body parts, 19-inch wheels instead of 21-inch. But production new version also did not last long - by 1932, when the series went GAZ-A, its American counterpart gave way to the conveyor of a more powerful and expensive next-generation model. The prototype of the Gazovsky first-born was the Ford-A of the 1930-1931 model 35-B with a Standard Phaeton body. If in rich America such a car was no longer in demand, then in the conditions of the USSR, which was just beginning motorization, it was the most practical vehicle.
From December 8 to December 31, 1932, the plant built 696 GAZ-A, in 1933 - 10 thousand, in 1934 - 17 thousand, in 1935 - 19 thousand. In total, the number of produced “gaziks” of the first model reached 41917 cars. Before that, not a single plant either in Tsarist or Soviet Russia produced cars in such quantities. The main modification was the GAZ-4 pickup truck.
The plant failed to master the GAZ-3 and GAZ-6 closed body sedans. On the basis of GAZ-A, numerous factories and organizations built various machines: gas generating, van-radio stations, sanitary, sports. Most of them remained in single copies. It is worth noting the closed 4 door sedan Moscow plant "Aremkuz" and a unique aerodynamic car designer A.O. Nikitin.
Main release ambulances at that time, it was carried out on the Ford-AA chassis of the 1930 model year only at the facilities of the Stalin Automobile Plant (ZIS) in Moscow. However, the number of nurses produced at the ZIS did not meet the needs of the country, and there were simply no other enterprises for the production of medical transport in the Soviet Union. They even planned to organize in 1933 the construction of a plant in the USSR specialized vehicles, but these plans remained on paper. Then in 1933, an experimental body shop as part of the Gorky Automobile Plant (the former State car assembly plant No. 1). But only a few prototypes of ambulances based on the GAZ-4 were built, and their serial production was never launched.
In 1936, the Gorky residents replaced this model with a new GAZ-M1 car. The old GAZ-A managed to serve in the Red Army and during the Great Patriotic War. No more than three dozen "live" GAZ-A have survived to this day.
IN The museum presents GAZ-A, which has undergone handicraft alteration by craftsmen. In the external appearance of the car, you can recognize the features of a sanitary van, obviously, car mechanics tried to recreate it. The open body of the phaeton with the help of the installed windshield frame, additionally extended upper parts of the door from GAZ-AA and the roof were turned into a closed van. P With all these changes, the chassis, power unit and the bearing part of the body retained their originality.
Technical specifications
