Minibuses of this type were widely used as minibuses, ambulances and as official vehicles until the mid-90s, then in Russia they were gradually replaced by GAZelles, and in Latvia by Mercedes minibuses and other foreign cars.
Serial bus of especially small capacity RAF-2203 "Latvia" (Latvian. RAF-2203 Latvija) (1976-1987 - RAF-2203; 1987-1997 - RAF-22038), produced by the Riga Bus Factory in 1976 -1997.
In 1976, in the city of Jelgava near Riga, a new plant named after the XXV Congress of the CPSU was put into operation, designed to produce 17 thousand buses a year and started manufacturing 11-seat 95-horsepower minibuses RAF-2203 "Latvia" on the units of the passenger car "Volga » GAZ-24. The four-door model with an advanced design for that time retained the main design features of its predecessor, the RAF-977DM. Moreover, the Volga remained the main donor of the units, but already the GAZ-24 models. On the basis of this somewhat more comfortable minibus, fixed-route taxis and ambulances have become widespread. In small batches, an 8-seat version of the "Lux" was also produced, which was sometimes given to large families for personal use. There were other rare special versions such as the Finnish TAMRO reanimobiles based on the RAF. In 1987, following the Gorky "Volga" GAZ-24-10, the modernized model RAF-22038 was mastered, which inherited the ZMZ-402 (-4021) engine and a dual-circuit brake system from the "donor". Outwardly, the RAF-22038 was distinguished by the front cladding with a new false radiator grille and aluminum bumpers with plastic side sections, as well as the absence of the RAF branded emblem. On the prototype 22038, which was shown at the exhibition "Automotive industry of the USSR is 60 years old" in 1984, narrow rotary windows were placed in the rear of the sidewalls, but the body type 2203 was actually preserved on the production model. RAF-22039 was produced since 1993. This modification was distinguished by increased passenger capacity (thirteen people). This was achieved by reducing luggage space to a minimum.
RAF-2203 was the most massive Soviet minibus and in fact the only domestic one, not counting the imported Nysa and Zhuk, as well as the all-wheel drive UAZ-452V, which was produced at the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant in relatively small quantities and was mainly exported.
The factory modification of the minibus, designed to operate as a fixed-route taxi, had seats located on the sides of the passenger compartment, while in the modification designed to operate as a service vehicle, the seats were located transversely. However, later (in the nineties), many service minibuses also began to be used as fixed-route taxis, so cars with different passenger seat arrangements worked on city routes.
The length of the RAF-2203 was the same 4.9 meters as the 977th model, but the width increased right up to 2.035 meters, which made the cabin noticeably more spacious. By default, the interior was still equipped with ten seats. The eleventh passenger could ride next to the driver. The twelfth, in violation of any rules, could sit on the engine compartment and drive backwards until a seat was released.
A few words about the shortcomings of the bus design. The problems of operating this model were associated with the location of a heavy engine above the front axle, directly between the driver's and passenger's seats, which, with poor axle weight distribution, led to constant breakdowns and, as a result, failure of the front suspension, as well as disgusting handling on a slippery road, which to a large extent contributed to the drum brakes of all wheels. All the shortcomings of the ZMZ engine in a heavier and, as a rule, always fully loaded minibus appear much earlier and annoy more (for example, fuel and oil consumption, overheating in hot weather, vibrations, etc.). To the well-known shortcomings of the car layout in general, somehow: inconvenient entry and exit from the driver's seat, the actual absence of passive protection in front, the complicated design of the steering mechanism and gearbox drive, increased noise and gas pollution in the cabin - there were also "specific" quality problems components and assembly, especially when you consider that the lion's share of parts for the production of the RAF received from subcontractors from all over the Union.
The production of RAFs was stopped at the beginning of 1997 due to the loss of the main sales market in the CIS countries, where a more modern analogue appeared - the GAZelle of the Gorky Automobile Plant.
Predecessor - RAF-977DM 
Experienced RAF-2203 
Let's see what happened to the automobile factories that produced equipment during the Soviet era.
Yerevan Automobile Plant
On December 31, 1964, by order of the Council of Ministers of the Armenian SSR No. 1084, the Decision “On the organization in the city of Yerevan in the buildings of the Avtogruzik plant under construction of a plant for the production of vans with a carrying capacity of 0.8-1.0 tons” was adopted. It was there that the charming ErAZ vans, the brothers of the Latvian Rafiks, were created.
In November 2002, the plant was declared bankrupt, and two years later its premises were sold at auction. The new owner was the Mik Metall company, which produces fittings, nails and other metal products. This is what the factory looks like today.
Riga Automobile Factory
Well, the RAFs themselves began to be produced since 1953 on the basis of the Riga Automobile Factory, which was built in 1949 on the site of the Riga Automobile Repair Plant No. 2. Until 1954, the plant was named RZAK - Riga Bus Body Plant. His brightest years fell on the 50-70s, but after the withdrawal of Latvia from the USSR, the plant began to die.
The enterprise was declared bankrupt in 1998 and now the area of the plant is partially looted and destroyed, and partially given over to warehouse and office space. Ironically, the factory's last vehicles were built for funeral services.
Kutaisi Automobile Plant
Let the name "Colchis" become synonymous with an unreliable truck in the Soviet Union, cars under this brand were produced until 1993. Later, attempts were made to revive production by agreements with GM, Mahindra, KhTZ, but they did not lead to anything concrete. As a result, since 2010, the plant, which was built in 1951, has been idle. Most of its equipment was looted and cut into metal, only the administrative building remained in a "live" state, which is guarded (pictured).
Vilnius Vehicle Factory
The forge of the fastest rally cars of the Soviet Union, located in Vilnius, was created in the late 70s on the basis of the Vilnius Automobile Repair Plant. The new enterprise was named the Vilnius Vehicle Factory (VFTS) and existed for a long time after the USSR became history, switching to the construction of rally cars according to individual projects.
Now the territory where the VFTS was located is occupied by a Volkswagen service station, and little is reminiscent of its former rally greatness.
Lviv Bus Plant
The last big order of the Lviv Bus Plant, which since its construction in 1945 has produced many magnificent cars, was the delivery of a batch of buses and trolleybuses to the cities of Ukraine, which hosted the Euro 2012 football championship. Today, the plant is a huge empty space, from which they removed almost all the equipment for assembly.
Russo-Balt
The automobile department on the basis of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works appeared in 1908, however, during the First World War, the enterprise “dispersed” to other parts of Russia in order to evacuate. In the native walls, cars were produced not so long - only seven years. And on July 1, 1917, the "Second Automobile Plant Russo-Balt" began to work. Now the plant in Riga looks like this. And although its condition seems dilapidated, the former greatness is still felt in these walls.
Dux
The Dux plant, which turns 124 this year, began its history with the production of bicycles, but soon expanded production to cars and aircraft. The first "dead loop" performed by Nesterov was performed just on the Dux aircraft. Now, on the territory of the plant complex, which was returned to the historical name "Dux" in 1993, they produce weapons for air-to-air aircraft.
Part of the buildings of the complex at the address: Moscow, Pravdy Street 8 was transferred to office space and trading floors.
Plant named after Likhachev
Muscovites are well aware of what happened to ZIL. One of the oldest car factories in the country, founded back in 1916, under the influence of urban processes, turned out to be unnecessary to anyone. As a result, the factory premises were razed to the ground and the Zilart residential complex is being built in its place, next to which the Zil park will appear in the fall.
The highlight of this park will be a terrace in the form of a conveyor line - as a tribute to the historical past.
Moskvich
The construction of the plant at the intersection of the current Small Ring of the Moscow Railway and Volgogradsky Prospekt started in 1929, and already in 1930 the enterprise began its activities. The dawn of the plant, which later received the name "Moskvich", fell on the post-war years. But by the beginning of Perestroika, clouds began to gather over Moskvich, in 2001 production was stopped, and in 2010 the bankruptcy procedure of the enterprise was completed.
One of the workshops of the plant, in which it was planned to assemble engines, now belongs to Renault Russia. On the territory of another, the Radius Group planned to open a cryptocurrency mining farm.
Yaroslavl Automobile Plant
101 years ago, Vladimir Lebedev began to produce Crossley cars in Russia - under license. This marked the beginning of the plant, which is now known as the Yaroslavl Motor Plant. Where a century ago copies of British cars were assembled, diesel engines are now being made.
In the interval between these eras, the enterprise assembled a variety of automotive equipment, including trucks of the Ya series and YaTB trolleybuses.
High local authorities praised the car and promised to find investors. Moreover, the second, no less interesting car, the Steels (M2), was already ready at the RAF. Alas, both he and Roxana were destined to remain only prototypes ... But the designers and testers of the Riga Bus Factory expected that their minibus would be modern at the beginning of the 21st century.
Back in the mid-1980s, when a huge country lived in perestroika hopes, the RAF came to grips with the modernization of the 2203 model. The need for this, the only Soviet car in its class, was huge, although there were drawbacks to a 12-seater car, as unified as possible with the Volga , enough. The durability of the suspension, steering, brakes was very low. The latter, by the way, despite the two hydraulic boosters (one in each circuit), were also ineffective.
The Riga designers, who decided to "pull up" the RAF-2203 to an acceptable level, found a like-minded person in US - an ardent supporter of the front-wheel drive Vladimir Andreyevich Mironov. He created a simple and reliable suspension with a guide vane of two pipes inserted one into the other and shock absorbers resting on the upper ends of the body - a kind of simplified semblance of a MacPherson. There were no racks suitable for the RAF in the USSR, and no one would have produced them especially for a relatively small minibus plant. The suspension, developed by Mironov in US, was nicknamed MacMiron by the Riga designers.
Mironov, together with the chief designer of the RAF, Ivan Stepanovich Danilkiv, also conceived a radical modernization of the brakes. The minibus was equipped with two "Nivovsky" calipers on each front wheel and a vacuum, instead of hydrovacuum, booster. We also designed a new safety steering shaft. At the same time, the design of the “rafik” was refreshed: a new radiator grille, front door glass, and mirrors appeared. Tests in 1986 showed that not only the reliability but also the controllability of the car had improved.
The most "small" thing was to be done: to convince the management of the plant and, most importantly, the Ministry of Automotive Industry to allocate considerable funds for modernization. Rigans saved as much as they could. They decided to make the suspension themselves - in Jelgava they planned a workshop for this. While the decision at the top was maturing, in 1989 two upgraded RAF-22038-30s were sent on a run to Vladivostok. The cars (one of them passed the state test before the long journey) returned to Riga with virtually no complaints. But only version 22038-02 with the old suspension was launched into the series. As very often happened in those years - "bye" ...
And the time of unprecedented hopes and grandiose projects has already begun in the country. What is the modernization of a model of almost 20 years ago? The new director of the RAF, Viktor Davydovich Bossert, chosen by the team for the first time in the USSR (remember this?), proclaimed: we will make a car of the 21st century! Which of the designers and designers would not respond to such a call. Bossert initiated an all-Union competition, patronized by Komsomolskaya Pravda, for the design of a minibus. Specialists from several Soviet factories participated, but their own, Rigans, won. No juggling: they were just more "in the know."
Initially, they planned a car with front-wheel drive, but nevertheless settled on the classic layout. It was easier to bring such a car to the assembly line, relying on components manufactured in the USSR. On the prototype M1 with the design of Riga resident Vladimir Vasiliev, there was a ZMZ-406 injection engine - the most modern in the Union at that time, MacPherson struts from the promising representative Volga GAZ 3105, a five-speed UAZ gearbox. The steering rack and amplifier for the prototype had to be borrowed from Ford. In 1990, a minibus, a bit similar (but by no means a copy!) to Transit, made its first flight near the RAF Research and Development Center on Duntes Street in Riga.
The British company IAD was entrusted with finishing the prototype, which had already collaborated with US and UAZ in creating a one and a half ton truck (ЗР, 2003, No. 1). The British did a great job, bringing to mind the body and interior of the "Roxanne" and taught the inhabitants of Riga a lot. By the way, the car got its own name just at that time. But Danilkiv and Mironov were already promoting another project - a car with a shortened "nose" and, nevertheless, front-wheel drive. The end of the 1980s - the time of maximalists!
The RAF-M2 project was led by Deputy Chief Designer Roman Popov. The design was developed at NAMI, the layout was made at ZAZ, with which RAF had good ties. The motor on the Steels, assembled in 1993, was still the same - ZMZ-406. The front suspension is double-lever, because the high racks did not fit in a cabover car. The rear suspension was similar in design to Moskvich 2141. Residents of Riga also dreamed of pneumatic, but they understood that this was not a matter of tomorrow. The steering on the prototype was again imported from Mercedes-Benz.
Road tests failed. The testers, like other specialists, one by one left the plant, where life, like in many other enterprises of the USSR, was slowly dying down. However, the Steels body was tested for strength and vibration resistance at the still operating Riga Carriage Building. The car, or rather, the body, as the engineers say, turned out to be “honest” - it showed good results.
The designers still hoped to bring the car at least to small-scale production. We went to the factories of the former USSR, trying to find suppliers of electrical equipment, gearboxes, glasses. To begin with, they planned to produce "Steels" in the workshop of small series, along with trucks and special vehicles based on RAF-22038.
The minibus was taken to exhibitions. The press and, of course, "Behind the Wheel" did not ignore him, praising him for his cutting-edge design. But it was not destined to become at least a small-scale car. Making it entirely in Latvia is an absolute utopia, and after the collapse of the USSR, no one was interested in foreign developments in the former fraternal republics. In Russia, besides, they began to produce the Gazelle.
Now this is history. After all, the years that have passed "after the RAF" have changed everything very much. But, looking at the miraculously preserved Roxana and Stills, you involuntarily think: but the creators of these machines were right - they don’t look like dinosaurs even at the beginning of the 21st century.
A bus of an especially small class for general purposes, produced by the RAF Minibuses plant since 1987. The body is all-metal, load-bearing wagon type, 4-door (two doors in the front compartment, one side for entering the passenger compartment and one in the back). Front engine location. The driver's seat is adjustable in length and backrest. The heating system is liquid, using the heat of the engine cooling system. Previously, the RAF-2203 bus (1976-1987) was produced, which was distinguished by the use of the Engine mod. ZMZ-24D of lower power and some individual body elements (bumpers, door glass, mirrors).
Modifications:
RAF-22031-01- linear ambulance;
RAF-2203-02- running on liquefied gas.
Engine.
Maud. ZMZ-402.10, gasoline, in-line, 4-cyl., 92x92 mm, 2.445 l, compression ratio 8.2, operation order 1-2-4-3, power 72.1 kW (98 hp) at 4500 rpm / min, torque 180.4 Nm (18.4 kgf-m) at 2400-2600 rpm; carburetor K-126GM; air filter - inertia-oil.Transmission.
Clutch - single disc, shutdown drive - hydraulic. Gearbox 4-speed, trans. numbers: I-3.50; II-2.26; III-1.4 5; IV-1.00; ZX-3.54; synchronizers in all forward gears. Cardan transmission consists of two shafts with an intermediate support. Main gear - single, hypoid, transmitted. number 3.9.Wheels and tires.
Wheels - disc, rims 5K-15 or 5 1 / 2J-15, fastening on 5 studs. Tires 185/82R15 mod. Ya-288, tread pattern - road, tire pressure of the front wheels 3.2-3.3, rear - 3.7-3.8 kgf / cm. sq. The number of wheels is 4+1.Suspension.
Front - independent, spring, with transverse levers, two shock absorbers, rear suspension - dependent, on semi-elliptical springs, two shock absorbers.Brakes.
The working brake system is two-circuit, hydraulically driven with two vacuum boosters, drum mechanisms (diameter 280 mm, shoe width 50 mm), cam-opening. Parking brake - on the brakes of the rear wheels, with a mechanical drive.Steering.
The steering mechanism is a globoidal worm and a three-ridged roller, transmitted. number 19.1.Electrical equipment.
Voltage 12 V, acc. battery 6ST-60EM, generator G16.3701 with voltage regulator 13.3702, starter ST230-B1, sensor-distributor 19.3706, ignition coil B116, candles A14-V. Fuel tank - 55l, AI-93 gasoline;cooling system - 13l, water or antifreeze A-40;
lubrication system - 6l, all-weather M-6/10G, summer M-12G, winter M-8G;
steering gear housing - 0.40 l, TAP-15V or TAD-17 I;
gearbox - 0.95 l, TAD-17 I or TAP-15V;
drive axle housing - 1.20 l, TAD-17I or TSp-gyp;
hydraulic brake and clutch - 0.95 l, BSK brake fluid;
Dampers:
front - 2x0.14,
rear - 2x0.2 1 l, spindle oil AU;
Windshield washer reservoir - 2 l, water or liquid NIISS-4 mixed with water.
Mass of aggregates (in kg).
engine with equipment and clutch - 185,gearbox - 26.5;
cardan shaft - 12;
rear axle - 85.5;
body - 890;
wheel complete with tire - 25;
radiator - 12.6.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Capacity: | |
|---|---|
| number of seats | 11 |
| total number of seats | 11 |
| number of offices | 1 |
| Curb weight | 1815 kg. |
| Including: | |
| to the front axle | 980 kg. |
| on the rear axle | 835 kg. |
| Full mass | 2710 kg. |
| Including: | |
| to the front axle | 1275 kg. |
| on the rear axle | 1435 kg. |
| Max speed | 125 km/h |
| Acceleration time up to 60 km/h | 14 p. |
| Max. overcome climb | 25 % |
| Overrun from 60 km/h | 600 m |
| Stopping distance from 50 km/h | 32 m |
| Control fuel consumption at 60 km/h, l/100 km | 11.8 l. |
| Turning radius: | |
| on the outer wheel | 5.5 m |
| overall | 6.2 m |
The new minibus in Riga began to be engaged soon after the serial production of the RAF-977 began. Already in 1963, the RAF designers began to develop a new model, the body of which was planned to be made not from traditional metal, but from reinforced fiberglass. A similar direction in those years was quite popular - you can recall both small-scale and other experimental models with fiberglass bodies.
The alternative material was chosen for several reasons. Firstly, the chemical industry of the USSR at that time was actively engaged in innovative materials for wide use - which meant that fiberglass could also be used in the automotive industry. Secondly, the use of plastic instead of traditional sheet metal would theoretically make the car not only much lighter, but also more durable - after all, in terms of corrosion resistance, a plastic body would turn out to be “eternal”. Finally, such a technique promised good savings in steel sheet, which on a national scale seemed to be a very promising option for reducing production costs.
However, for a number of reasons, the development of fiberglass as a material for the manufacture of body parts was suspended. The change in the leadership of the country also meant a revision of priorities and directions, including the chemical industry. In addition, experiments with fiberglass have shown that this material does not have sufficient mechanical strength and loses to metal in terms of stability characteristics.
Two options
After the work on fiberglass was finally curtailed, the designers returned to more traditional metal, from which the body of the future minibus was to be made. The terms of reference at the end of the sixties had not yet been specifically formed, but everyone at the Riga Bus Factory understood that the car should be based on the aggregate base of the same “twenty-first” Volga. The only limitation is passenger capacity: the minibus was supposed to have a twelve-seater in the end.
Two creative groups of factory designers took part in a specially organized competition, each of which had to build two prototypes of its own design. The prototypes differed only in the "additional" number in the index: the group of A. Miezis built the RAF-982-1, and the team of A. Bergs built the RAF-982-2.
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The Miezis team tried to move away from the wagon layout to the half-bonnet layout - the latest Ford Transit of the 1965 model was made in approximately the same way. An important difference between such a scheme is that the driver and passenger did not sit “on the wheel”, like the first RAF minibus, but behind the front axle (like on modern GAZelles). At the same time, the minibus in appearance turned out to be quite heavy and outdated. The effect was only enhanced by a small area of glazing and a high side line.
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But the option that the Bergs group designed turned out to be completely different. Without deviating from the usual wagon layout with the driver and passenger above the front axle, the second team managed to create a very unusual externally single-volume car, which, thanks to the large glass area and the strong slope of the windshield, looked unconventional and at the same time very modern.
At the end of the sixties, the RAF-982-2, drawn by a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR Arthur Eisert, looked like a kind of "alien from the future" - a minibus ahead of its time.
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Indeed, even the foreign auto industry at that time did not produce cars with such a bold and distinctive appearance. And the most surprising of all is that, for all its non-triviality, the minibus turned out to be very attractive - aesthetically harmonious and simply beautiful.
The interdepartmental commission of the Minavtoprom at the show of the first copies of each group carefully studied both options and, together with representatives of the Ministry of Health and NAMI specialists, came to the conclusion that the more traditional and familiar version of Miezis from the point of view of launching into mass production looks preferable. However, for the next "bride" in 1971, the Bergs group was able to prepare an improved version of the RAF-982-2, saving its prototype, if possible, from the most obvious shortcomings. At the same time, the appearance of the car was intentionally slightly “grounded”, which subsequently favorably affected the perception of the “concept”.
The “Second Edition” was accepted better than the first, and the commission issued its verdict: a car created on the basis of the 982-2 prototype will be produced in Latvia. True, for this it was first necessary ... to build a new plant, since the Riga factory in terms of technology and production capacity did not meet the requirements that were laid down at the development stage of the new minibus project. Therefore, the RAF of the second generation should have been produced not in Riga itself, but in neighboring Jelgava, where the construction of a new car plant soon began.
The future RAF-2203 appeared on the cover of Za Rulem magazine already in 1974, but back in 1971, a photo of the prototype flashed on the pages of the publication!
Since the automotive industry was on the rise in the early seventies, the new plant was equipped with the most modern press, stamping and painting equipment. At that time, equipment for production was being actively changed in Armenia, but the plant in Jelgava, if it did not surpass the Yerevan plant in terms of technology, was an order of magnitude higher in terms of future production, in an instant becoming the largest manufacturer of minibuses in the USSR.
But at the time of the start of the construction of a new car factory in Latvia, work on the minibus itself had not yet been completed. To fine-tune the new design, specialists from NAMI were connected, whose task was to make the car “the best” in terms of technical characteristics, reliability and even competitiveness in foreign markets. Finally, it was necessary to cover the whole gamut of modifications, because the future minibus had to master a lot of professions and appear in a variety of guises. Unlike the previous RAFs and the already mentioned YerAZs, the new generation minibus was also supposed to become the most massive car of this type - which means that both its production technology and design had to be “sharpened” for this important nuance.
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In the process of fine-tuning, the minibus has gone far from its prototype - in the serial RAF-2203, the first version of Bergs with the index 982-2 is guessed, but nothing more.
At the same time, during the development of a new model and a cycle of finishing work, the RAF had a new “donor of units” - in Gorky, instead of the usual and already outdated GAZ-21, the production of a more modern Volga GAZ-24 began. Of course, for the Latvian novelty, they decided to use the “twenty-four” components and assemblies - fortunately, they did not differ structurally from the components of their predecessor so significantly that it required serious changes in the design or layout of the minibus.
New "rafik"
Compared to the RAF-977D, the second-generation minibus has become not only more modern in appearance, but also more comfortable. Due to other proportions, the car has noticeably lowered the center of gravity, which favorably affected the weight distribution and, as a result, handling and stability. A more modern dual-circuit brake drive system was responsible for the safety of the RAF-2203, and comfortable separate seats for all passengers appeared in the cabin; the metal elements of the interior were covered with soft pads.
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An interesting detail: the new minibus received its own ... emblem, which consisted of a stylized silhouette of the car, into which the RAF factory abbreviation was “inscribed” in Latin. Therefore, some Soviet citizens were at first sure that this minibus was made "abroad", and the spectacular design of the novelty only strengthened this impression.
At the end of 1975, the first batch of RAF-2203 minibuses was assembled in Jelgava, and since 1977, a modification of the RAF-22031 ambulance was launched into the series. After all, it was the ambulance that was planned as the main modification of the new model in terms of output.
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Early minibuses (produced before 1979) differ from later "rafiks" in some trim details. You can visually identify such a car by the round body of the side mirrors and the smooth corners of the front bumper without separate “fangs”, a pair of small bumpers at the corners of the rear, sidelights from the GAZ-24 and chrome caps from the “twenty-first” Volga. Also, the cars of the first releases were equipped with the original instrument panel, which was subsequently abandoned in favor of the standard GAZ-24 part.
Later RAF-2203s are easily distinguished by the "bus" direction indicators under the front bumper. It is this version of the “rafik” (up to 1987) without any special changes.
"Rafik" was used not only on regular routes, but also as a taxi Despite the fact that in 1979 the products of the Riga Bus Factory were awarded the State Quality Mark, since the beginning of the eighties, there have been many complaints about the level of manufacture and assembly of fixed-route taxis and ambulances.
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When the level of marriage exceeded 10% of the number of cars produced, the management of the plant was changed, and considerable state funds were allocated to modernize the minibus.
As a result of improvements, the RAF planned to make it not only more modern, but also better. Back in the early eighties, a prototype RAF-22038 was created in Riga - as they would say now, a restyled version of the first model. During the update, it was planned to strengthen the body, improve interior ventilation due to the presence of a hatch and additional vents, a more modern chassis with a different front suspension design and a new interior.
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However, by the mid-eighties, it became clear that the plant was not able to immediately introduce all the innovations, so in 1987 the production of a “transitional” model began under the index 2203-01. Its main technical difference is the ZMZ-402.10 engine from the Volga GAZ-24-10, and outwardly the model can be easily distinguished from the first iteration of the “rafik” by a number of characteristic features. So, the front “turn signals” moved under the radiator grille, instead of “round” bumpers, aluminum profile parts with black side fangs appeared on the car, the front doors lost their vents and received large plastic mirrors, and plastic inserts appeared instead of chrome caps in the center of the rims.
In addition to the main modifications (route taxi and ambulance), other versions of the special-purpose minibus were developed in Riga - a mobile fire headquarters or a vehicle for the operational service of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, subsequently such "special versions" were not produced in Latvia, and various repair enterprises, on order, remade the usual passenger RAF-2203 in this way.
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In 1979, several were released, which were supposed to serve the upcoming 80 Olympics. The Riga plant prepared special versions and, by the beginning of 1980, produced about 300 copies of "Olympic rafiks" in the small series workshop. Thus, the honorary escort of the Olympic flame from Greece to the USSR (a tribute to the ancient Greek tradition) was entrusted to RAF-2907, in which responsible keepers, along with spare torches, accompanied the runners. Of course, the specifics of such low-speed driving for a long time required a serious improvement in the cooling system, but the RAF coped with the "Olympic mission" with honor.
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The most unusual option was the RAF from the Finnish company TAMRO, which, by order of the USSR, was engaged in the conversion of "rafiks" into ambulances. In Finland, there were not many "resuscitations" made, but in the eighties, on the streets of many cities you could see lemon-yellow minibuses with bright red stripes and a high fiberglass roof superstructure.
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Soviet public transport drivers and ambulance workers quickly fell in love with a small, but quite comfortable and maneuverable minibus.
Of course, the RAF-2203 had flaws - in addition to flaws in manufacturing and assembly, the minibus was structurally not very safe for the driver and front passenger. After all, in a frontal accident, a car with a load-bearing body, devoid of deformation zones, weakly absorbed the impact energy. Yes, and the "Volgovskaya" platform at maximum load was rather weak, so the "rafiks" constantly working on the routes already after 4-5 years of intensive operation required a major overhaul. At the same time, due to the wagon layout, the minibus was not very convenient to maintain, and access to the engine was possible only from the passenger compartment, so any serious intervention required the dismantling of the power unit.
