In the mid-50s, not only in the domestic, but also in the global automotive industry, all-wheel drive vehicles with a closed monocoque body and a comfortable interior were rarely seen - such as the executive GAZ-M72

Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, who became head of state in 1953, was an avid hunter. In his free time, he invited party and Soviet leaders to the "royal hunt" different levels and distinguished foreign guests. A car was needed for trips to government hunting grounds off-road- not as primitive and spartan as the GAZ-69, but not as heavy and clumsy as the experimental all-wheel drive developments based on the ZIS-110.

At the beginning of 1954, the Gorky Automobile Plant received a government assignment - to develop and begin production of a new model with all-wheel drive, which is not inferior in comfort to Pobeda. General layout future car assigned an index "GAZ-M72".

GAZ designers collided with mass technical problems and real puzzles. And in 1954, for the first time in the Soviet automotive industry, a research laboratory for electrical testing was organized at GAZ, headed by Alexander Yakovlevich Tarasov. The laboratory equipment made it possible to carry out tensometric studies - to entangle the body with a web of wire sensors that measure the forces transmitted to the body at any point. All sensors were tuned with high accuracy during calibration on the bench and on a moving vehicle. The very first experiments showed what actually happens to the body in different modes driving on hard surfaces and off-road, on empty and loaded vehicles. It immediately became clear which parts of the body work to break at the limit of their capabilities, and which are subjected to non-hazardous loads, which mates are weak, and which, on the contrary, are excessively strong.

According to the results of the study, experienced body designers easily and quickly designed all the necessary amplifiers: additional boxes for the bottom, transverse booster of the motor shield, a new sub-frame and struts connecting it to the motor shield, supports connecting the roof to the body pillars - a total of 14 new parts . The result was stunning: the M72 body became heavier than the M20 body by an unrealistically small 23 kg, while bending stiffness increased by 30%, and torsional stiffness by 50%.

In the "tables of ranks" of Soviet personal cars, the all-wheel drive GAZ-M72 took a higher position than the usual "Victory" - it became a kind of analogue of the "rural and military ZIM". car high class relied on the corresponding equipment of the cabin. Previously, only ZIS and ZIM were equipped with radio receivers. The off-road GAZ-M72 was also equipped with a new A-8 tube receiver. In order to reduce the cost of production, the Murom Radio Plant launched this receiver into a series: first they equipped Pobedy with it, and then they introduced it on the new MZMA Moskivch-402 model. The GAZ-M72 driver was pleased with two more "pleasant little things": a ring, like in ZIM, a signal button on the steering wheel (it also went to all Podebs) and a washer windshield required in complex road conditions. First in domestic automotive industry the washer was installed specifically on the M72 - even on the Volga it did not appear immediately. Thus, all the novelties that distinguished the modernized Pobeda GAZ-M20V of 1955-1958 were introduced thanks to the off-road vehicle GAZ-M72.

GAZ-M72 cars were produced in small batches on the same conveyor with Pobeda, and then with Volga - the passenger conveyor was located at GAZ in a separate workshop (trucks were assembled on the main conveyor). The peak of GAZ-M72 production fell on 1957 - 2001 car.

Such production volumes cannot be called mass production, but this suited the main consumers. One or two cars were enough for government hunting farms, the rest of the copies became either military "personal cars" or company cars representatives of local authorities - in the provinces and in the countryside. At the same time, there were no bans on the sale of the GAZ-M72 to private individuals. These cars with a series of numbers of individual owners met already in the mid-50s - they were officially considered passenger cars. However, in those years, a private trader was allowed to buy an even more expensive ZIM GAZ-12 passenger car. But until the end of the 60s, there were restrictions on the registration of private GAZ-69s, since such cars, according to the law, were classified as trucks.

The novelty aroused great interest among engineers and testers. GAZ-M72 vehicles were subjected to comprehensive tests at US and the military automobile NII-21 in Bronnitsy. On country roads near Moscow and in the Bronnitsky training ground GAZ-M72 competed in overcoming off-road with the most different cars off-road: cars and trucks, serial and experimental, domestic and foreign. In the state tests of new passenger cars "Moskvich" and "Volga", conducted by GAZ in 1955, there were many tests for patency, and the pre-production M72 played the role of a technical officer, constantly pulling cars stuck in the most difficult places.

But the most striking event in the history of the GAZ-M72 was the journalistic rally from Moscow to Vladivostok, which started on May 1, 1956 from the Lenin Hills - from the building of the Lomonosov Moscow State University. It would be organized with the active support of the Central Automobile and Motorcycle Club and personally the Minister automotive industry N.I. Strokina.
The first stop was in Gorky - at GAZ the car was inspected and scheduled maintenance. For several months, the GAZ-M72 crew covered 15 thousand km with a minimum number of breakdowns. The participants of the run wrote more than once about their adventures in printed publications and even edited a film.

Such production volumes cannot be called mass production, but this suited the main consumers. One or two cars were enough for government hunting farms, the rest. Officially, the GAZ-M72 was discontinued in 1958 due to the replacement of the Pobeda by the Volga. The promising type, published by the Ministry of the Automotive Industry in 1956, included a similar cross-country model, unified with the Volga GAZ-M21, but they did not even begin to develop it - the designers of the GAZ passenger design bureau in the late 50s were occupied by the Chaika, then promising model"Volga" and current upgrades of the GAZ-21.

OUTSIDE AND INSIDE

GAZ-M72 was the only domestic all-wheel drive car with a gear lever mounted on the steering column. Workplace driver and dashboard are the same as the modernized Pobeda GAZ-M20V	All-wheel drive transmission was controlled by two floor levers on the engine tunnel	ZV center dashboard - tube radio "A-8"
In the 1950s, only passenger cars were equipped with interior lighting. On the "rural" SUV, he looked like a "luxury item"	At GAZ-M72, like at GAZ-M20, the ventilation vents of the door windows did not have the usual frames. Outside rearview mirror factory equipment was not included	Like the "Victory", the hatch in front of the windshield regulates the flow of air passing through the heater radiator. To the right and left of the hatch, windshield washer nozzles are visible, which the M20 did not have (on this instance, the nozzles are modern)
GAZ-M72 did not officially bear the Pobeda brand. Therefore, the GAZ-M72 factory emblem differs from the Pobeda emblem, and there are nameplates on the sides of the hood with the inscription "M-72"		The front wings of the GAZ-M72 are original. They differ from the wings of the "Victory" in the size of the wheel arch and the presence of a stiffener around the arch. Wheels and their front hubs are similar to GAZ-69
The streamlined, almost sporty silhouette of the body of the "Victory" in combination with a high off-road suspension and developed tread tires of high cross-country ability looks unusual	The body of the GAZ-M72, in comparison with the body of the Pobeda, is raised high relative to the wheels, therefore rear arches covered with large decorative shields	The brake light and license plate bracket are exactly the same as those of the Pobeda GAZ-M20
High landing of a body provides convenient access to reducers of driving axles and hinges driveline which facilitates maintenance, lubrication, adjustment and repair	Parking brake transmission type- typical constructive solution for off-road vehicles and trucks	The right side of the M72 front axle housing is shortened compared to the GAZ-69. Tie rods are original.
		The lower valve engines GAZ-M20, GAZ-M72 and GAZ-69 look very similar to each other - they belong to the same family. The picture shows the features of the M72 motor: a fan impeller with an increased number of blades, designed for better cooling radiator, and lack of shielded ignition

PASSPORT DATA

Scheme of the car GAZ-M72

Specifications GAZ-M72			Weight:
Number of places	5		total, including: load total	2040 kg
Max speed	90 km/h		to the front axle	1020 kg
Fuel consumption at 50 km/h	14 l/100 km		on rear axle	1020 kg
electrical equipment	12V
Accumulator battery:.	6ST-54		Ground clearances:
Generator	G-20		under the front axle	210 mm
Relay-regulator	RR-20B		under rear axle	210 mm
Starter - ST-20 with mechanical inclusion			under the transfer case	300 mm
Distributor breaker	R-23		Smallest turning radius:
Spark plugs - M-12U with 18 mm thread			along the track of the outer wheel	6.5 m
Tire size	6,50-16

• Front suspension: on two longitudinal semi-elliptic springs, hydraulic shock absorbers, double-acting
• Rear suspension: on two longitudinal semi-elliptical springs with stabilizer roll stability, hydraulic shock absorbers, double acting
• Steering gear: globoidal worm with double-ridged roller, gear ratio - 18,2
• Brakes: workers - shoe on all wheels with hydraulic drive, parking - block with mechanical drive for transmission
• Clutch: single disc dry
• Transmission: mechanical three-speed with synchronizers in second and third gears
• Gear ratios: I - 3.115; II - 1.772; III - 1.00; reverse - 3,738
• Main gear: 5.125 (41 and 8 teeth)
• Transfer case: two-stage
• Transfer case ratios: higher - 1.15, lower - 2.78
• Carburetor: K-22D
• Max Power: 55 hp at 3600 rpm
• Max Torque: 1.27 kgf.m at 2000 rpm

The birth of the all-wheel drive "Victory" GAZ-M-72

In the history of the Gorky Automobile, published in 1981, four lines were dedicated to this car. Come on, the books of those years! Writing about car factories, practically without talking about cars, is a separate art of the era of developed socialism. But even in later monographs, GAZ-M-72 was paid very little attention - it did not deserve the epithets "legendary", "famous", "cult". But he is a kind of milestone in history, not only domestic, but also world

All-wheel drive "Victory" (strictly speaking, the M-72 was not called that, but there was a standard inscription on the side of the hood) would not have appeared so quickly if the Gorky people had not had experience in creating a whole line of all-wheel drive car models- "gas" from the 64th to the 69th - and, of course, the version of the "emka" GAZ-61, the prototype of which was the American Ford Harrington. By the way, he did not become massive. Well, in the USSR, all-wheel drive vehicles played a particularly important role not only for the army. Off-road something - it does not distinguish between ranks and positions, and the authorities also have to go to places where few cars can get through. Moreover, the bosses need something more comfortable, warmer, finally (what can we hide?), More impressive than a "jeep". The domestic first-born in this class was the GAZ-61. But the 72nd markedly differed from it not only externally, but also constructively.

Experience is experience, but all these machines, including the 61st, were frame ones. And "Victory", which became the basis all-wheel drive sedan, the design of which the group led by Grigory Moiseevich Wasserman began in 1954, although it had powerful spars, it was still frameless. However, simple but painstaking studies have shown that the GAZ-M-20 will also withstand all-wheel drive. Although in some places the load-bearing body from sin was nevertheless strengthened.

The car was designed and tested in a few months! Now this seems like a fairy tale. After all, even in the 21st century, a simple modification of domestic factories years go by. Already in the summer of 1955, the GAZ-M-72 was put into production.

The time was a turning point. A little heat blew: gray-haired people with premature wrinkles were driving across the country from the outskirts to the center, putting all their belongings in small suitcases or worn duffel bags. Yesterday's "enemies of the people" turned out to be honest Soviet people. There was another “revelation”: life in the villages is not as joyful and comfortable as they were told in funny musical films. Even with clothes and elementary utensils, it’s not very good. And then the collective farmer will get a car! Well, at first, of course, not everyone, at least the chairman ...

From the unfulfilled

The idea to create an all-wheel drive comfortable car continued to excite the minds of domestic professional and amateur designers for several decades. In Moscow in the 1960s, there was a Volga GAZ-22 station wagon, apparently made not at GAZ, but by some other enterprise using UAZ units. The same nodes were used when creating (already officially) the Volga GAZ-24-95. They built several samples, according to rumors, for the regional and even higher authorities. Already in perestroika times, small workshops and tuning companies did all-wheel drive station wagons cross-country ability based on GAZ-31022.

The granddaddy of crossovers

Maybe the grandmother - at the heart of all the same "Victory". But it doesn't change the essence. load-bearing body, comfortable lounge with full-fledged seats and soft upholstery, a good microclimate (the stove was decent in 69, but the body was too slitty), even a washer windshield foot operated! Do not laugh! A device, especially useful for such a machine, appeared on it, by the way, for the first time in the USSR!

Under the body proudly rising above the ground, there was a standard 55-horsepower engine, boosted by 3 hp during the modernization of Pobeda in 1955, and transmission units, which, of course, were based on the 69th. The gear ratios were left the same as those of the "goat": the first in the gearbox - 3.15, the transfer case - 2.78 / 1.15. Thanks to this, the car had excellent traction and climbed up to 30 degrees. The track gauge of the GAZ-M-72 compared to the GAZ-69 was reduced from 1440 to 1355 mm at the front and 1388 mm at the rear. A ground clearance in 210 mm managed to save. For this, by the way, the springs were placed above the bridges, and not under them, as on Pobeda. Tires 6.50-16 on the 72nd were the same as those of the "goat" - evil, all-terrain. The rear suspension, unlike the 69th, even had an anti-roll bar. Still a car!

GAZ-M-72 reached a speed of only 90 km / h. Well, where is this car more? According to factory data, the car consumed 14 liters of gasoline per 100 km. True, this is not very hard to believe, but at the then price of fuel, this indicator was not the main one. Especially if you refuel for state-owned.

Here and there

Glory in the country M-72 did not win. Mainly because the production for the scale of the Union was scanty. All-wheel drive "Victory" reached a rare collective farm. But the car was supposed to have loud glory! A few years ago, at the beginning of our century, runs from Moscow to Vladivostok were presented almost as a feat. Moreover, even if they were driving in a convoy with experienced mechanics, a bunch of tools and spare parts. Imagine 1956!

It was this year on May 1 that three Moscow motorists: writer Viktor Urin, VGIK graduate Igor Tikhomirov and photojournalist for the magazine Za Rulem Alexander Lomakin set off from the Moscow State University building to the Pacific Ocean in a GAZ-M-72. Bought a car without a queue special permission, for an advance given to Urin for a future book. By the way, she was in great demand: there was also a color documentary"On the roads of the motherland", made by Tikhomirov. Gasoline was also released to travelers with the special permission of the high authorities. There were no columns for private traders, and in the outback they were completely absent.

We drove slowly. For example, we spent several days in Gorky, talking with GAZ employees and, I suspect, checking the car, which had to go 10,000 km, which was gigantic according to the ideas of those years.

Newspapers and magazines wrote about the run. However, surprisingly, without much pathos. And very little was said about the car. It is more important to show how a huge country is flourishing, how “cities, collective farms, MTS” live. Briefly mentioned: the car broke down only three times (for those cars and those roads, really quite a bit!) And reached Vladivostok in the fall of 1956! The further fate of that 72nd is unknown.

And the fate of the model already in 1956, in fact, was a foregone conclusion. The plant was preparing the production of the Volga, a completely new car with a completely different history. Well, besides, the production of the GAZ-M-72, as well as the all-wheel drive Moskvich-410, distracted the factories from the production of the main models, and the government demanded to increase it. Taxi drivers, rare private traders and, of course, the main consumer, officials of all stripes, needed the Volga. The chairmen of collective farms were also entitled to a service UAZ, which, by the way, was not sold to private traders. In fairness, we note that the vast majority did not even have money for a car, a motorcycle - and that was considered a sign of prosperity.

Body modernization

When creating the all-wheel drive version of Pobeda, its body required serious reinforcement due to significantly increased loads. As a result, the case received additional amplifiers for the front end (1) and its front panel (2). The roof was reinforced in the B-pillar area (3) and the floor spars under the spring buffer (4). In addition, the body floor itself (5) with side members (6) and the middle cross member (7) received additional elements, and the frame was supplemented with a strut (8).

And happiness was near!

Imagine for a moment the impossible: the industry of the USSR is integrated into the world market. And there goes the GAZ-M-72. Real competitors only two at the time: French Renault Colorale and the American Jeep Station Wagon, created on the basis of the famous and well-known Willys. Both models - with comfortable closed bodies station wagon type and more spacious than the 72nd. But both have a frame structure. True, then this was not considered a disadvantage - neither for the small mass, nor for high speeds, not for special controllability, all the more all-wheel drive vehicles didn't chase. And there was no great demand even in the USA, not to mention Europe, for such cars.

Before he appeared, more than a decade had passed. But now, when the love for crossovers has acquired even partly maniacal proportions all over the world, it is appropriate to once again recall the GAZ-M-72 - a car from a completely different era, in which, by the way, the title of "chairman" had a slightly different meaning ...

Specifications
WEIGHT AND DIMENSIONAL INDICATORS
Curb weight, kg	1560
Length, mm	4665
Width, mm	1695
Height, mm	1790
Wheel base, mm	2712
Track front / rear, mm	1355/1388
Ground clearance, mm	210
Tire size	6.50-16
ENGINE
Type and number of cylinders	Petrol, p4
Working volume, cm 3	2112
Power, hp/kW	55/40
At rpm	3600
Torque, Nm	125
At rpm	N.d.
Transmission	Mechanical, 3-speed
Transfer case	2-speed
All wheel drive type	pluggable
Maximum speed, km/h	90
Fuel consumption, l/100 km	14

text: Sergey KANNUNIKOV
photo: from the author's archive

GAZ - M-72

Sergey Shumakov

all-terrain vehicle based on Pobeda

The prehistory of the M-72 all-terrain vehicle (not to be confused with the motorcycle of the same name) began even before the war, when in 1938 a comfortable all-terrain vehicle was created at the design bureau of V. A. Grachev. The car with a body from the "emka" was intended for the Soviet high command and was distributed among the commanders of the fronts and armies, but when the number of combined arms and tank armies grew, this car was not enough even for commanders. In total, from 1940 to 1943, 6 61-40 phaetons, 194 61-73 sedans, two 61-415 pickups and 36 61-417 tractors were produced. However, in the period from 4 to 22 June 1943, German aircraft bombed the Gorky Automobile Plant seven times. Serious destruction was received by 50 buildings and buildings, and production capabilities were sharply reduced. Because the shop that produced body parts for "emka", out of order, the production of GAZ-61 ceased.
However, the need for comfortable all-wheel drive vehicles did not disappear after the war - both the army and the national economy needed a car with a closed heated body, like a car , which would have the same cross-country ability as the car that appeared in 1953 had
. Therefore, when the Gorky Automobile Plant was entrusted with the design of such a car, the designers, without thinking twice, decided to create a hybrid of Pobeda and GAZ-69. It took literally three days for all the design work on the design of the M-72. It took another month to build a prototype. As a result, February 24 from the gate Gorky Automobile Plant came out M-72 became the world's first all-wheel drive passenger car with frameless load-bearing body. Changes in the Pobedovsky body were the most minimal.

A group of designers led by Grigory Wasserman simply strengthened the weak parts of the Pobedovsky body and increased ground clearance. For this it was decided rear springs install not under a beam rear axle, as on the M-20, and above it. At the same time, the body rose by 150 mm. Also, instead of the front independent suspension on twisted springs put the front springs.

The length of the car with a 2712 mm wheelbase (12 mm more than that of the Pobeda) was 4665 mm. The width was 1695 mm. The interior equipment of the M-72 was the same as that of the M-20: soft upholstery, a heater, a clock, a dual-band (long and medium wave) radio. For driving all-wheel drive transmission there are new levers. Under the instrument cluster, a plate with a reminder to the driver was strengthened - on it is a demultiplier control scheme and a table of maximum speeds in each gear. Taking into account the need to work on dirty roads, for the first time in the USSR, a windshield washer was used on the M-72 - a mechanical pump that worked by pressing a naked pedal on a special pedal.

Despite the initial plans to put the 3.485-liter GAZ-11 engine on the car, which was installed at that time on the ZiM and GAZ-51, at the last moment they decided to leave the standard 2.112-liter engine, which was also on Pobeda, and on GAZ-69. Its cylinder diameter was still 82 mm, and the piston stroke was 100 mm. True, this engine acquired a different cylinder head, as a result of which, instead of a 6.2-fold compression ratio, it acquired a 6.5-fold one. At the same time, it was recommended to operate the car on B-70 aviation gasoline. However, when installing late ignition 66th gasoline could also be used, however, fuel consumption increased slightly. I must say that they originally wanted to install this same head on the very first Pobeda, but then, in order to use cheaper gasoline, they installed a head with 6.2-fold compression. An increase in the compression ratio, a change in the carburetor jets and an improvement in the intake system gave an increase in torque by high revs and an increase in power to 55 hp. Only at the end of the M-72 release, the engine cylinders were bored out to 88 mm, the working volume increased to 2433 cubic meters. cm, and power increased to 65 horsepower. Included in the oil system oil radiator. Oil got into it from the filter. coarse cleaning, and cooled in the radiator, flowed into the oil filler pipe. When the body was raised, gaps formed between it and the wheels. They were covered behind with shields, and in front they reduced the depth of the cutouts in the wings.

The electrical equipment of the car was 12-volt. 1.7 HP starter was the most powerful of all Soviet starters. The starter was powered by a 6 STE-54 battery, which had a capacity of 54 ampere-hours. The rear axle, designed specifically for this machine, had semi-floating axle shafts, which were supported by single-row ball bearings. There were no removable hubs, and the wheels were attached directly to the flanges of the axle shafts. The main gear of the rear axle had the same gear ratio as that of Pobeda - 5.125. The drive gear had 8 teeth, and the driven gear had 41 teeth. From GAZ-69, the car received only a transfer case. Since this unit did not have a direct transmission, even the top gear of the transfer case had a gear ratio of 1: 1.15, and the bottom one had a gear ratio of 1: 2.78. Therefore, the maximum speed of the M-72 was lower than that of Pobeda. Road tests of the prototype M-72 showed it high permeability And driving performance. The car moved confidently through the muddy broken roads, on sand, arable land, snowy terrain, took climbs up to 30 degrees. Due to the streamlined body, the speed on the highway reached 100 km / h, and the fuel consumption was less than that of the GAZ-69. By the way, about the expense. Fuel consumption per 100 km of track on paved roads was 14.5-15.5 liters, on unpaved roads - 17-19 liters, and in off-road conditions - 25-32 liters. During the spring of 1955, the prototype covered more than 40 thousand kilometers, which made it possible to identify some weak spots and eliminate deficiencies. In May, the car was tested in the Crimean mountains, and in June, mass production of the M-72 at GAZ began. Despite the considerable width, the car had a very small turning radius for those years - 6.5 meters, which allowed it to successfully turn around in narrow lanes.

The car was produced until 1958. The total number of issued copies was 4677 pieces. Its release was discontinued due to the cessation of the release of the Pobeda itself, the body parts of which were used on the M-72. True, there were plans to make an all-wheel drive version according to the same principle - a Volgovsky body plus a chassis from the same GAZ-69. However, these plans were not implemented, and the all-wheel drive version of the Volga station wagon GAZ-22 existed only in single copy It belonged to Brezhnev. Leonid Ilyich did not go hunting in this car. And in conclusion about the price. If the standard Pobeda cost 16,000 pre-reform rubles, the state price of its more difficult-to-manufacture version was 15,000 rubles. However, unlike Pobeda and Zimov, which were in the store on Bakuninskaya, the M-72 did not appear on the free sale. However, on a spontaneous automotive market on Spartakovskaya Square, these cars were encountered quite often - they asked for an average of 25 thousand rubles for them.

1953	Number of seats - 5-8; load capacity - 500 kg; wheel formula - 4 × 4; engine: number of cylinders - 4, working volume - 2112 cm 3; power - 52 hp at 3600 rpm; length - 3850 mm; width - 1750 mm; height - 1920 mm; base - 2300 mm; curb weight - 1535 kg; speed - 90 km / h.
	All-wheel drive modification of Moskvich. Number of seats - 4; wheel formula - 4 × 4; engine: number of cylinders - 4, working volume - 1220 (1360) cm 3, power - 35 (45) * l. With. at 4200 (4500) rpm, valve train– SV (OHV); number of gears - 6 (8); tire size - 6.40x15 inches; length - 4055 mm; width - 1540 mm; height - 1685 mm; base - 2377 mm; curb weight - 1180 (1150) kg; speed - 85 (90) km / h. *In parentheses are the data of Moskvich-410N
Moskvich-407 1958	Number of seats - 4; engine: number of cylinders - 4, working volume - 1361 cm 3, power - 45 l, s. at 4500 rpm, valve mechanism - OHV; number of gears - 3; tire size - 5.60x15 inches; length - 4055 mm; width - 1540 mm; height - 1560 mm; base - 2180 mm; curb weight - 990 kg; speed - 115 km / h; acceleration time from standstill to 80 km / h - 24 s.
Moskvich-423 1958	Number of seats - 4; engine: number of cylinders - 4, working volume - 1220 cm 3, power - 35 liters. With. at 4200 rpm, valve train - SV; number of gears - 3; length - 4055 mm; width - 1540 mm; height - 1600 mm, base - 2370 mm; curb weight - 1015 kg; speed - 105 km / h.
	A wheelchair that has all the features that allow it to be classified as a car. Number of seats - 2; two-stroke engine, located at the rear; number of cylinders - 1, working volume - 346 cm 3, power - 8 liters. With. number of gears - 3; length - 2625 mm, width - 1316 mm, height - 1380 mm, wheelbase - 1650 mm, ground clearance - 170 mm; curb weight - 425 kg; speed - 60 km / h.
	Number of seats - 7; engine: number of cylinders - 8, working volume - 5526 cm 3, power - 195 liters. With. at 4400 rpm; number of gears - 3; tire size - 8.20-15 inches; length - 5600 mm; width - 2000 mm; height - 1620 mm; base - 3250 mm; curb weight - 2100 kg; speed - 160 km / h; acceleration time from standstill to 100 km / h - 20 s.
1960	Number of seats - 4; engine: number of cylinders - 4, valve mechanism - OHV, displacement 746 cm 3, power - 23 liters. With. at 4000 rpm; number of gears - 4; tires - 5.20-13; length - 3330 mm; width - 1395 mm; height - 1450 mm; base - 2023 mm; wheel track: front - 1144 mm, rear - 1160 mm; curb weight - 650 kg; top speed- 80 km / h; average operating fuel consumption - 5.5-6.0 l / 100 km. original price– 18 thousand rubles (old).
1962	Number of seats - 5; engine: number of cylinders - 8, working volume - 5529 cm 3, power - 19 0 hp; tire size - 6.70-15 inches; length - 4830 mm; width - 1800 mm; height - 1620 mm; base - 2700 mm; curb weight - 18 60 kg; speed - 19 0 km / h; acceleration time from standstill to 100 km / h - 19 s. Circulation - 603 pcs.

Listen to how proudly sounds - "Victory". In the history of this legendary GAZ M 72 played his role Nikita Khrushchev. In 1954, he proposed to modernize the GAZ-69. That is, the car should have become more comfortable. As a result, the secretaries of the rural regional committees of the CPSU, as well as the chairmen of the advanced collective farms, were able to get service SUVs. But the military also had an interest in this car. So, the comfortable and highly passable GAZ-M 72, the photo of which you see in front of you, has become a “general”. And in their spare time, the government elite rode the Pobeda in their hunting grounds.

In the spring of 1954, GAZ officially received technical task. G. Wasserman, the creator of the GAZ-67 and GAZ-69, was appointed lead designer. Except him, over the future government vehicle a whole department of specialists worked. All of them at one time were engaged in the creation of the GAZ-69. Therefore, all the subtleties of this machine were known to them.

So what did the designers do? The new car received a load-bearing body frame and panels from the GAZ-M-20, but these parts were modified. The transfer case replaced the transverse box-shaped amplifier of the body and the longitudinal amplifier. The latter had to be completely abandoned. To compensate for these power elements and to increase the transverse and longitudinal rigidity of the body, they also introduced roof spars and door pillars. GAZ-M72, unlike received a new sub-frame. It was specially designed in order to fix the leaf spring suspension of the front axle.

The GAZ-M72 also has parts from the 69th model. This is a modernized front axle and distribution box. And quite standard, from GAZ-M-20. developed specifically for the new "Victory". To increase the springs installed on the beams of the bridges.

The body was equipped like the 20th Pobeda model: the upholstery is soft, there is a heater, a clock, a dual-band radio. That's why this car embodied the concept of comfortable SUVs. It must be said that abroad about mass production such machines were not even thought of.

They equipped it with a demultiplier and a switchable leading front axle. The wheels were set to 16-inch, with increased lugs. This provided good cross on snow, sand, mud and broken roads.

As befits a government and military SUV, the car had to be tested. The car showed good "survivability" of the units and the body. Excellent cross-country characteristics were also noted. In the summer of 1956, three journalists on the new Pobeda made a run along the Moscow-Vladivostok route. This distance (15 thousand kilometers) GAZ-M-72 passed without receiving serious damage. From those distant years, newsreels have come down to us in which Nikita Khrushchev, together with Fidel Castro, go on a winter hunt in this car.

In June of the 55th, the first trial GAZ-M72 rolled off the assembly line, and a year later a serious production began. The car did not become massive and "came out" in small batches from 1955 to 1958. When the production of the GAZ-M-20 Pobeda cars was completed, the assembly of the new GAZ-M72 also stopped.

GAZ-M72 - best car for a trip to the USSR in the mid-1950s

Of course, old cars, even so well restored, must be protected. So I struggle with the feeling of permissiveness. But it's getting worse. Is it a bump? On modern crossovers you need to overcome this step - and I'm too lazy to even switch to first gear. Enough traction. tall car slowly but confidently rolls over from side to side and without fuss approaches the next obstacle dangerous for today's all-terrain vehicles ...

SECOND VICTORY

Of course, the GAZ-M72 is far from the first car with solid off-road capabilities and comfortable interior. In the United States, these were made back in the 1930s, which, by the way, prompted the creation of the first such Soviet design - an all-wheel drive version of the GAZ-61 emka. It was built in scanty quantities, addressed primarily to the army authorities. After the war, our industry was limited only to the "goats" GAZ‑67, then GAZ‑69, strong and hardy, but with a canvas roof and a minimum of amenities. The village authorities and, again, the military were happy about this. And they didn’t sell “gaziki” to private traders. Ideas, of course, were in the air. Since the late 1940s, Moscow has been experimenting with an all-wheel drive modification of the ZIS-110 limousine. But this car, astronomically far from the people, was rather an engineering curiosity.

Salon GAZ-M72 - like the "Victory", only with two additional transmission levers.

Who first came up with the idea to make an all-wheel drive version of the "Victory", history is silent. They even talked about the indication of Nikita Sergeevich himself, but this is not known for certain. And the car was designed by a group led by G. M. Wasserman, one of the main Gorky specialists in all-wheel drive. "Victory" has already won the love of ours and even the recognition of some foreign consumers (and they had plenty to choose from) thanks to a solid design. Nevertheless, to create a decent all-wheel drive version, it was necessary not only to install modified bridges and a GAZ-69 transfer case, but also to significantly strengthen the body - in particular, in the area where the B-pillars connect to the roof, spars, and dashboard.

Formally, the car "Victory" was not listed, and M72 is written on the body, but among the people, of course, it was called that way. She deserved this name, and not only because she came from the GAZ-M20.

TO THE FARM AND TO THE AREA

I can imagine the feelings of those who got behind the wheel of such a car six decades ago. Comfortable sofas, cozy passenger car, a reliable roof over your head, a windshield washer (the first in the USSR) and even a radio! At the same time, spring suspensions are strong, like those of the GAZ‑69, and the ground clearance is 210 mm. Such a car is not afraid of our country roads.

On the highway, however, the M72 behaves rudely according to current ideas. From a car with such a body, you expect more passenger, at least Pobedovsky habits. But in fact, driving a car is no easier than a “goat”. The motor of 55 forces accelerates with an effort heavy car. On a straight line, the M72 requires constant attention, it enters turns reluctantly, imposingly waddling from side to side. Probably, it's not only the design of the suspensions (here, however, there are even rear stabilizer) and a high body, but also in a narrower track than the 69th. But the car's brakes are quite enough, because, as soon as you release the gas pedal, the gears in the transmission diligently resist rolling.

When accelerating, every gear sounds different. The first is in a low, slightly hysterical bass, the third, straight, in a hoarse baritone. The car has just left the restoration workshop, has not been run in and will sing quieter over time, but experience shows - not much.

But these are such trifles in comparison with the ability to travel to distant fields, a farm and “to the area” with comfort never seen before! We went to the GAZ-M72, by the way, and further away.

TO THE OUTSIDES

On May 1, 1956, the writer Viktor Urin, VGIK graduate Igor Tikhomirov and the photojournalist "Behind the Wheel" Alexander Lomakin started on the GAZ-M72 on a run to Vladivostok. Urin bought the car with an advance payment for a book, by special permission. Gasoline on the route was also refueled according to a special directive - there were only one or two pumps for private traders and there were not many, but in the outback they were not seen at all. We drove slowly, with long stops. The run took almost six months, but we arrived! The press wrote about the trip, including, of course, “Behind the Wheel”, a book and a film (in color!) “On the Roads of the Motherland” appeared. True, less attention was paid to the car than it deserved - the main topic was a country living in changes and hopes that were impossible a few years ago.

On such a back sofa it was not a shame to seat the chief not only of the district, but also of the regional scale.

The 20th Congress of the CPSU had not yet passed, but the former "enemies of the people" were already returning from the far outskirts of the country. In 1955, a Decree was issued to end the state of war between Soviet Union and Germany, and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer came to Moscow. The magazines Youth and Foreign Literature began to appear - albeit timid, but hotbeds of free-thinking. Filmmakers paid more and more attention to the countryside: “Guest from Kuban” with Anatoly Kuznetsov, “Maxim Perepelitsa” with a very young Leonid Bykov, “Soldier Ivan Brovkin” with Leonid Kharitonov. Of course, in these films, as before, the village looked much happier than it actually lived, but against the backdrop of general happiness and fun, “certain shortcomings” were already revealed. The leadership of the country began not only to be interested in the life of the village, but also to do something for it. For example, new all-wheel drive vehicle- GAZ-M72.

He, in my opinion, is very similar to the chairmen from those naive paintings - strict, sometimes rude, but zealous and fair. I want to match this car. That is why I try to adapt to her difficult, but direct and honest character. Moreover, in skillful hands it can do what most of today's all-terrain vehicles never dreamed of.

VILLAGE CREATIVE

Alas, the GAZ-M72 was doomed at birth. In Gorky, there was a Volga at the exit - completely new car, and no one was going to make a 4x4 variant based on it. But then the M72 had few analogues in the world. Perhaps only the American "Willis-Jeep Station Wagon" and the French "Renault-Coloral".

In two decades, the Niva will appear - albeit a very distant one, but still a conceptual relative of the GAZ-M72. It will take another twenty years, and dozens of all-wheel drive cars with light comfort will enter the market. On our roads they are now also a dime a dozen. Much more than prosperous villages, whose inhabitants were addressed to an unusual domestic car. And that was almost 60 years ago...

"VICTORY" OVER OFF-ROAD

GAZ-M72 - an all-wheel drive car with a modernized Pobeda body and redesigned GAZ‑69 units has been produced since 1955. The car was equipped with a 55-horsepower 2.1-liter engine, a three-speed gearbox and a two-speed transfer case With gear ratios 1.15/2.78. The car developed 90 km / h. In total, until 1958, 4677 cars were built.