In every country where the automobile industry once began to develop, this process was inextricably linked with the development of sports and racing cars. The Soviet Union was no exception, where such machines were made throughout the history of the country. Here are just a few of the most interesting of those that appeared at that time. 
1. Racing Gases
The first Soviet races were held in 1937 on the Zhytomyr highway near Kiev. Participants competed on homemade cars assembled on the basis of outdated GAZ-A chassis with old V4 engines. However, a start has been made speed record these races could not even reach the indicator set during the Russian Empire.
2. ZIS-101A-Sport
This car was designed by three engineers of the Moscow plant named after Stalin in 1938 on the basis of the best Soviet car ZIS-101 at that time. Indeed, the choice sports car was still not the best, because the 101st weighed 2.5 tons. However, this did not prevent the car from being liked by the top of the Soviet Politburo.
3. GAZ-SG1
A significantly modified model of the Soviet sports car was named "Pobeda-Sport" and was made on the basis of the GAZ car. The car turned out to be incredibly light, only 1.2 tons. The car accelerated to 190 km / h. In total, five such cars were created.
4. "Star"
This racing car was the first Soviet car built specifically for sports competitions. By the way, she rode on a motorcycle engine, which accelerated her to 139.6 km / h. It was possible to achieve this indicator due to a significant reduction in mass.
5. Falcon-650
This car was designed after the war, together with German engineers. It was the first Soviet Formula 2 racing car. Engineers of the Auto-Union project worked on its creation. Their racing cars conquered European tracks even before the war.
6. GAZ Torpedo
The car is completely original design. Its teardrop-shaped body was made from aircraft-grade materials. Thanks to this, the weight of the machine was only 1.1 tons. Thanks to exceptional aerodynamics, the car showed a speed of 191 km/h on the track.
7. GAZ-TR
This turbofan Soviet car was built in 1954. The car was equipped with an engine from the MiG-17 fighter, with a capacity of 1,000 horsepower. The maximum speed of such a car reached 700 km / h.
Bonus: ZIS-112
An attempt by Muscovites to create their own version of a sports car. As in the case of its predecessor, the car turned out to be too heavy, which prevented it from effectively competing with its classmates, despite powerful engine. However, after a thorough modernization and replacement of the engine with an even more powerful one, the car still set a speed record of 210 km / h.
The 1950s and 1960s were the heyday of Soviet motorsport. They created their racing cars at car factories, at universities, and even in large car parks. Moreover, in the Land of the Soviets, mass production of cars for Formula racing was launched. Our review is about all these sports cars.
Moskvich-404 Sport
Looking at the successes of sports GAZ and ZIS, the management of the Moscow plant of small cars could not stand aside. Their production cars, "Muscovites", were low-powered and rather heavy. But even sports prototypes were built on their basis. In 1954 Moskvich-404 Sport was created. The 1.1-liter engine with four carburetors produced a modest 58 hp, which accelerated the car to 150 km / h.
KD
A car called KD Sport 900 is not the work of Italian designers, but just a homemade product. In 1963, a team of enthusiasts began work on a series of five cars of their own design. The fiberglass body hid the units of the "humpbacked Zaporozhets" ZAZ-965. 30 hp motor air cooling accelerated the car to 120 km / h. This is a modest result by today's standards, but a considerable speed for a car of those years.
Automobiles of the Kharkov Automobile and Road Institute
In 1951-1952, a small group of HADI students took on the design of a sports car. The task was to build a car with the maximum use of the nodes of existing equipment. The car was made according to the model of "formulas" - open wheels, a body made of welded pipes, a 30-horsepower M-72 motorcycle engine. The first car of the famous Kharkov University developed a speed of 146 km/m.
In 1962, the HADI Fast Car Laboratory developed the smallest racing car in the world. In a car weighing only 180 kilograms, the pilot was placed lying down, which ensured very good streamlining. It was planned that a 500 cc engine with small dimensions and weight would allow it to accelerate to 220 km / h. Unfortunately, when testing a prototype on the plain of the Baskunchak salt lake (the Soviet analogue of Bonneville), the “maximum speed” was only 100 km / h. Vicious turned out new technology tireless wheels.
Year after year, the HADI Sports Car Laboratory developed new experimental techniques. Some of the samples turned out to be successful and set republican and all-Union speed records, tests of others turned into the identification of deficiencies or accidents. The work of students and teachers of Kharkov University on new machines continues to this day.
Racing cars "Estonia"
The history of Soviet formula cars began with the Sokol-650 model of 1952. But those were piece samples, moreover, built to order in Germany. But already in 1958, at the Tallinn Experimental Car Repair Plant, they began to build their racing cars with open wheels from domestic components. Each subsequent model became better than the previous one, reliability increased, aerodynamics improved, the power and maximum speed of Estonia cars increased. The most successful machines were built in series of dozens, and even hundreds of copies.
Rally Moskvich-412
The Moskvich-412, produced since the 1960s, has become one of the most famous Soviet sports cars in the world. The car had phenomenal survivability and unpretentiousness. From 1968 to 1973 compact sedan participated in many international rallies. High places in the London-Sydney (16 thousand kilometers) and London-Mexico City (26 thousand kilometers) races created good fame for the Soviet Moskvich, confirming its high reliability.
You can see the beginning of the review of the coolest Soviet sports cars.
Strange as it may seem, sports cars have been and are being made in Russia, yes, but of course, few have seen them, and even more so, they drove them. Also in Soviet time they were made by both large auto giants and small sports clubs and other lone enthusiasts. These cars were a kind of analogues of the European Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Porsche and others. And so let's get to the most interesting.
The Russo-Balt C24/55 car is perhaps the first domestic production car professionally prepared for a rally. In general, in fact, this car, which existed in a single copy, was created for a single race - the 1912 Monte Carlo Rally. The initiator of the construction of the sports car was Andrei Platonovich Nagel, editor-publisher of the St. Petersburg magazine "Avtomobil", and he also piloted it in the rally.
Since 1910, the editor-in-chief himself owned the "motor" C24 / 30 series III, number 14. Driving this car in the summer of 1910, on the St. Petersburg-Kiev-Moscow-St. Petersburg rally (3000 km), Nagel won gold medal. In the autumn of the same year, he traveled around Europe, visiting Berlin, Rome, Naples, crossed the Alps and climbed Vesuvius. Thus, Europe saw the Russian car for the first time. Then followed in 1911 - the St. Petersburg-Moscow-Sevastopol rally. Again A. Nagel was awarded a gold medal for his performance on the same machine "RBVZ" N14. In a word, by the end of 1911 the publisher had the reputation of one of the most eminent racers of the Russian Empire.
A typical design of the C24 / 30 model is a spar frame with a dependent spring suspension rear wheels, worm gear, cone clutch, mechanical brakes, magneto ignition. Power unit - 4501 cm3, lower valve distribution mechanism, non-removable cylinder head. Brakes - drum rear, front - none!
But this Russo-Balt C24 / 55 (nee C24 / 30) series III at number 9, of course, was "brought to mind". Engine capacity was increased to 4939 cm3. back in 1910 to participate in the Kiev run, but then its creator, chief designer RBVZ Julien Potter did not achieve significant success (although he took revenge on the same car in verst races in Riga on June 7, 1911, showing a maximum speed of 120 km / h when starting on the move, and an average of 105 km / h). For that race, the compression ratio was raised from 4.0 to 5.5 units, which made it possible to squeeze out 55 hp. Specific power - about 35 hp per ton of weight! As many as 11 horsepower per liter of volume! It's now that tuners are pulling out ten times more funny, and in 1911 - a huge achievement!
The car was prepared even more thoroughly for the "Rallye-Automobile-Monaco" - the torque was transmitted to the axle through cardan shaft, not a chain, but pistons ... oh, those pistons! Pistons, for the first time in the history of the automotive industry, were made of aluminum! They were received from the Riga "Motor" plant, where engineer Theodor Kalep in the middle of 1911 began experiments on the use of aluminum pistons in aircraft engines. In addition, the latest French Zenith carburetor was installed, gears with a reduced gear ratio, thanks to which it was planned to reach speeds of up to 105 km / h (for the serial C24 / 30 - 70 km / h), powerful Fraconia acetylene headlights with a three-section acetylene generator, electric lighting from a dynamo and batteries. The body was lightened to the maximum - even removed windshield! But they installed an additional 50-liter tank. The engine plugs were hermetically sealed with caps invented personally by A. Nagel.
"Shoes" corresponded to the car - best tires factories "Explorer" - "Columbus"! Considering the features weather conditions, chains were put on the rear wheels, special skis were provided for the front wheels (the creators believed that skis would make it easier to control on a snowy road). Pure alcohol was poured into the cooling system instead of water.
The radiator was decorated with brass letters Russo-Baltique in French. On the front of the body placed the emblem of the Imperial Russian automobile society, and signs were installed in front and behind, where it was written in red letters on a white background: "Rallye-Automobile-Monaco". A white-blue-red Russian flag and a red-white flag of Monaco were placed in front.
The start was not entirely successful - the engine gave a reverse flash (such incidents happened often before the introduction of electric starters.), And Vadim Mikhailov broke his arm. Mikhailov flatly refused to stay in St. Petersburg, and set off on a journey with only one active hand - his left.
A. Nigel and V. Mikhailov in a Russo-Balt C24/55 Series III car. 1910
Race conditions were inhuman - storms, snowdrifts, move, at times, had to literally touch. Lanterns, even such powerful ones as the Fraconia, could not cope. "Only a white spot was illuminated" - in the words of Nagel himself. Mikhailov more than once acted as a guide, wandering through the snow with a lantern in his hand. Behind him was a car. In different sections, the journalist either trudged at the speed of a turtle, then drove to the maximum - all 105 km / h! In France, the car drove into a strip of fog, thick as cotton wool. But even this obstacle was successfully overcome.
But the next one almost made me put an end to the races. The icy ascents and descents of Belfort were not taken by a car with a small gear ratio in the rear axle. The chains were worn and broken, and they were of no use. Rescued sortie to the nearest village. But no one could sell them chains - there were none. Finally, someone suggested contacting a local winemaker. He, they say, carries wine for sale in barrels and ties them with chains when he is lucky on a cart. The winemaker was stubborn for a long time, but he sold the chains. They helped out a lot on icy climbs. (According to another legend, A. Nagel shod the wheels in leather belts with nails, inventing the first studded tires).
And finally, after 195 hours and 23 minutes from the start, having covered 3257 kilometers from average speed 16.7 km/h, having used up about 600 liters of gasoline (18l/100 km), having traveled all the way without a single breakdown and bringing "Pererburg" air in the tires, Russo-Balt finished in Monte Carlo. First! The second participant finished only after 6 hours. In total, 59 crews out of 83 started finished.
The counting of points has begun - the matter, as in any rally, is far from being the easiest. A. Nagel received the 1st prize for routes (as he expected!), the 1st prize for endurance and the 9th prize for general classification(since the commission took into account the number of comfortable seats in the car and amenities, the amount of luggage carried, elegance, cleanliness, etc. - nonsense!). According to the general classification, the award can hardly be considered correctly awarded, since the organizing committee of the rally, when determining the norms and running time, did not take into account the difficulties of the winter road in Russia, whose roads are noticeably inferior to the roads of Western Europe.
After the announcement of the results, awards, a banquet and the official closing of the rally in Monaco, A. Nagel and V. Mikhailov rode the "Russo-Balt" for about 1000 more miles through the south of France and Italy. And in Lyon, they packed the car in a box and went by rail to St. Petersburg.
Racing Russo-Balt С24/55 Series III. 1913
A. Nagel in Russia received a higher award. According to the report to Tsar Nicholas II of the vice-president of the IRAO adjutant wing V. Svechin, Andrey Platonovich was awarded the Order of St. Anna of the III degree from the "height of the Throne". It was the first state award received for sporting achievements in motorsport! For its part, the IRAO, wishing to celebrate the victory won by A. Nagel, brought him an honorary gift and arranged a friendly dinner on February 23, 1912.
RBVZ also got its own - car sales jumped sharply! Two Russo-Balts (Landole models "C24-40" (N270, XIII series) and "K 12-20" (N 217, X series) were even purchased by the imperial garage! The principle, voiced somewhat later by Henry Ford, worked: on Sunday win, sell on Monday.
The victories of Andrei Nagel do not end there! In 1912, a tireless journalist in his "Russo-Balt" took second place in the international rally "San Sebastian" and received a special prize for endurance. In August 1913, Nagel made a run of 7,000 km along the roads of Central and Southern Russia in a car N 14 with a "grand tourism" body, and in December he set off on a trip to the countries of Southern Europe and North Africa. By the beginning of 1914, that is, in less than four years of ruthless exploitation, his Russo-Balt covered 80 thousand km without major repairs! Not every modern motorist manages to do an average of 20 thousand km a year.
The history of the unique instance of N 9 does not end even more! On May 14, 1913, at about two o'clock in the afternoon in St. Petersburg on the Volkhov highway, car races were held for a distance of one verst on the move. The distance time was recorded using a device called a telechron, invented by the engineer and passionate motorist P.B. Postnikov. Recording at the finish line was led by Dr. Vsevolozhskoy, a member of the St. Petersburg Automobile Club. Winners were counted in seven categories.
Among the "Benz", "Mercedes", "Opel" and other cars-participants stood out green car with a streamlined body. Yes! It was the Russo-Balt-S24-55 III series (copy N 9) - the one that brought victory to A. Nagel in 1912 in the "Rallye-Automobile-Monaco"! This time it was piloted by a 24-year-old RBVZ brand racer - Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov.
Changed not only the pilot, but the car itself. Extras such as acetylene torches, extra batteries, generators and fuel tanks at verst races they were simply not needed, and they got rid of them. As well as from many body parts - bumpers, fenders, canvas convertible top. As a result, the weight of the car was reduced by almost half! The body itself received a characteristic streamlined shape, for which (of course, and for the color!) And received the nickname "Russian Cucumber". Unfortunately, the designer at that time did not yet know about vortex air disturbances arising from the spokes of rotating wheels, otherwise, it is quite possible that the result of I.I. Ivanov would have been taller.
And so - the second place. The best result was shown by Mr. Herner on the Benz, setting the last speed record in the history of Tsarist Russia - 189.5 miles per hour (about 201 km / h), covering a mile on the move in 19 seconds (for comparison, the Lambotghini Diablo SV overcomes first kilometer in 25 seconds). However, the jury, taking into account the exceptional qualities of his car, singled Mr. Herner out of the competition.
Thus, Mr. Donye was declared the winner in a Mercedes, having developed a speed of 134 miles per hour and covered a mile in 26.8 seconds. The prize, as won three times in a row, became the property of Donje. The second place was awarded to I.I. Ivanov at the Russian Cucumber.
On May 26, 1913, the first ring races in Russia took place. However, that "ring" is very far from this concept today. The route passed through the Volkhov highway, Alexandrovna, Krasnoe Selo and Lithuanian highway, forming a "circle" 37 miles long. According to the regulations, it was proposed to pass this ring 7 times, so the total distance was 230 versts or 276 kilometers.
Applications for participation were submitted by 21 crews, including such eminent racers of those years as Mr. Slupsky on the most powerful of the Excelsiore participating cars; Mr. Suvorin in a BENZ car; Mr René Nothombe beautiful car"Metallurgic", called the "Red Demon", and, of course, the factory pilot of the RBVZ, Mr. Ivanov, on the "Cucumber".
Unfortunately, for the weather, unlike motorsport fans, this day did not mean anything at all, and at the very beginning of the race there was heavy rain and a strong wind broke out, almost blowing the car off the road. As a result, less than half of the 19 starting crews made it to the finish line - only 9. To the credit of the RBVZ, the N9 instance was among them, taking second place, and lagging behind the winner - G.M. Suvorin on the "Benz" - only 2 minutes and 6 seconds.
Yes, although Russo-Balt did not take the first places so often, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of this car both for the plant and for domestic motorsport. RBVZ cars received wide recognition not only from civilian buyers - both military and state orders went, and the engineer and designer of the plant had such a high reputation that the development of the first domestic hydroplane was entrusted to the Russo-Baltic Wagon.
In addition, the N9 instance became the first domestic sports car professionally prepared for competitions by the manufacturer. The path of the former, as you know, is not easy, but others follow in their footsteps.
Unfortunately, during the dark years of the revolution and the Civil War, the car disappeared without a trace, and what is now in the Riga Museum is nothing more than a copy, and even then it is not entirely accurate.
At the IV International Automobile Exhibition in 1913 in St. Petersburg, a small sports car made its debut. Her double body resembled a cigar, for which she immediately received the nickname "Havana". The car had "dual citizenship". The chassis and motor were made by the French company La Buire, and the hull was custom-made by the Moscow Carriage and Car Factory P. Ilyin. small firm was Russian dealer La Buire often built exclusive bodies for these cars. Havana had nothing to do with auto racing. It was a car for high-speed country walks and defile along city streets.
Unfortunately, there are no photos of this car left, so we have to be content with images of the 4-door versions.
Sports modification NATI-2 models assembled by the designer K. Sharapov. Design features - air-cooled engine, independent suspension rear wheels. Cylinders - 4, engine displacement - 1211 cubic meters. see, power - 22 liters. With. at 2800 rpm, number of gears - 3, curb weight - 730 kg, speed - 75 kilometers per hour.
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The entire production of sports cars was reduced to single samples of amateur athletes, assembled in artisanal conditions literally on the knee. All work on preparing cars for competitions was reduced to the manufacture of a streamlined body without wings on the basis of GAZ-A or GAZ-M1, moderate forcing of the engine, sometimes installation of short exhaust pipes and several carburetors.
The 57-year-old Leningrad City Council driver Anton Girel went this way. As a donor, he chose the "people's" car of those years - GAZ-A, which was mass-produced from 1932 to 1936. He lengthened the base of the car by 300 mm and made a streamlined body without protruding parts (wings, headlights, etc.), reducing the weight of the car to 950 kg. On the tail of the car there was a keel, similar to those on the record "blue birds" of Malcolm Campbell, who almost daily set new speed records.
The GAZ-A engine, as hopelessly outdated and having practically no prospects for increasing power, was immediately dismissed by A. Girel by installing a four-cylinder in-line on his car power unit GAZ-M1, which, by the way, was a copy of the Ford-BB engine, is also not the first freshness. Leaving the engine displacement unchanged (3282 cm3), the designer increased the compression ratio to 5.5 units, installed two carburetors and a direct-flow exhaust system - four short exhaust pipes, increasing engine power to 55 hp. at 2800 rpm The figure is ridiculous, considering that in Europe there have long been devices with a capacity of more than 100 hp. But for a handicraft assembled motor - an excellent indicator! True, it becomes bitter if we remember that the Russo-Balt C24 / 55 engine, which won the Monaco Rally in 1912, had the same power.
On sea trials in July 1937, GAZ-A-Sport with a three-speed gearbox and a reduced gear ratio showed a speed of 127.6 km / h. Let me remind you that the last speed record in Tsarist Russia was approximately 142.5 km / h.
And so, on September 30, 1937, four (!) Domestic supercars converged on the Zhytomyr highway near Kiev: Girel's GAZ-A, Tsypulin's GAZ-TSAKS, Zharova's GAZ-A and Kleshchev's GAZ-A. The speeches of the heroes-pilots, "cheers" and so on, and now the races began, as a result of which, by the way, record-breaking races of the USSR for a kilometer on the move were born. Girel's GAZ-A-Sport showed a speed of 129 km/h, falling short of the 24-year-old record of more than 10 km/h. But the old records in those days were not considered. Another country - another sport, and for A.I. Girel officially registered the All-Union speed record.
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The choice of the donor was not original - the same GAZ-A, model 1932. But the chassis has undergone a thorough reworking. The frame at the rear was noticeably arched upwards to reduce the overall height of the body. The rear suspension remained unchanged - on a transverse semi-elliptical spring, but the front suspension - on four longitudinal quarter-elliptical springs. Plus - GAZ-M1 hydraulic shock absorbers on all four wheels. Due to the change in body height steering column received a greater slope than on the serial GAZ-A. An open double streamlined body made of steel sheets on a wooden frame was more ergonomic and aesthetic than the body of GAZ Girel. Tsipulin was familiar with the work of A.O. Nikitin, and the bottom of the car received a streamlined pallet. The gas tank is located behind the driver's seat.
In-line four-cylinder power unit with a volume of 3285 cm3. was borrowed from the GAZ-M1, but with an experimental aluminum cylinder head and a compression ratio increased to 6.0. The pre-revolutionary records finally gave up - the power of this motor was already 60 hp. at 3100 rpm with gear rear axle with a gear ratio of 2.9, a three-speed gearbox, all from the same GAZ-M1, the estimated speed of the GAZ-TSAKS was 135 km / h.
The dimensions of Tsipulin's car were somewhat different from Girel's GAZ: length - 4200 mm, width - 1670 mm, height - 1200 mm; base 2930 mm; tire size - 28X4.75", weight - 50 kg less - 900 kg. Removable headlights were provided for driving the car to the competition venues.
Since Vladimir Ivanovich built a car under the auspices of the Moscow Central Automobile Sports Club, the car was called GAZ-TSAKS (sometimes in print you can find GAZ-TSAMK or GAZ-TSAMKS). The car was driven by Viktor Kulchitsky, a well-known tank tester in those years. He was a brave man, but best result, which he managed to achieve at GAZ-TSAKS - 131.1 km / h. Then for some reason the motor worked intermittently. On September 30, 1937, on the Zhytomyr highway of the TsAKS, even the cars of Zharov and Kleshchev let pass ahead, and they were generally assembled from decommissioned tin cans with a mileage of under three hundred thousand kilometers. Perhaps V. Tsipulin would have been able to bring his creation to mind, but in the same 1937 he was arrested, and in 1940 the outstanding designer died.
GAZ-TSAKS has outlived its creator a lot. What is surprising - the car even survived the war, and in the 1940-1950s it was repeatedly seen on the streets of Moscow. His further fate is unknown.
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One of the most serious sports cars created in the USSR. In temperament, he competed with the road "Bentley" and "Mercedes" of those times. An elegant two-seat car was designed by a group of young ZIS designers headed by A. Pukhalin. The design was developed by the artist Rostkov. ZIS-Sport was made specifically for the anniversary of the Komsomol. In the House of the Unions, where the celebration took place, the car was literally brought into the hall before the opening.
It didn’t take long to choose a chassis - it was decided to use the latest modification of the most modern car - the ZIS-101, which had been mass-produced since 1936. Everything would be fine, but the "one hundred and first" is a limousine! Huge - almost 6 m long, almost 2 m wide, weighing 2.5 tons limousine! Only a crazy person could make a roadster out of such a car. Or Komsomol.
Boiled work. Pukhalin created general layout, redesigned the ZIS-101 suspension: both, in particular, received anti-roll bars, appeared vacuum booster brakes. The rear axle with a hypoid gear (by the way, the first in the USSR) was designed by Kremenetsky, and Pullmanov took up the engine. He significantly boosted the engine of the 101st, increasing the speed, compression ratio, changing the valve timing. Inline eight-cylinder (!) engine with a volume of 5766 cc. was increased to a volume of 6060 cm3, received a block head, pistons, aluminum alloy connecting rods, other crankshaft and camshaft, intake manifold, two MKZ-L2 carburetors without an air filter. Power increased one and a half times - from 90 to 141 hp. at 3300 rpm The redesigned gearbox featured bevel synchromesh and an overdrive gear. Gearbox - standard from ZIS-101A.
The approach to the design of the car was fundamentally different from everything that was before. Enthusiasts did not even think of making a double streamlined body based on the body of the ZIS-101. It was too easy! So the bodybuilder Valentin Rostkov was involved in the work. Fortunately, he turned out to be a good designer, and, in addition, he painted well in watercolor. So on the table of the "technical council" lay the sketches of the car, from which the best one was selected.
Since the power plant was very long and very heavy, in order to improve the balance along the axles and load the drive wheels, the two-seat cockpit was moved far back. In addition, the ZIS-101A-Sport received a removable awning, an air intake on the hood cover and head optics embedded in the front fender fairings. The base of the car was huge for a two-seater coupe - 3750 mm, length - 5750 mm.
But this is on paper, but in reality .... It was not possible to embody the idea in metal. Making casting models, dies for fittings, tooling, a wooden block for a body - for single enthusiasts, such a task was practically impossible. "Pull out" from a 90-horsepower engine another 51 is even easier.
The authorities reacted to the request for help, at least coolly. The quality of the ZIS-101, which was subject to increased requirements, left much to be desired. The State Commission headed by E.A. Chudakov, who at that time was the head of the department of wheeled vehicles of the VAMM RKKA, where the notorious Nikitin A.O. worked, revealed a number of shortcomings (in particular, the necessary reduction in the weight of the ZIS-101 car by 600-700 kg), gave the necessary recommendations. Giving advice is one thing, but doing it is another. Especially when every morning in the shops there were no employees arrested at night. Pukhalin's company was lucky that few people knew about their work, otherwise, one not at all beautiful morning, they could be missing.
ZIS-101A-Sport. 1939
Helped, as often happened in Soviet times, another high-profile anniversary - the twentieth anniversary of the Komsomol. The long list of gifts from the plant to the Motherland, along with super-planned cars, the efforts of Kremenetsky, included the ZIS-101A-Sport. October 17, 1938 "Komsomolskaya Pravda" published a note "Sports limousine" with one of Rostkov's sketches. The country found out about the gift, they started talking about the gift, it was too late to retreat. How, all the same, fate is wrong! Yesterday, for working on a sports car, the guys would have been shot like pests, and today they would be shot if the car was not ready for the deadline. There was nowhere to retreat, and on December 11, 1938, Likhechev issued order N11, which detailed who, what and when should make for a sports limousine.
The development of the design of a sports car, for the first time in the history of the USSR, was controlled almost on the very high level. Indeed, a lot depended on the ZIS-101A-Sport, and everyone understood this very well. The car, even without a body, was run around the territory of the plant, imperfections, "childhood illnesses" of the structure were eliminated. Finally, the first trip took place on a fully assembled, painted, polished car. Pullmanov was driving, next to him was Pukhalin. Kremenetsky watched how their creation looks from the outside. Young Komsomol members did not yet know that this was not only their first, but also their last car ...
And so, the presentation of the car to the top leadership of the country took place. A piece of the wall of the House of the Unions, where the show was scheduled, was dismantled during the night, a two-ton car was carried into the foyer by hand, and even before dawn the facade was put in order. Know how to work when needed! The operation was personally directed by the director of the ZIS, Ivan Alekseevich Likhachev. In the morning, not one of the delegates and guests of the Moscow party conference walked past the car without paying attention to it. But the main thing: Stalin himself, and behind him other members of the Politburo, not only examined, but also approved the unusual car.
But young designers were primarily concerned about sea trials. So far, only 168 km / h have been achieved, but in test mode, and not in official competitions, so the result was not counted. In 1940, the ZIS-101A-Sport on the 43rd kilometer of the Minsk highway was dispersed to 162.4 km / h, in the same 1940, the open ZIS-102 showed a result of 153 km / h. However, the design 180 km / h were quite real.
The prospects for the car were huge, but in Likhachev in 1939 he was appointed People's Commissar of Medium Machine Building (although in 1940 he was removed from this position by Stalin and again became the director of the plant, but the Great Patriotic War began), and the new director of the ZIS-101A-Sport did not was needed. Life also divorced enthusiastic designers: Kremenetsky remained at the plant, but was engaged in equipment for machining, Pullmanov went to full-time graduate school at the Automotive Institute, and Pukhalin went to the rocket industry. Only Rostkov continued to work with cars: he worked for a long time at ZIS (later ZIL), then at US, participated in the creation of many post-war ZISs and ZILs, including sports ones.
The experience gained during the creation of the most serious domestic pre-war sports car, capable of competing with the road "Bentley" and "Mercedes" of those times, was almost not useful to the country. Only a part of the post-war ZIS-101A was equipped with aluminum block heads, increasing the power to 110 hp. With. Designer finds by V. Rostkov were also not useful - the ZIS-110 was ordered to be copied from American samples.
The fate of the ZIS-101A-Sport itself is unknown. According to some sources, it rotted away in the factory backyard, but others...others claim that the dark green roadster was seen somewhere in the 1960s. However, the first statement is more realistic - such was the fate of most domestic prototypes.
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The Gorky Automobile Plant also made attempts to create a high-speed car, but without E. Agitov things did not go well, until in 1950 the chief designer of the aircraft plant, a leading specialist in the hydrodynamics of hulls of floating vehicles, the design of water and propellers, aerodynamics of high-speed car bodies, forty-three-year-old Alexei Andreevich Smolin. He already had such developments as: two-seater snowmobiles (1934), KSM-1 aircraft with a GAZ-M engine (1935), a six-seater glider (1937), an aircraft with a six-cylinder car engine GAZ-Avia (1938), snowmobiles GAZ-98 and GAZ-98K (1939-1940), amphibious all-terrain vehicle with GAZ-Avia engine (1943). The person, as we see, is active and talented.
And he got down to business in earnest. The standard body of the M20 has undergone significant changes: the roof has dropped by 160 mm, fairings have appeared in front and behind, but not from steel, as on the pre-war GAZ-A-Aero and GAZ-GL1, but from lightweight duralumin. The wheels received shields, and the tail, in the best traditions of Nikitin, turned into a long elongated cone. In addition, there were additional "nostrils" on the hood cover - for engine cooling. The bottom was closed with a smooth pallet.
And there was something to cool. The volume of the serial lower-valve "Pobedovsky" engine was increased to 2487 cm3, the compression ratio increased to 7.0 units, two K-22A carburetors appeared. As a result of these changes, the engine power increased to 75 hp. at 4100 rpm The transmission and chassis did not receive significant changes, except that the cardan shaft now consisted of two parts, with an intermediate support.
With its dimensions (length - 5680 mm, width - 1695 mm, height - 1480 mm, wheelbase - 2700 mm), the car weighed not so much - 1200 kg. Of course, Pobeda-Sport (according to the GAZ-SG1 drawings) owed such a mass to aviation material - duralumin. By the way, SG1 is the first Soviet sports car not made in a single copy. A total of five such cars were built.
Pobeda-Sport (GAZ-SG1) with an open body. 1955
In the 1950 sports season, one of the GAZ-SG1 (N11) performed as part of the Gorky sports club Torpedo. Two other "fireballs" of Torpedovtsy (N20 and N27) also stood out among the vehicles of other participants - roofs were lowered to the bottom, rear windows and doors were eliminated. But, nevertheless, they remained homemade, collected far from ideal conditions.
The best of the forty-three crews was GAZ tester Mikhail Metelev (Torpedo-GAZ) on Pobeda-Sport N 11. He set new all-Union speed records at distances of 50, 100 and 300 km, respectively 159.929 km / h, 161.211 km / h and 145.858 km/h.
But the work didn't end there! Smolin brought all projects to the end, to the perfect, ideal, from his point of view, state.
In 1951, three cars were equipped with Rutz rotary superchargers, two carburetors were replaced with one, but two-chamber - K-22. Thus maximum power increased to 105 hp, and speed - up to 190 km / h!
Another car, in the same 1951 year, was equipped with an experimental four-cylinder 2.5-liter NAMI engine with an aluminum cylinder head, designed for a compression ratio of 9.5, upper intake and lower exhaust valves, two serial carburetors mounted on the intake manifold (NAMI designs). The power of such an engine was already 94 hp. at 4000 rpm, but the maximum speed increased by only 2 km / m - up to 164 km / h.
In the same year, A.A. Smolin began work on more promising car SG2, so it can be assumed that the installation of various engines is just one of the steps in working out the design of a new car that is no longer tied to a serial chassis.
In 1952, the only Pobeda-Sport that remained with a "native" engine was equipped with an experimental block head with two candles per cylinder. The compression ratio was raised to 7.4, but there was no increase in power. And in 1955, an open version of the SG1 appeared with the GAZ-21 engine.
In total, three USSR championships were won on Pobeda-Sport cars (1950, 1955 and 1956). It was the first truly successful domestic sports car. However, it is not surprising - after all, it was designed by an aircraft engineer. In addition, the experience gained during the creation of the GAZ-SG1 was not in vain, but was useful to Smolin when creating the GAZ-Torpedo car (SG2) already in 1951, and, later, the SG3 (with jet engine MIG-17) and SG4.
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Experience in creating sports cars gradually accumulated. Of course, this process did not go as smoothly as we would like - many designers of pre-war sports cars were either repressed (V. Tsipulin) or retrained to design military equipment (A. Nikitin, A. Pukhalin). There was a catastrophic shortage of specialists. And yet, on the flagships domestic auto industry there were already people who participated in the development of this kind: V. Rostkov at ZIS and A. Smolin at GAZ.
Creating a new car, the aircraft engineer no longer relied on the supporting frame of the M20 - he created a new body from scratch. Using all the same aviation materials: duralumin and aluminum, A. Smolin built a drop-shaped streamlined body 6300 mm long, 2070 mm wide, 1200 mm high, which turned out to be much lighter than the previous one - 1100 kg.
Working in parallel on the modernization of the GAZ-SG1, the designer had the opportunity to test various power units on the old chassis, before installation on the GAZ-Torpedo. After a series of tests, the choice fell on the "Pobedovsky" motor with an increase to 2487 cm3. volume and supercharger "Roots", used in the second modification of the SG1. Its characteristics remained unchanged - 105 hp. at 4000 rpm In addition to the engine, some more solutions were used on the SG2, worked out at Pobeda-Sport, in particular a three-speed gearbox without synchronizers and a two-piece cardan shaft with an intermediate support.
But in terms of its characteristics, the GAZ-Torpedo was inferior to the ZIS-112 created in the same year: the speed limit was 191 km / h. Although the handling of the SG2 was incomparably better. By the way, the GAZ-Torpedo is one of the few sports cars of those years that have almost survived to this day. Now the GAZ Museum is busy with restoration.
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A centralized economy implies a lack of competition in general and between car manufacturers in particular. However, the theories of Marxism-Leninism are one thing, and practice is quite another. And even more so in sports. The plant named after I.V. Stalin himself simply could not help but respond to the appearance of GAZ-SG1 (Victory-Sport) with his sports car. So in 1951, the ZIS-112 appeared.
Fortunately, there was still a person at the plant with experience in creating sports cars on a limousine chassis, one of those who built the ZIS-101-Sport in 1939 - Valentin Rostkov. It was he who developed the design and overall layout of the new sports car on the ZIS-110 chassis.
The design of the car was really avant-garde - in the spirit of the best traditions of dream cars ("dream-car" - that's how concept cars were called in the middle of the 20th century): a huge, almost six-meter three-seater with a round grille and a single headlight. At the factory, the car was called "cyclops" or "one-eyed". By the way, it was on the ZIS-112 that the combination of white and of blue color subsequently became traditional for the factory team.
Initially, a serial 140-horsepower ZIS-110 engine was installed on the car. But for a sports car weighing almost two and a half tons (2450 kg), it was, to put it mildly, rather weak, and in the same year an experimental engine developed by Vasily Fedorovich Rodionov was installed on the ZIS-112. New eight-cylinder engine with a volume of 6005 cc. with upper intake and lower exhaust valves, which made it possible to keep the old cylinder head, but with increased intake valve diameters, with two MKZ-LZ carburetors, developed a power of 182 hp. at 3500 rpm In addition, there were: oil radiator, two oil pumps, manual ignition timing. The maximum speed was ... 204 km / h!
However, a number of unresolved problems remained. First of all - the engine. Like the ZIS-101-Sport, the ZIS-112 eight-cylinder unit was ... in-line! And that's why it's incredibly long. The weight distribution of the car was far from ideal, the sports car turned out, as the designer says, a "tadpole" - that is, with a very heavy front end, which contributed to a skid.
ZIS-112 went to the start of linear racing on the Minsk highway, but very soon it became clear to the racers and designers that this car was not even suitable for such competitions.
In 1954, the base of the car was reduced by 600 mm (from 3760 to 3160 mm), and the overall length was reduced from 5920 to 5320 mm. The changes also affected the power unit: the compression ratio increased from 7.1 to 8.7 units, two more carburetors appeared, thanks to which it was already possible to remove 192 hp. at 3800 rpm The maximum speed has increased to 210 km / h - an unprecedented figure for a domestic sports car! The faired cap became the last problem - the thermal tension of the engine was such that there was nothing to breathe in the cockpit!
The 1955 season showed the complete failure of this version as well. The championships of the USSR began to be held on the ring track in Minsk. The ring, however, was very peculiar: two highways were connected by transverse roads, creating a circle 42 km long - perhaps the longest "autodrome" in the world! Nevertheless, more maneuverable vehicles were required here than on the lines of linear races, and the ZIS-112 still had problems with maneuverability. It was time for other competitions and other cars, and the Soviet dream-car ended its life in the factory backyard.
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In the late 1940s, the domestic industry developed by leaps and bounds. It is not surprising - the party did not doze off. far from last place devoted to the automotive industry in general and motorsport in particular. GAZ took a strong position on the tracks of the country, Muscovites from the ZIS were advancing on the heels of the Gorky residents.
But ... the family has its black sheep, and at that time he was such a freak former factory KIM, recently renamed MZMA (Moscow Plant of Small Cars, later - AZLK, now - JSC "Moskvich"). In sports competitions, MZMA did not achieve significant results by the end of the first half of the century. It was time to take revenge.
It is worth noting that MZMA in those years had a very frail technical base. The body of the KIM-10-50, for example, was stamped on molds made in the USA, and the Moskvich-400, in fact, was not even a copy of the pre-war Opel-Kadet, it was! Stamps of body parts were taken out of Germany as trophies! And it is not surprising that by the end of the 1940s, the appearance of the Moskvich-400 turned out to be hopelessly outdated. The situation had to be saved, and in 1949 an experimental batch of Moskvich-403E-424E cars appeared (it is believed that only six of them were built, but the figure needs to be clarified). The lack of design experience affected - the power frame and chassis remained unchanged, the main difference was the new hinged body panels, a gearbox with a shift lever on the steering column and a horizontal spare wheel. Simply put, the wrapper has changed - the candy has remained the same. To introduce a new body (424), new stamps were required, which MZMA could not manufacture on its own, the currency for their purchase abroad was also not allocated, and the new body did not go into series.
However, as often happens, something that did not find application in the civilian automotive industry found a place in motorsport, and in 1950 Moskvich-403E-424E went to the first USSR championship in auto racing. Instead of the obsolete Moskvich-401 engine, the car was equipped with an experimental in-line four-cylinder Moskvich-403E engine, with an aluminum cylinder head and intake valves located at the top. Power unit with a volume of 1074 cm3. gave out 33 hp at 3900 rpm Such indicators were enough to disperse a car weighing 880 kg to 110 km / h. But no more. It is not surprising that Moskvich-403E-424E did not achieve success in 1950. But the story doesn't end there.
Already in 1951, the Moskvich-403E-424E appeared in a new reincarnation - a two-seater coupe (two out of six cars were converted). The power unit has also undergone changes - now it was a forced in-line four cylinder engine from the model "400" with an increase to 1190 cm3. working volume and increased to 6.5 compression ratio. In addition, the engine was equipped with an aluminum cylinder head, aluminum intake manifold and camshafts with wider phases. Its power was 35 hp. at 4200 rpm The indicator is ridiculous for a sports car, but, given that the mass of the coupe decreased by 30 kg (up to 850 kg), the maximum speed increased to 123 km / h, and this was enough for A.V. 424E-coupe took second place.
But the story does not end on this note! The spirit of rivalry has already firmly settled in the hearts of MZMA designers, and in 1954, on the basis of one of the coupes, a low-body roadster was built, called Moskvich-404-Sport, which compares favorably with its predecessors. First of all, thanks to the smaller area of frontal resistance, the aerodynamics of the car has significantly improved. In addition, the then experimental overhead valve engine "404" with a hemispherical combustion chamber was installed on the Moskvich-404-Sport. With a volume of 1074 cm3, a compression ratio of 9.2, the engine produced 58 hp. at 4750 rpm, and the maximum speed was 147 km / h. The indicators are not God knows what, but this was enough to win the USSR championship, and not once, but three times in a row - from 1957 to 1959!
In fairness, it should be noted that in the 1959 championship Moskchiv-404-Sport already performed with a new engine - the "407" model, with a volume of 1358 cm3, a compression ratio of 9.0, and a power of 70 hp. at 4600 rpm The speed increased to an already quite serious 156 km / h
The further fate of the car is unknown, and the only Moskvich-403E-424E that has survived to this day is exhibited in the Riga Museum.
But in terms of its characteristics, the GAZ-Torpedo was inferior to the ZIS-112 created in the same year: the speed limit was 191 km / h. Although the handling of the SG2 was incomparably better. By the way, the GAZ-Torpedo is one of the few sports cars of those years that have almost survived to this day.
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A sports car based on an experimental passenger car model. Designed in 1954 by I. Gladilin. Design features: engine with overhead valves, four carburetors. Cylinders - 4, engine displacement - 1074 cm3, power - 58 hp at 4800 rpm, gears - 3, length - 4.13 m, curb - 902 kg, speed - 150 km / h.
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GAZ-Sport (GAZ-SG4), built in 1959, was the last sports car designed by the notorious aircraft engineer A.A. Smolin. No, with the designer himself, thank God, everything was in order - the "installation" from above had changed - Smolin now had to deal with design automotive vehicles on air cushion. By the way, in fairness, it is worth noting that only the body of the car belonged to the pen of the aircraft engineer. The engine, transmission, suspension and other units are the work of masters from the N6 car park in Moscow. But, again, first things first.
Already in 1956, it became completely clear that the GAZ-SG1, on which the factory team performed, was hopelessly outdated. Yes, Pobeda-Sport took the gold medal at the 1956 championship, but due not to the perfection of its design, but rather to the design flaws of its competitors. SG1, however, remained stock car, although thoroughly modified for participation in sports competitions. "Victory" was heavy, clumsy, with an outdated suspension and a high center of gravity. In 1956 A.A. Smolin, having gathered all the accumulated experience into a fist, once again sat down at the drawing board.
As a result of sleepless nights, the GAZ-SG4 appeared with a load-bearing aluminum body, air suspension on all wheels, a GAZ-21 engine, and aluminum crankcases. Appeared, it should be noted, so far only on paper. In 1957, the implementation of the project "in metal" began - four car bodies were assembled in the experimental workshop of GAZ. Easy aluminum body, with a small drag area, promised to become the basis of a pretty good sports car, but ... lead engineer A.A. Smolin was transferred to another direction, and three of the four "blanks", which have now become unnecessary, were sold to the taxi company N6 in Moscow, where a fairly strong sports organization worked at that time.
Here, the cars were equipped with GAZ-21 engines with a volume of 2445 cm3, thanks to the electronic injection system developed by specialists from the Leningrad Institute of Central Research and Development Institute, which developed 90 hp, coupled with low weight, this made it possible to reach speeds of up to 190 km / h. And thanks to the low center of gravity, GAZ-SG4 cars were famous for their excellent handling.
GAZ-Sport taxi company N6 put up for races until 1965, and, it should be noted, not without success. In 1962, Yuri Andreev took third place in SG4 at the USSR Championship, and in 1963 he took his first "gold".
However, in 1967, when the class of sports cars in domestic motorsport ceased to exist, all GAZ-SG4 cars were scrapped. Blasphemy - yes, but, alas and ah - far from being an isolated case in our history.
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Designer V. Kosenkov released this sports car for circuit racing in 1959. KVN-2500S was created on the basis of the GAZ-21 car. The design features include: an aluminum body, a spar frame made of large diameter pipes. Cylinders - 4, engine displacement - 2445 cm3, power - 90 hp at 4600 rpm, gears - 3, length - 4.5 m, curb weight - 800 kg, speed - 160 km / h. This car took the championship of the USSR in circuit racing four times.
Six such cars were made according to the project of V. Kosenkov.
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This sports car was designed by A. Zemtsov in 1959 on the basis of GAZ-21 units. Features of a design: the doors rising upwards. Engine displacement - 2445 cm3, power - 80 hp at 4000 rpm, gears - 3, length - 4.4 m, curb weight - 1000 kg, speed - 160 km / h.
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Perhaps there is hardly a race car driver who has never heard the name of Lev Shugurov. Even today, readers of the magazines "Behind the Wheel", "The Fifth Wheel" and many others know his name from his publications. It was the pen of L.M. Shugurov owns most of the sports and racing Muscovites. One of them is Moskvich-407-Kupe built in 1962.
During the construction of the car, the Moskchich-407 base was used, with a coupe body. It is worth noting that the base has remained unchanged, as well as the front part, only the middle part of the car has changed, which is why the trunk looked, to put it mildly, unsightly. In addition to the appearance, such a transformation had another significant disadvantage: since there were no rear seats, as well as parts of the superstructure, the weight distribution along the axes also changed, and far from better side. To load the drive wheels, as well as prevent a skid, it was necessary to carry ballast weighing 100 kg in the trunk.
The suspension of the car remained practically unchanged, only a rear stabilizer appeared. The engine, borrowed from the "403", has undergone a more thorough debugging. He received pistons with a convex bottom, a cylinder head with a modified form of the combustion chamber (compression ratio - 9.5), a special racing camshaft and four K-99 racing motorcycle carburetors. Engine power was 77 hp. at 5500 rpm.
Two years later - in 1964, the place of "403rd" was taken by new engine model "408" with a volume of 1358 cm3, for the first time in the history of the domestic automotive industry, equipped with two twin racing carburetors "Weber-40DCO". This did not give a significant increase in power (81 hp at 5600 rpm), but it worked without failures at low revs. The maximum speed of the Moskvich-407-coupe was 145 km/h.
In general, the car was built for winter hippodrome races, but they also took part in road races. On it in 1962, E. Lifshitz became the bronze medalist of the USSR championship.
Unfortunately, both existing copies of the Moskvich-407-coupe did not survive to this day - they went for scrap, which, alas, was a common practice in those years.
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Specifications:
Cars KD 1969
Engine: power 30 hp at 4000 rpm.
Working volume: 887 cm3
Weight: 500 kg.
Speed: 120 km/h.
By the mid-60s, a paradoxical situation had ripened in our country, when managers and production workers reported from high tribunes about the activities of giant factories, and the population still only dreamed of their own car.
Under these conditions, such a phenomenon as an amateur car industry arose. Individually and in groups, enthusiastic designers created their dream cars from available factory units. Most have failed at the level of rusty tube frame welding, some have actually managed to get behind the wheel, but those happy exceptions have gone down in history. In memory of this passion of domestic motorists, one unusual exhibit remained in the Museum of Crews and Automobiles.
In 1963, a small group of enthusiastic DIYers began to create their own series of five identical machines, called KD. The cars had a sporty 2+2 coupe style. The basis of the fiberglass body was a spatial frame of pipes. It was equipped with components and assemblies from the serial "Zaporozhets ZAZ-965". The rear-engine layout of the 30 hp four-cylinder air-cooled engine was also retained, which provided the car with a maximum speed of 120 km / h.
The group of creators of machines included six people. The date of completion of the construction of the series is 1969. With their style, the swiftness of the lines of the KD machine were complete opposite serial industrial production. The uniqueness of this case is not only in the professional level of design and workmanship, but also in the fact that a home-made car was put on stream.
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Artists brothers Anatoly and Vladimir Shcherbinin set out to build a sports car based on the Volga units. The car was equipped with a double body type "Gran Turismo" (hence the name - GT Shcherbinykh). GTSC was more powerful and faster than it was then supposed by law to homemade products. How the brothers registered their offspring with the traffic police is a mysterious story ... The car weighed 1,250 kg. Thanks to a fairly strong Volgovsky engine (70 hp), it could reach speeds of up to 150 km / h. The history of the creation of the machine is curious. The Shchebinin brothers welded the frame that served as the basis right in their yard. Then she was taken to an apartment on the seventh floor, where a fiberglass body was glued. Then the entire structure was lowered from the balcony on ropes to the ground, where the GTSC acquired an engine, chassis, interior and everything else that a full-fledged car needs to have.
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In Soviet times, buses of the N666 route ran freely around Moscow, and citizens, standing at the bus stop, probably did not even ask themselves the question of where, except for the Novye Cheryomushki metro station, one could call on such transport. Maybe that's why self-made motorists with the speaking surname Algebraistovs, seeing that their car turned out to be "damn beautiful", took it and called it "Satan". That's right, in Russian. In order not to be confused with the Volkswagen Santana, which did not yet exist, or with Carlos Santana, who recorded his first record in that same 1969.
Today, the "Satanist" Algebraistov is over sixty, and for most of this period he has been designing and building cars. “We have a dozen like me for every kilometer,” says Yuri Ivanovich. Once it was. There was a computer broadcast on TV, which decent people deciphered as "you can do it", and indecent people - as "oh, your mother!" this laborious business, there were two. The first, according to him, he wanted to know "I can - I can't." The second - the queue for a car in the USSR has been waiting for decades, if anyone has forgotten.
As children, Yuri and his brother Stanislav built model airplanes. And they got carried away with it so much that they imperceptibly matured, and at the same time they won the championship of the USSR in aircraft modeling sports. From the models, of course, they were drawn to real aircraft. Stanislav learned to be a pilot, but Yuri, alas, did not become a pilot for health reasons. And then he chose the profession of a driver. And the driver, according to Algebraistov, differs from the driver in that he is also engaged in car repairs, and is well versed in this.
Algebra, as you know, is used to verify harmony. That is why the Algebraistov brothers simply could not help but get acquainted with the Shcherbinin brothers, reputable graphic artists who were fond of auto design. The resulting creative team immediately took up the construction of a sports car. Let the GAZ-24 be chosen as the "donor", but the design promised to be advanced, and the body was planned to be molded from fiberglass. The year was 1969 outside.
The Algebraists worked on the technical content of the project, the Shcherbinins on the forms. The car rolled out of the garage after a year. The brothers named their firstborn "Satan". The car really turned out to be devilishly beautiful - a chiseled sports coupe with streamlined lines, the hood and fenders formed a single whole and opened access to the "insides" when lifting. The headlights were covered by electrical panels, the only windshield wiper had a swing over the entire glass area. During one of the runs, some foreigners fussed around the car with movie cameras. Years later, Yuri Ivanovich saw the "janitor" of his design on windshield"Mercedes" in the 124th body.
"Satan" worked out his nickname to the fullest. A refrigerated truck driving behind him hit him so that the exclusive sports car went under in front standing truck, while its hood dived under the rear axle, and the cargo colossus rose! For the "piece of iron" from the assembly line, this would be a fatal accident, as, indeed, for passengers. A fiberglass body and "treat something" had only a couple of cracks and scratches. All this was glued, painted over, and the fear of the passengers was cured in the traditional Russian way.
In fact, "Satan" was considered Stanislav's car, and Yuri always wanted his own. He built it, taking into account practical tests, as well as the mistakes that he and his brother made in the design. He decided to make the hood separately from the wings - so the body got even more rigidity. And many more things Yuri Ivanovich redid. But on the other hand, three days before the All-Union Motor Race in 1982, the Yuna car, named after himself, Yuri, and his wife Natasha, rolled out of a cramped garage.
The driver did not get a car, but a masterpiece: the fitting of body panels, as the author says, and Rolls-Royce will envy - the gaps are minimal. Again, the appearance is catchy! Hence the fame. In the 80s, Yuna was repeatedly invited to appear in domestic feature films. Both Boris Shcherbakov and Nikolai Karachentsov were driving it. Pilot-cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov drove a "Yuna" during one of the homemade rally, so much so that he then persuaded Yuri Ivanovich to give the car "to show off in front of his own in Star City." It was the acquaintance with the "great ones", as well as participation in television programs and films that helped Algebraistov solve the issue of registering a car.
Today, "Yuna" has already driven more than half a million kilometers. With such age and mileage, it is difficult for a car to maintain freshness. And Yuri Ivanovich decided to restyling. An in-line "six" from the BMW 525i dived under the hood. Glass doors and mirrors received an electric drive. The exhaust system has been tuned to a sporty growl. The headlights have become rising - one electric motor and a pair of drives are responsible for this. Algebraistov also pretty much conjured with the body: he reduced the thickness of the rear pillars, tilted the front ones a lot - he even had to cut the door frames. The trunk lid began to open from the bumper, also updated, and the hood became even smaller - why often look under it, if now everything is "seriously" there. Although the rear axle remained from the GAZ-24, it received the "Tchaikovsky" gearbox - now it holds 200 km / h without problems and hum. Everything has changed in the cabin: leather, Alcantara ... The front seats are, of course, Recaro. The instrument panel is self-made, and the instruments themselves are a hodgepodge: something from Opel, something from Ford ... But the car looks like a single, integral, complete and perfect product. Fresh bright red paint lay down on the body. Passers-by look around: "Probably a Ferrari, a beautiful devil."
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In January 1982, in a small workshop on the outskirts of Leningrad, two young people decided to create a car of their own design. They were Dmitry Parfenov and Gennady Khainov.
The very fact of design homemade car would not have been so significant and would not have attracted everyone's attention if the designers had acted according to the usual scheme: they made the most of factory components and assemblies. This time, a completely different task was set - to independently design and build cars that would not be inferior in technical specifications foreign models
The task was difficult, and the designers had to overcome a lot of difficulties, which, however, did not affect end result. For the first time, cars entered the streets of Leningrad in 1985. Front-wheel drive, on-board electronics and a great design idea instantly distinguished these cars from other representatives of the “samavto” movement.
"Laura" - that was the name of one of the new cars - received the recognition of M.S. Gorbachev, at that time the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU and became the plenipotentiary Soviet car industry at various international exhibitions, where she won numerous awards.
It is generally accepted that in the USSR cars were very simple, utilitarian and slow-moving. But in reality this is far from the case. The review presents the first Russian and Soviet cars designed specifically for racing and speed records.
Most of them difficult story creation and difficult path to success.
Racing cars of the Russo-Balt plant
In the 1910s, there were very few cars in Russia, but the first races were already being held. As in Europe, rallies became the main type of competition. In those years, autodromes were not yet built, and competitions were held on ordinary roads over long distances. Race cars were also often based on production models. The first racing car in Russia can be called the Russo-Balt C24, which existed in several versions. 
And if the first modifications looked like ordinary two-seat cars, then the C24 / 58 became the first special prototype. A large, streamlined green car was nicknamed the "Russian Cucumber". Its 4.9-liter engine developed a record 58 hp for that time. The maximum speed of the car is 120 -130 km/h.
Auto prepared for racing one verst. The acetylene lights, fenders, bumpers, running boards, spare tanks, canvas convertible top were removed from the car, and the weight was almost halved.
Cars Russo-Balt adequately performed at competitions both in Russia and abroad. After particularly successful races, sales of new cars grew noticeably. 
For many years there was a situation in the country when there was no time for motorsport. And then amateurs took over the cars. In the late 1930s, several enthusiasts put together their own versions of racing cars. In 1937, on the Zhytomyr highway near Kiev, they staged a race for a kilometer, where GAZ-A Girel, GAZ-TSAKS Tsypulin, GAZ-A Zharov and GAZ-A Kleshchev met. These were all cars on outdated GAZ-A chassis, with old 4-cylinder engines. As a result, the All-Union speed records set by them did not even reach the record of Tsarist Russia: 142.5 km / h.
ZIS-101A-Sport
In 1938, in the experimental workshop of the Moscow Stalin Plant, three young workers began the initiative development of a sports car. They took the best Soviet limousine ZIS-101 as a basis. True, this is not the best base for a sports car - after all, it weighs 2.5 tons, but Komsomol members can’t do that.
The inline 8-cylinder ZIS-101 engine was boosted. With an increase in the working volume from 5.8 to 6.1 liters, the power increased one and a half times - from 90 to 141 hp.
The car was shown to I.V. Stalin. He, like other members of the Politburo, liked the car. ZIS-101A-Sport was tested on the track, its maximum speed is 168 km/h.
Pobeda-Sport (GAZ-SG1)
The design of his own, Soviet car for setting speed records was entrusted to aviation engineer A.A. Smolin. Under his leadership, the new Soviet car M20 Pobeda underwent a number of transformations. The new body was made of duralumin, the roof was lowered, the tail was made pointed. On the hood cover appeared "nostrils" for better air intake. The bottom of the car turned out completely flat. As a result, she came out quite light - only 1200 kg.
A 2.5-liter "GAZ" engine was installed on the car. In the most productive version, with the Roots compressor, the maximum power increased to 105 hp, and the speed - up to 190 km / h.
In total, five cars were built, which set new all-Union speed records when driving long distances.
Star
Zvezda is the first car in the USSR built specifically for sports. A car with a motorcycle engine of 350 cc. cm accelerated to 139.6 km / h. Reasons for success: Lightweight aluminum body with very good aerodynamics and unusual engine Zoller with a power of 30.6 hp In the future, the car improved, the prototypes Zvezda -2, 3, 3M, M-NAMI, 5, 6 were created, which repeatedly set all-Union and world records in different classes.
Falcon-650
In the 1940s, immediately after the war, a Formula 2 racing car was developed at a joint Soviet-German enterprise. The engineers who created the Auto-Union racing cars that conquered European tracks before the war worked on it. The Sokol-650 model made its first trips in 1952. Vasily Stalin himself followed the development of the machine. two completely finished car delivered to Moscow to participate in the race. But local mechanics were not able to service such complex equipment, and the Sokol-650 did not show itself on the track. Although the 12-cylinder 2-liter engine was able to accelerate a 790-kilogram car to 260 km / h.
GAZ Torpedo (1951)
After experiments on the creation of a sports car Pobeda-Sport, the next project of GAZovsky, engineer A. Smolin, was the Torpedo (SG2) - a car of a completely original design. The drop-shaped body, 6.3 meters long, was made of aviation materials: duralumin and aluminum. Thanks to this, the weight turned out to be small - only 1100 kg. From other sports cars of the 1950s, the Torpedo was distinguished by its ease of operation and maneuverability.
The engine was taken from the Pobeda M20: 4-cylinder, bored out to 2.5 liters of working volume. A Roots compressor was also installed on it. At a speed of 4000 rpm, the motor produced 105 hp. Thanks to good aerodynamics, the GAZ Torpedo car showed a maximum speed of 191 km/h.
GAZ-TR
The SG3 car, also known as TR (“turbojet”), was built at the Gorky Automobile Plant in 1954. The development of engineer Smolin was aimed at setting a new world record for maximum speed among cars. With an engine from the MiG-17 fighter with a power of 1000 hp, GAZ TR, according to the project, could reach 700 km / h. The tests of the car ended in an accident due to the lack of tires with the necessary qualities in the USSR.
ZIS-112
Looking at the success of sports cars Gorky Automobile Plant, in Moscow, at the ZIS plant, they also decided to make their own version. The resulting car amazed everyone. Made in the spirit of American dream cars, the six-meter car was dubbed the "Cyclops" for its characteristic appearance - a round grille and round headlight at its center. As in the case of the ZIS-101A-Sport, the car turned out to be very heavy, weighing as much as 2.5 tons.
Instead of the base 140-horsepower engine, engineers installed an experimental 8-cylinder in-line engine. Gradually refining it, by 1954 the power was increased to 192 hp. With this motor, the maximum speed of the car has increased to a phenomenal 210 km / h. The car that took part in the race turned out to be a complete failure: the weight distribution along the axes and handling were found to be unsatisfactory. Soviet Union more maneuverable vehicles were needed.
In 1957, the Moscow plant introduced new versions of its racing cars - ZIL-112/4 and 112/5. They had a body, glued from fiberglass, with a suspension from a ZIS-110 limousine. Engine from ZIS-111 with power up to 220 hp accelerated the car to 240 km / h. In 1957-1961. "Zilov" racers won many awards, including the championship and vice-championship of the country.
In the early 1960s, the ZIL-112S was manufactured. Its elegant fiberglass body followed the contours of the most modern European racing cars at that time. 6 liter carbureted engine The V8 developed 240 hp, and the improved 7.0-liter version was boosted to 300 hp. The car was equipped with modern disc brakes, which quickly slowed down a car weighing 1330 kg from a maximum speed of 260-270 km / h. In 1965, the racer Gennady Zharkov became the champion of the USSR driving a ZIL-112S.
One of the ZIL-112S cars has survived to this day and is now on display at the Automobile Museum in Riga.
Moskvich-404 Sport
Looking at the successes of sports GAZ and ZIS, the management of the Moscow plant of small cars could not stand aside. Their production cars, "Moskvich", were low-powered and rather heavy. But even sports prototypes were built on their basis. In 1954 Moskvich-404 Sport was created. The 1.1-liter engine with four carburetors produced a modest 58 hp, which accelerated the car to 150 km / h.
KD
A car called KD Sport 900 is not the work of Italian designers, but just a homemade product. In 1963, a team of enthusiasts began work on a series of five cars of their own design. The fiberglass body hid the units of the "humpbacked Zaporozhets" ZAZ-965. A 30-horsepower air-cooled engine accelerated the car to 120 km / h. This is a modest result by today's standards, but a considerable speed for a car of those years.
Automobiles of the Kharkov Automobile and Road Institute
In 1951-1952, a small group of HADI students took on the design of a sports car. The task was to build a car with the maximum use of the nodes of existing equipment. The car was made according to the model of "formulas" - open wheels, a body made of welded pipes, a 30-horsepower M-72 motorcycle engine. The first car of the famous Kharkov University developed a speed of 146 km/m.
In 1962, the HADI Fast Car Laboratory developed the smallest racing car in the world. In a car weighing only 180 kilograms, the pilot was placed lying down, which ensured very good streamlining. It was planned that a 500 cc engine with small dimensions and weight would allow it to accelerate to 220 km / h. Unfortunately, when testing a prototype on the plain of the Baskunchak salt lake (the Soviet analogue of Bonneville), the “maximum speed” was only 100 km / h. The new technology of tireless wheels turned out to be vicious.
Year after year, the HADI Sports Car Laboratory developed new experimental techniques. Some of the samples turned out to be successful and set republican and all-Union speed records, tests of others turned into the identification of deficiencies or accidents. The work of students and teachers of Kharkov University on new machines continues to this day.
Racing cars "Estonia"
The history of Soviet formula cars began with the Sokol-650 model of 1952. But those were piece samples, moreover, built to order in Germany. But already in 1958, at the Tallinn Experimental Car Repair Plant, they began to build their racing cars with open wheels from domestic components. Each subsequent model became better than the previous one, reliability increased, aerodynamics improved, the power and maximum speed of Estonia cars increased. The most successful machines were built in series of dozens, and even hundreds of copies.
Rally Moskvich-412
The Moskvich-412, produced since the 1960s, has become one of the most famous Soviet sports cars in the world. The car had phenomenal survivability and unpretentiousness. From 1968 to 1973, the compact sedan competed in many international rallies. High places in the London-Sydney (16 thousand kilometers) and London-Mexico City (26 thousand kilometers) races created good fame for the Soviet Moskvich, confirming its high reliability.
Strange as it may seem, sports cars have been and are being made in Russia, yes, but of course, few have seen them, and even more so, they drove them. Back in Soviet times, they were made by both large auto giants and small sports clubs and other single enthusiasts.
These cars were a kind of analogues of the European Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Porsche and others. And so let's get to the most interesting.1911 "Russo-Balt S24-55"
Initially, Russo-Balt was engaged in the production of railway equipment. At the dawn of the twentieth century, the company's management decided to establish the production of cars. It was at Russo-Balt that the first Russian sports car was made. The serial passenger model "C24-35" served as the basis for it. She was supplied with forced up to 55 hp. engine displacement of 4.5 liters. It was the world's first motor with aluminum pistons. The innovation was kept in the strictest confidence.
By the standards of the time, the car was fast at 116 km/h. And in 1912, Andrey Nagel, who participated in the Monte Carlo rally, showed a very good result in the prestigious competition - 9th place in the general classification. From St. Petersburg to Monte Carlo, he was supposed to go with a partner Mikhailov, but right at the start he broke his hand with a starting handle - the engine gave a flash back. Such incidents happened often before the introduction of electric starters. Be that as it may, Nagel single-handedly brought the car to the Cote d'Azur and became one of the main characters of the Monte Carlo Rally. In 1913, the only copy of the Russo-Balt C24-55 was converted into a pure racing car with a streamlined body. The car successfully performed in various competitions, but then disappeared in the confusion of the revolution and the Civil War.
1913 "La Beuir-Illin"
At the IV International Automobile Exhibition in 1913 in St. Petersburg, a small sports car made its debut. Her double body resembled a cigar, for which she immediately received the nickname "Havana". The car had "dual citizenship". The chassis and motor were made by the French company La Buire, and the hull was custom-made by the Moscow Carriage and Car Factory P. Ilyin. a small firm was the Russian dealer of La Buire and often built exclusive bodies for these cars. Havana had nothing to do with auto racing. It was a car for high-speed country walks and defile along city streets.
1932 "NATI-2"
The Scientific Automotive and Tractor Institute (NATI) was the forerunner of the current NAMI. He was engaged in technical developments in the automotive field. In 1932, its specialists built six prototypes of the small car NATI-2. all cars had different bodies. One sported a sporty two-seat roadster. For its time, NATI-2 was a fairly advanced vehicle. The spinal frame served as the basis. An economical four-cylinder engine (1.2 liters) developed 22 hp. The rear wheel suspension is independent, which was a rarity in small cars at that time. Alas, in a working-peasant country, sports cars were considered a bourgeois whim. And the NATI-2 roadster went to scrap
1937 "GAZ-A Sport"
This car was made by enthusiast Anton Girel. He was quite an elderly man and kept in mind the memories of the short heyday of motorsport in Russia in pre-revolutionary times. It was they who pushed him to create a sports car. Girel took GAZ-A as the basis, which was then the most massive car in USSR. All work was carried out at one of the motor depots in Leningrad. The design of the GAZ-A Sport was somewhat naive. So a small aerodynamic keel stuck out in the undercarriage - a completely useless thing, since the car was slow-moving. Despite boosted to 55 hp. engine, the car could only reach 129 km / h. By the standards of Europe, this is a ridiculous figure for a sports car. However, by the standards of the USSR - the All-Union speed record, which was officially registered for Anton Girel.
1937 "GAZ-TSAKS"
The GAZ-A Sport, made in Leningrad, caused another "duel" between the serena capital and Moscow. In the official capital, they also decided to create their own sports car in accordance with the decision of the council of the Central Automobile Sports Club (CAKS). The project was headed by engineer V. Tsipulin. He also took the massive GAZ-A as a basis, but its design was seriously redesigned. The suspension has become stiffer and much lower. Under the panels of a specially designed streamlined body, a forced engine was hidden. This car was put up for races more than once by TsAKS. When she was driving to the starting point, the headlights and wings were strengthened on her, and they were removed immediately before the race. The tank tester A. Kulchitsky, well-known in those years, drove the car. He was known as a brave man, but he could not develop speeds of more than 130 km / h - for some reason the engine worked intermittently. It is surprising that GAZ-TSAKS survived the war. In the 40s and 50s, the car could sometimes be seen on the streets of Moscow. Then his traces are lost. In any case, the car outlived its creator by far - Tsipulin was shot in the same 1937.
1939 "ZIS-Sport"
One of the most serious sports cars created in the USSR. In temperament, he competed with the road "Bentley" and "Mercedes" of those times. An elegant two-seat car was designed by a group of young ZIS designers headed by A. Pukhalin. The design was developed by the artist Rostkov. ZIS-Sport was made specifically for the anniversary of the Komsomol. In the House of the Unions, where the celebration took place, the car was literally brought into the hall before the opening. The basis of the ZIS-Sport was the chassis of the executive ZIS-101A. The six-liter engine was boosted to 141 hp. The motor was very long (eight cylinders in a row) and very heavy. To improve weight distribution and load the drive wheels, the double cockpit was moved far back. The car turned out to be squat and swift. In 1940, during tests, she reached a speed of 162 km / h, which was a serious indicator for the 30s. After the end of the war, the ZIS-Sport rotted in the factory backyards for many years, and then it was written off for scrap.
1950 "Victory-Sport"
A double sports car was designed by A. Smolin, a former designer of an aviation plant. Hence the "passion" for duralumin, from which the body is made. The official (according to the drawings) model name was GAZ-SG1. three of these cars were made. At the heart of each is the serial "Victory". Pobedov's engine was hidden under the hood, whose working volume was increased to 2.5 liters, and power - up to 70 hp. In 1951, the engine was equipped with a supercharger, and it began to give out already 105 hp. The speed of the Pobeda-Sport compressor station reached 190 km / h. It was on such a car that Mikhail Metelev became the first champion of the USSR in auto racing in 1950.
1951 "GAZ-Torpedo"
Under this name, this sports car appeared in many publications. His real name is GAZ-SG2. The index shows that the model became the successor to Pobeda-Sport and was designed by the same aircraft engineer Smolin. The supercharged engine developed 105 hp. The GAZ-Torpedo speed ceiling exceeded 191 km/h. When designing his second-generation sports car, Smolin no longer relied on the supporting frame of Pobeda. He designed a completely new beautiful cigar-shaped load-bearing body. The car weighed 1.100 kg. Fortunately, this car has almost survived to this day, and now the GAZ Museum is busy restoring the GAZ-Torpedo.
1951 "ZIS-112"
The appearance of the car made a real sensation. In appearance, it was not inferior to the best American "dream cars" ("dream-car" - translated means "dream car" - as it used to be called conceptual developments). The design of the car belongs to the artist Rostkov, the author of the above-described ZIS-Sport. And the overall design of the car is also the work of his hands and mind. The chassis of the serial ZIS-110 limousine was taken as a basis. a huge engine was also borrowed from him - eight cylinders, six liters of working volume. Various tricks managed to raise the power to 182 hp. The maximum speed of the ZIS-112 hit everyone - 205 km / h! However, attempts to use the car in circuit racing did not bring success. The car, as the engineers say, turned out to be a “tadpole”: the nose is too heavy, and the tail is too light. Therefore, the coupe easily broke into a skid. To improve handling, the wheelbase was soon shortened by a full meter. The removable hard top was also subsequently abandoned - during the races for the 300-kilometer distance, there was nothing to breathe in the cockpit. Single copy ZIS-112 has not survived to this day.
1951 "Moskvich-403E-424E Coupe"
The capital automaker, known to most of us under the name AZLK, was originally called MZMA - Moscow Plant subcompact car. In 1951, six samples of the promising Moskvich model were prepared on it. One of them was a two-seater sports coupe. A new engine with a working volume of 1.1 liters was intended for the car. and a power of 33 hp. The frame of the monocoque body was preserved from the previous model "400", but all the outer panels were new. IN mass production this car didn't work. The factory workers, remembering that their first model "400" was a copy of the "Opel Cadet", sarcastically dubbed the experimental novelty "Sergeant". Sports modification "Sergeant" has started in the race more than once. The maximum speed of the car reached 123 km / h. Three years later it was converted into an open car with a very low body.
1954 "Moskvich-Sport-404"
The sports car made its racing debut in the spring of '54. During its construction, the lower part of the body from the "Sergeant" of 1951 was used. The car was equipped with an experimental engine model "404" (1.1 l, 58 hp). In 1959, it was replaced by a more advanced 407G engine (1.4 liters, 70 hp). The first version weighed 902 kg and developed a speed of 147 km/h. After installing a new engine behind the wheel of a sports Moskvich, it was possible to reach 156 km / h. On this car in 1957, 1958 and 1959 the national championship in car racing was won.
1957 "GAZ-SG4"
The next generation of gas sports cars created by A. Smolin. Four instances of SG4 saw the light at once. The car had advanced design. We note a load-bearing body made of aluminum (as on modern serial Audis and Jaguars!), an aluminum final drive housing and boosted to 90 hp. GAZ-21 engine. one of the engines was equipped with an injection system with electronic control! The car developed a speed of up to 190 km / h. In 1963, the USSR championship was won on it. In 1958, GAZ sold three SG4s and two earlier SG1/56s to the Moscow taxi fleet No. 6. Until 1965, all five cars could regularly be seen at circuit races, where the sports team of the taxi company participated.
1961 "KVN-2500S"
Six such cars were made according to the project of V. Kosenkov. One of the models - KVN-3500S - was equipped with an uprated engine from the representative GAZ-12 (3.5 l. 95-100 hp). The rest of the cars were exactly the same, carried the designation KVN-2500S and had engines from the GAZ-21 Volga with a power of 90-95 hp. KVNs weighed 900 kg each. The maximum speed reached from 185 to 190 km / h. Not a single car survived.
1961 "Kyiv"
This beautiful coupe was designed and built by the Antonov Aviation Design Bureau. The project was carried out by engineer V. Zemtsov. The car was boosted to 90 hp. engine from the Volga. The maximum speed of "Kyiv" was 190 km / h.
1961 "KVN-1300G"
The next generation of the KVN model, also designed by engineer V. Kosenkov. A light sports car was built on the basis of the mechanisms of the serial Moskvich-407. The boosted engine developed about 65 hp, allowing the car to pick up speed up to 155 km/h. On KVN-1300G the championship of the USSR in auto racing was won. In 1963, instead of the Moscow engine, a Volga engine with a power of 90 hp was installed. IN rear suspension the rigid bridge was replaced by an independent mechanism. Improved handling.
1962 "ZIL-112S"
This magnificent supercar was made by the capital's ZIL plant in two copies. Designer V. Rodionov used rare solutions. For example, the rear axle gearbox was made so that the gears in it could be changed “on the knee”, quickly adapting the transmission parameters to the characteristics of a particular race track. And the wheels changed quickly, too, thanks to mounting on a single central wing nut. The source of the movement was V8 from representative ZILs. One with a volume of six liters and a capacity of 230 hp. The other, respectively, seven liters and 270 hp. Depending on the type of engine, a light supercar (weight - 1,300 kg) developed either 260 or 270 km / h. Driving a ZIL-112S, racer G. Zharkov became the champion of the country in 1956. Both cars have been preserved and are on display at the Riga Automobile Museum.
1962 "Moskvich-407 Coupe"
An experimental sports car designed by Lev Shugurov, based on the serial Moskvich. There were only two such cars. Under the hood was hidden the forced motor of the 403 model (1.4 liters, 81 hp). For the first time in the history of the Russian automotive industry, two horizontal twin Weber carburetors were installed on this engine. The speed of the sports "Moskvich" reached 150 km / h. Alas, none of the copies survived.
