The Soviet automobile industry was practically not rich in interesting models. But they still met. For example, “Victory”, which was produced from 1946 to 1958 and at that time was considered very modern both in terms of design and construction. Or the VAZ-2121 Niva, which became the pioneer of Soviet compact and comfortable SUVs. But even among these cars, the GAZ-21 Volga stands out clearly. The nationwide love for this model cannot even be explained. Not a single Soviet citizen could say anything bad about this car.
Volga, of course, owes a lot to Pobeda for its appearance. The GAZ-M20 Pobeda, as mentioned above, was considered an advanced car in all respects for its time: a pontoon body, good aerodynamic performance, independent front suspension, hydraulic brakes, and a synchronized gearbox. But there were also shortcomings that can be explained by the difficult post-war period: many flaws and shortcomings, poor build quality, especially in the very first models.
Ford Mainline, which most likely served as a muse for GAZ engineers. Although the GAZ-21 looks more elegant in many ways.
One of the first GAZ-21 models. It still uses the ten-slot grille. Later, this design feature will have to be abandoned due to Georgy Zhukov’s dissatisfaction with it.
As a result, the radiator grille was replaced with the one in the photo above with a star in the center.
Chief designer of the GAZ-21 car Alexander Mikhailovich Nevzorov. "Volga" was not just a restyling of the victory. It was already a new car, which used all the most modern achievements of those times. The GAZ-21 gained a more spacious interior than the M-20, became more powerful, but at the same time more economical. The Volga was developed with the idea that it would have to drive both on poor asphalt and on rough country roads. We can say that the Volga was at that time the most comfortable and richly equipped car in the country. It was equipped with a radio, a stove and even an automatic transmission, which was intended only for private individuals; mechanics were used in company cars and taxis. Later, the automatic transmission ceased to be used altogether.
Chief designer of the car Lev Mikhailovich Eremeev (left).
From this image you can understand that there was nothing revolutionary new in the Volga. As mentioned above, the Volga has much in common with the Ford Mainline, which, by the way, was listed among the purchases of the Gorky Automobile Plant in 1954. GAZ engineers explained this by a banal study of the automatic transmission, although it is difficult not to notice the external similarities of these two cars.
GAZ-21 of the first series. Only about 30 thousand cars were produced from October 1956 to November 1958. Only the first series of Volgas were equipped with an automatic transmission and a central lubrication system. Of course, the Volga had many similarities with other cars, not just the Ford Mainline. But still it is impossible to say that she was their modified copy. There was also a lot of individuality in the GAZ-21. The car has more pronounced front fenders, bulges in the rear wheel arches, a very short trunk that adds elegance to it, and more compact dimensions than many similar models.
The second series model began production in 1959, and by 1962 about 140 thousand cars rolled off the assembly line. The main difference between this model is the radiator grille, which, by the way, is very similar to the one that was used in the very first test versions of the car.
The third and last model of the GAZ-21 began production in 1962. Over the entire period, about 450 thousand cars were produced. The model of this series was distinguished by a whalebone radiator grille. But during the viewing in the Kremlin, difficulties arose. Defense Minister Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov decided that the car looked too aggressive. Naturally, no one began to argue with the marshal. Using drafts and sketches, Eremeev assembles a new version of the Volga in a matter of weeks, in which a star again appears in the center of the radiator grille. Maybe this is exactly what Zhukov liked, who knows, but the new version of the car was approved.
The famous deer that adorned the hood of the Volga in the first and second series was not used in the final series, which is explained not only by concerns about the safety of pedestrians. It became a real magnet for thieves who snatched deer from cars. There is another reason: when it rained, streams of water, hitting the deer, flew straight onto the windshield, which made it difficult to see while driving. But GAZ-21 owners still put deer on the hoods of their cars. They bought them from auto parts stores.
Advertising brochure with a picture of the second generation Volga. Two-tone painting, by the way, was an additional option and cost the buyer 270 rubles. A considerable sum for those times, especially considering that the cost of the entire car was 5,100 rubles.
A very rich and modern interior for those times. A very soft and comfortable sofa was used, a beautiful dashboard, a hemispherical speedometer, which, apparently, was borrowed from Chrysler. The first Volga models were equipped with both manual and automatic transmissions. But later I had to give up the machine gun. And the reason, oddly enough, lies not in the fact that Soviet engineers failed to develop a successful automatic machine, but in the fact that it required high-quality oil and proper maintenance. Unfortunately, the country had a problem with both. Less than a thousand GAZ-21s with automatic weapons were produced. Many owners of such cars even subsequently paid extra to switch to manual transmission.
A station wagon called GAZ-22 was first produced in 1962. The most incomprehensible thing is that the most convenient and practical car was not available to private buyers for a long time. The Volga had a spacious interior, a roomy trunk, but also had good dynamic characteristics for those times. The 2.5-liter engine in its weakest version produced 70 horsepower, which is 15 more than that of the Pobeda.
The fact that the GAZ-21 is a durable and hardy car can be understood from this photo, which was taken in Kabul around 2001-2002.
Perhaps the most amazing Volga is the GAZ-23. The car was intended only for special services. Externally, it is no different from an ordinary Volga. All the most interesting things were hidden under the hood: a V-shaped “eight” with a volume of 5.5 liters and a power of 195 horsepower. With this engine, the Volga accelerated to 100 km per hour in 16 seconds, and the maximum speed was 160 km per hour, which is a very good indicator for those times, especially since the car was equipped with an automatic transmission, not a manual transmission. Over the entire period, 603 GAZ-23s rolled off the assembly line.
GAZ-21 Volga was very popular in the 60s. In the photograph, out of 16 cars on Vasilievsky Spusk there are 8 “21st”, which is exactly half.
Volgas and racing are incompatible concepts, but this did not stop the GAZ-21 from participating in international rallies. Naturally, she didn’t take any close prizes there. By the way, Western automobile magazines spoke very flatteringly about the Volga. “The overall quality of workmanship is at the level of the world’s best analogues. In the Volga you will not find any traces of poor quality assembly or poor finishing materials,” Autocar expresses this opinion about the Soviet car.
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was one of the most famous owners of the GAZ-21. By the way, who knows, Gagarin visited space before he received his driver’s license. The owners of “21st” were also Vladimir Vysotsky, Yuri Nikulin, Nikolai Ozerov, Tatyana Lioznova, Mark Bernes, Lev Yashin and many other celebrities. Relatively recently, Vladimir Putin also acquired the GAZ-21.
GAZ-21, slightly modified by the Italian automobile studio Ghia. The biggest changes affected the radiator grille. It is unlikely that the Italians will undertake the modification of modern Russian cars, and the Volga at that time was even awarded such an honor
Advertising poster for the Belgian importer of GAZ. Generally speaking, the Volga, despite quite pleasant reviews, has not achieved much popularity in the West. The reasons were very different. One of them was the much disliked star on the radiator grille, which hinted at the origin of the car. Not all Western countries treated the USSR well in those years, since they saw it as a communist threat.
GAZ-21 with right-hand drive. Yes, there were even such models. True, all this was in vain. Even right-hand drive and the absence of a star on the grille did not make the Volga popular in England, or in the West in general. The Belgian importer of Scaldia Volga even experimented and installed economical diesel engines from Peugeot and Rover under the hoods of the GAZ-21, but this did not add to the car’s popularity. The point, in many respects, was that the Volga was somewhat large and gluttonous for Western countries. And its advantages, such as smooth ride and comfortable driving on bad roads, were not particularly valued there, since there were no problems with this. But its obvious advantages were appreciated by people from the Scandinavian countries closest in climate, as well as from Greece, which was “famous” for its bad roads.
On July 15, 1970, the last 21st Volga was assembled. It was replaced by the 24th, which never gained the same popularity as its predecessor.
Today, the GAZ-21 is one of the most popular retro cars in Russia. People are even willing to pay a lot of money for this Volga. Copies that have survived to this day in good condition go for 1.5-2 million rubles. Still, the GAZ-21 is deservedly the most popular Volga of all time. She often acted in films, taxi drivers loved her very much for her reliability and unpretentiousness in maintenance, passengers for her smooth ride and comfortable spacious interior, she was very popular among actors, singers, astronauts and politicians, and, finally, she was a symbol of an entire era in THE USSR. Isn't that what popularity is?
