Victim of perestroika: why the famous RAFs disappeared from our roads, what happened to the Riga Bus Factory itself (14 photos)

Those who lived through the Soviet era and at least the early 1990s remember very well that the main minibus in our country at that time was not the Gazelle. And the small RAF minibus, which was produced at the Riga Bus Factory (Rigas Autobusu Fabrika - RAF) in the capital of Latvia.





Let's find out what happened to the famous Baltic enterprise and why its cars disappeared from our roads so quickly by the mid-1990s.

But first, as is our custom, let’s remember a little general history.



The Riga Bus Factory was founded back in 1949

So, the history of RAFik, as Soviet drivers affectionately called him, begins back in 1953.

It was then that the first bus, RAF-651, was produced at the Riga Bus Factory in twenty copies. Essentially, a copy of the GAZ-651. This is what this baby looked like.





The first more or less own development of the Riga residents followed in the next 1954. RAF-251 on the GAZ-51 chassis. A relatively convenient bus for its time for 50 passengers.



Birth of a legend

At the end of the 1950s, the RAF began to produce purely minibuses - transport, which was so sorely lacking in the post-war USSR.

In 1958, the first famous offspring of the Riga bus factory RAF-977 was born, which would remain on the assembly line for the next 18 years.



And already in the mid-1970s, the RAF-977 will begin to be replaced by the legendary classic RAF-22031-01. Thus, in which not only civilian passengers, but also, for example, police officers and emergency doctors will travel in the USSR. This particular machine can easily be called a “Gazelle” of the Soviet era.

A new assembly shop was built specifically for the production of this minibus in the city of Jelgava. Up to 17 thousand of these RAFs will begin to roll off the assembly line per year. Convenient, comfortable, with good maneuverability.

This is how Rafik served in the Ambulance:



And here it is - in the police:



During his long life, our hero even managed to play the role of an armored collector:



By the way, contrary to popular belief, RAFik served not only as a purely passenger minibus. But also with such a tented truck, capable of taking on board up to a ton of payload.



Our hero also distinguished himself at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Then several special RAFs were produced - minivans for sports judges, cars with a scoreboard on the roof. A special RAFik for technical assistance to cyclists at competitions. And even a whole RAFik road train - a minibus for the Olympic bear:



At the end of the 1980s, preparations were made in Riga for the launch of a new, more modern RAFik model - the RAF M1 Roxana. A running model had already been created, in the development of which GAZ specialists and engineers from England helped.



It was also planned to release another such modern minibus - RAF Stils.



End of an era

Alas, RAFik turned out to be another victim of perestroika. After the collapse of the USSR, the Riga Bus Factory, which was already in independent Latvia, suddenly lost its main sales market. The company's attempts to enter the European market were unsuccessful.

The RAF tried to survive for some time by releasing modernized old time-tested classics. But in vain.



RAF-22039 - was released in 1995 and was specially prepared for work in a minibus. Did not help...

Therefore, in 1997, the legendary Riga Bus Factory declared bankruptcy. And it closed. It is symbolic that the last RAFik released was a hearse...

Although from time to time there are rumors about an attempt to revive the iconic enterprise and even start producing new electric buses there. However, you will have to look for a clearly different place - office and shopping centers with high-rise buildings now stand on the site of the former buildings of the Riga Bus Factory.

...Well, that very single copy of the RAF Roxana, which should have become known throughout the USSR, is now gathering dust in a car dump in the Latvian city of Ventspils.



An eloquent English inscription on the hood - where is this minibus made?

But this machine looks very stylish! It's a pity that fate turned out so sadly...