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GAZ-21

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GAZ-21
Overview
ManufacturerGAZ
Also calledDongfanghong BJ760(China)[1]
Production1956–1970
Body and chassis
ClassExecutive car(E)
Body style
  • 4 door saloon (GAZ-21, GAZ-23)
  • 5 door wagon (GAZ-22)
Powertrain
Engine
  • 2.5LM-21I4(GAZ-21/22)
  • 5.5LM-13V8(GAZ-23)
Transmission
  • 3-speed automatic (initially)
  • 3-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,700 mm (110 in)[2]
Length4,810 mm (189 in)
Width1,800 mm (71 in)
Height1,610 mm (63 in)
Chronology
PredecessorGAZ-M20 Pobeda
SuccessorGAZ-24 Volga

TheGAZ M21 Volgais anautomobileproduced in theSoviet UnionbyGAZ(Gorkovsky Avtomobilniy Zavod, in English "Gorky automobile factory" ) from 1956 to 1970. The first car to carry theVolganame, it was developed in the early 1950s. Volgas were built with highground clearance(which gives it a specific "high" look, contrary to "low-long-sleek" look of Western cars of similar design), ruggedsuspension,strong and forgiving engine, andrustproofingon a scale unheard of in the 1950s.

The Volga was stylistically in line with the major American manufacturers of the period in which it was introduced, and incorporated such then-luxury features as the reclining front seat, cigarette lighter, heater, windshield washer and three-wave radio.

The GAZ M-21 Volga became the biggest and most luxurious car officially sold to individual owners in the USSR in large quantities; though its very high price made it unavailable for most car buyers, 639,478 cars were produced in total.[3]

The three series of GAZ-21

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Three series GAZ-21 were released, most easily distinguished by the grille. The first series (1956–58), known as theStar,featured a lattice of three large horizontal bars in the centre of which was a medallion with a star. Vehicles of the second series (1958–1962), known as theShark,featured a grille with 16 vertical slits. Finally, the third series (1962–1970), known as theBaleen,featured a grille with 34 thin vertical rods.

First series (1956–58)

First series 1956–1958

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The design process leading to the GAZ-21 began in November 1953.Alexander Nevzorov,head of the design team, was given a free hand to develop whatever he wanted to reach the objective of competing with American automobiles.[4]Designer Lev Eremeyev decided to follow the fashion set by theChevrolet Bel Air,Plymouth Savoy,andFord Mainline;the finished product bears a resemblance to the 1955Mainline,[4]although according to archive documents, the latter was purchased for comparison and on-road testing by GAZ only in mid-1954, after the first prototypes of the GAZ-21 had already been built and tested.[5][6]The prototype appeared in the first quarter of 1954, powered by aninline fourwithoverhead camshaft(driven by chain) and cross-flowhemisphericalhead.[4]Since the OHV engine was not ready in time, production M21s had a 65PS(48kW;64hp) 2,432 cc (148.4 cu in)sidevalvefour, based on theGAZ-20's. The Volga was offered with a three-speedtransmission,eithermanual(with synchronized second and third gears) orautomatic.Front suspension wasindependent,while the rear was alive axlewithsemielliptical springs;lever shock absorbers were on all four corners.[4]Lubrication was by a central oiling system, from a drum and foot-operated pump; the oil lines were prone to puncturing, and not all of the 19 lubricated points were supplied equally.[7]The Volga offered front seats able to fold flat (not unlike a contemporaryNashoption) and came standard with cigarette lighter and a radio[8](still optional on most U.S. cars).[9]The three variants were the standard M21G, an M21B taxi (with ataximeterin place of the radio and bucket seats in front instead of a bench), and a tropical model, the M21GYU, all with the GAZ leaping deerhood ornament.[4][8]Drag coefficientwas a surprisingly good 0.42.[8]The only thing that the Volga and Mainline had in common was theFord-O-Maticautomatic transmission, which the GAZ plant liecensed for use in their vehicles, and even then only a few early Volgas had this transmission, before the design adopted a manual transmission.[10]

The Volga made its public debut in 1955, with a three cars on a demonstration drive from Moscow to the Crimea, two automatic models and a manual.[4]It was, however, still far from production-ready; in the first year, 1956, only five cars were assembled, the first on 10 October 1956.[4]Full-scale production began in 1957, with a list price of 5,400rubles.[8]The new 1957 production cars, known as Series Ones, had a brand-new 2,445 cc (149.2 cu in) OHV engine, the first model produced by Zavolzhskiy Motorniy Zavod (Zavolzhye Engine Factory,ZMZ). Unusual for the era, it had aluminum block and head, with gear-drivencamshaftandcompression ratioof 6.6:1; it produced 70 PS (51 kW; 69 hp) at 4,000rpmand 123lb⋅ft(167N⋅m) at 2,200 rpm.[8]

The automatic transmission model was soon discontinued, with only 700 built: it was widely criticized as being too difficult for Soviet drivers to maintain, fewservice stationswere available to do the work and few private mechanics were qualified, and a shortage oftransmission oilexisted.[11]From 1958, a three-speed manual, with synchromesh on the top two gears, was the only transmission available; this was the M21V, while the taxi became the M21A.[12]The automatic did go on to be used in the low-productionGAZ-13Chaika, which was also maintained by professionals.[12]Standard equipment on all models included spare parts and two tool kits, withspanners,wrenches,screwdrivers,a tire pump, and a can of paint to fix minor dings.[13]

Also, export models were built, M21D with the manual transmission and M21E with the automatic, both with a higher 7.2:1 compression engine, producing 80 PS (59 kW; 79 hp).[12]

Cars produced in the fall of 1958 combined features of the first and second series.

Second series (1959–62)

Second series 1959–1962

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Second-series Volgas were introduced in 1959, with a new grille painted the body color or in chrome. Halfway through the 1959 production run (model year19591⁄2), avinylcover was added to the dash.[14]Added were windscreen washers and tubeless tires.[14]Just before the second-series production concluded, telescopic shocks replaced the lever type. The 1961 Volgas were priced at 5,100 rubles.[7]

Variants of this series included the M21I and M21A taxi with the 70 PS (51 kW; 69 hp) inline four, and the M21K and right-hand drive M21H (for export) with the 80 PS (59 kW; 79 hp) engine.[7]

The Volga was shown at the 1958Brussels World's Fairand together with theGAZ-52 truckand the GAZ-13 Chaika, it won the award.[15]In the same year, production for export began.[7]The second-series Volgas became known for having no frills, but outstanding durability, helped by the 230 mm (9.1 in) ground clearance.[13]In 1959, a Volga took a class win at theThousand Lakes Rallyin Finland, and third at theAcropolis Rally.[7]That year, the central lubrication system was deleted, in favor of a more traditional local grease-application nipple.[7]

In early 1962, a small number of cars were built that combined features of the second and third series.

Third series (1962–70)

Third series 1962–1970

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The third series was produced from 1962 to 1970. The 1962 models dropped the leaping-deer hood ornament, and had a new grille.[7]It used a 6.7:1 compression engine of 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp) with an optional 7.65:1 compression of 80 PS (59 kW; 79 hp) (usually reserved for the export models).[16]Theheadlinerchanged from cloth to vinyl, and the radio became optional.[16]It was offered as the standard M21L, M21T taxi, and right-hand drive M21N export model.[16]

Also in 1962, GAZ advertised astation wagon/estate model, the M22; most of these were exported or reserved for official use.[16]The first station wagons/estates were delivered in 1963,[16]and were designated M22 (75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp)), M22G (export, 75 hp (56 kW; 76 PS)), M22T (export, 85 PS (63 kW; 84 hp)); ambulances were M22B (75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp)) and M22BK (85 PS (63 kW; 84 hp)).[17]An M22 prototypefour-wheel drivestation wagon/estate was also built, as was an M22Avan.[17]

Belgian importer Sobimpex N.V. assembled Volgas locally for sale in Western Europe. These were often fitted with diesel engines; the cars arrived inAntwerpwithout an engine and with the gearbox in the trunk. Originally (beginning in 1960) Sobimpex fitted a 1.6-literPerkins4.99 unit, a largerRoverengine supplanted that in 1963, and the more modernIndenor[fr]four-cylinder units replaced the Rover engine in 1964.[18]Belgian-built cars were marketed as "Scaldia-Volgas", named after the Latin name for the riverScheldt.While the diesel models cost considerably more than ones with the original engine, they were quite popular for their economy and reliability, and outsold the petrol models in both Belgium and the Netherlands.[18]

Models

[edit]

The car's large size and tough construction made it popular in the police and taxi trades, andV8-powered versions (designated GAZ M23) were produced for theKGB.Anautomatic transmissionwas briefly offered in the late 1950s, but later discontinued due to lack of service stations, and then, through the 1960s, on the KGB's V8 version only, with the driver's controls being very similar to the discontinued "civil" automatic.

The M21 Volga was produced insedanform from 1956 to 1970 and station wagon form (GAZ M22 Universal) from 1962 to 1970. This left the design quite outdated by the 1960s. GAZ developed a boxier, more modern replacement, and in 1970, the M21 platform was discontinued by GAZ. Until the late 1970s, however, spare parts were produced by different plants all over the USSR, and some plants were rebuilding M21s using spare parts, wrecked, and junked cars. In 1988, about 80,000 M21 Volgas were registered in the USSR.[citation needed]Based on the GAZ-21, a number ofpick-up truckswere also built on its basis by various autonomous auto repair plants from all around the country. As these plants worked separately, there was no single design for these vehicles.[19]

TheDeluxevariant has additional chrome trim around the windows and spanning the front and rear headlights, with the rear ones being fin-shaped. They also usually included the 79 hp (59 kW) engines instead of the standard 69 hp (51 kW) ones.

One M21 was given toYuri Gagarinafter hisorbital flight;Gagarin was very fond of his Volga.[20]

TheUAZ-469all-terrain vehicle uses a GAZ-21A engine, and theRAF-977minibus used the GAZ-21 engine and drivetrain.

A special-variant GAZ-23 Volga was produced for Soviet special services only, with a 160 PS (120 kW; 160 hp) 5.53-litre V8 engine from the Chaika.[7]These were also equipped with the Chaika's automatic transmission. This allowed the M23 to reach 170 km/h (110 mph).[21]Only 603 of the M23s were built between 1962 and 1970.[7]

[edit]
  • Second series (1959–1962)
    Second series (1959–1962)
  • Third series (1962–1970)
    Third series (1962–1970)
  • Interior
    Interior
  • Steering wheel
    Steering wheel
  • "Volga" third series customized, Ukraine
    "Volga" third series customized, Ukraine
  • Side view
    Side view
  • Rear 3/4 view
    Rear 3/4 view
  • GAZ-22 olgain Kyiv, Ukraine
    GAZ-22 olgainKyiv,Ukraine
  • GAZ-22 Volga
    GAZ-22 Volga
  • GAZ-22B Volga (ambulance)
    GAZ-22B Volga (ambulance)
  • GAZ-22 Volga rear 3/4 view
    GAZ-22 Volga rear 3/4 view
  • GAZ-22 Volga
    GAZ-22 Volga
[edit]
  • A GAZ-21 is the main car featured inRammstein's music video for the song "Du hast".
  • In the Soviet cult movieBeware of the Car,the protagonist, Yuriy Detochkin, steals Volga cars from officials abusing their powers.
  • The protagonist of the 2009 Russian superhero movieBlack Lightningfights crime with his flying car, a black 1966 GAZ-21.[22]
  • The car is featured in the mobile game, Retro Garage, which features many other vehicles produced in the Soviet era, as well as some based on German vehicles.
  • One of the possible models for the "Black Volga"urban legend is the GAZ-21.

References

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  1. ^"The Russian GAZ Volga M21 derivates".China Car History.15 March 2022.
  2. ^Gloor, Roger (2007).Alle Autos der 50er Jahre 1945 – 1960[All the cars of the 1950s, 1945–1960] (in German) (1 ed.). Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag.ISBN978-3-613-02808-1.
  3. ^Tverdiukova, Elena (11 February 2015).""Стиляга" с волнистой обивкой: "Волга" ГАЗ-21 на экспорт "[Stylish with wavy upholstery: Volga GAZ-21 for export].Rossiyskaya Gazeta(in Russian). Federal State Budgetary Institution.
  4. ^abcdefgThompson, Andy (2008),Cars of the Soviet Union: The Definite History,Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes, p. 61,ISBN978-1-84425-483-5
  5. ^GAZ report on the Ford Mainline (PDF)
  6. ^"An article on the history of the GAZ-21 in theAvtomobilny Modelizmmagazine ".Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2013.Retrieved24 February2016.
  7. ^abcdefghiThompson,p. 65.
  8. ^abcdeThompson,p. 62.
  9. ^Flory, J. "Kelly", Jr.American Cars 1946–1959(Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Coy, 2008),passim.
  10. ^"Ford's Cruise-O-Matic and the C Family of Automatic Transmissions (Part III)".Techtelegraph.15 June 2022.
  11. ^Thompson,pp. 62–63.
  12. ^abcThompson,p. 63.
  13. ^abThompson,p. 66.
  14. ^abThompson,p. 64.
  15. ^"Expo 1958".volga.nl.
  16. ^abcdeThompson,p. 123.
  17. ^abThompson,p. 124.
  18. ^ab"Дизельные ГАЗ-21" Волга "в Бельгии"[Diesel GAZ-21 "Volga" in Belgium].GAZ21Volga.com(in Russian). Archived fromthe originalon 25 February 2011.
  19. ^"пикапы на базе ГАЗ-21".Denisovets.
  20. ^Thompson,p. 121.
  21. ^GAZ-21S Militsya,Avtomobil Na Sluzhbie, No.2, DeAgostini 2010,ISBN978-5-9774-0418-1(in Russian)
  22. ^Internet Movie Car Database:1966 GAZ 21 Volga in Chernaya molniya, Movie, 2009
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