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GAZ-21 "Volga" is a Soviet passenger car, rear-wheel drive, serving as a middle class sedan. The model was mass-produced at the Gorky automobile plant from 1956 to 1970. The prototype was a Ford Mainline car. To carry out detailed studies of its automatic gearbox, car factory bought a similar car.

Already at the onset of 1954, they began to build prototypes of cars. They were equipped with an overhead valve power unit, which was an experiment, and there was also a hemispherical combustion chamber and a camshaft chain drive. It is worth mentioning that the latter showed itself not from the best side, therefore it was not allowed for serial production. The entire GAZ range.

Car history

Already in the next year, 1955, or rather May 3, they began to test 3 cars at the state level. Two of them were with automatic transmission gear shifting, and one with a manual transmission. As a test, the cars were supposed to participate in the race from Moscow to Crimea and back. As soon as the first tests passed, the plant received permission to produce drawings, and began to prepare for the release of machines.

The appearance of the GAZ-21 on the domestic automobile market was a real breakthrough. Outwardly, it looked a little like an American car, for there were also "shark fins". The sedan began to be used in various structures, including the KGB.

In October 1956, the debut 3 production vehicles GAZ-21 were released. They had a low-valve power unit bored out to 2.432 liters, the power of which was 65 horses. This modification was marked "21B".

And the next year the car was put on the conveyor. This gave the car its own personal overhead valve powertrain, which increased to 70 horsepower. Until now, the car looks luxurious, despite the decades passed. Today on the road you can find a lot of foreign cars, which is understandable, since this is everywhere.

However, the car, which embodied power, grace, prosperity and elegance many years ago, has remained the same and still knows how to attract the attention of people. Of course, we must admit that there are already a considerable number of cars, which are much more powerful, which are much ahead of this Soviet-made car in terms of the technical component.

However, the consumption of this car itself has not met environmental and current standards for a long time, which are associated with the ubiquitous struggle for energy conservation, however, almost every motorist, if he sees such a car on the street, simply cannot help but come up and not “touch” the hood of the car, or stroke roof or pillars. In this article, you can see a photo of the GAZ-21.

Exterior

The appearance of the GAZ-21 car can be called original, looking at its photo. Lev Eremeev, who was then an artist, created not only a unique appearance, which perfectly fit with the fashion of past years, but also changed it over the 14 years that this model was produced.

It is very important that the car cannot be called borrowed, copied or plagiarized. Judging by the photo of the GAZ-21-10, the car corresponded to the fashion that it was in previous years. The car body itself did not receive a single straight line, most of the parts are rounded and curved. This is clearly visible in the photo.

GAZ-21 third series

The uniformity between episodes reached 100%. Now it is possible to change the decor, using only a file in the right places, so that the details and elements can fit. However, we are talking about the already familiar unchanging massive inflated fenders and a hood with a roundness and a slight hump along.

It is interesting that just this modification received front glass washer nozzles. The side of the car looks a little kurguso, thanks in part to its puffy shape and the sloping line towards the front and rear. Considering all these points, the GAZ-21 can be called a fairly large car.

Enormous embossings, such as can be found on the rear doors and on the fenders, make the car more expressive. On the one hand, it seems as if it is lightning, but if you look differently - the hind legs of a predatory cat. Massiveness is added by the presence of GAZ-21 ground clearance - 1 900 mm. One gets the impression of a kind of off-road vehicle.

This is achieved by using native wide-profile tires, which are much narrower. As mentioned above, ground clearance just amazing. However, if you remember at what time it was produced this carthen everything falls into place. At that time, there weren't many roads themselves, to be honest, but it was necessary to pass where today many SUVs simply will not pass.

Chrome will not spoil the Volga, because it is here almost everywhere, and from the factory. It can be found in comfortable door handles for standard grip and with a button. It can also be seen by the small stripes at the bottom of the doors and along the edges of the windows. It is simply impossible not to mention the large saucers of the wheel caps.

Provided from the factory and the presence of export chrome, which was installed only on certain cars. There it was possible to find a belt sill molding line, chrome drain, edging for windshield, arrows on the wings and the name "Volga". Side mirrors for rear visibility are absent here, however, as in any series.

Among the distinctive features of the 3rd series, gutters can also be distinguished - here they reach the beginning of the wing, which is not easy to find in the debut and 2nd series. In general, the 3rd series turned out to be the fastest, thanks to its difficult innovative external materials. The rear has a large, prominent luggage compartment with a lid that extends to the top of the bumper.

The lanterns have learned a vertical direction, and can be transferred to any previous modification. They were deprived of a heavy frame, only a thin edging around the edges, made of chrome, remained. The luggage compartment lid itself is not installed in an upright position at a high height, which leads to a forced flexion of the back during unloading and loading.

But this does not in any way negatively affect the implementation of loading luggage into a sufficiently stowed luggage compartment. We have allocated a place for the spare wheel on the right side, and between the wheel and the trunk wall, you can install tools that will then be better fixed and will not travel along the entire bottom.

As for the curved starter and rack and pinion jack, their installation does not take up useful space, since there is room for them from the factory. The bird that found its place on the luggage compartment lid, inside which there was a button for opening that very lid, changed along with other changes.

And yes, it is worth admitting that there are fins here too, which speaks of the American style, but there is no point in saying that the Gorky plant "stole" this idea, because at that time this stylistic decision could be found on many cars, this was fashion.

GAZ-21 of the first generation

The design staff of the GAZ-21 was able to design a car that can attract attention with its original appearance, despite the forty years of "experience". With the help of precise calculations of the power parts, it was possible to achieve high body strength.

Moreover, the Volga car was distinguished by increased resistance to corrosion by means of specialized processing of the body by "phosphating". If we talk about the degree of the car body painting itself, then some models do not need to be repainted even today.

Interior

The GAZ 21 interior itself can be described in a few words, without going into details - it is huge, comfortable and quite pleasant. However, you simply will not be able to remain silent about many of its features. Getting into the car without any problems, which is achieved in part by the comfortable door handles.

There is no need to lower your head. When landing, you find yourself on a rather big and soft sofa, which can be seen in the photo. Many already know that this model of the plant has received the presence of a single front seat, which, if necessary, lowers and moves to the steering wheel. If we talk about the seat, then it is quite soft here, thanks to the installation of internal springs.

Front sofa

Nothing binds the body, so you can sit down as you like, because seat belts were not provided even from the assembly line. However, if you move a little closer to the steering wheel, then it will cause a little discomfort, because then they did not know anything about adjusting the steering column. If anything, you can wind the ribs on the steering wheel.

However, there is a nice bonus - the gearbox is controlled using a lever that can be found on the steering wheel. It turns out that even three people can sit in front, because there is no curtain. Seated passengers in front will be quite comfortable, because the legs can be placed where it is convenient.

Talking about dashboard, it is necessary to speak only about the famous transparent hemisphere of the speed mode sensor with an arrow arrangement, which stands out against the general background. There are fuel level indicators and an ammeter, and under them on the left side you can find the setting of air flows, light and stove. A lever for opening the front hood was placed on the floor.

The steering wheel is large and slender, there is a chrome up / down horn button and a small medallion with an exquisite animal. Taking it in hand, you will not say that it is uncomfortable, although it is not as comfortable as that of foreign cars. However, there are some drawbacks here - time passes, and they begin to turn yellow, crack and collapse. It's not so convenient for them to work, but it's a matter of habit.

On the left, behind the steering wheel, there are turn signals, which, of course, do not have automatic return, as well as a lever for switching a mechanical gearbox. They do not have a large size, but it is quite convenient to work with them, there is no need to reach out, everything is near, which undoubtedly pleases.

To the right are located water and oil level sensors, an ignition switch and a suction. I was pleased that even in such a car there is a thing unusual for many - a plug. In addition, he is a worker, and the car has a flashlight from the factory, which can be turned on during operation as additional lighting.

The dashboard center also has a native tube radio, which operates in three frequency ranges. Today there is no one to surprise with cruise control, but even in the USSR there was cruise control. The little roundish lever between the ashtray and the lamp radio is manual gas.

After setting the speed, you need to pull the lever towards you and remove your foot from the accelerator pedal - then the GAZ 21 Volga car continues to move on, only you should steer. The massive watch with the proud inscription “Made in the USSR” shows the time since that time.

To bring them down, a mechanism was provided under the torpedo. The glove compartment in the "Volga" turned out to be small. The dashboard in the cars of the debut modifications was not upset by anything from above, which is why the rays of the sun often glinted on the windows, which forced the drivers to paste over the surface with leatherette themselves. Later, they began to cover the surface already from the conveyor.

The salon was so comfortable and spacious, and the sofa soft, that one could even spend the night in the car without any discomfort.

The back row also has a lot of room and a soft fit. There is enough free legroom, three passengers will be able to sit quietly without discomfort. Even the floor transmission tunnel was not that huge and does not stand out much in the cabin. To move around, as well as to make a comfortable embarkation and disembarkation of passengers, handrails attached to the front sofa were provided.

Rear sofa

As a comfort here, in the second row, you can only find an ashtray. However, such soft sofas and large free space make it possible to use this car as a means for long trips - there is no need for camping or tents, there is a comfortable sleeping place.

All you need is to fold out the front sofa and you can rest. The right B-pillar has a small interior light switch and compact clothes hooks. The luggage compartment was 170 liters of usable space.

Specifications

Power unit

This beauty was equipped with an in-line four-cylinder carburetor power unit ZMZ 21, the volume of which is 2.5 liters. This makes it possible to develop 75 horsepower. Among its features are the lower lowering system - camshaft installed at the bottom of the block, and the valves are operated through specialized rods.

It also has wet cast iron sleeves (and the block itself was made of aluminum) - it does not need boring. All that is needed is to replace the piston group together with the liners. The motor turned out to be reliable enough to high speed treats negatively, however, low revs allow him to transport large loads, including a trailer.

The carburetor is named K124, as well as a special window that allows you to find out the amount of fuel inside it. The engine has a lot of appetite. In front of the power unit, an element necessary for winter was installed - blinds. First, on an unheated engine, they need to be closed, then you start it and wait for it to heat up.

After that, it is very important not to forget to open it, otherwise it will just boil, because from the very beginning the car had a water cooling system. The engine consumes about 13.5 liters per 100 km in the combined cycle. The maximum speed is 130 km / h.

Transmission

The developers have synchronized the unusual powertrain together with a 3-speed manual gearbox with a steering wheel-mounted switch. The box has its own moments, such as the absence of a synchronizer for forward and reverse, therefore, a double clutch release was required.

700 cars were released with an automatic transmission, but they could not take root due to the lack of maintenance skills and the fact that there was simply no necessary hypoid oil.

Suspension

They decided to install an independent spring suspension in front. Until 1960, a centralized suspension lubrication system was used, but the latter was very complex and often stains remained on the road section. Therefore, there is a need for frequent lubrication. Also in front you can see the anti-roll bar.

The third series allowed the sedan to have telescopic shock absorbers instead of outdated lever ones. The rear of the car had a dependent suspension with a split axle on longitudinal springs, where there were telescopic shock absorbers. The disadvantage of this bridge is that after the separation of the stockings, it is very difficult to assemble them, mainly to expose the contact patch.

Steering

It was devoid of amplifiers and used an outdated kingpin. The steering column was not adjustable. There was a pendulum mechanism.

Brake system

The braking system is the presence of drum mechanisms, where there is no pedal booster. Do not forget about the parking brake, which is located on the gearbox, as in all past cars.

It is logical that due to this, the cardan transmission is blocked. Not without a fly in the ointment, because when the sedan stands with one wheel on the asphalt, and the second on a wet or slippery surface and uphill, then it can go.

Specifications

Body	4-door sedan (modification of GAZ-22 - 5-door station wagon)
Number of doors	4/5
Number of seats	5
Length	4770 mm
Width	1695 mm
Height	1620 mm
Wheelbase	2700 mm
Front track	1410 mm
Back track	1420 mm
Ground clearance	190 mm
Trunk volume	170 l
Engine location	front longitudinally
engine's type	carburetor, 4-cylinder, with an aluminum block of cylinders and cast iron wet liners, overhead valve
Engine capacity	2432 cm 3
Power	65/3800 l. from. at rpm
Torque	167/2200 N * m at rpm
Valves per cylinder	2
Checkpoint	3-speed with synchronizer for 2nd and 3rd gear
Front suspension	independent lever-spring
Rear suspension	dependent spring
Front brakes	drum
Rear brakes	drum
Fuel consumption	9 l / 100 km
Maximum speed	120 km / h
type of drive	rear
Curb weight	1460 kg
Acceleration 0-100 km / h	34 sec.

Pros and cons

Pros of the car

• High-quality Volga body;
• High corrosion resistance using structural steel phosphating;
• High-quality painting;
• Low cost and ease of interchangeability of elements and parts;
• Pleasant appearance;
• Quite good aerodynamics of the car;
• Not a bad engine;
• High ground clearance;
• A rather large volume of the luggage compartment;
• Spacious salon;
• Comfortable and soft sofa set in front and back;
• There is a radio;
• Quite good dynamic characteristics;
• Soft suspension to swallow most bumps and holes;
• Rich story;
• Application modern technologies when creating a pendant.

Cons of the car

• Outdated engine that has not undergone any changes;
• Most of the design details are simply outdated;
• Large vehicle mass;
• The automatic gearbox didn't catch on;
• Lack of hydraulic boosters in steering and braking mechanisms;
• Unreliable parking brake;
• Unjustified centralized lubrication system;
• Unsuccessful design of a 3-speed manual gearbox;
• There are no seat belts;
• The steering column is not adjustable;
• Small adjustments to the front sofa.

Summing up

After acquaintance with such a "work of art" only pleasant memories remain. If she is capable of being liked today, then it is difficult to imagine how much excitement she caused in 1957. The car had smooth rounded lines and outlines, pleasant appearance and popular in those days "shark fins".

And if the Victory was the beginning of the golden era of passenger gas cars, the "twenty-first" became its true zenith. An experimental industrial batch of GAZ-21 Volga was produced in 1956, ten years after the launch of Victory. The very first Volga left the assembly line in Gorky on October 10. Exactly 60 years ago.

The Volga project grew out of the Victory modernization process. The start of the GAZ-20-M in mass production did not come out too smoothly - there were a number of serious complaints about the cars of the "first series". Then the Minister of the Automotive Industry S.A. Akopov personally ordered to modify the car, and part of this work was transferred to US. As we know, in the end the Gazans coped with the revision of the car “perfectly” on their own, but the Pobeda-NAMI project of 1948, authored by Y. Dolmatovsky and L. Terentyev, turned out to be interesting - in particular, it provided for the transition from a fastback body to a sedan and such a vision will be very useful for the creators of a new car in the future.

In the photo: "Victory-NAMI" 1948 by Y. Dolmatovsky and L. Terentyev

However, the first own attempt of the Gazans to create the second generation of Victory (this is exactly how the name "Volga" was not yet discussed at that time) turned out to be very cautious - the prototype that appeared in 1951 clearly resembled ZIM (GAZ-12), only slightly reduced in size ... However, we can speak about the conservatism of this approach only now, knowing what the real “replacement” of Victory has turned out to be. It is likely that that prototype could eventually become a successful production model - it was ruined not only and not so much by conservatism.

It was a difficult time. In 1951, due to a denunciation of one of the ordinary employees, the chief designer of GAZ, Andrei Lipgart, was dismissed from his post - a man who had already managed to create Pobeda, ZIM and the GAZ-51 truck. The new team, the backbone of which was the chief designer Vladimir Sergeevich Solovyov (the one who, almost twenty years later, will head the engineering staff of VAZ and turn FIAT-124 into) and project engineer Alexander Mikhailovich Nevzorov, will be able to form his vision of the new car only by the second half of 1953 ...

In the photo: GAZ-M21 "Volga" Pre-production "1954–55

The new car was supposed to be better than Victory in all respects: bigger, more powerful, more economical and more comfortable. The salon is more spacious. The engine is newly developed. Transmissions - "automatic" and "mechanics", and as the main option was seen exactly the automatic transmission, "mechanics" was supposed only on "service" and taxi. The suspension is energy-intensive and reliable, adapted to dirt and off-road conditions. The car without fail relied on a heater (as you know, at the Victory, the "stove" did not appear immediately), a radio receiver and progressive pedals - suspended. All this together should, in fact, bring the car to new class, to make the most status among those sold in the USSR.

Not the least role in this was assigned to design. The story with the appearance of the "twenty-first" Volga is one of the very first cases in the domestic auto industry, when a competitive approach was applied in the development: two groups worked on the exterior at once - the artist-sculptor Lev Eremeev headed the work in the direction of the "Volga", and the English designer John Williams, who settled in the USSR back in 1936, was engaged in the alternative Star project.

The Englishman got an elegant fastback with a futuristic "plumage" of the rear, characteristic of the second half of the 1950s, but in the end the more realistic sedan Eremeeva won - sporting a swift silhouette and fashionable curved front and rear windows (panoramic, as they said at the time) - beautiful Volga.

Here we would like to recall the famous "cheap, reliable and practical" Anatoly Papanov from the movie "The Diamond Arm", in which the Volga will play one of the roles - the practicality of the sedan body was proved at the stage of "Victory-NAMI", and more modest in comparison with Williams's version Volga feed was indeed easier and cheaper to introduce into mass production - however, the resulting car could not be blamed for the lack of aesthetics. Indeed, Eremeev used the 1952 Ford Mainline as his main source of inspiration.

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One can endlessly argue about whether Eremeev completely "took the American car as a basis" or whether he interpreted the sum of all progressive stylistic decisions of that time only in a similar vein, but the connection between these two cars cannot be denied.

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Yes, the Volga is noticeably higher than Ford (the ground clearance has increased accordingly), and also shorter by more than 20 centimeters - and this is all because the Soviet car was destined not to “lay” on, but to conquer the washed-out country roads and jump over boulders and hills.

But in general terms, it really clearly resembles a Ford. In other words, if Mainline was born in Russia, it would be exactly the "twenty-first" Volga. In fairness, we note that the Volga looks like several cars of that era at once - it was in trend.

This internal contradiction - to be better than Victory in everything and at the same time to remain a strong Soviet car - led to some compromises in design. The layout of the car was a typical sedan of the mid-1950s, but the project had an advanced all-aluminum overhead valve engine with wet sleeves, a rear axle with a hypoid final drive and semi-balanced axle shafts, but at the same time - conservative pivots in the front suspension and link shock absorbers, which are almost a thing of the past.

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And from something had to be abandoned after the start of the serial production of the car. So, the central lubrication system was designed to simplify the work of the service chauffeur - he simply pressed a separate pedal and lubrication was supplied to all critical connections in the front suspension and steering. True, in fact, the oil pipelines often broke down, and in later configurations, the usual grease nipples appeared, and the drivers returned to “injecting”.

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A similar story happened with the "automatic": the Soviet engineers got an excellent unit (structurally based on the Ford-O-Matic all from the same Mainline), but only too demanding on the quality of the oil. As a result, the production of "automatic" Volgas was curtailed, without having released even thousands of copies.

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But also the "mechanical" Volga, with a hydraulic clutch that provided incredible softness at that time, with a gearshift paddle, a semicircular speedometer (another reference to the "Americans") and a solid front sofa in a spacious cabin, with roomy trunk, with spectacular convex strokes on the sidewalls and a shining chrome grille, became a real personification of all the best that was then in the USSR.

Perhaps, the appearance of a star on the same radiator grille of the cars of the "first series" should be considered in some sense fateful. They say that Defense Minister Georgy Zhukov rejected the too "predatory" mouth of the Volga prototype at a state reception in the Kremlin, and Eremeev had to draw a new one literally overnight - he again pushed away from the solution implemented on Mainline, only inscribed a five-pointed star in the central circle. And the Volga really became a true star of its time.

Although at the initial stage there were enough difficulties. The new 70-strong overhead valve "four" was mastered only by the middle of 1957 - for almost a year, the new Volga went with the old, boosted to 65 hp. from. the lower valve motor of Victory. According to the project, the cylinders of the new engine were supposed to have a hemispherical combustion chamber, and the valves were not arranged in a row, but at an angle. Back in 1955, such a motor was built, tested and ... subjected to a total alteration, because it turned out to be gluttonous and weak at the bottom. As a result, the spherical combustion chamber was replaced with a wedge-shaped one and the gear drive of the camshaft was returned. Thanks to the aluminum block, the engine has become much lighter and more efficient than its predecessor, however, the Volga in the taxi version will be equipped with Pobedov engines right up to 1959.

In the photo: GAZ 21A "Volga" (II) "1958-1962

In the main modification, from the beginning of 1958, all GAZ-21s will come with their own engine. It was forced several times, and there were both conventional and export modifications: on the early models, the power was, respectively, 70 and 80 liters. with., at later - 75 and 85 liters. from. And the car itself went through three peculiar stages of modernization - the cars of the first, second and third series are known. Technically, the car did not change much, although "on the case", but the most noticeable changes were associated with a slight correction appearance and interior. It is worth noting that the engine was boosted without a clear reference to the production of these series.

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The first series, cars that had the very same star on the radiator grille, were produced from 1957 to 1959, and at the moment they are of the greatest collection value. From 1959 to 1962, the second series was produced - it is easy to distinguish it by the radiator grille, nicknamed the "shark's mouth" because of the 16 vertical slots, which serve as an indirect reference to the version once rejected by Zhukov. Finally, the third series was produced from 1962 to 1970 - it lost an elegant figure of a deer on the hood (it was traumatic in an accident with a pedestrian, windshield too much water, and in addition, enjoyed increased interest among thieves) and acquired a radiator grill with frequent slots, nicknamed for this by the people "whalebone". The third is the most massive series of GAZ-21, it was released in the amount of about 470,000 copies. In total, almost 640,000 GAZ-21 Volga vehicles were produced in 14 years.

However, this car has never been "popular". In the first year of production, it was possible to buy the Volga for 17,400 rubles (at prices before the monetary reform of 1961), and in subsequent years the price varied from 5,100 for the usual Volga of the first series to 6,455 rubles for the export version of the 1965 model. Not everyone could afford such a purchase. Moreover, the amount collected did not guarantee the possession of a car at all - it was necessary either to stand in a huge queue, or to have a pull.

In a word, the Volga, as planned, from the very beginning became a very status car. Over time, a bohemian, elitist image was completely entrenched for her - although she was in the class lower than the representative "Seagulls", Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Vysotsky rolled out on the "twenty-first", and even the role in the film "Beware of the Car" (as well as less a noticeable but very romantic role in "Three Poplars on Plyushchikha") made the Volga even more romanticized, making it almost an object of cult. However, this "romanticization" took on a special scope much later, in the post-Soviet era of nostalgia for the USSR. At one time, the GAZ-21 Volga was simply a car that I really wanted to own.

Until now, this car - Volga GAZ 21 looks luxurious. Years have passed, even, rather, decades, many car models on our roads have changed, foreign-made cars have actively and firmly entered our life.

Classic Volga GAZ 21

And I must say that it happened quite naturally, because it happens everywhere. But the car many years ago, embodying power, beauty, prosperity and elegance, remained the same graceful, beautiful, and still attracts the attention of passers-by on the street, passing them.

Yes, many cars have appeared that are more powerful, technical characteristics that are significantly superior to this miracle of the Soviet automobile industry. Yes, the fuel consumption of this car does not at all correspond to modern requirements associated with the widespread struggle for energy saving, but few motorists, approaching a GAZ 21 car they see on the street, or even more so, will not catch themselves on the desire to carefully stroke its hood, touch roof or pillars.

auto GAZ M21 1956 release

At the very beginning of the fifties, the Soviet automotive industry faced the need to create such a car. The "Victory" produced at that time was a fairly high-quality car. But it was decided to expand the model range on the Soviet highways.

Many found features of some Chevrolet models or Ford developments as a prototype of the then novelty of the domestic auto industry, but here we can hardly talk about any plagiarism.

At that time, many automakers bought samples of competitor models, disassembled them almost by cogs, studying the types of material that went into the manufacture of certain parts.

The types of connections of parts, various design solutions, and so on were studied. The corps of Soviet automobile designers followed the same path.

Diagram of the device 21 Volga

Many cars produced at that time had bulging headlights, a predatory-aggressive hood profile, or a radiator grill pattern. I could repeat something, something.

Produced "twenty-first", but in fact, the first model of "Volga" for fourteen years, having gone through many tests, upgrades, design changes, body types ("sedan", "station wagon"). Let's start with history.

The history of the creation of a truly legendary Soviet car began back in 1953, when it was decided to start developing such a car model, which in many respects repeats the lines and general outline of the American design school of that time, but still it managed to give certain authentic features.

Volga gaz 21 1953 release

Features that allow us to talk about originality, about the dissimilarity of design characteristics, design features that so distinguished our Volga. It is known that in the next 1954, the first appeared, not yet serial, but experimental, but already fully operational samples.

They were equipped with then also experimental engines with overhead valves and a combustion chamber in the form of a hemisphere, and their characteristic feature was the presence of a camshaft chain drive. Experiments with such a design gave negative results and it was decided not to send them into serial production.

At first, two projects were developed, one was called GAZ M21 "Volga", the other - GAZ M21 "Zvezda". By the way, the star located on the radiator grill of a single-beam design has long been a distinctive sign and the car model itself was named after it.

Radiator grill GAZ 21 third series

"Volga" with this type of lattice was called by the people "Marshal", or "Zhukovsky". The first years of its existence, the car was doomed to constant comparison with the no less legendary car "Pobeda".

But the "Volga" even on tests showed itself much better, it surpassed the "Pobeda" in most technical characteristics, it was more dynamic, more maneuverable and surpassed in fuel economy.

Production in those years was still quite imperfect, although progress in the automotive industry was, of course, obvious, but the path from testing a new car model to its entry into the series, that is, in serial production, took years.

So the first series of the car "Volga" was released already in 1956, that is, years after the start of design development.

Start of serial production

But the result obtained is worth spending some time on describing the design of a new (then still, new) car. Firstly, two were developed, automatic and mechanical. Both gearboxes had three stages. At the same time, which is typical, the main gear on this model of the car had a cone-shaped structure; it was already later models that had a hypoid main gear.

The then GAZ M 21 car had an independent rear suspension and hydraulic shock absorbers lever structure... The rear suspension was also independent, supported by springs in a shape resembling a semi-ellipse.

Well, as for the appearance, it is still, as many motorists like to joke, the main one, billowing in front of the hood.
And from this "main detail" to front glass there was a molding. A new radiator grill appeared instead of the old "marshal", the so-called "shark teeth", where vertical wide struts were interspersed with holes. What added overall design special flavor.

The car interior deserves special attention. With all the then Soviet penchant for gigantism, the salon, even at that time, seemed huge. The capacity of the entire car still gives rise to legends. By the way, big sizes, for example, the trunk is an absolute plus, because a modern owner of a GAZ 21 or those who still have a GAZ M 21 can consider themselves the lucky owners, if you will, of a semi-truck model of a car. The weight of the cargo that the Volga can carry is hardly comparable to any other passenger car.

semi-cargo volga gaz 21

However, let's return to the salon of our car. Nobody calls the back seat in it a seat, because it is, rather, a sofa. At the same time, the front sofa had to be divided in half, otherwise there simply would be nowhere to place the gear lever.

So, the year 1957 is officially considered the beginning of serial production.

But although serial production began, the engine that equipped the GAZ M 21, the predecessor of the GAZ 21, was borrowed from earlier cars, such as the Pobeda or ZIM. The Volga still received its engine, but a little later, and, in the same year, it was new engine ZMZ - 21, manufactured at the Zavolzhsky Motor Plant, specially built for this purpose. As for the technical characteristics of this engine, it had a volume of 2.4 liters and a power of seventy horsepower.
It was an aluminum engine, overhead valve design, quite innovative for its time.

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Volga GAZ-M21 car

And, by the way, at the same time the GAZ M 21 series appeared, which was equipped with an automatic gearbox (three stages) and a liquid transformer. But this innovation was then doomed to failure in the USSR, since the quality of lubricants was not just at a low level, but very low, then the first GAZ 21 with automatic transmissions brought their owners more trouble than pleasure.

And already since 1958, the production of Volga cars with an automatic transmission was suspended indefinitely, and cars equipped exclusively with a manual gearbox were produced. In the same year, many more extraordinary events took place.

automatic transmission gas 21

In addition to the fact that the USSR became the first country in the world to launch a spaceship, the Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow, almost forgotten by everyone in the world, has now taken place. This event characterized the famous Khrushchev "thaw" and, as a result of this phenomenon, "Volga" entered the international car market.

At that time, there were no international car dealerships yet, and car exhibitions were very rare, but the sensation that the Volga GAZ 21 made in European countries is best described by nicknames stuck to the Soviet car, such as "tank on wheels", or more elegant "tank in tailcoat". By this time, the production of GAZ M 21 was discontinued, and only the "twenty-first" Volga, which was not supplied with any additional letters in the model name, was in the "series".

Operational data and technical characteristics of the Volga GAZ-21

The GAZ 21 car became a worthy successor to the "Pobeda M-20" and held out on the assembly line for almost 14 years. During this time, the car was twice modernized, but even the first production cars were very popular and some success.

An example of a Volga GAZ 21 black

The popularity was promoted by the unpretentiousness of the car and excellent technical characteristics. The Volga was successfully used in taxis and as a company car, and the model was also available for private use. On technical and performance characteristics the legendary car is worth focusing on.

Dimensions GAZ 21

It cannot be said that by the standards of passenger cars "Volga" GAZ 21 was compact. Although the car belonged to the middle class, its dimensions are quite impressive. The sedan model has a length of 4.77 m, a width of 1.8 m and a height of 1.62 m. Such dimensions allowed the cabin to be quite spacious and comfortable, it could easily accommodate five people, including the driver. The distance between the axles (wheelbase) of the Volga is 2.7 m. The body has 4 doors.

The production also includes GAZ 22 - version passenger car in a station wagon body.

It looks like a classic Volga Gaz-22 with a station wagon

This modification appeared later in mass production, it was produced from 1962 (GAZ 21 from 1956). In terms of dimensions, the GAZ 22 is slightly longer (4.81 m), a fifth door (tailgate) is provided on the rear of the body.

The trunk door consisted of two halves - upper and lower. The salon already allowed 7 people to be transported, and it accommodated three rows of seats. The last row was folded, and the volume of the luggage compartment increased markedly. There were no other fundamental differences between GAZ 22 and GAZ 21.

Unlike its predecessor "Pobeda", "Volga" had good visibility due to the installed panoramic windshield. The track of the front wheels of the 21st is 1, 41 m, the rear wheels - the track of 1, 42 m. GAZ21 has a good turning radius, and in general it almost does not lag behind modern cars in this indicator.

Original painted Volga 21

Performance data

According to the vehicle manual, GAZ 21 has the following characteristics:

The safety of the car was not at the highest level. This was due to the complete absence of seat belts. In addition, the tie rods were located in such a way that, with any serious impact, a rigid steering in the cabin shifted back, and the driver's chance of survival was not very great.

Engine specifications

In the sixties of the last century, structurally ZMZ 21 was considered a perfect engine, not only by Soviet standards, but also globally.

Graphs showing the characteristics of the gas engine 21

Not all engines of those years had an overhead valve arrangement and an aluminum block with a cylinder head.

ZMZ 21 (ZMZ-21A) was installed on the GAZ 21 model since 1957 and had the following characteristics:

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Deer figurine on the Volga

Transmission and Clutch Specifications

The GAZ 21 car model has a rear wheel drive ( wheel formula 4x2). The first Volga models were produced in two versions - with a three-speed manual gearbox and with an automatic three-speed gearbox.

FROM automatic transmission "Volga" was produced for a short time, in the Soviet Union there was not enough skilled craftsmen to service automatic transmissions, there was no special oil in the required volume. In addition, on a 4-cylinder engine, a weak acceleration of the car was obtained, maximum speed was less than with a manual transmission.

GAZ put into serial production about 1500-1700 vehicles with automatic gearboxes, with a total of about 640 thousand copies of the Volga 21. There is an opinion that only 700 cars were produced with automatic transmission, but this is not so.

Clutch diagram of the twenty-first Volga

About 700 units were produced in 1957, and about the same in 1959. In 1958, about a hundred vehicles with automatic transmission rolled off the assembly line.

The mechanical gearbox was inherited from the GAZ M 20, it only differed in the presence of a hand brake, which was installed on the rear of the box (drum type).

Since the manual transmission was originally developed for the ZIM 12 car, it had a sufficient margin of safety.

The disadvantages of the design include unsynchronized first gear and manual transmission. There is an opinion that a 4-speed "mechanics" was installed on the GAZ 21. But the plant did not release cars in this configuration from the assembly line, except that the craftsmen made changes to the design with their own hands.

The gear selector, located on the steering, had long rods.

Diagram of the gear shifting device in the Volga

The new rods behaved normally, but as the mileage increased, the connections in them wore out, and various defects appeared. Two gears could turn on at once, the gear could "fly out". When turning on two gears, I had to climb under the hood and move the levers to the desired position. The links often required adjustment and lubrication.

The clutch on the Volga also came from Pobeda, but it already had a hydraulic drive, the GAZ M 20 had a mechanical switch. The new clutch had advantages:

• Squeezing the pedal became easier;
• Dirt and water stopped flowing into the passenger compartment, since the slot around the pedal, which was necessary for a mechanical drive, was eliminated.

Transmission and clutch technical data:

Fuel system

The fuel system for GAZ 21 is a carburetor type.

It looks like fuel pump twenty-first Volga

The fuel tank was located at the rear under the floor of the body and had a capacity of 60 liters. Fuel was pumped through pipes by a gasoline pump into the carburetor, and from the carburetor it was sprayed into the engine intake manifold. Mechanical fuel pump with glass top. The transparent lid had its own conveniences - it was clear whether gas was supplied to the pump or not. In the future, such a cover was abandoned, they often cracked.

The carburetor on the "Volga" had three modifications, the brand changed depending on the year of manufacture. The first batch includes cars produced in 1956–58, the second series of GAZ 21 includes cars up to 1962. The third generation was produced from 1962 to 1970. Initially, the Volga was equipped with a K-22I carburetor, they were installed mainly on the models of the first and second series.

An example of a carburetor for the Volga

In 1962–65, the K-105 carburetor appeared on the machines, and towards the end of the production of the 21 car, the K124 device model appeared.

After the termination of the serial production of the car, the K-129 was modified in spare parts, not much different from the K-124. All carburetors then were still single-chamber, and the manifold seat for them was unified. That is, the interchangeability of devices was complete.

Suspension characteristics

The front suspension of the Volga 21 is spring-loaded, independent. The steering knuckles have a pivot connection. On the first models of the car, the upper suspension arms also served as shock absorbers - they were supplied with shock absorber fluid through rubber hoses. But such a scheme was very inconvenient, and later telescopic shock absorbers, more familiar for our times, began to be installed.
The front suspension consisted of the following parts:

• Front carrier beam. It was the basis of the suspension, and all other parts were attached to it;
• Levers - two lower and two upper. All levers are composite, each of two parts. The lower platform for the spring is attached to the lower levers, the upper platform is the beam itself;
• Springs. They provide a smooth ride when the vehicle is moving;
• Pivot rack. Connects the suspension arms. A steering fist is attached to it. There are only two racks, one for each wheel;
• Rounded fist. There are also two of them - right and left, and they are not interchangeable with each other;
• Front hub. One from each wheel, front hubs are the same, replaceable with each other. Studs are pressed into the hubs, and the wheels are screwed on with nuts.

The first myth: GAZ M-21 was "cut" with the Ford Mainline (myth)

Many Soviet cars had. For example, the first Gorky models GAZ-A and GAZ-M1 were close relatives of American Ford cars, the VAZ "penny" was a modified version, and was created on the basis of the French Simca-1308. The degree of "kinship" of all these cars was different, however, the vowel and unofficial copying constructive solutions and even the design of some foreign cars really existed. That is why many motorists believe that the first generation Volga was also created on the basis of a foreign-made car - and more specifically, it was allegedly shamelessly "ripped off" from the 1954 Ford Mainline model year.

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In addition, other American sedans of those years, for example, the Chevrolet Bel Air and Plymouth Savoy, are indicated as "sources". Indeed, these american cars along with some other classmates were carefully studied by the designers of the Volga, and this practice has been generally accepted in the world since the beginning of the twentieth century. However, the purpose of such a close acquaintance was not a blind copying of the design, but a comparison of these machines - including the "confrontation" on tests with prototypes of the future "twenty-first". The aforementioned Ford and Chevrolet models were even purchased by the USSR in order to disassemble and properly study the automatic transmission, which had not been used on Soviet cars until that time.

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In the exterior of the Volga, you can find some common elements with the "Americans", but we are not talking about direct imitation, but only about rethinking the design motives that were relevant at that time - the so-called "aerostyle" characteristic of the overseas design school.

Moreover, in terms of technology, the Volga differed significantly from Ford and Chevrolet for a simple reason - due to a certain unification of transmission units and chassis with the previous Gorky models like Victory and ZIM. That is why the designer Lev Eremeev cannot be accused of either plagiarism or direct borrowing of other people's solutions. The Volga from the outside looked like a Ford Mainline no less and no more than another modern car those years. After all, if desired, our car can have a lot in common in appearance not only american sedans one model year, but also with the French 1954 Simca Vedette, the 1955 English Standard Vanguard and the 1956 Australian Holden Special.

Pre-production copies differed in some details from the production M-21. Pay attention to the solution of the radiator grill - not a "star", as in the first series, but a "shark's mouth", as in the second!

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In addition, the M-21 prototype numbered 1 was assembled by hand in early 1954, while a "live" copy of the Ford Mainline appeared at GAZ not earlier than the middle of 1954, and its tests began only in November.

Myth two: the Volga was collected abroad (true)

It sounds amazing, but it is a fact: Volga was really released abroad! The assembly (or rather, the assembly) of cars under the name Scaldia-Volga in 1960 was started by the Belgian importer - the company Scaldia-Volga S.A., which imported Soviet cars to Europe. Volga Belgian assembly differed from the Soviet car "heart": under the hood instead of the usual 4-cylinder engines ZMZ there were more economical diesel engines of several brands - Indenor-Peugeot, Perkins and Rover.

Belgian company Scaldia-Volga S.A. carried out not only import, but also "dieselization" of the Volga

Such a move was supposed to increase the interest of zealous Europeans in the spacious, but gluttonous Soviet passenger car. And in order to “consolidate the effect”, Scaldia even decided to order a small “restyling” of the Volga to the Italian bodywork studio Ghia, but almost at the same time GAZ itself presented a car of the so-called second series, which was quite significantly different from the “star” in appearance. The scale of the Volga assembly production in Belgium was scanty: in total, 166 "twenty-first" diesel engines were assembled before 1967.

Export modifications of the "twenty-first" could be visually distinguished by a richer body finish. Depending on the series, the power of the export Volga was 5-10 hp higher than usual. and ranged from 75 to 85 hp.

On the basis of the technical documentation of the M-21 in China, they created the "Red East" - the car Dongfanghong BJ760. Technically, it almost completely repeated the Soviet prototype, but from the outside, the car from the Middle Kingdom was noticeably different from the Volga. In the period from 1959 to 1969, only about 600 "Dongfanghongs" were manufactured, which was explained by a significant amount of manual labor and not mass production of this car.

Countries with left-hand traffic were supplied with "right-hand drive" Volga in export version, but Soviet production.

Myth three: tinned body (myth)

One of the most persistent myths associated with the first Volga is the tinning of body parts, which many former and current owners of the "twenty-first" believe, as well as fans of cars with a deer on the hood.

In fact, until 1962, for a number of reasons, tin was used to process welds and level the outer body panels at GAZ. This made it possible to get rid of technological defects in a relatively simple and fast way. Having discovered areas of tin during body repair, in the USSR, they began to believe in the tinned body of the Volga, which explained its high resistance to corrosion.

The Volga did not rust much, both due to careful operation and due to the use of Belgian metal for the manufacture of body parts, as well as its high-quality processing, which included phosphating and double priming by immersion.

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Starting from the so-called "third series", TPF plastic was used to align body elements in Gorky.

American style: for an additional fee, the Volga body could be painted in two colors. But this did not affect the durability of paintwork and metal.

Another popular misconception is associated with the thickness of the metal - in the Soviet Union it was believed that by this parameter, the "twenty-first" could be compared, if not with a tank, then at least with a truck. However, in reality, only the bottom and the roof were stamped from two-millimeter metal, while the thickness of the rest of the Volga body elements ranged from 0.9 to 1.2 mm. And the curb weight of the car was not "almost two tons", as many contemporaries claimed, but 1,460 kg.

The fourth myth: Gagarin had his own Volga (true)

In 1961, the world's first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin received a black GAZ-21I with a 70-horsepower engine as a reward for conquering space from the team of the Gorky Automobile Plant. However, the black Volga with license plate 78-78 MOD differed from the usual "twenty-first" series of the "Gagarinskaya" Volga except for the light blue interior color. Moreover, chrome nameplates with the inscription "Volga" from a later release on the front fenders of Gagarin's car appeared in 1963, when he visited the Gorky Automobile Plant. After the death of Yuri Alekseevich in 1968, a car with a range of about 90,000 kilometers has been stored since 1971 in a glass garage specially created for it near the house-museum of the first Soviet cosmonaut in the city of Gagarin, Smolensk region.

Volga was not the only car of Yuri Gagarin. However, he quite actively used his "twenty-first"

But People's Artist Yuri Nikulin owned not a sedan, but a station wagon of the GAZ-22 model, which was sold to the favorite of millions in the first half of the sixties after Nikulin argued in writing that it was the “universal” Volga. Indeed, unlike the sedan, the "twenty-second" could be obtained in private hands not earlier than the beginning of the seventies - and even then in a pretty shabby form, having been written off from some government institution.

Yuri Nikulin was an exception to the rule - he got the GAZ-22 station wagon for personal use

Myth five: six-cylinder engine (myth)

American cars of this class were equipped with six- and eight-cylinder engines. Therefore, there was a legend that the six-cylinder engine should have appeared on the "twenty-first", but ... it did not work.

However, a different layout was initially chosen for the Volga - a four-cylinder, with an overhead valve arrangement, a hemispherical combustion chamber and a timing chain drive. Sea trials have shown that the prototypes of this 2.5-liter engine are not very economical and insufficiently powerful. In addition, the specific design of the cylinder head imposed certain technological restrictions, which is why it was decided to use a different engine. If the first versions (until mid-1957) used the GAZ-21B lower-valve engine, which was an upgraded version of the Pobeda engine, then later production cars were equipped with the ZMZ-21A overhead valve engine, which was originally created for the GAZ-56 "lorry" did not go into mass production.

The designers remained faithful to the four-cylinder scheme "tested" at Pobeda for a simple reason - it was believed that, taking into account the class and purpose of the car, such an engine with a capacity of about 70 hp would be enough for it, while six-cylinder engines remained the prerogative of the representative ZIM and GAZ trucks. 51/52.

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But about 600 Volgas of the first generation at the plant were equipped with… V-shaped "eight"! True, not massively and serially, but in preparation. Fulfilling the order of the KGB of the USSR, in Gorky installed under the hood of the "twenty-first" V8 engine from, which developed an impressive 195 hp. Thanks to this, the Gorky "catch-up" accelerated to 100 km / h in 17 seconds (versus 34 seconds for the standard Volga), and its maximum speed reached 170 km / h.

Myth six: automatic transmission (true)

In the early fifties, the chief designer of the plant, Andrei Aleksandrovich Lipgart, began designing the future Volga. For the first time in domestic practice, according to the designer's idea, the new model was to receive an automatic transmission. That is why, after Lipgart was transferred to UralZIS, the Gorky Automobile Plant acquired a Chevrolet Bel Air with a two-stage automatic transmission and a Ford Mainline with a more modern three-band transmission. The tests carried out showed that the Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission, which was developed by BorgWarner at the request of Henry Ford's company, can coexist with the Volga engine.

In the early fifties, Ford actively promoted its automatic transmission.

The test run to the Black Sea, carried out in the summer of 1955, showed the "survivability" of the Soviet "machine gun", created in the image and likeness of the "Fordomatic", but structurally adapted for a four-cylinder engine.

Why on serial machinesoh such a transmission almost never met? Despite the misconception that all Volgas of the first series (the so-called "star") were equipped with an "automatic" machine, in reality only about 800 cars of 1957-1958 received this innovation, while the remaining 98% of the "stars" of this period were equipped with the usual three-stage mechanics. According to some reports, about the same number of vehicles with automatic transmission were produced in 1959.

GAZ-21
Specifications:
body	4-door sedan (modification of GAZ-22 - 5-door station wagon)
Number of doors	4/5
number of seats	5
length	4770 mm
width	1695 mm
height	1620 mm
wheelbase	2700 mm
front track	1410 mm
back track	1420 mm
ground clearance	190 mm
trunk volume	170 l
engine location	front longitudinally
engine's type	carburetor, 4-cylinder, with an aluminum cylinder block and cast iron wet liners, overhead valve
engine capacity	2432 cm 3
Power	65/3800 HP at rpm
Torque	167/2200 N * m at rpm
Valves per cylinder	2
KP	3-speed with synchronizer for 2nd and 3rd gear
Front suspension	independent, lever-spring
Rear suspension	dependent spring
Shock absorbers
Front brakes	drum
Rear brakes	drum
Fuel consumption	9 l / 100 km
maximum speed	120 km / h
years of production	1956-1970
type of drive	rear
Curb weight	1460 kg
acceleration 0-100 km / h	34 sec

GAZ-21 "Volga" - a Soviet passenger car with a sedan body. Until 1965, it was called the GAZ-M21 Volga. It was mass-produced from 1956 (until 1958 in parallel with the GAZ-M20 Pobeda) to 1970. The total volume of production of GAZ-21 of all modifications is 638798 copies (according to the serial number of the last car that left the assembly line). Became the most successful domestic development car for all the years of the existence of the USSR.

History of creation

Development of the car began in 1952. Initially, work was carried out on two independent projects GAZ-M21 "Zvezda" and GAZ-M21 "Volga". The first project was led by artist John Williams, the second by Lev Eremeev. In 1953, models of two cars were built. Williams' project looked more advanced, but Eremeev's car was more in line with the realities of that time. In the further development of the future car, the project of Lev Eremeev was adopted. In the same 1953, A. Nevzorov was appointed the leading designer of the GAZ-M21, who worked under the supervision of the chief designer of the Gorky Automobile Plant N. Borisov.

At the end of winter or early spring of 1954, the first prototypes of the future "Volga" were ready and entered for preliminary tests. On May 3, 1955, three cars - cherry red (prototype 1), blue (prototype 2) and white (prototype 3) - drove out of the gates of the Gorky plant and went to state acceptance tests. Together with them, others entered the test domestic cars and foreign-made cars of the same class as the Volga. All prototypes differed from each other in details, two of them were equipped with an automatic transmission, one with a mechanical one.
The cars have been tested in a wide variety of road conditions and showed nice results... The new car was more economical and more dynamic than the "Pobeda", outperformed the aging ZIM in dynamics, outstripped foreign analogues in reliability and passability. Besides "Volga" favorably distinguished itself from foreign cars by its harmonious design.

Photo: In 1954, the construction of prototypes of the GAZ-21 began

In May 1955, the Gorky plant produced another, fourth copy of the Volga. It was transferred to the Murom radio plant for debugging the A-9 radio receiver, which was equipped with the car (in some versions). In the summer of 1955, all prototypes except the first were slightly modernized with a new radiator grille (with a star).
The first series of five cars was assembled at the plant in October 1956. On October 10, 1956, the first three Volgas left the factory gates, which can be called serial. Five new machines joined prototypes 1, 2 and 3 to take part in extensive testing at the end of 1956. These five production cars were equipped with engines from the GAZ-M20, boosted to 65 hp. for installation on the export version of the GAZ-69 jeep. Cars equipped mechanical boxes gear. The final tests of the "Volga" took place in taxi companies in intensive use, which quickly eliminated many of the "childhood diseases" of the new car.

Modifications of the GAZ-M21 within the "releases"

The GAZ-M21 Volga car of the first "release" was produced from 1956 to November 1958. Until the end of 1957, it was equipped with a low-valve engine with a displacement of 2.42 liters (2420 cc), with a capacity of 65 hp. at 3800 rpm. Borrowed from Pobeda, this engine was boosted by increasing the working volume (cylinder bore) and compression ratio. A total of 1100 copies of the Volga were produced with this engine.
GAZ-M21G - in addition to the forced engine from the GAZ-M20, Pobeda was equipped with a rear axle borrowed from a ZIM car with shortened axle shafts and their casings. Distinctive feature of all cars of the first "release" is a "plus" of the electrical equipment system.
GAZ-M21B - a car with a forced engine from "Pobeda", modification for a taxi with a simplified finish. GAZ-M21 - produced since 1957 with a new ZMZ-21 engine of the Zavolzhsky Motor Plant (specially built for the production of Volgovskiy engines). The engine had a displacement of 2,445 liters and a power of 70 hp. The engine was an overhead valve, entirely made of aluminum (the main parts were the crankcase, the cylinder block, the pipes) and for its time was distinguished by many progressive solutions. Also, an automatic three-speed gearbox with a torque converter was installed on the modification under the M21 index.
GAZ-M21V is a serial car with a ZMZ-21 engine.
GAZ-M21A - a taxi with a ZMZ-21 engine (based on the GAZ-21V).
GAZ-M21D - export modification with up to 80 hp. engine and mechanical gearbox. The design is complemented by a chrome-plated belt molding.
GAZ-M21E - export modification with an 80 hp engine. and automatic gearbox.
The GAZ-M21 car of the second "release" was produced from 1959 to 1962. The 1958-1959 "release" is considered a transitional one. The changes were introduced gradually and concerned the design of the body, enlarging the wheel arches of the front fenders, changing the wiring ("polarity reversal" in 1960, a "minus" was applied to the body, which reduced current losses and the intensity of metal corrosion). The total volume of production of cars of the second "release" amounted to 160 thousand copies.
GAZ-M21I is the basic model.

GAZ-M21A - taxi.

GAZ-M21 is a car with automatic transmission. It is not known whether it was actually produced (there is no information about this).
GAZ-M21E is another modification with automatic transmission, produced in a very limited series.
GAZ-M21U is a luxury modification with an improved finish, but with a conventional engine.

GAZ-M21K - export version with a 75 or 80 hp engine. and additional trim elements (chrome inserts). The GAZ-M21 car of the third "release" was produced from 1962 to 1970. The car received a new radiator grill from 37 chrome-plated vertical plates. The figurine of a deer and molding disappeared from the hood (the deer was not always installed on cars of the second "release" - it was removed for safety reasons). The number of chrome decorative details has been reduced. The body lines are smoother and more harmonious. The modification with the automatic transmission was removed from the production line, the lever shock absorbers were replaced with telescopic ones, and it was increased to 75 hp. motor power for basic serial modification. The total volume of production of cars of the third "release" amounted to 470 thousand copies.

GAZ-M21L is the main serial sedan.
GAZ-M21L - export modification.
GAZ-M21U - modification of "luxury", differed from the serial car with moldings on the wings.
GAZ-M21T is a taxi modification with separate front seats. Passenger front seat folded, freeing up space for the carriage of goods.

In 1962, on the basis of the GAZ-M21, a GAZ-M22 with a station wagon was created and put on the conveyor. It was produced in various versions - as a "civilian" general purpose vehicle, as " ambulance", An aircraft escort vehicle for airports and so on.

At the same time, a small series of cars of the GAZ-23 brand was produced - a high-speed modification of the GAZ-M21 with a power unit from the GAZ-13 "Chaika" (automatic transmission, 8-cylinder engine with a capacity of 160, and later 195 hp). This car was intended for law enforcement agencies (in particular, the KGB) and was produced in the amount of 608 copies.
In 1965, the "Volga" of the third "release" underwent the last modernization. The heater was improved, the body design was slightly changed. At the same time, the letter "M" disappeared from the model index (that is, "Molotovets", until 1957 GAZ was called the Gorky Automobile Plant named after Molotov). The main modifications of the Volga began to be designated as follows:
GAZ-21 is the basic version.
GAZ-21S - export modification with improved finishing and equipment. 85 hp engine
GAZ-21US is a model with an improved finish for the domestic market and partly for export. Engine 75 HP
GAZ-21T is a modification for a taxi.
GAZ-21TS is an export version of the taxi (supplied to many countries of the world, including Finland, the German Democratic Republic).
In 1968, the first small batch of cars of the new GAZ-24 model was produced (using bypass technology). Until 1970, both models were produced in parallel. On July 15, 1970, the production of GAZ-21 of all modifications was discontinued.

Design features - disadvantages and advantages

The number of modifications of the GAZ-21 car is extremely large. In fact, under the general name "Volga" GAZ produced similar externally and basic characteristics different cars... For example, the GAZ-23, built on the GAZ-13 "Chaika" units, had high-speed characteristics that are typical of modern passenger cars. And the GAZ-M21 of the first prototypes differed little in terms of the same speed characteristics from the serial GAZ-M20 Pobeda.

In the design of the "Volga" of all "issues" there were many features archaic even for those years. In particular, telescopic shock absorbers (instead of lever ones) came to the Volga with a great delay. The automatic gearbox never caught on (Soviet automakers were never able to master its mass production). The hydraulic brakes and steering were not equipped with amplifiers, the control of a heavy machine required physical effort from the driver. A central parking brake (a drum brake, similar in design to a wheel brake, was installed on the gearbox shank and acted through cardan shaft on the driving rear axle) was ineffective and unreliable. When trying to emergency stop the car with the parking brake, the latter broke down. Until 1960, the Volga was equipped with a centralized lubrication system, driven by a special pedal. This solution was used on foreign (German) cars of the 30-40s. Finally, the three-speed manual gearbox had a synchronizer for only two top gears, which was a completely outdated solution for the second half of the 60s.
However, there were also real discoveries. The designers of Volga managed to create a car that attracts attention with its impeccable design even forty years after the production of the car stopped. The high strength of the body - due to the precise calculation of the load-bearing elements - gave rise to numerous myths about the "thick metal" from which the body parts of the car were allegedly stamped (in fact, the metal was used the same as in the foreign automotive industry).
The Volga was distinguished by its high resistance to corrosion - due to the special treatment of the body with "phosphating". The quality of body painting of cars of the first and second "releases" is such that some of them do not require repainting to this day. Separately, mention should be made of the ZMZ-21 engine, produced in huge amount modifications. He found application on Soviet minibuses, installed on boats, and exported abroad. A modification of this engine - UMZ-451MI - was installed on all-terrain vehicles UAZ-469, which were in service with the Soviet Army.
High quality of manufacture of GAZ-21, especially the second and the beginning of the third "releases" (there are very few cars of the first "release" left), high degree unification of parts with GAZ and UAZ vehicles, an impeccable reputation of a reliable car led to the fact that the market for cars of this brand exists today. Cars are restored, maintained in working order, resold and find new owners. True, only a relatively small part of GAZ-21 owners use these cars for daily driving. These are mainly exhibits from private collections or cars for occasional trips and walks.

The magazine "Behind the wheel" about GAZ-21

New in the car "Volga"