Volga gaz 20. "Pobeda GAZ M20" - the legendary car of the Soviet period

Before the war, our industry produced three basic models of passenger cars - ZIS-101, GAZ-M1 and KIM-10-50. They were not independent developments, but were only a creative rethinking of foreign samples. After the war, the situation could be repeated if from February 3 to 8, 1943, in Moscow, immediately after the Battle of Stalingrad, a meeting devoted to the post-war directions of the development of the domestic automotive industry had not been held. At the meeting, the chief designer of GAZ, Andrei Aleksandrovich Lipgart, presented for consideration the concept of the post-war development of the model range of his plant practically at the level of the technical task.

Everyone understood what was being created victory car, which after the war will symbolize a new peaceful life for millions of Soviet people, and tried to lay in it as much new and unusual as possible.

The future "Victory" began to take shape ...

The experts had great doubts about the correct choice of the pontoon body shape. The front part of the car became "dull", without a radiator grille protruding forward, protruding fenders and footrests completely disappeared. In addition, the body of the new car had a supporting structure. Previously, all the cars of the Gorky Automobile Plant were based on a frame to which the main units (motor, axles, steering, etc.) were attached, and the body was fixed on top of the frame. This design in the form of a puff cake was metal-intensive, heavy, with a high center of gravity and other disadvantages. It was possible to gain weight and reduce the height of the car by creating a supporting body and completely eliminating the concept of a frame - from now on, all the necessary units were attached directly to the body itself.

But the development of such a body is a large and complex work, which, without sufficient experience, cannot be carried out independently in a short time. Therefore, foreign cars were nevertheless involved as "carriers of ideas". The trophy was chosen as the model for the GAZ-M20 "Opel Captain" (Opel Kapitan) .

To save time, the "skeleton" of the body and the front suspension were copied from it practically unchanged. But outwardly, our car did not repeat the "Opel Captain" and was an independent development.

In late 1943 - early 1044, a full-size plywood sample was ready at the car factory. GAZ-M20, and by November 6, 1944 - a full-fledged running model of the car. Soon, three prototypes took part in the tests.

In the history of the domestic automotive industry "Victory" significant in that this is the first Soviet car with a monocoque body of a pontoon type and one of the first serial cars of this type in the world.

On GAZ-M20 "Victory" For the first time in the practice of the domestic automotive industry, electric direction indicators and brake lights, independent front wheel suspension, a hydraulic brake drive, a hinge of all doors on the front hinges, an alligator-type hood, a thermostat in the cooling system, two electric windshield wipers were serially used. For the first time on a Soviet car of this class, an interior heater with windshield blowing was provided as standard equipment.

All this makes it possible to judge "Victory" as a real victory for Russian engineering thought. And this victory was highly appreciated: in 1949, the creators of the machine were awarded the Stalin Prize.

"To the Black Sea"

A light and kind film, perceived today as a beautiful fairy tale with a slight touch of nostalgia. Young romantics Irina and Nikolai go by car to the Black Sea, celebrating their wedding on the way. On the way, they meet a female operator who asks to take her for spare parts. Alas, Nikolai stayed for a long time, and Irina at that time was in the car of her institute teacher Khokhlov. He, too, is in love with a girl and goes after the young. Nikolai sets off in search of his beloved: chases, explanations and reconciliation begin. Beige became an active participant in all the adventures. "Victory" GAZ-M20.

OUTSIDE AND INSIDE


Speedometer and watch are made equally large for purely aesthetic reasons	The dashboard is barely visible on the front panel, but at the same time is always in front of the driver's eyes	Floor-mounted gear lever typical of pre-1950 cars

		The symmetry of the dashboard design with respect to the longitudinal axis of the car was considered ideal on passenger cars of the 40s.


The only brake light and license plate light on Pobeda are combined into a block	A distinctive feature of cars produced before 1955 is a radiator grill with many horizontal moldings	Most of the trunk was occupied by a spare wheel and a driver's tool - for them, first of all, the trunk was intended, and not at all for luggage, as it is now


The rear window in the awning is installed more for the sake of form: it is almost impossible to see what is happening behind the car	The car canopy was folded manually, no additional drives were provided	When folded, the soft top was hidden under a special cover and looked very neat

		The interior of a car with a soft top is not particularly comfortable.


The supporting body of the convertible had to be additionally reinforced - most of all this is noticeable at the junction of the body sidewalls with the windshield frame	High voltage ignition coil with historically correct fabric braid	The two-tone color of the body is not typical for the serial "Victory"


The partial-flow oil filter is located in a separate metal reservoir	The time for transparent plastic tanks for the hydraulic system of the car has not yet come	The very in-line four-cylinder engine that literally saved the car on display in the Kremlin	Carburetor K-22A. A transparent window serves to control the level of gasoline in the chamber, but it can also be used to determine whether the fuel pump is working properly

PASSPORT DATA

The scheme of the car GAZ-M20 "Victory"

Technical characteristics of the GAZ-M20 "Victory"		Weight:
Number of places	5	equipped	1460 kg
Maximum speed	105 km / h	complete	1835 kg
Acceleration time to 100 km / h	46 sec	on the front axle	880 kg
Fuel consumption at a speed of 50-60 km / h	13.5 l / 100 km	on the rear axle	955 kg
Electrical equipment	12 V
Accumulator battery	6ST-50	Ground clearance:
Generator	G-20	under the front axle	210 mm
Relay-regulator	RR-20B	under the rear axle	200 mm
Starter	ST-9
Interrupter-distributor	P-23	Smallest turning radius:
Spark plug	M12	along the track of the front outer wheel	6,3 m
Tire size	6,00-16	on the most protruding part overall	6.8 m

Front suspension: independent, spring, with wishbones, double-acting hydraulic shock absorbers
Rear suspension: on longitudinal semi-elliptic springs, double-acting hydraulic shock absorbers
Steering gear: globoidal worm with double-ridged roller, gear ratio 18.2
Brakes: working - drum on all wheels, hydraulic drive
parking - drum on rear wheels, with a mechanical drive from a hand lever
Transmission: mechanical, three-stage
Clutch: single disc, dry
Gear ratios: before 1951: I - 2,820; II - 1.604; III - 1.00; reverse gear - 3.383
since 1951: I - 3.115; II - 1.772; III - 1.00; reverse - 3,738
Main gear: conical, before 1948 - 4.7; after - 5.125
Carburetor: K-22 (1946-1948); K-22A (from 1948)
Maximum power: 52 (50 HP until 1952) at 3600 rpm
Maximum torque: 12.5 kgf.m at 2000-2200 rpm

There is hardly a Russian who does not know the cars of the Pobeda brand and would not be able to recognize them among other cars. And this is not surprising, because it was "Pobeda" that became the first truly domestic car!

The vicissitudes of fate

The road to Victory's popularity was not easy. Not only was the task for its development issued in the midst of the Great Patriotic War, in 1943, but the deadlines were also fantastically tight. Already by the November holidays of 1944, the Gorky Automobile Plant managed to prepare a full-fledged running model of a new car.
The car turned out to be beautiful and original, which in itself was not an ordinary event, since all domestic pre-war cars, in fact, were copies of foreign ones, and many post-war designs had very specific foreign prototypes. The Gorky passenger car, which received the factory name GAZ-M20, was very much out of this row, which almost had a negative impact on its fate. On June 19, 1945, at the demonstration of promising models of domestic automotive equipment in the Kremlin, organized by the People's Commissar of the Automobile and Tractor Industry S.A. Akopov, Comrade Stalin reacted negatively to the novelty, believing that the country did not need a massive powerful six-cylinder passenger car. Only the report of the chief designer of the car, Andrei Aleksandrovich Lipgart, saved the day. He assured the leader that one of the presented samples had an economical four-cylinder engine. This message changed the attitude of I. V. Stalin to the new car, and he gave the go-ahead only for a car with a four-cylinder engine. And the Gorky residents' proposal to name the new car "Pobeda" reacted without enthusiasm, although he gave permission to do so. Soon the Resolution of the State Defense Committee "On the restoration and development of the automotive industry" was issued, providing for the start of production of a new car at GAZ in June 1946. The first industrial batch of "Victory" was assembled on time. But soon the rush in designing and putting the machine into production began to affect. The quality of the first "Victories" turned out to be unacceptably low, and in August 1948 their production was suspended.
The reasons for this were good: the cars accelerated poorly, moreover, in jerks, dust and water penetrated into the cabin. The low cabin height was due to the unreasonably thick sofa cushions, and the absence of a heater affected the Pobeda's comfort in winter. The resource of the car was limited by the body sagging in half and the springs quickly sinking.
After strengthening the body, installing new springs, changing the gear ratio of the main pair (from 4.7 to 5.125), improving the carburetor and clutch drive, adding a body heater to the design and eliminating many other shortcomings, the troubles ended. On November 1, 1948, the production of "Victories" was resumed, and in a new light workshop with a modern assembly line, which significantly increased the overall production culture.

Emblem
When the Pobeda car was being created, domestic car factories did not yet have established emblems, so literally every model had their own original nameplates. On the pedestal of "Victory" was the letter "M", in which at the same time it was possible to see a hint of a pronged wall of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin and a soaring seagull - the symbol of the Volga. The letter itself indicated the name "Molotovets" (from the beginning of the 30s to the end of the 50s, the plant bore the name of People's Commissar V.M. Molotov), \u200b\u200band the numbers 20 indicated the model, because the official name of the car was written as GAZ-M20 - "Molotovets , twentieth model ". The fill of the emblem, of course, was red - the color of the USSR banner.

Strokes for the portrait
Soon after the production of "Victory" in 1946, they started talking about its design flaws. On the instructions of the Ministry of Automotive Industry, the head research institute of the industry (NAMI) had to create an improved version of "Victory", leaving the mechanical part (engine, chassis) unchanged, but with a more comfortable and aesthetically perfect body, with improved visibility back. As a result, in 1948, NAMI built two improved Pobeda cars with a sedan body, differing in exterior trim. Experienced cars really looked "in a new way", although many technologically complex elements of the body (supporting frame, doors) remained the same.

Distant "relatives"

Motorsport
In 1951, under the leadership of A. A. Smolin, three sports-racing cars Pobeda-Sport (GAZ-20-SG1) for ring competitions were built on the basis of Pobeda bodies and units. Their body height was reduced by 160 mm, and the front and rear of duralumin were made from duralumin, as a result of which each car weighed 260 kg lighter than the standard one. But most importantly, two of them were equipped with engines with a rotary supercharger and a power of 105 hp. The maximum speed of such vehicles increased to 167 km / h. Due to technical malfunctions, the machines did not manage to show brilliant results in 1951, and already in 1952 the use of superchargers was banned. A restriction on the use of fairings was also introduced, which did not last long, and in 1954 Pobeda-Sport cars again went to the start, albeit without superchargers. But the riders did not manage to rise above the second place.
To reduce the weight and frontal area of \u200b\u200bthe sports "Victories", in 1955 they built new GAZ-20-SG1M cars with an open two-seater body, as a result of which their speed increased to 180 km / h. And already at the USSR championship in 1955, M. Metelev took first place in Pobeda-Sport cars, and V. Mosolov took second. The success was repeated the following year.
"Pobeda-Sport" model 1954 with an engine without a rotary supercharger. The racer M. Metelev took part in it.

Open car "Pobeda-Sport" at the USSR championship in Minsk, 1956.

Form and content

The abundance of chrome is a distinctive feature of passenger cars of the 50s - 60s.

In front of the windshield there is an air intake for interior ventilation.

On the front and rear side windows - pivoting vents and sliding windows

"Branded" chrome caps with the inscription "GAZ"

The hood of the "alligator" type - a novelty of that time on the Gorky cars

The spare wheel niche "ate" most of the trunk

The fuel filler cap did not swing to the side, but opened up

The door handles at "Victory" practically did not protrude outward - now such a design would be called injury-safe

The radio antenna above the windshield is a distinctive feature of the modernized Pobeda GAZ-M20V

The "drawing" of the dashboard was dominated by light colors and strict lines

The gear lever of the "Victory" has been located on the steering column since 1950, and earlier it was located below, on the motor tunnel

All pedals of the machine are floor mounted. On the left we see the red lever of the hand brake, and on the right, under the dashboard, - the foot button for turning on the starter

A three-band tube radio - an unimaginable standard equipment for a middle class passenger car at that time

Modifications of the GAZ-M20V "Victory"

The modernized passenger car GAZ-M20V "Pobeda" was mass-produced in 1955-1958 instead of the previous model GAZ-M20 "Pobeda" (1946-1955). A total of "Pobeda" two series produced 241,497 (according to other sources - 236,820) copies. GAZ-M20V "Victory at the Gorky Automobile Plant was produced with only one closed body type" sedan ", in contrast to the earlier version, which was also made with an open body convertible. In addition to the base model, the plant produced various modifications of it. The most famous are taxis and all-wheel drive (4x4) all-terrain vehicles, as well as small-scale production, mainly for service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the KGB, GAZ-M20D cars with forced engines and even GAZ-M20G - with a six-cylinder GAZ-12 engine.

GAZ-M20 sanitary
There were no factory versions of Pobeda ambulance vehicles - their alteration was usually arranged at the places of operation, for which special documentation was sent to various workshops and repair bases. But the alteration was not massive - the cramped body of the "Victory" was of little use for accommodating a retractable stretcher.

GAZ-M20V
A van with an all-metal body. These cars were converted in small numbers in auto repair plants from ordinary sedan cars that had served their time in a taxi or as a company car. Nobody demanded beauty from these cars, the main thing is that they could transport small consignments of cargo in their weatherproof body. They also did not differ in durability, so the age of Pobeda vans turned out to be extremely short-lived.

GAZ-M72 (1955-1958)
On the recommendation of NS Khrushchev, a four-wheel drive version of the "Victory" was created especially for the chairmen of collective farms and responsible workers in agriculture. Before him, nowhere in the world had an all-wheel drive car with a closed comfortable monocoque body been created.

GAZ-M20V pickup
At GAZ, GAZ-M20 trucks with a pickup body were not mass-produced, and the transformation of a sedan into a truck with a pick-up body usually took place during the repair of a passenger car. The car was equipped with a homemade covered top made of boards and dermantine.

GAZ-M20V cargo-passenger van
This unusual car was built at one of the motor depots of the USSR Ministry of Health for official needs, making the rear part of the body of wood. In the back, they made a flat floor and a large swing door at the back. And in place of the rear passenger sofa, there are seats that fold into the floor, which, if necessary, could accommodate two people.

All my story has come to an end!) Thank you all for your attention and patience!)

Next time I will tell you about GAZ-21 "Volga" See you))

Work on the creation of a fundamentally new passenger car began at the Gorky Automobile Plant during the war years. Supervised the design of the car, which was originally planned to be called GAZ-25 "Rodina", chief designer Andrey Alexandrovich Lipgart. It was assumed that the car would have two options: with a four-cylinder and six-cylinder engine, but in the end, it was decided to leave only the version with four cylinders, as simpler and more economical. In June 1945, the finished prototype was demonstrated to Joseph Stalin, at this demonstration the launch of the model into production was approved, and the name GAZ-M-20 Pobeda was assigned to it.

The official launch of the conveyor took place, as planned, in June 1946, but it was, in fact, piece production using a bypass technology. The development of the mass production of "Pobeda" went very slowly, largely due to the fact that the car was significantly different from everything that was produced by the Soviet auto industry until now. In 1946, 23 were made, in 1947 - 601, and in 1948 - 4549 cars. For some time in 1948, production was even suspended to finalize the design of the machine.

GAZ-M-20 Pobeda had a load-bearing body (the first among Soviet cars) of the fastback type with a sloping rear end. It was one of the first so-called "pontoon" type bodies in the world - without protruding fenders and steps. Under the hood of the car was a four-cylinder engine with a volume of 2.1 liters and a capacity of 50 liters. from. It was combined with a three-speed unsynchronized gearbox, which received second and third gear synchronizers in 1950.

The cost of the car was about 16,000 rubles, "Moskvich-400", for example, cost half the price.

In 1948, the production of the modernized "Pobeda" of the second series was launched. She had an improved suspension, and a heater appeared in the cabin.

In 1949, a cabriolet version with an opening fabric roof top appeared; it was 500 rubles cheaper than a closed car. At the same time, specifically for taxi companies, they began to make a modification of the GAZ-20A.

The car of the third series (GAZ-20V "Pobeda") entered the conveyor in 1955. This car could be recognized by a different design of the radiator grille. The modernized engine became a little more powerful (52 hp), and a radio was installed on the car.

The production of the GAZ-M-20 ended in 1958. A total of 241,497 cars were made, including the all-wheel drive GAZ-M72 (4677 cars) and a convertible (14222 cars). "Pobeda" was exported to Finland (where it was very popular with taxi drivers), other Scandinavian countries, Belgium, Great Britain. In 1951, a licensed version of the car under the Warszawa brand was produced in Poland.

It was not for nothing that the GAZ M20 passenger car was called "Victory" - it really was a victory in all respects. The Great Patriotic War was won, an opportunity arose to raise the country's industry to a high level. And the new car became a symbol of that era.

This is how one of the first models of the GAZ-20 Pobeda car looks like

The creation of a new car model proved that the industry of the Soviet Union has a huge potential and the country can produce products that are not inferior in their characteristics to those of well-known Western manufacturers. Considering that the production of the GAZ M 20 began almost immediately after the end of the war, then for our country such an event can be considered a great achievement.

The development of a new model of the GAZ passenger car began in the pre-war years. Then there were many design ideas - at the same time, a new project was being conceived, the development of the 6-cylinder GAZ 11 engine was in full swing. But the designers began to design a middle-class passenger car in 1943.

The first modification of the Victory

It was at this time that the basic units and assemblies were determined, the shapes of the future body were designated. The model had its own characteristic differences from the previous brand:

Lower floor level compared to its predecessor;
The location of the engine above the front suspension beam;
The presence of a hydraulic drive in the brake system;
Improved independent front suspension;
Higher efficiency motor;
Streamlined body with "licked" wings;
Improved interior design.

At first, the new model was considered in two versions, depending on the engine, each of which was assigned its own index:

With a 6-cylinder engine - M-25;
With a 4-cylinder engine - M-20.

It looks like the M-20 engine in the context

Almost immediately after the end of the war, "Victory" was subjected to long-term tests, and after their successful completion it was submitted for consideration to the highest party government.

The project received approval, and it was decided to launch a more economical version, the M-20 brand, into mass production. In the future, this name was stuck with the car.

In the development stage of the car, the name "Homeland" was also considered. But Stalin did not approve of this option. When it came to selling a car, it turned out that they were selling the Motherland. The production of the GAZ Pobeda car began at the end of June 1946. Despite successful tests, many different design flaws and imperfections were revealed in the car. Therefore, over the next six months, only 23 cars rolled off the assembly line, and mass assembly at the Gorky Automobile Plant began only in the spring of 1947.

The interior of the car "Pobeda" GAZ 20

Already in February 1948, GAZ assembled 1000 units of the new model, and by the beginning of autumn another 700 Pobeda vehicles had appeared.

Design features of "Victory"

The prototype of the GAZ M 20 is to some extent the Opel Kapitan, at least a lot of design solutions are taken from this car. But our own design solutions made Pobeda unique:

The front and rear fenders almost merged with the body, which was an innovation in those days;
The hinges of all four doors were attached to the front of the pillars and the doors opened in the direction of the car;
There were no decorative steps.

The chief designer of the GAZ "Pobeda" project was AA Lipgart. The design group included engineers: Krieger, Kirsanov and Kirillov. The first of the listed was the deputy chief designer, the second led the group. Kirsanov was engaged in the development of the body. The unique look of the car was created thanks to the artist Samoilov, but Samoilov never saw his project in the form of a real car - the artist died tragically in 1944. The very first sketches were created by the artist Brodsky in 1943.

For "Victory", the body and body elements for the first time became parts of their own, domestic production. Prior to that, other brands of cars received parts from foreign firms, in particular, they ordered production from American manufacturers.

Engine

Since the 6-cylinder GAZ 11 engine did not go into production, the 4-cylinder GAZ 20 became the main engine on the GAZ M20. The new power unit had the following differences from the GAZ 11 engine:

The compression ratio in the cylinders was only 5.6, but such a low figure made it possible to work on low-octane 66th gasoline. In the post-war years, there were problems with fuel in the country, and the use of such a brand of gasoline made it possible to somehow get out of the situation. But the engine thrust was weak, and the engine could hardly cope with its duties, even in a passenger car.

Gearbox and rear axle

The gearbox had three forward speeds and a reverse gear. There were no synchronizers in it, the gearshift lever had a floor arrangement. This box was borrowed from the GAZ M1 model. In the early 50s of the codes of the last century, the gearbox lever was moved to the steering column, and the gearbox was taken from the ZIM car. It already provided for synchronizers in second and third gear.

The rear axle was not borrowed from other car models; it was designed specifically for the GAZ M 20 brand.

It looks like a gearbox for Victory gas 20

The main gear had a pair of spiral-conical type. The inconvenience of the design is that in order to dismantle the axle shafts, it was necessary to completely disassemble the main gear housing.

Features of the body and interior

In the post-war years, the bodywork was considered to be made at a high level, which was repeatedly noted by foreign experts in the automotive business. The body had a thick layer of metal (1 to 2 mm). Thicker was the metal on the side members and in places where the body was reinforced. The body type was classified as a "convertible".

The salon had a modern layout for its time, it was attended by:

There were other useful little things, such as the lighting of the luggage compartment and the engine compartment, or the cigarette lighter in the salon console. In later versions of "Pobeda", the heating system provided for heated windshield, and even later the car was equipped with a standard radio.

Separate seats, which are in modern cars, were not on "Pobeda". In total, two sofas were installed in the car: front and rear. At that time, velor was not used, the seats were trimmed with high-quality woolen fabric. The front seat was adjustable and could move forward and backward. In taxi cars, sofas were upholstered with leatherette.

Front and rear suspension, braking system

The schematic diagram of the front suspension was later used on all Volga models. It was of the pivot type, independent, provided for the presence of threaded bushings. Some parts were borrowed from the Opel Kapitan model (shock absorbers, threaded bushings), but the pivot device had its own design. The hydraulic shock absorbers were of the lever type, that is, they simultaneously served as the upper suspension arms. The exact same design was present in the rear suspension, the rear axle was mounted on springs.

The GAZ M 20 brake system was considered the most advanced in the middle of the twentieth century, for the first time it became hydraulic for the entire time of the Soviet automotive industry.

But there was only one circuit in the system, there could be no question of any division. That is, if any of the 4 working cylinders began to leak, the brakes disappeared completely. In all Volga models with drum brakes, two working cylinders were installed per wheel.

Victory drum brakes design diagram

On "Victory" on both suspensions there was one cylinder, each cylinder spread two pads at the same time.

Electrical part

The electrical equipment of "Victory" was also distinguished by its modernity, it used the most advanced technologies of the post-war years. Of the features of the electrical part, it can be noted:

The instrument cluster in the cabin had all the necessary set of sensors that informed the driver about the state of the car and the speed of movement:

Speedometer;
Fuel level sensor;
Oil pressure sensor;
Water temperature indicator;
Ammeter;
Clock.

The panel also had two direction indicator lamps. The dashboard itself was made of steel and painted to match the body color, plastic trims adorned it and gave it elegance.

"Pobeda" is a Soviet passenger car mass-produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant in 1946-1958. The factory index of the model is M-20.
On June 28, 1946, the serial production of Pobeda cars began. In total, until May 31, 1958, 241,497 cars were produced, including 14,222 convertibles and 37,492 taxis.

GAZ M-20V

Major modifications:
M-20 "Victory" (1946-1955):
- the first series (1946-1948) and
- the second series (1948-1955) (from November 1, 1948 received a heater and blowing the windshield, to improve dynamic characteristics, the gear ratio of the main gear was changed from 4.7 to 5.125, from October 1948 new springs of parabolic section; from October 1949 a new thermostat; since 1950 new more reliable watches; since November 1, 1949 assembled on a new conveyor; since October 1950 received a new gearbox from ZIM with a lever on the steering wheel and at about the same time - a new water pump) - fastback sedan body, engine 4 -cyl., 50 HP pp., since 1955 - 52 p. from. (M-20), mass series (184,285 copies, incl. M-20V and about 160 thousand of all modifications up to M-20V).
M-20V (1955-1958) - modernized "Victory", "third series", 52 hp engine. pp., new design of the radiator lining, the jumper between the bumper fangs is excluded, a radio receiver as standard equipment, an antenna on a swivel base, a new design of the front axle beam, an upgraded K-22 E carburetor, a new air filter, a new steering wheel with a ring signal button, bright red color of instrument and clock scales changed to brown.
M-20A "Pobeda" (1949-1958) - fastback sedan body, 4-cyl. Engine, 52 hp. from. (M-20), modification for a taxi, mass series (37,492 copies).

"Victory" - convertible

(there is a version that this modification had its own index "M-20B") (1949-1953) - a sedan-cabriolet body (with rigid safety arcs) 4-cyl. engine, 52 hp. from. (GAZ-M-20), modification with an open top, mass production (14,222 copies).
Report by Ralph Morsa (Life magazine) from testing the Soviet car by the Americans.

During the last modernization in 1955, Pobeda received a new radiator grille, more attractive interior upholstery, a new steering wheel with a ring signal button, an A-8 radio receiver and a new emblem on the radiator grille.

Having quickly gained recognition at home, GAZ M-20 paved the way for the Soviet auto industry to the world market. The car was eagerly bought in the Scandinavian countries, in Belgium, in a number of Western European countries, where the first trade representatives of the Gorky brand appeared.
In post-war Europe, there was a shortage of relatively inexpensive, comfortable cars, and Victory quickly found a steady market in many countries.
Even Western specialized publications were flattering about Victory, amazed at the endurance of the car and found only two serious shortcomings in it: insufficient dynamics (payment for efficiency and adaptation to poor gasoline) and poor visibility back.

Assessing the Russian Victory, the American journal Science and Mechanics wrote in 1957:
Calm in potholes, in turns and when accelerating. Good on rough roads if you're not in a rush. Keeps perfectly on the road. For its size, it is very stable - apparently due to its weight and powerful springs.

And Auto Age magazine for 1953 reported that American engineers carefully examined the Victory and found the workmanship to be excellent in many respects. There are many signs of manual labor on the body parts. In some places you can see the traces of a file, but in general, the quality of the body is very good.

The British authoritative magazine The Motor, after conducting comprehensive tests of the Russian Victory, noted:
The design of "Pobeda" provides, first of all, reliability and the ability to drive long distances in a country where the roads are bad, and service points are few and far from each other.
The beauty of the lines and the high performance are sacrificed for practicality and utilitarian purposes. However, despite this, the fact that attention is paid to such details as the device of cigarette lighters, heaters and other internal amenities, indicates that such equipment is appreciated in Russia as well as everywhere.