| GAZ-21 | |
| Specifications: | |
| body | 4-door sedan (GAZ-22 modification - 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 |
| rear track | 1420 mm |
| ground clearance | 190 mm |
| trunk volume | 170 l |
| engine layout | front longitudinally |
| engine's type | carbureted, 4-cylinder, with an aluminum cylinder block and wet cast-iron sleeves, overhead valve |
| engine volume | 2432 cm3 |
| Power | 65/3800 hp at rpm |
| Torque | 167/2200 N*m at rpm |
| Valves per cylinder | 2 |
| KP | 3-speed with synchronizer 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" is a Soviet 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 output of GAZ-21 of all modifications is 638,798 copies (according to the serial number of the last car that rolled off the assembly line). Became the most successful car of domestic development for all the years of the existence of the USSR.
History of creation
The development of the car began in 1952. At first, work was carried out on two independent projects GAZ-M21 Zvezda and GAZ-M21 Volga. The first project was led by the artist John Williams, the second - by Lev Eremeev. In 1953, mock-ups of two machines 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 lead 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) - left the gates of the Gorky plant and went to state acceptance tests. Together with them, other domestic cars and foreign-made cars of the same class as the Volga were tested. All prototypes differed from each other in details, two of them were equipped with an automatic transmission, one with a manual one.
The vehicles have been tested in a wide variety of road conditions and have shown good results. The new car was more economical and more dynamic than the Pobeda, outperformed the outdated ZIM in terms of dynamics, and was ahead of foreign analogues in terms of reliability and cross-country ability. In addition, the Volga favorably differed from foreign-made cars with a 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 but the first prototypes were slightly upgraded, receiving 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, which can be called serial, left the factory gates. Five new machines joined prototypes 1,2 and 3 to take part in extensive testing at the end of 1956. These five production vehicles were equipped with engines from the GAZ-M20, boosted to 65 hp. for installation on the export version of the GAZ-69 jeep. Cars were equipped with manual transmissions. The final tests of the Volga took place in taxi companies under conditions of intensive use, which made it possible to quickly eliminate many of the “childhood diseases” of the new car.
Modifications of the GAZ-M21 within the "issues"
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 lower valve engine with a displacement of 2.42 liters (2420 cc), with a power of 65 hp. at 3800 rpm. Borrowed from Pobeda, this engine was boosted by increasing the working volume (cylinder bore) and compression ratio. In total, 1100 copies of the Volga were produced with such an engine.
GAZ-M21G - in addition to the forced engine from the GAZ-M20, Pobeda was equipped with a rear axle borrowed from the ZIM car with shortened axle shafts and their casings. A distinctive feature of all cars of the first "release" is the "plus" of the electrical equipment system brought to the body.
GAZ-M21B - a car with a boosted engine from Pobeda, a modification for a taxi with a simplified finish. GAZ-M21 - produced since 1957 with a new engine ZMZ-21 of the Zavolzhsky Motor Plant (specially built for the production of "Volgovsk" engines). The engine had a working volume of 2.445 liters and a power of 70 hp. The motor was an overhead valve, entirely aluminum (the main parts are the crankcase, cylinder block, pipes) and for its time it was distinguished by many progressive solutions. Also, a three-speed automatic transmission with a torque converter was installed on the modification under the M21 index.
GAZ-M21V - 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 forced up to 80 hp. engine and manual gearbox. The design is complemented by a belt chrome 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 "issue" of 1958-1959 is considered transitional. The changes were introduced gradually and concerned the design of the body, the increase in the wheel arches of the front fenders, the change in electrical wiring (“polarity reversal” in 1960, “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 - the base model.
GAZ-M21A - taxi.
GAZ-M21 - 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, released in a very limited series.
GAZ-M21U - luxury modification with improved finish, but with a conventional engine.
GAZ-M21K - export modification 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 grille of 37 chrome vertical plates. The deer figurine and molding disappeared from the hood (the deer was not always installed on cars of the second "release" - it was removed for security reasons). The number of chrome decorative parts has been reduced. Body lines have become smoother and more harmonious. The modification with automatic transmission was removed from the production line, the lever shock absorbers were replaced with telescopic shock absorbers, it was increased to 75 hp. engine power for the basic serial modification. The total volume of production of cars of the third "release" amounted to 470 thousand copies.
GAZ-M21L - the main serial sedan.
GAZ-M21L - export modification.
GAZ-M21U - modification "luxury", differed from the serial car with moldings on the wings.
GAZ-M21T - a modification of a taxi with separate front seats. The passenger front seat folded down to make room for cargo.
In 1962, on the basis of the GAZ-M21, the GAZ-M22 car with a station wagon was created and put on the conveyor. It was produced in various versions - as a "civilian" general purpose vehicle, as an "ambulance", an aircraft escort vehicle for airports, and so on.
At the same time, a small series of GAZ-23 cars was produced - a high-speed modification of the GAZ-M21 with a power unit from the GAZ-13 "Seagull" (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 index of models (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 - the basic version.
GAZ-21S - export modification with improved finish and equipment. 85 hp engine
GAZ-21US - a model with improved finish for the domestic market and partly for export. Engine 75 hp
GAZ-21T - modification for a taxi.
GAZ-21TS - an export version of a taxi (delivered to many countries of the world, including Finland, the GDR).
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 the 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 common name Volga, GAZ produced different cars that were similar in appearance and basic characteristics. For example, the GAZ-23, built on the GAZ-13 Chaika units, had high-speed characteristics that are characteristic of modern passenger cars. And the GAZ-M21 of the first experimental releases did not differ much in the same speed characteristics from the serial GAZ-M20 Pobedy.
In the design of the "Volga" of all "issues" there were many archaic features 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 took root (Soviet automakers were never able to master its mass production). The hydraulic brakes and steering were not equipped with amplifiers; driving a heavy machine required physical effort from the driver. The parking brake of the central type (drum brake, similar in design to the wheel brake, was installed on the gearbox shank and acted through the cardan shaft on the drive rear axle) was ineffective and unreliable. When trying to emergency stop the car with a parking brake, the latter broke. 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 30s and 40s. Finally, the three-speed manual gearbox had a synchronizer for only two higher gears, which was a completely outdated solution for the second half of the 60s.
However, there were also real discoveries. The Volga designers managed to create a car that attracts attention with its impeccable design forty years after the car was discontinued. The high strength of the body - due to the accurate calculation of power elements - gave rise to numerous myths about the "thick metal" from which car body parts were allegedly stamped (in fact, the metal was used the same as in foreign automotive industry).
"Volga" was distinguished by high resistance to corrosion - due to the special treatment of the body by "phosphating". The quality of painting the car bodies of the first and second "issues" is such that some of them do not require repainting to this day. Separately, the ZMZ-21 engine, which was produced in a huge number of modifications, should be mentioned. It found application on Soviet minibuses, was installed on boats, and was exported abroad. A modification of this engine - UMZ-451MI - was installed on UAZ-469 off-road vehicles, which were in service with the Soviet Army.
The high quality of manufacture of the GAZ-21, especially the second and the beginning of the third "issues" (there are very few cars of the first "release" left), the high degree of unification of parts with GAZ and UAZ vehicles, the impeccable reputation of a reliable car led to the fact that the market for cars of this brand exists and today. Cars are restored, maintained in working condition, resold and find new owners. True, only a relatively small part of GAZ-21 owners use these cars for daily driving. Basically, these are exhibits of private collections or cars for episodic trips and walks.
Magazine "Behind the wheel" about GAZ-21
New in the car "Volga"
And if the Victory was the beginning of the golden era of passenger gas cars, then the "twenty-first" became its true zenith. A pilot batch of the GAZ-21 Volga was produced in 1956, ten years after the launch of Pobeda. The very first Volga rolled off the assembly line in Gorky on October 10th. Exactly 60 years ago.
The Volga project grew out of the process of modernization of Pobeda. The start of the GAZ-20-M in serial production was not too smooth - 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 finalize the car, and part of this work was transferred to US. As we know, in the end, the GAZ workers “excellently” coped with finalizing the car 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 to the creators of a new car in the future.
In the photo: "Victory-NAMI" in 1948 by Y. Dolmatovsky and L. Terentyev
However, the first own attempt by the Gazites to create the second generation of Pobeda (that's right, the name "Volga" was not discussed at that time) turned out to be very cautious - the prototype that appeared in 1951 clearly resembled the ZIM (GAZ-12), only slightly reduced in size . However, we can only talk about the conservatism of this approach now, knowing what the real “replacement” of the Victory turned out to be. It is likely that that prototype could eventually become a successful production model - it was not only and not so much conservatism that ruined it.
The times were difficult. In 1951, due to a denunciation by one of the rank-and-file employees, Andrey Lipgart, the chief designer of GAZ, was removed 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 Sergeyevich Solovyov (the same one who, after almost twenty years, will head the engineering staff of VAZ and turn the FIAT-124 into) and project engineer Alexander Mikhailovich Nevzorov, will be able to form their vision of a 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 Pobeda 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 it was automatic transmission that was seen as the main option, while "mechanics" was assumed only on "services" and taxis. Suspension - energy-intensive and reliable, adapted to the country road and off-road. The car necessarily relied on a heater (as you know, the “stove” did not appear immediately at Pobeda), a radio receiver and pedals of a progressive design - suspended. All this together was supposed, in fact, to bring the car to a new class, to make it the most status among those sold in the USSR.
Not the last role in this was given 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 used in the development: two groups worked on the exterior at once - sculptor Lev Eremeev led the work in the Volga direction, and the English designer John Williams, who settled in the USSR back in 1936, was engaged in the alternative Zvezda project.
The Englishman got an elegant fastback with a futuristic "feathering" of the rear, characteristic of the second half of the 1950s, but in the end, Yeremeeva's sedan closer to reality won - sporting a swift silhouette and fashionable curved front and rear windows (panoramic, as they said then) - beautiful Volga.
Here one would recall the famous “cheap, reliable and practical” by Anatoly Papanov from the film “The Diamond Arm”, in which the Volga will play one of the roles - the practicality of the sedan body was proven even at the “Victory-NAMI” stage, and more modest compared to the Williams version Volga feed was really easier and cheaper to be introduced into mass production - however, the resulting car certainly could not be blamed for the lack of aesthetics. After all, Eremeev used the 1952 Ford Mainline as the main source of inspiration.
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One can endlessly argue about whether Eremeev completely "took" the American car as a basis, or only interpreted the sum of all progressive stylistic decisions of that time in a similar vein, but the connection between these two cars cannot be denied.
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Yes, the Volga is noticeably taller than the Ford (accordingly, the clearance also increased), and also shorter by more than 20 centimeters - and all because the Soviet car was destined not to “lay” along, but to conquer a washed-out country road and jump over boulders and hillocks.
But in general terms, it really clearly resembles a Ford. In other words, if Mainline was born in Russia, it would have turned out 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 Pobeda in everything and at the same time remain a strong Soviet car - led to some compromises in the design. The layout of the car was a typical sedan of the mid-1950s, however, according to the project, it had an advanced all-aluminum overhead valve engine with wet liners, a rear axle with a hypoid main gear and semi-floating axle shafts, but at the same time, conservative kingpins in the front suspension and lever shock absorbers, which were practically a thing of the past.
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And something had to be abandoned after the start of serial production of the car. So, the central lubrication system was designed to simplify the work of the driver for maintenance - he simply pressed a separate pedal and lubrication was supplied to all critical connections in the front suspension and steering. True, in fact, oil pipelines often failed, and in later configurations, the usual grease fittings appeared, and the drivers returned to “syringing”.
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A similar story happened with the "automatic": the assembly of the Soviet engineers turned out to be excellent (structurally based on the Ford-O-Matic from the same Mainline), but too demanding on the quality of the oil. As a result, the production of "automatic" Volga was curtailed without releasing even thousands of copies.
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But also the “mechanical” Volga, with a hydraulic clutch, which 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 a roomy trunk, spectacular convex flourishes on the sidewalls and a grille shining with chrome, 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 “first series” cars should be considered fateful in a sense. They say that the Minister of Defense Georgy Zhukov at the state acceptance in the Kremlin rejected the too “predatory” mouth of the Volga prototype, and Yeremeev had to draw a new one literally overnight - he again pushed off from the solution implemented on Mainline, only entered 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-horsepower overhead valve "four" was mastered only by the middle of 1957 - for almost a year the new Volga came with the old one, boosted to 65 hp. With. Pobeda lower valve engine. According to the project, the cylinders of the new engine should have a hemispherical combustion chamber, and the valves should not be located in a row, but at an angle. Back in 1955, such a motor was built, tested and ... subjected to a total rework, because it turned out to be gluttonous and weak on the "bottom". As a result, the spherical combustion chamber was replaced with a wedge-shaped one and the camshaft gear drive was returned. Thanks to the aluminum block, the engine has become significantly lighter and more productive 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 conventional and export modifications: on early samples, the power was, respectively, 70 and 80 hp. s., on later ones - 75 and 85 liters. With. Yes, and the car itself went through a kind of three stages of modernization - the cars of the first, second and third series are known. Technically, the car did not change much, although “on business”, but the most noticeable changes were associated with a slight correction of the appearance and interior. It is worth noting that the engine was forced without a clear reference to the release of these series.
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The first series, cars that had the same star on the 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, which received the nickname "shark mouth" because of the 16 vertical slots, which serve as an indirect reference to the variant once rejected by Zhukov. Finally, the third series was produced from 1962 to 1970 - it lost an elegant deer figurine on the hood (it was traumatic in an accident with a pedestrian, threw too much water on the windshield in the rain, and besides, it was of great interest to thieves) and acquired a radiator a lattice with frequent slots, nicknamed for this by the people "whalebone". The third is the most massive GAZ-21 series, it was released in the amount of about 470,000 copies. In total, almost 640,000 GAZ-21 Volga cars were produced in 14 years.
However, this car has never been "popular". In the first year of production, it was possible to buy a Volga for 17,400 rubles (at prices before the monetary reform of 1961), and in subsequent years, the price ranged from 5,100 for an ordinary Volga of the first series to 6,455 rubles for an export version of the 1965 model. Not everyone could afford such a purchase. Moreover, the collected amount 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 intended, from the very beginning became a very status car. Over time, a bohemian, elitist image was completely fixed behind her - although she was in a 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) romanticized the Volga even more, making it almost an object of worship. 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.
This is enough to understand that we are talking about "a car - a tank", "a car - a big sofa", a symbol of an entire era ...
The creation of the Volga began in November 1953, when the lead designer of the project, Alexander Mikhailovich Nevzorov, drew the first line on the paper. The design of the car was developed by Lev Eremeev. And already in 1954, the construction of prototypes began. They were equipped with an experimental overhead valve engine with a hemispherical combustion chamber and a camshaft chain drive (it proved to be not so hot as it did not go into mass production). Two transmissions were developed for the new car - automatic and manual. Both were three-tiered.
A.M. Nevzorov (1925-2005)
Tires 6.70-15. A chrome-plated deer soared from the hood of the car. A wide molding went from it in the center of the hood to the windshield. Radiator cover with 10 vertical holes. The rear lights included parking lights, brake and direction indicators - three in one red diffuser and a reversing lamp in a chrome-plated steel frame. Volga began to be equipped with a tri-band radio as standard equipment.
1955 On May 3, state tests of three samples of the Volga began - two with automatic transmission and one with a mechanical one. Part of the test was the Moscow-Crimea run and back. Immediately after the first tests, permission was obtained to issue drawings and prepare for production.
1957 staging" GAZ-21"on the conveyor. The Volga receives its own engine - an overhead valve, with a power of 70 hp (before that, there was a lower valve, bored out to 2432 cc, with a power of 65 hp from the GAZ-20 Pobeda"). For the first time in Volga In the domestic automotive industry, an automatic transmission was serially installed.But, due to the poor situation in the country with high-quality oils and highly qualified service, only 700 cars with "automatic" were produced.
In just two years of production of the 21st first generation, about 31,000 cars were produced.
Separate features of foreign analogues are reflected in " Volga”, especially in the design of individual body elements (for example, rotary door locks; nevertheless, the body’s supporting base itself was closest in design to the previous GAZ models - Pobeda and ZiM) and interior design (for example , the final version of the speedometer in the form of a transparent "hemisphere" appeared only after studying the Ford car - the early prototypes of the M-21 had several different options for a completely different design of the instrument panel, completely recessed into the dashboard), which allows us to conclude that they were carefully studied and lack of sufficient own experience in the design of modern cars.
Some of the foreign analogues studied at the plant in the relevant period or attracted for joint testing:
1954 Ford Mainline
(USA, 1952-54)
1953 Chevrolet Styleline DeLuxe
(USA, 1949-54)
A similar one was used in tests in conjunction with the M-21.
October 10, 1956. Release of the first three production samples " GAZ-21". They were equipped with a 65 hp Pobedov low-valve engine bored out to 2.432 liters. This car is known as" 21B ".
The design of the Volga, starting from the very first layouts and prototypes, was also carried out by Lev Eremeev quite independently, and did not bear a direct resemblance to specific foreign counterparts outside of unity within the framework of the style of those years (it must be borne in mind that the prototypes had design, in generally similar to the future "second" series, that is, "shark mouth".
At the same time, it should be noted that the Volga was created under the influence of (mainly) the American school of automotive engineering, and from the point of view of design it was the original Soviet interpretation of the so-called “aerostyle” coming from America, which was popular all over the world in those years.
1962 "Volga" becomes the car of the 60s. For this, there were enough cosmetic changes. The body itself remains the same. But its silhouette has lost the heaviness of previous modifications. The fangs are gone from the bumpers. The bumpers themselves have become more elegant. Now only their upper part was covered with chrome, and the lower part, the apron, was painted in body color. The front bumper has become wedge-shaped in plan. Instead of 16 wide holes, 36 narrow holes appeared in the radiator lining. The rear lights lost their steel casing, they, together with the reflector, were cast from plastic. A new license plate light on the trunk takes the form of a soaring seagull.
Cars produced from 1956 to November 1958 subsequently received the name “first series” (also, “first issue”, “with a star”). Quite a few cars “with a star” in their original form have survived to this day, but the bulk of the surviving cars have been partially redone into later modifications, which is the reason for the relatively high demand for the “first issue” in the Russian market of oldtimers.
The main feature of the interior of the first series is an all-metal instrument panel with a "low" lining of the receiver and a loudspeaker located on top, covered with a metal grill. Moreover, it remained so until the end of 1958, that is, even after the transition to type II series cladding.
21 Volga
Cars manufactured at the end of 1958 - the very beginning of 1959 are usually called "transitional", and the release of 1959-1962 is called the "second series" ("second issue"). At the end of 1958, the car was modernized, mainly externally. The shape of the front fenders has changed in favor of increasing the wheel arches, the design of the front end has generally begun to repeat the appearance of one of the prototypes of 1955 (the so-called “shark mouth”, with 16 slots in the radiator grille), respectively, due to a change in the radiator lining, a new hood lock has appeared . The interior and the mechanical part remained practically unchanged, although the gradual modernization did not stop.
The design of the rear part of the "second issue" (from non-original parts there are rear-view mirrors, "grounding" under the bumper, a rear window seal from the "Zhiguli").
By the 1962 model year, the car was redesigned again, this time more radically. The upgraded models received the general conditional name "third series". Quantitatively, they are the most common. The external design has completely changed - a new radiator grill has appeared, nicknamed the "whalebone", consisting of 37 vertical racks (subsequently, such a grille pattern was used on many other GAZ passenger models); bumper without "fangs" with horizontal division into two halves - the lower one is painted in body color; the figure of a deer and the molding disappeared from the hood (even in the later “second series” deer were rarely placed, more often a teardrop-shaped safety decorative detail, a “drop”). The general design idea of the Volga in 1962 is less chrome, more clean lines. Some style features echo the GAZ-13 Chaika car, while the "second series" was stylistically quite close to the Chaika's predecessor, the GAZ-M-12 ZiM. The prototypes of the 1962 model had other differences.
1965 At Mosfilm, Ryazanov is filming Beware of the Car. It is unlikely that now there would be an actor capable of stealing a car so beautifully. And the audience loved Yuri Detochkin, his trophies and waltz, to the beat of which the rushing along the highway swayed " Volga"colours" beige.
The Gorky plant carried out the last modernization of the 21st model. Spars were reinforced in the car, more efficient heater and windshield wipers were installed. The front wheel hubs began to be equipped with roller bearings instead of ball bearings.
The Volga restyling project was also prepared. This is what it could look like 21st Volga 4th generation.
4.9 / 5 ( 19 votes)
GAZ-21 "Volga" is a Soviet rear-wheel drive passenger car serving as a middle class sedan. The model was mass-produced at the automobile plant in the city of Gorky from 1956 to 1970. The prototype was the Ford Mainline. In order to conduct detailed studies of his automatic gearbox, the automobile 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 did not show its best side, so it was not allowed for serial production. The entire range of GAZ.
Car history
Already in the next year, 1955, or rather on May 3, they began to test 3 cars at the state level. Two of them were with an automatic transmission, and one was with a manual transmission. As a test, the cars were to participate in the run from Moscow to the Crimea and back. As soon as the first tests passed, the plant received permission to produce drawings, and began to prepare for the production of machines.
The appearance of the GAZ-21 car on the domestic automotive market was a real breakthrough. Outwardly, it looked a bit like an American car, because there were also “shark fins”. The sedan began to be used in various structures, including the KGB.
In October 1956, the debut 3 GAZ-21 production vehicles were released. They had the presence of a lower-valve power unit bored out to 2.432 liters, the power of which was 65 horses. This modification received the marking "21B".
And next year the car was put on the conveyor. This gave the car its own overhead valve type power unit, the power of which increased to 70 horsepower. Until today, the car looks luxurious, despite the past decades. Today on the road you can meet a lot of foreign cars, which is understandable, since it goes everywhere.
However, the car many years ago, which embodied power, grace, prosperity and elegance, has remained the same and still knows how to attract people's attention. Of course, it is worth recognizing that there are already a considerable number of cars, which are much more powerful, which are far ahead of this Soviet-made car in terms of technical component.
However, the very consumption of this car does not meet environmental and current standards for a long time, which are associated with the ubiquitous struggle for energy saving, however, almost every motorist, if he sees such a car on the street, simply cannot help but come up and “feel” the hood of the car, or stroke roof or racks. 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 look that fit perfectly with the fashion of past years, but also changed it for 14 years while this model was being 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 was in line with the fashion that it was in previous years. The body of the car itself did not receive a single straight line, most of the details are rounded and patterned. It is clearly visible in the photo.
GAZ-21 third series Uniformity between series reached 100%. There was an opportunity to change the decor, using only a file in the right places, so that the details and elements could fit. However, we are talking about the already familiar unchanging massive swollen wings and a hood that has a roundness and a small hump along.
Interestingly, just this modification received frontal glass washer nozzles. The side of the car looks a bit curvy, partly due to its puffy shape and sloping front and rear lines. Given all these points, the GAZ-21 can be called a fairly large car.
Making the car more expressive are huge stampings, which can be found on the doors installed at the rear and on the wings. On the one hand, it seems as if it is lightning, and if you look differently - the hind legs of a predatory cat. Massiveness adds the presence of ground clearance GAZ-21 - 1,900 mm. It gives the impression of a sort of off-road vehicle.
This can be achieved by using native wide-profile tires, where the width is much smaller. As mentioned above, the ground clearance is simply amazing. However, if you remember at what time this car was produced, then everything falls into place. Then there were not many roads themselves, to tell the truth, and it was necessary to pass where today many SUVs simply cannot pass.
Chrome will not spoil the Volga, because it is almost everywhere here, and from the factory. It can also be found in comfortable door handles for a standard grip and with a button. It can also be seen in small stripes at the bottom of the doors and along the edges of the windows. It’s just impossible not to mention the large saucers of wheel covers.
Provided from the factory and the presence of export chromium, which was put only on certain cars. There it was possible to meet the belt window sill line of the molding, the chrome drain, the windshield edging, the arrows on the wings and the name "Volga". Rear-view side mirrors are absent here, however, as in any series.
Among the distinguishing features of the 3rd series, one can also distinguish the drains - here they reach the beginning of the wing, which is not easy to find in the debut and 2nd series. In general, the 3-series turned out to be the fastest, thanks to its complex innovative external materials. At the rear, there is a large, prominent luggage compartment with a lid that extends to the top of the bumper.
Lanterns learned the vertical direction, and can be transferred to any previous modification. They were deprived of a heavy salary, only a thin rim around the edges, made of chrome, remained. The luggage compartment lid itself is not installed in a vertical position at a high height, which leads to a forced bending of the back during unloading and loading.
But this does not adversely affect the loading of luggage into a fairly stowable luggage compartment. We allocated a place for a spare tire on the right side, and tools can be installed between the wheel and the trunk wall, which then will be better fixed and will not drive all over the bottom.
As for the crooked starter and rack jack, their installation does not take up usable space, since there is room for them from the factory. The bird, which found its place on the lid of the luggage compartment, inside which was the button to open the same lid, changed along with other changes.
And yes, it’s worth recognizing that there are also fins here, which speaks of the American style, but it makes no sense to say that the Gorky Plant “stole” this idea, because at that time this stylistic decision could be found on many cars, such was fashion.
GAZ-21 first generation The design staff of the GAZ-21 was able to design a car that can attract attention with its original appearance, despite forty years of "experience". With the help of accurate calculations of power parts, it was possible to make high body strength.
Moreover, the Volga car was distinguished by increased resistance to corrosion with the help of a specialized “phosphating” body treatment. If we talk about the degree of the body painting of the car 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, it is simply not possible to remain silent about many of its features. Landing is carried out in the car without any problems, which is achieved in part by 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 people already know that this model of the plant received a single front seat, which, if necessary, lowers and moves towards 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 constrains 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 didn’t know anything about steering column adjustment. 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 wings. Seated passengers in front will be quite comfortable, because the legs can be placed where it will be convenient.
Speaking about the dashboard, it is necessary to talk only about the famous transparent hemisphere of the speed sensor with an arrow layout, which stands out against the general background. There are fuel gauges and an ammeter, and under them on the left side you can find the setting for air, light and stove flows. The lever for opening the front hood was placed on the floor.
The steering wheel is large and slim, there's a chrome high/low horn button, and a small medallion with an ornate animal. Taking it in your hands, you can’t say that it is uncomfortable, although it is not as comfortable as foreign cars. However, there were some drawbacks here - time passes, and they begin to turn yellow, crack and collapse. It’s not so convenient to work with them, but it’s a matter of habit.
To the left behind the "steering wheel" there are turn signals, which, of course, do not have automatic return, as well as a manual gearshift lever. They are not large, but it is quite convenient to work with them, you don’t have to reach out, everything is nearby, which undoubtedly pleases.
To the right are water and oil level sensors, an ignition lock and a suction. I was pleased that even in such a car there is an unusual thing for many - a plug. In addition, it is working, 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 bands. Today, there is no one to surprise with cruise control, but even in the USSR there was cruise control. The small, round lever between the ashtray and the tube radio is manual throttle.
After setting the speed, you need to pull the lever towards you and take your foot off the accelerator pedal - then the GAZ 21 Volga car continues to move on, you just need to steer. Massive clock, where there is a proud inscription: "Made in the USSR", shows the time, starting from that time.
To let them down, a mechanism was provided under the torpedo. The glove compartment in the Volga turned out to be small. The torpedo in the cars of the debut modifications was not upholstered on top, which is why the rays of the sun often glared on the windows, which forced the drivers themselves to paste over the surface with leatherette. Later, they began to cover the surface already from the conveyor.
The salon was so comfortable and spacious, and the sofa was soft, that you could even spend the night in the car without any discomfort.
The back row also has a huge space and a soft landing. There is enough free legroom, three passengers can sit comfortably without discomfort. Even the floor-mounted transmission tunnel wasn't that huge and didn't stand out too much in the cabin. In order to move around, as well as to make a convenient boarding and disembarking of passengers, handrails were provided attached to the front sofa.
Rear sofa As a comfort here, on the second row, you can find only an ashtray. However, such soft sofas and a large free space make it possible to use this car as a means for long-distance trips - there is no need for camping or tents, there is a comfortable sleeping place.
All you need is to lay out the front sofa and you can relax. The right B-pillar has a small interior light switch and compact coat hooks. The volume of the luggage compartment was 170 liters of usable space.
Specifications
power unit
This beauty was equipped with an in-line four-cylinder ZMZ 21 carburetor power unit, the volume of which is 2.5 liters. This allows you to develop a power of 75 horsepower. Among its features, the lower system can be distinguished - the camshaft was installed in the lower part of the block, and the valves operate through specialized rods.
It also has wet cast iron sleeves (and the block itself is made of aluminum) - it does not need to be bored. All that is needed is to replace the piston group along with the liners. The motor turned out to be quite reliable, it has a negative attitude towards high speeds, however, low speeds allow it to carry large loads, including a trailer.
The carburetor has the name K124, as well as a special window that allows you to find out the amount of fuel inside it. The engine has a considerable appetite. In front of the power unit, an element necessary for winter was installed - blinds. First, on a cold engine, they need to be closed, then you start it and wait until it warms up.
After, 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 at the level of 130 km / h.
Transmission
The developers have synchronized an unusual power unit along with a 3-speed manual gearbox with a switch mounted on the steering wheel. The box has its moments, such as the lack of a synchronizer for forward and reverse, therefore, a double clutch release was required.
700 cars were produced with an automatic transmission, but they could not take root due to poor maintenance and the fact that there was simply no right hypoid oil.
Suspension
Ahead, they decided to install an independent spring suspension. Until 1960, a centralized suspension lubrication system was used, but the latter was very complex and often stained on the road. Therefore, there is a need for frequent lubrication. Also in front you can see the anti-roll bar.
The third series made it possible to have telescopic shock absorbers on the sedan 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 deprived of amplifiers and obsolete kingpins were used. The steering column was not adjustable. There was a pendulum mechanism.
Brake system
The brake system is the presence of drum mechanisms, where there is no pedal booster. They did not forget about the parking brake, which was located on the gearbox, as in all previous cars.
It is logical that due to this the cardan transmission is blocked. It was not without a fly in the ointment, because when a sedan has one wheel on the pavement, and the second on a wet or slippery surface and uphill, it can go.
| Body | 4-door sedan (GAZ-22 modification - 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 |
| Rear track | 1420 mm |
| Ground clearance | 190 mm |
| Trunk volume | 170 l |
| Engine location | front longitudinally |
| engine's type | carbureted, 4-cylinder, with an aluminum cylinder block and wet cast-iron sleeves, overhead valve |
| Engine volume | 2432 cm3 |
| Power | 65/3800 l. With. at rpm |
| Torque | 167/2200 N*m at rpm |
| Valves per cylinder | 2 |
| checkpoint | 3-speed with 2nd and 3rd gear synchronizer |
| Front suspension | independent lever-spring |
| Rear suspension | dependent spring |
| Front brakes | drum |
| Rear brakes | drum |
| Fuel consumption | 9 l/100 km |
| Max speed | 120 km/h |
| type of drive | rear |
| Curb weight | 1460 kg |
| Acceleration 0-100 km/h | 34 sec. |
Pros and cons
Machine advantages
- High-quality body "Volga";
- High corrosion resistance with structural steel phosphating;
- High-quality painting;
- Low cost and ease of interchangeability of elements and parts;
- Pleasant appearance;
- Good aerodynamics of the car;
- Good engine;
- High ground clearance;
- A rather large volume of the luggage compartment;
- Spacious salon;
- Comfortable and soft sofa set in front and behind;
- There is a radio;
- Good dynamic characteristics;
- Soft suspension that allows you to swallow most of the bumps and pits;
- Rich story;
- The use of modern technologies in the creation of the suspension.
Cons of the car
- An outdated engine that has not undergone any changes;
- Most of the details in the design are simply outdated;
- Large mass of the car;
- The automatic transmission did not catch on;
- Lack of hydraulic boosters in the steering and brake system mechanisms;
- Unreliable parking brake;
- Unjustified centralized lubrication system;
- Unsuccessful design of the 3-speed manual gearbox;
- There are no seat belts;
- The steering column is not adjustable;
- Small adjustments to the front sofa.
Summing up
After getting acquainted with such a “work of art”, only pleasant memories remain. If it is capable of being liked today, it is hard to imagine what a stir it caused in 1957. The car had smooth rounded lines and outlines, a pleasant appearance and "shark fins" popular in those days.
GAZ-21 "Volga" - a five-seater passenger car of the middle class. It is a further development of the Pobeda car. The GAZ-21 "Volga" car was produced by the Gorky Automobile Plant from October 1956. Part of the "Volga" in 1957-1958. equipped with a hydromechanical transmission - for the first time in the history of our automotive industry. The plant produced several modifications of the Volga car: M-21 - a car with an overhead valve engine and an automatic transmission. M-21A - a taxi car with an overhead valve engine and a manual transmission. M-21V - a car with an overhead valve engine and a manual transmission (basic model)