Year of release of Victory GAZ 20. "Pobeda GAZ M20" - the legendary car of the Soviet period. Gearbox and rear axle

(English) Russian : aluminum Cycle (number of measures): 4 The order of the cylinders: 1-2-4-3

mechanical 3-speed
Manufacturer:	GAS
Model:	with shafts from M-1 (until 1951)
Type of:	mechanical
Number of steps:	3-speed
Gear ratios:
1st gear:	2,820
2nd gear:	1,604
3rd gear:	1.00
Reverse gear:	3,383
Synchronizers:	no ("easy engagement clutch")
Switching:	with a lever in the floor

mechanical 3-speed
Manufacturer:	GAS
Model:	with sync. (since 1951), similar to the checkpoint GAZ-21 and ZiM
Type of:	mechanical
Number of steps:	3-speed
Gear ratios:
1st gear:	3,115
2nd gear:	1,772
3rd gear:	1.00
Reverse gear:	3,738
Synchronizers:	in II-III gears
Switching:	steering wheel

Specifications

Mass-dimensional

Dynamic

Acceleration to 100 km / h:

46 s

The silhouette of the car is carved on the tombstone of its designer - Andrei Alexandrovich Lipgart (1898-1980).

Development of

Background

After World War II, GAZ temporarily resumed production of the pre-war passenger model - GAZ-11-73, which was a modernized version of the outdated GAZ-M-1, the design of which, in turn, went back to the 1934 Ford B car. This car as a whole is outdated: the greatest complaints were caused by an uneconomical engine, a gearbox without synchronizers, a mechanical brake drive, outdated appearance, mediocre ride and lack of trunk.

Initial period

The Gorky Automobile Plant received the government assignment for the design of a new passenger car in February 1943, but it is believed that by that time the plant had already drawn up a promising type of post-war lineup, including - and "cars" of the middle class.

Moreover, from the point of view of design and layout, "Pobeda" was several years ahead of many foreign analogues of the first post-war years, the construction and design of which date back to pre-war models. In addition to the original "wingless" shape, its body was also small, for those times, in height - accordingly, the mass distribution changed significantly, the height of the center of gravity, the roof line, the belt line (correspondingly, the glass area increased), the floor line and the level of the seat cushions decreased ... At the same time, the engine was moved forward, into the space above the independent front suspension beam, which also made it possible to make the hood and the car as a whole lower. For 1946 (the beginning of production of "Pobeda"), this layout can be described as advanced. It made it possible to more rationally arrange passengers in the body, improve the stability and controllability of the car by lowering the center of gravity, significantly reduce the aerodynamic air resistance due to a decrease in the midsection area of ​​the body, reduce shaking in the cabin when driving on low-quality roads by reducing the height of the seat cushions relative to the road. ...

Most foreign firms came to similar solutions on mass models later, say, the English Standard - in the 1948 model year; in the USA - Kaiser in 1947 model year (production began in 1946 calendar, almost simultaneously with "Pobeda"), Hudson and Packard - in 1948 model year, Nash, Ford and Chevrolet in 1949. Moreover, this transition was assessed in those years as revolutionary and was accompanied by an active advertising campaign.

Thus, taking advantage of the experience of foreign manufacturers at the initial stage of work on the car, the Gorky designers subsequently managed to create not only an original, but also an advanced design for its time.

Technical features

For the car, two engine options were provided - six- and four-cylinder. The first was a modification of the GAZ-11 engine, which, in turn, was a licensed analogue of the American Dodge D5 engine, the production license of which was acquired by the plant back in 1937. The working volume was 2.7 liters (for the GAZ-11 - 3.485 liters), the power was 62 hp. The four-cylinder engine was made on the same design basis, but was shortened by two cylinders and had a reduced to 2,112 liters. working volume. Its power was 50 hp.

The four-cylinder engine was more economical and had a greater degree of unification with the GAZ-11, which was subsequently used on GAZ trucks, therefore it was he who was preferred.

The three-speed gearbox was originally based on the GAZ-M-1 gearbox and did not have synchronizers (their functions were partially performed by the so-called "easy engagement clutches"). The lever was located floor. In the early 1950s, a ZiM gearbox with a steering column lever and synchronizers in II and III gears was introduced.

The front suspension was made on the basis of the Opel Capiten unit, the changes relative to the original were not too numerous and were expressed mainly in strengthening and technological simplification of the design. Upper arm dampers, threaded bushings and some other suspension parts are interchangeable, while the design of the pivot assembly varies greatly.

The rear suspension was made according to the traditional scheme for those years (type Hotchkiss) - with longitudinal springs and a rigid axle beam, in contrast to the archaic rear axle with a jet tube (Torque tube) resting against the bronze ball on the gearbox and through it transmitting to power unit longitudinal forces from the rear axle, typical for "Emka" and the first post-war "Fords" (up to 1948 inclusive). The shock absorbers, as in the front, were hydraulic lever.

The wheels were unusually wide for those years and had stamped discs without holes, fastened with five nuts on studs with a bolt pattern of 5 × 5 1/2 ", that is, 5 × 139.7 mm (the American system, which goes back to the first GAZ cars) ...

The brake system for the first time in domestic practice on a mass model was made hydraulic. No servos or contour separators were provided. The brakes were drum brakes, with one hydraulic cylinder in each brake drum acting on both brake pads at once.

The wiring system was 12-volt, while in those years, many cars still used the more capricious 6-volt wiring. The range of electrical equipment has significantly expanded in comparison with previous GAZ models.

For the first time on domestic cars of this class was provided as a standard equipment interior heater (starting with the second production series), coupled with a windshield blower. The fan in the heater supplied air only to the windshield, while it flowed into the cabin by gravity, which significantly reduced the heating efficiency.

With the same engine power as the four-cylinder GAZ-M-1 - 50 hp, "Pobeda" developed the same maximum speed as the six-cylinder, 76-horsepower GAZ-11, but with uniform movement it consumed only 10 liters fuel per 100 kilometers - against 15 l / 100 km for the GAZ-11 and 13 l / 100 km for the M-1, which was achieved due to the more aerodynamic body shape and its reduced frontal area. The car was much more comfortable than its predecessor, thanks to more than three times softer spring independent suspension at the front and an advanced passenger compartment, located in the zone of greatest comfort - low between the axles. The low center of gravity and independent suspension at the front, combined with the near-ideal weight distribution of the vehicle along the axles (51% rear, 49% front) also significantly improved handling. A more rational arrangement of passengers and cargo made it possible to increase the volume of the cabin from 2.84 to 3.38 cubic meters. m, despite the reduction in overall width and height compared to the "emka", as well as - for the first time to introduce a trunk, albeit not a very large volume - most of it was occupied by a spare wheel and a driver's tool.

Running prototypes

Prototypes of "Victory" were built in 1944-1945 under the designation GAZ-25. They had a number of significant differences from the serial cars that followed them: they had a "three-story" radiator grill with two moldings of the first "floor", which went under the sidelights, which themselves had a more complex shape; the front fenders were made up of two parts - the fender itself and the spacer between it and the front door; the wheels were used from the GAZ-M-1.

On a wooden full-size model, the rear doors were hung on the rear hinges and opened forward, as in the later GAZ-12 ZiM. On later built prototypes, the doors were hung on the front hinges, and their trailing edges began to cover the front of the rear wheel arches. The chrome molding on the sidewall, which was on some demo models, was also dropped.

In 1945, after a long test run together with domestic and foreign counterparts (mainly, the same "Opel" - see fig. on right) prototypes of "Victory" were demonstrated in Moscow to the top party leadership.

For mass production, a cheaper and more economical four-cylinder version was chosen, and the designation of the model was finally fixed as - "Pobeda" M-20. It should be noted that later the six-cylinder car based on the M-20 still went into a small series under the designation M-20G / M-26, but its engine was different - 90-horsepower from the GAZ-12 "ZiM", increased in comparison with prototypes "Victory" working volume - 3.5 liters.

Putting into production

The first cars of the Pobeda brand rolled off the assembly line on June 28, 1946. But these cars were "raw", had many design and technological flaws and were produced in many respects using a bypass technology. In 1946, only 23 cars were assembled, mass production began in the spring of 1947. In April 1947, Stalin was shown a production car. In the photo, dated February 1948, the thousandth "Victory" rolls off the assembly line (already with a 2-storey grille, but with headlight rims in the body color, and not in chrome, as in the 2nd series). In just 1 series, until August (according to other sources, October) of 1948, they managed to assemble 1,700 vehicles that had flaws. After a short-term cessation of production, designers and technologists managed to correct most of the shortcomings found.

From 1948-1949, the modernized "Victory" began to roll off the assembly line, and from November 1, 1949, production was carried out in new, modernly equipped buildings, which sharply increased the scale of production (it is usually believed that production, after stopping in October 1948, resumed in November 1949 , but in the "Report on state tests" dated January 1949, it is stated that "Pobeda" has been produced with a heater since November 1, 1948, and the decree on improving its quality is mentioned with the date August, not October 1948; in print in June 1949, it is also said about the complete set with a heater, and the end of the 1st series dates back to August 1948; in August 1949, 10 new "Victories" were used to test the atomic bomb, then the new machine was handed over to Academician Khariton; the instruction for "Victory" in 1951 indicates that new springs have been installed since October 1948, and a new thermostat since October 1949; all this casts doubt on the generally accepted version of stopping p production from October 1948 to November 1, 1949; in addition, in 1949, 45 thousand passenger cars were produced, which does not add up to the whole year without taking into account the production of Pobeda, since by the beginning of 1950, only 10 thousand were produced by Muscovites (in 3 years), and only then production quickly grew significantly, and ZIS and GAZ-67 were produced less over the entire time; Most likely, by the end of 1948, production was resumed on the old conveyor, gradually introducing improvements - at the beginning of 1949 the updated car was shown in the Kremlin and the leader was told that the heater was "now installed on all cars", and in November 1949 the release was transferred to a new building on a new conveyor , as Pravda wrote about), and the machines produced before were returned to the plant to eliminate defects.

The engine was the weak point of "Victory" - reliable and durable, it was still frankly weak for such a rather heavy car, as a result, the dynamics of the GAZ-M-20 left much to be desired even by the standards of those years. This choice of engine was associated with the difficult situation with fuel in a country that had just survived the war.

Body and its equipment

The body of "Victory" is a load-bearing, all-metal, type "sedan" or "convertible". Consists of a frame, amplifiers and hinged panels. Body material - steel grade 08 with a thickness of 0.8 to 2.0 mm. A short spar frame (subframe) carrying the front suspension is bolted to the front of the body, steering and the power unit.

An advantageous difference between the car both from previous Soviet and many foreign models was a trunk separate from the passenger compartment, access to which was carried out from the outside through a lifting lid. True, it was intended mainly for storing a spare wheel and driver's tool, and only a relatively small upper shelf was allocated for the luggage itself.

Additional equipment included two sun visors, two ashtrays, a cigarette lighter, a ceiling lamp with automatic switching on, an engine compartment lamp, a portable lamp, a trunk lamp with automatic switching on, a rearview mirror, and a two-tone sound signal. Starting from the second series, they began to install a heater with a windshield defroster, and on the third series, a regular radio receiver with an antenna located above the windshield appeared.

The very first "Victories" did not have direction indicators, and the rear lights of all "Victories" differed from the usual ones: there were two parking lights with direction indicators on the wings of the car, and the only brake light was installed on the trunk lid. This "Pobeda" differed both from the bulk of Soviet cars of those years (GAZ-AA, ZIS-5, Moskvich-400, etc.), which had only one left lamp, and from the ZIS-110, equipped with two full-fledged rear lights. The rear lights layout similar to "Pobeda" is used on the ZIM car.

Modernization projects

At the time of the start of production, "Pobeda" was distinguished by a modern design and advanced design, however, by the beginning of the fifties, the low functionality of its body became clear (the ceiling height above the rear seat was excessively lowered, the almost complete absence of a backward view, a modest trunk volume, a nasty aerodynamic effect associated with the emergence lifting force when driving at high speed, as well as a strong susceptibility to crosswind drift - because of this on cars " general purpose"The fastback body did not take root anywhere in the world), and by the mid-1950s the aggregate part (first of all, the low-valve engine) no longer corresponded to the world level, since on advanced American and many European models from 1952-54 years, overhead valve engines, hypoid rear axles, bent glass, etc. began to be installed regularly.

"Victory-NAMI"

The car was produced until 1973 with major upgrades, in particular, later releases acquired an engine with valves and bodies moved upward: a sedan (with a protruding trunk), a station wagon and a pickup. Since 1956, cars have been assembled only from Polish components.

A total of 254,472 cars were produced - slightly more than the original "Victories".

Several cars were also assembled in Pyongyang (North Korea), but they did not go into mass production there.

Export

Pobeda was one of the first Soviet passenger cars to be widely offered for export, along with the Moskvich-400. Prior to that, there were only isolated deliveries of trucks, mainly to regimes friendly to the USSR.

It was exported mainly to Finland, where taxi drivers loved it, the Scandinavian countries and Belgium, where many Soviet cars were always bought; Taxis in Finland as a mass phenomenon actually began with Victory - before that taxi companies were equipped with motley cars of pre-war models.

However, already in the fifties, "Pobeda" even reached England, where they were sold by Belgian dealers of GAZ, and the USA, where they were imported from Europe by private individuals, albeit mainly out of curiosity.

The Soviet car received quite favorable reviews in the West.

The British magazine Motor for 1952, according to the results of a test drive (http://gaz20.spb.ru, translated by Artem Alekseenko), characterizes Pobeda, which was just beginning to be sold in Belgium, as an "interesting car", notes high cross-country ability , good comfort, decent workmanship, but scolds high noise and poor dynamics.

The magazine "Cars" (USA) for 1953 in a review article (http://gaz20.spb.ru, translated by Artem Alekseenko), dedicated to Soviet cars, calls "Victory" "A beautiful looking car of modern design", "copying some of the best features of American cars", notes that the machine "Very well made", "comes close to a typical American light car like a Ford or a Chevrolet", but "Heavy and not powerful enough".

In 1957, the American journal "Science and mechanics" also conducted a test drive (http://gaz20.spb.ru, translated by Artyom Alekseenko) dark gray "Victory" 1956, notes the outdated design and design, weak engine and rough manufacture with a lot of manual labor, but praises "Victory" for thoughtful design details (radiator shutters, tuning needle in the carburetor, tow hooks, tool kit, and so on), high quality chrome plating and fitting of parts.

Sport

A number of sports modifications were created on the basis of Pobeda. They had boosted engines in one way or another.

The most perfect options were those created at GAZ itself - they had not only an increased compression ratio, but also intake valves moved upward, as well as a Roots-type drive supercharger, which gave a very significant increase in power - more than twice.

The body of the car was also often modified. For example, some examples had two doors and a lowered roof (what is now called "chop-top").

The GAZ version, sometimes referred to as the GAZ-Torpedo, also had aluminum fairings on the front and rear overhangs, which gave the car a teardrop shape.

In 1951, GAZ under the leadership of A. A. Smolin, on the basis of Pobeda bodies and units, built three Pobeda-Sport (GAZ-20-SG1) sports and racing cars for ring competitions. Their body height was reduced by 160 mm, and fairings were made from duralumin at the front and rear, 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 105 hp rotary superchargers. The maximum speed of such vehicles increased to 167 km / h. Due to technical malfunctions, the machines failed to show brilliant results in 1951, and already in 1952 the use of superchargers was banned. They also introduced a restriction on the use of fairings, 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 ​​the sports "Victory", 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 1955 USSR championship in the Pobeda-Sport cars M. Metelev took the first place, and V. Mosolov - the second. The following year, the success was repeated.

It is curious that amateur athletes often cut the roof off "Victory", trying to reduce the weight of the car. In practice, this greatly worsened the initially good aerodynamics of this model, and did not lead to an increase in the maximum speed. The authors of other designs in order to improve aerodynamics put fairings made of transparent plastic on the hood of the car or used closed wheel arches.

Automobile sports not only attracted a wide range of fans and professional drivers - in extreme conditions of the competition, serial units were tested in a hard mode, and technical solutions found by athletes became the property of designers, subsequently finding implementation on serial models. For example, it was on the sports variants of "Pobeda" that the engine with the upper arrangement of the intake valves was worked out, which was supposed to stand on the "Pobeda" of the second generation (later it gave way to the more advanced overhead valve engine of model 21A, which was installed on most of the serial "Volga" GAZ 21).

Taxi service

Cars "Pobeda" began to be used in the taxi service in 1946 and quickly won the love of drivers for their unpretentiousness, high performance and driving performance and considerable comfort at that time.

In 1948, the leadership of the Moscow City Council decided on a unified painting of the "Victory" -taxi - a light top, a gray bottom, a gray checker belt along the sides of the body and a green "free" identification light. The first taxis with a green light left the gates of the 5th taxi company, which opened in Moscow on September 4, 1947.

In 1949, mass production was launched special version for a taxi - GAZ-M20A. 37,492 of them were produced. The cars of later releases were no longer a single light gray color, but a more varied one - beige, light green, etc.

Until 1956, the Moscow taxi company was equipped only with Pobeda and ZIS-110 vehicles (since 1956 - also Moskvich-402 and ZiM). The last Pobeda taxis in Moscow were decommissioned in 1962.

Operation today

GAZ-M20 "Victory" in the cinema

This section is missing references to information sources.

There is hardly a Russian who would 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 the popularity of "Victory" was not an easy one. Not only was the task for its development issued in the midst of the Great Patriotic War, in 1943, but also the deadlines were fantastically tight. Already by the November holidays of 1944, the Gorky Automobile Plant managed to prepare a full-fledged running model of the 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, Andrey Alexandrovich 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 on the proposal of the Gorky residents, call new car he reacted with the name "Victory" 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 the design and launch of the machine in 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 height of the cabin was due to the unreasonably thick cushions of the sofas, and the absence of a heater affected the comfort of the "Victory" in winter. The resource of the car was limited by the body sagging in half and the springs quickly sinking down.
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 general production culture.

Emblem
When the Pobeda car was being created, domestic car factories did not yet have established emblems, so literally each model had its own original nameplates. On the pedestal of "Victory" the letter "M" towered, in which at the same time it was possible to discern 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. , 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, GAZ under the leadership of A. A. Smolin, on the basis of Pobeda bodies and units, built three Pobeda-Sport (GAZ-20-SG1) sports and racing cars for ring competitions. The height of the body was reduced by 160 mm, and the front and rear of the duralumin were made of duralumin, as a result of which each car weighed 260 kg lighter than the standard one. But most importantly, engines with a rotary supercharger and a power of 105 hp were installed on two of them. The maximum speed of such vehicles increased to 167 km / h. Due to technical malfunctions, the machines could not 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 ​​the 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 following year, the success was repeated.
"Pobeda-Sport" model of 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 the "Victory" practically did not protrude outward - now such a structure would be called injury-safe

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

In the "drawing" of the dashboard, light colors and strict lines prevailed.

Since 1950, the gear lever of the "Pobeda" was located on the steering column, 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 the interior of a middle class passenger car at that time

Modifications of the GAZ-M20V "Pobeda"

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 the 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 at auto repair factories 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, having made the rear part of the body from 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, on which, if necessary, two people could be accommodated.

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))

I slowly drove up to the store at the bus station unusual car, stopping with a characteristic soft creak of "Volgovskih" brakes. While the owner was buying something in the store, people who were waiting for their minibuses were looking at this unusual car with interest. The children were especially impressed. Still, now it is not every day you can see "Victory".

In the late 80s, during my childhood, "Pobeda" was still often met on the roads, not as often as the "twenty-first", but once a week it was definitely possible to meet it. Then there were fewer and fewer of them, and now, when the children ask what kind of car it is, not all of their young parents can give the correct answer. Forgotten "Victory", people of the older generation remember about it, or we, the people in the subject, carried away by oldtimers.

For its time, the GAZ M-20 was a technical breakthrough and a victory for the Soviet passenger car industry at the same time. The production of the car began in 1946, ready-made running samples were presented for review to the party leadership of the USSR in 1945, in fact, immediately after the victory of the country of the Soviets in the Great Patriotic War, and the main development was carried out since 1943, although initially the process of creating a new Soviet "car for everyone "Went away in pre-war times, at the end of the 30s. The chief designer who worked on the car was Andrey Aleksandrovich Lipgart, the legendary Soviet auto-designer, Doctor of Technical Sciences. The lead designer of the project was Alexander Kirillov. Such designers simply could not get a bad car.

According to one of the legends surrounding the car, it was originally planned to call it "Rodina". But when Stalin examined the pre-production samples, and asked about the name of the future car, having heard "Rodina", he asked - how much do you plan to sell "Rodina"? The creators of the machine, as they say, understood the "hint".

Wooden model of the 1944 model, note that the rear doors open against the course.

Wooden model of the 1944 model, note that the rear doors open against the course.

And the victory consisted in the fact that a modern passenger car by world standards began to be produced in the USSR just a year after the end of the catastrophic war, after which the country was completely ruined financially, and many cities, many industries barely began to rise from the ruins. Now it is difficult to even imagine the full scale of the work done by many people who created this car. The Party's task was accomplished.

The load-bearing body of the "pontoon" type, without protruding wings was just entering the automotive fashion even in the West, the aerodynamic performance of the Pobeda body remains at its best even today, and not all cars, even of the 80s, can boast of this. the front suspension was independent, on the levers, the spring was an elastic element, rear axle was suspended from springs. Inside the car there was a heater, although the device was necessary, but the predecessors of "Victory" were absent, and there were elements of the present at that time luxuriously - a radio receiver and a clock were installed regularly. Even by European standards, it was considered chic, available only in premium cars. For the first time on a Soviet car, standard direction indicators appeared, although the rules of those years, as well as low traffic, fully admitted the absence of direction indicators in the design of the car. They were turned on with a two-way toggle switch, and there were indicator lamps on the dashboard.

Under the hood of the "alligator" type there was a four-cylinder lower valve gasoline engine volume of 2.1 liters and a capacity of 52 hp, until 1952 - 50 hp. The gearbox was a mechanical three-stage with synchronizers at the second and third speeds, but the synchronizers were simple, single-cone, and therefore, when shifting to a lower gear, double squeezing with re-gasification was not at all superfluous, the gearbox resource was great. Fuel consumption was low for his age, 11-13 liters per 100 km, but acceleration to 100 km / h took forever - 45 seconds, and it was acceleration to almost the maximum speed of the car, which was 105 km / h.

Hydraulic single-circuit drum brakes were also an innovation on the Soviet passenger car, previous GAZ models were with a mechanical cable drive of the brakes. There was no vacuum brake booster on the car, and it was necessary to press the pedal with considerable effort, but the steering wheel, despite the absence of a hydraulic booster, rotated surprisingly easily. The steering wheel is huge by today's standards, but there was enough room in the cabin.

But visibility was the weak point of the car. A tiny salon rear-view mirror, through a tiny rear window, did not inform the driver much about anything, there were no side mirrors in the standard equipment, but the traffic was small then, now, of course, you can't go in a big city with heavy traffic.

At one time, there was a myth about the tinned bodies of the first editions of "Victories". It was a myth, "Pobeda" had neither tinned nor galvanized bodies, but there were cases when stamping defects at the plant were leveled with solder, and when, when repairing bodies, the craftsmen found places processed with solder, they gave rise to this myth. But at the same time, the good corrosion resistance of Pobeda bodies should be noted.

Many design solutions later migrated to the Volga GAZ-21.

During production "Pobeda" was modernized several times. The first series was produced from 1946 to 48 and had many complaints, which were corrected in the second series, which was produced from 1949 to 1954. The third series has undergone a kind of restyling - a new radiator lining has appeared, three chrome bars instead of five thin ones, popularly called "vest", the model of the radio has changed, it has become more economical.

From the second series, the production of a modification for a taxi began, and also from 1949 to 1953 a version with a folding soft top was produced, only about 14 thousand of such cars were produced, most of them were exported, and now they are the rarest collectible items.

The car was exported to Western Europe, Austria, Belgium, as well as Romania, Hungary, Finland, Bulgaria, and was in great demand there as an inexpensive, comfortable and reliable family car.

The majority of Soviet citizens could only dream of this car, even though it was on free sale, because it cost astronomical money at that time - 16 thousand rubles. The archaic "Moskvich" -401 was more affordable, with which the average Soviet family could collect the amount necessary for a purchase in two years. But even at such a high price, the demand for a car within the USSR was stable and often there were even queues. But at the same time, in the 50s, any resident of large cities of the USSR could afford to ride this car as a taxi passenger.

A lot of cars have survived to this day in different conditions, and in varying degrees of "grooviness". The car is popular with both restorers, collectors and customizers, becoming the basis for various deep tuning options. It also happens that some owners still use the car as the main one for their trips, collecting the admiring glances of others along the way.

The works of illustrator Pyotr Pereshivailov, artist Alexei Bychkov, as well as photos from archives and open sources were used as illustrations.

Serial production from 1946 to 1958. A total of 236,000 cars were produced.

New car project

The Gorky Automobile Plant received a directive to create a new passenger car at the beginning of 1943. The main design work was carried out in the department of the chief designer A.A. Lipgart. At that time, there was a practice of making tooling for the production cycle abroad, mainly in American firms. However, at some point, the chief designer took the initiative and instructed the design bureau to make his own, domestic development.

This is how a project to create a Soviet passenger car appeared, which was named "Pobeda GAZ M20". In a short time, the chassis was calculated, the mass and center of gravity were distributed. The engine was carried far ahead, it was above the front suspension beam. Due to this, the interior became more spacious, it became possible to rationally distribute passenger seats.

As a result, the weight distribution came to an almost ideal ratio, with 49% for the front axle and 51% for the rear. The design continued, and after a while it turned out that the M20 Pobeda "possesses exceptional aerodynamic performance due to the shape of the body. The front end smoothly entered the flow of oncoming air, and the rear of the car did not even take part in aerodynamic tests, so low was the body's resistance to air masses in the area from the windshield to the rear bumper Special sensors recorded the number of units from 0.05 to 0.00.

Presentation

Several samples of cars with different characteristics were presented in the Kremlin to the country's top leadership in the summer of 1945. The four-cylinder version "Pobeda GAZ M20" was chosen for serial production. The first cars rolled off the assembly line in June 1946, but many shortcomings were noted. Mass production of Pobeda began in the spring of 1947.

The machine has been continuously improved during the production process. Finally, a fairly efficient heater was installed, combined with windshield blowing, in October 1948 the car received new parabolic springs and a thermostat. In 1950, a manual transmission from ZIM with a shift lever on the steering wheel was installed on Pobeda.

Modernization

The car has undergone a number of restyling. The result of the latter in 1955 was the unification of "Pobeda" with the army GAZ-69. The ultimate goal of this bizarre project was to create a Soviet all-terrain vehicle with a high level of comfort. The idea turned out to be unviable because the result was depressing. Except for a clumsy freak with huge wheels, they could not get anything.

Then, in 1955, a new modification of the third series with a 52 hp engine, a multi-ribbed radiator grille and a radio receiver appeared. The model was produced until 1958.

There were attempts to create an elegant convertible under the M-20B index; more than 140 of these cars were produced. It was not possible to establish mass production due to difficulties with the kinematics of the automatic extension of the canvas roof. For some reason, one side of the frame lagged behind the other, the roof structure did not open. Production had to be suspended.

At the end of the 50s, a small series "M-20D" with a forced 62 hp engine was launched at the Molotov automobile plant. These cars were intended for the KGB garage. At the same time, the assembly of Pobeda began with a 90-horsepower six-cylinder engine from ZIM for the MGB / KGB. Why these departments needed high-speed cars is still unclear, but nevertheless they received them.

Engine

• type - gasoline, carburetor;
• brand - M20;
• the volume of the cylinders is 2110 cubic meters. cm;
• configuration - four-cylinder, in-line;
• maximum torque - 2000-2200 rpm;
• power - 52 HP at 3600 rpm;
• cylinder diameter - 82 mm;
• compression ratio - 6.2;
• food - carburetor K-22E;
• cooling - liquid, forced circulation;
• gas distribution - cam camshaft;
• - gray cast iron;
• cylinder head material - aluminum;
• number of ticks - 4;
• maximum speed- 106 km / h;
• gasoline consumption - 11 liters;
• volume fuel tank- 55 liters.

Tuning "GAZ M20 Pobeda"

Since the "M20" is a car from the distant past and more than 60 years have passed since its production, the model is today an interesting object for transformation. Tuning "GAZ M20 Pobeda" promises to be a fascinating creative process.

"Victory" in miniature

Currently, the magazine "Pobeda GAZ M20" is being published, which offers an interesting Issue to Issue edition provides materials for assembling an exact copy of the legendary passenger car. The project is called "GAZ M20 Pobeda 1: 8". Anyone can take advantage of the offer and assemble an exact copy of the car on a scale of 1: 8. The model will turn out to be large in comparison with ordinary miniatures, but the identity with the original is almost one hundred percent. The headlights of the model shine due to the built-in diodes.

On February 2, 1943, 91,000 Germans who survived the encirclement of the Wehrmacht's 6th Army, led by Field Marshal Paulus, surrendered. The battle of Stalingrad, which broke the back of the Reich's military machine, was over. The outcome of the great war was a foregone conclusion. And the next day, February 3, a meeting was held at the People's Commissariat for Sredmash in Moscow, at which the chief designer of GAZ, Andrei Lipgart, reported on the progress of the development of new cars and outlined in detail all future models, including the passenger GAZ-25. Homeland - that was the working name of the car.

After Lipgart returned from Moscow, work on the GAZ-25 unfolded with renewed vigor. General layout the machines were instructed to draw a group led by Boris Kirsanov. Aleksandr Kirillov was appointed the leading body designer. Their work was supervised by the first deputy of Lipgart - A. Krieger (for the chassis and engine) and Yuri Sorochkin (for the body). The latter involved a talented graphic artist with a magnificent spatial imagination - Veniamin Samoilov, who later created the final version of the Victory drawing, to create the forms of the machine. According to his sketches, plaster models of the future car were made in a scale of 1: 5 (according to other sources - 1: 4), and according to the most successful model, a life-size mahogany model was made. Veniamin Samoilov rethought the body of the German "Opel Kapitan" and created a streamlined design without protruding wings with recessed headlights. The rear doors were hung, like an Opel, on rear racks... Alas, the author of the drawings never saw Victory - his life tragically ended shortly after the last sketch was ready. In the summer of 1943, Luftwaffe bombers intensively attacked the Gorky Automobile Plant, which then produced trucks and armored vehicles. In the course of 25 air attacks, about fifty production buildings were destroyed, 9 thousand meters of conveyor lines, 6 thousand units of technological equipment were put out of action.

The plant was on the verge of stopping, but the development of a new machine was not interrupted. At this time, the first drawings of a new car appeared. At that time, there was no serious bodybuilding school in the USSR. Not a single university in the country trained specialists in this area. For pre-war models, the bodywork was ordered, as a rule, from the Americans. This time we had to do everything ourselves. For the first time plaza drawings of the body surface were corrected by means of graphoplasty, and for the first time a full-size wooden master model of the mold was made. The name, by the way, was also the first time for a Soviet car; before that, new models received only a serial number or a digital combination. Not everything worked out the first time. Due to the fact that the master models (the tool by which the stamps are controlled) were mainly made of alder, they warped, and they had to retrain on eight large stamps. This delayed the adjustment of the stamps by two months.

A.A. Lipgart and body engineer Kirillov with Victory body models. After the production of the first machines, a rare optical effect was discovered: when looking at the front wing from certain angles, it seemed that the wing was concave. This effect was due to the fact that a large section of the wing had a constant curvature radius. For some reason, this was not noticeable on the models. For the first time faced with such an amazing optical illusion, the designers, for the first time, also used a special technique to eliminate it - surfasography (the development of adjacent spatial forms on a plane).

The metallurgists also let down: there was no rolled sheet with a width sufficient for stamping large-sized parts. And the plant workers did not have the technology for stamping complex surfaces. I had to stamp some body elements piece by piece, and then weld the fragments together. Strength was broken, appearance suffered. The seams had to be filled with solder and cleaned. Production became much more complicated, and the weight of the machine increased unnecessarily.

But work proceeded at an accelerated pace, and on November 6, 1944, the chief designer himself sat behind the wheel of a prototype and took it to testing. And very soon, three prototypes took part in the tests.

Victory design

The seemingly laconic design was actually very rich in terms of form: numerous curved surfaces and brilliantly executed transitions created a harmonious image together. The victory looked very dynamic and modern, and the strong tilt of the glasses only enhanced this effect. However, this type of body (fastback) was not used in the Soviet automotive industry anymore - more practical sedans were built in the USSR.

Wooden demonstration model of the Victory, summer 1944. The front end was distinguished by an abundance of chrome and thoughtful lines, and the tapering hood gave the car a swiftness. Each line felt the painstaking work of designers who sought to create a worthy Soviet car. The appearance of the car turned out to be heartfelt and deep in essence. When developing the design of Victory, much attention was paid to small, seemingly insignificant details - Victory could be considered for a long time and all the time to discover new and new elements.

The color scheme was also thought out, which consisted of soft pastel shades - a moderate brightness of the color corresponded to the image. On the first editions of Victories, the indentations of the chrome parts - which in itself was an indisputable tribute to the era - were filled with red enamel, which made the car seem even more spectacular.

Homeland Presentation

Technically, the car was full of novelties that made life easier for the driver: now the drivers of Victory did not have to wave their hands, warning of upcoming maneuvers, since the cars had electric direction indicators and brake lights.

As for the engine, for a long time there was no consensus on which engine to put on the car. The choice was between the 6-cylinder GAZ-11, the same analogue of the American Dodge D5, which the plant mastered before the war for the GAZ-11-73, and the 4-cylinder version of this engine. The production of "sixes" during the war was well-tuned - pairs of such engines were installed on light tanks and self-propelled guns. The inline-four was more compact and lighter, and also consumed less fuel. Without coming to a final opinion, they decided to leave the last word with Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin. Moreover, it was time to report to the leaders on the work done.

Prototype GAZ M-20 Pobeda 1945. On June 19, 1945, five days before the Victory Day parade, a presentation of the new car took place. Both samples were brought to the Kremlin: with a 62-horsepower "six", and with a new 4-cylinder engine. Here are some of them specifications:

• 4 cylinder - volume: 2.1 liters (50 hp / 3600 rpm), maximum speed: 105 km / h, weight: 1460 kg
• 6 cylinder - volume: 2.7 liters (62 hp / 3200 rpm), maximum speed: 120 km / h, weight: 1500 kg

Stalin was very skeptical about the car with the "six": it seemed to him that the car was reaching for the upper classes, destroying the accepted type. In addition, the situation with fuel in the post-war country was not entirely favorable. After a long study of both cars, Stalin said: "We must take a car with a four, the car is good." Although it was clear from everything that he did not like the car. But the people liked her. Initially, the car was planned to be called "Rodina". "Victory" was a reserve title. They asked Stalin for good. "And how much is the Motherland worth?" the leader asked, squinting. And the car was named "Victory".

First batches, hand-assembled

So, on August 26, 1945, the State Defense Committee issued a decree "On the restoration and development of the automotive industry", prescribing to begin the serial production of Victory from June 28, 1946. But the implementation of this resolution was fraught with great difficulties. Even such seemingly trivial tasks as the production of steel for the wheel rim, side and locking rings, front and rear brake pads and special springs for Victory "Minchermet" took "under special supervision." The Minister of the Rubber Industry of the USSR, Comrade Mitrokhin, reported to Malenkov about the difficult situation with the fulfillment of the task of the party and the government to manufacture the winning machine - the drawings of the parts were delayed for several months. In April 1946, the Ministry of the Electronics Industry got nervous. The secretary of the Gorky regional committee, Rodionov, in a letter addressed to the Ministry of Electroprom of the USSR, set the task of producing, as he put it, "optical elements of the headlight" for Victory. With the same success Rodionov, judging by the panicky letter of the Deputy Minister, Comrade. Zubovich, in the name of Malenkov, he could have ordered the manufacture of the first satellite of the Earth. Zubovich tried to explain to PB member Malenkov that "the process and production of headlamps are patented in the United States." The production of this miracle technology was unknown to the Soviet industry 60 years ago. The ministry "raised a question" with the government about the import of relevant equipment from overseas, but the Ministry of Foreign Trade did not "itch". And there were many such examples ...

Nevertheless, in strict accordance with the decree, on June 28, 1946 (although according to other sources - already on June 21), the Gorky Automobile Plant started producing cars. But the GAZ M-20 Pobedy was made almost by hand using a bypass technology. Not surprisingly, only 23 copies were made by the end of the year.

In addition, the design was constantly improved and modernized. The appearance of the car changed: in the spring of 1947, the three-story radiator lining gave way to a two-story one, in which the lower chrome moldings did not go under parking lights... The side lights themselves took on a simplified form, without a round extension in the middle. On front bumper a crossbar appeared between the fangs. On the casing under the hood there is a flap for accessing signals. Finally introduced new solid wheel disks... An early version of the dashboard with a belt speedometer, modeled on the American Chevrolet, has undergone a restyling - when it was launched into a series, the design was simplified and refined. They decided to install the speedometer in a familiar, round shape - there was a place for a possible installation of a radio receiver. The rims of the headlights were chrome plated, which gave completeness to the design of the front of the car.

On April 28, 1947, the Kremlin leaders were no longer shown an experimental, but a serial model - they reported about the launch of mass production.

But reporting is one thing, and making cars is another. More or less dies were adjusted, but metallurgists were unable to supply rolled products of the required sheet width. And the metal that was available was below any criticism. So, in July 1948, the metal from Zaporizhstal for stamping the body parts of Victory came with a defect of up to 62%! They got out of the situation by half measures: at some stage, they even imported metal from Belgium, but more often they simply selected suitable sheets from Zaporozhye rolled products, welded them together, and only after that they were sent for stamping. As has been the custom since the pre-production samples, to correct surface defects that arose when using this technology, solder was fused to the seams and dents. And although lead-tin solder took 15–20 kg for one machine, together with the rest of the deviations from the technology, all this gave a weight gain of 200 kg.

The rush to launch the best post-war car produced predictable results. Two years later, in October 1948, after the release of 1,700 (according to other sources - 600) cars, the car was discontinued by Stalin's instructions, and all Victory already produced (according to some sources) were returned to the plant for revision.

The fact is that most of the cars produced went to Soviet institutions to fairly high-ranking officials who previously used ZiS-101 cars. This category of employees was supposed to be supplied with ZiS-110 limousines, which replaced the "101", but they were produced many times less than required, so a number of "responsible employees" had to be transplanted to Pobedy. They decidedly did not like the novelty: it was cramped, the dynamics were not the same, and then there was also a factory defect. In general, there were complaints, including to the very top. All this boomerang hit the plant and the person responsible for quality - the chief designer. The situation was paradoxical: the only one who opposed the hasty launch of the car into the series was Lipgart, they did not listen to him, and then he had to answer for what he fought so fiercely against ...

Completion and improvement of the design

One way or another, but the experience of operating the first batch of cars was taken into account, and the plant began to bring the car to the design parameters.

It was necessary to eliminate a number of shortcomings and defects: engine detonation, weak traction, rear axle noise, unreliable door handles, rattling glass, body leaks, weak springs, paint defects, "gluttony" and other unpleasant moments.

For the low quality of cars Pobeda Loskutov was dismissed from the post of director of GAZ. Awaiting punishment and Lipgart. But Andrei Alexandrovich that time got off with only a reprimand - he was taken under protection by the Minister of the Automotive Industry Akopov. The fact is that the GAZ designers began work on a new passenger model GAZ-12, and the first prototypes of the new GAZ-69 army jeep were being manufactured, and Lipgart's experience was urgently needed here.

GAZ M-20 Victory of the 2nd series was produced from 1949 to 1955. All the flaws found in the cars of the 1st series were eliminated. After the body was strengthened at Pobeda, parabolic sheets were introduced for the rear springs, the muffler was improved, the heater and body seals were used, the carburetor was modernized, the transmission was modified, all the "sores" basically disappeared.

As a result of the work carried out, 346 parts were improved or put into production, more than 2000 new tools were introduced. Emphasis was placed on high-performance equipment and tooling, which made it possible to establish in-line mass production of cars. All technological documentation was revised and republished. The stamps have been significantly reworked, reducing to a minimum the conjugation of stampings when assembling the body. And this is a very big job, since in total 199,457 stamps, devices and tools were used to make the Victory!

The stoppage of production made it possible to calmly and thoroughly carry out the test cycle and make the necessary adjustments to the design. Particular attention was paid to the bodywork. It was tested at a special stand at NAMI. The fatigue strength was also evaluated. An electric motor with an eccentric mounted on a shaft was attached to the body and subjected to prolonged exposure to vibrations. The victory passed this test too.

Assembly shop GAZ M-20, 1950.

Further, NAMI conducted extensive research on the dynamic properties of the machine. They also tested the patency. On tests, the car, which met all the technical conditions, showed very good characteristics.

Another, unplanned by GAZ engineers, a test of the car was carried out at seven o'clock in the morning on August 29, 1949, at the Semipalatinsk test site. There, in the remote Kazakh steppes, the first atomic bomb, RDS-1, was tested. On the experimental field, in a circle with a radius of 10 kilometers, structures were built, equipment was brought in, animals were attracted. It was supposed not only to prove the efficiency of the first Soviet atomic bomb, but also to study the damaging effect of the new weapon. At a distance of 1000 meters from the future epicenter and further, 10 brand new Pobeda cars were installed every 500 meters. On August 30, 1949, the day after the explosion, the test participants returned to the experimental field. A picture of total destruction spreads before their eyes. Among other things, all ten Victories burned down.

Ironically, the government awarded victories to the specialists who distinguished themselves in the creation of the bomb.

Assessing their work, the designers of GAZ stated: "We have managed to create a highly efficient car, the dynamics of which, of course, cannot be considered low, although, of course, it is not a record."

Mass production

As mentioned above, the production of the GAZ M-20 Pobeda was suspended in 1947, but design work continued. The fine-tuning of the car, which had not taken place properly two years earlier due to the all-pervading socialist competition, was now carried out with the utmost care.

Conveyor belt victories. On June 14, 1949, the cars of the Gorky Automobile Plant were again driven to the Kremlin. This time the main goal of the event was approval for the production of the ZiM car. Along with the ZiMs, three Victories were brought to the Kremlin: a serial sample of 1948, a modernized version that was being prepared for release, and a car with a convertible body. After seeing the Zims, Stalin and his retinue proceeded to Victory. Probably mindful of the numerous complaints, Stalin sat down on backseat, fidgeted on it, checked the comfort, softness of the pillows. He paid special attention to the distance from the head to the ceiling and, making sure that everything was normal, he said with satisfaction: "Now it is good." Approved by the chief and the exterior of the car. Then Akopov was asked whether the car was heated and blown in it or not. The minister replied that now a heater is installed on all cars, and there is no blowing in the cabin, since an improved door seal is used. Interested in Stalin and Pobeda with a convertible body. In general, the Gorky novelties were approved, and the modernized, or rather, the perfected version of the Victory went into series.

Later it turned out that for the creation of the Victory of Andrey Lipgart, the new director of the Molotov Gorky Automobile Plant - G.S. Khlamov, and another group of employees were awarded the Stalin Prize of the second degree.

Victory with a convertible body. A total of 14,222 units were produced. Car production resumed on November 1, 1949. Not long before this, the former workshop of the aircraft plant No. 466, which had previously manufactured aircraft motors (according to other sources, hydraulic drives), was transferred to GAZ. In this very bright and clean room, the assembly of machines was carried out not on conveyor belts, but on conductor conveyors and was distinguished by a high technological culture. The new production facility was perfectly equipped: 9 conveyors with a total length of 450 meters were installed. For the first time, workers did not have to mince along the conveyor - they moved at the same time.

The new workshop raised the production culture to an unprecedented level. I must say that Gorky residents generally mastered the Victory in the context of large-scale reconstruction and technological re-equipment. In the pre-war period, the plant used American-made body stamps, now they were created on their own and soon began to arrive at the car factories in Minsk and Kutaisi. For the first time, automatic grinding lines were introduced piston rings, block machining and welding wheel rims... The practice includes high-speed processing of metals, quenching with high-frequency currents, contact electric heating installations and electric welding.

Driver's seat GAZ M-20 Pobedy. The process of improving the machine did not stop. In 1950, the gearbox (from GAZ-12 ZiM) with synchronizers and a shift lever on the steering wheel replaced the previous one - with a floor lever and without synchronizers (from GAZ M1).

In 1952, the power of the 2.1-liter engine was increased from 50 to 52 hp. at 3600 rpm. The increase was achieved mainly due to the expansion of the channels in the gas supply line for the fuel mixture. With this engine, Pobeda accelerated to a maximum of 105 km / h and reached 100 km / h in 46 seconds. The curb weight of the vehicle was 1460 kg. With the improvement of the general production culture, the weight of the machine more or less stabilized in the area of ​​the design value.

Convertibles and taxis

With the opening of a new production facility, Pobeda had modifications: the GAZ M-20A taxi and the GAZ M-20B convertible. Pobeda became the first car to enter the taxi service en masse. Before that, only a small part of the ZiS-110 traveled through the streets of the largest cities. A ride on Pobeda-taxi has become relatively accessible to every working person. Cars intended for service as a taxi were distinguished by a two-color paint scheme and a complete set.

Also, the plant produced Pobedy with a cabriolet-type body. They differed from the base models with a reinforced body - abandoning the roof, the designers risked weakening the structure. In addition, for safety reasons in the event of a rollover of the car, it was decided to leave the sidewalls of the body - only the roof with the rear window was cut off. As a result, the mass did not increase much - only by 30 kg. True, due to the fabric roof, the aerodynamic resistance increased. As a result, the maximum speed dropped by 5 km / h, and the gas mileage increased by 0.5 l / 100 km. Convertibles went on sale and cost (an unprecedented case in world practice) even less than the base model. Sometimes cabriolets were produced, retrofitted to work in a taxi - these usually went to the southern regions of the country. The convertible modification existed on the assembly line until 1953.

GAZ-M20 Victory in Europe

As soon as Pobeda cars appeared on the roads of Europe, they started talking about it. In 1952, the English magazine Motor wrote: “This car is exclusively Russian. The strongest side of Pobeda is its ability to work reliably on any roads ... ... on Pobeda, one should not be afraid of fast driving on bad roads, even when the car is fully loaded. "

The victory was successfully exhibited at international exhibitions and fairs: for example, in the spring of 1950 in Poznan (Poland). And since 1951 in Poland at the FSO plant, the production of an exact copy of Victory under the Warszawa brand began.

In the early 1950s, the first Victories were exported, while the export cars did not differ much from those that went to the domestic market (except for the finishing). For example, specially at the request of Chinese comrades, they made cars with blue steering wheels and gray bodies - they say that in China this combination of colors is considered lucky.

Having received recognition in the USSR and the countries of the "Warsaw Pact", GAZ M-20 paved the way for the Soviet auto industry to the world market. The car was willingly 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 1956, the foreign trade association "Autoexport" was created to represent the Soviet automobile industry on the world market. If before the war, exports were limited to only a small number of trucks, then Victory made people start talking seriously about the successes and opportunities of the domestic automotive industry. 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 spoke flatteringly 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.

In general, it is safe to say that the Pobeda car was very successful and modern for the 1950s.

Upgraded GAZ M-20V

In 1955, when the third series replaced the Victory of the second series, they managed to produce about 160 thousand cars.

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

The engine power was once again increased - up to 55 hp. As a result of all the upgrades, the car was assigned a new index - M-20V.

GAZ M-20V Victory of the third (last) series was produced in 1955 - 1958. The motors of the 3rd series had an increased power up to 55 hp. The increase in the rate of production of cars was unthinkable without the technological improvement of the design. At GAZ, which in the same years was the leader in the annual production of cars, the labor intensity of its most massive model GAZ-51 was reduced by 1957 to 49% of the 1948 level. And according to Victory, the reduction in labor intensity was 45% of the 1948 level!

In addition, in 1955, with the development of virgin lands, they began to produce an all-wheel drive modification of the machine - GAZ M-72.

And from October 1956, a new legend was being prepared for release - the GAZ-21 "Volga". At first, it was even produced with an engine from Pobeda, but with increased power.

Essentially, Victory was the first massive Soviet car... Own car (or, as it was then cautiously expressed, "car for personal use") before the Victory was considered a government award. At the end of the 30s, a number of celebrities received cars: Leonid Utesov, composer Isaak Dunaevsky, Boris Babochkin, who played Chapaev in the film of the same name, composer Dmitry Pokrass, author of Budyonny's March and the increasingly frequent radio song If tomorrow is war.

So the first Victories were distributed on the direct orders of Molotov, the second person in the country, leader number two. At first, captured German vehicles were popular. In the name of Molotov, statements were poured from heroes and foremost workers, national and honored, prominent and main ... with long and monotonous lists of merits and regalia. Sometimes the requests were granted, more often not.

By the way, tall motorists quickly became disillusioned with the trophy second-hand, which was not adapted to Soviet conditions. Already in March 1946, the poet Alexander Zharov far-sightedly expresses his desire to have a car of domestic production to Molotov.

Since 1947, few people have been asking, as before, for a certain impersonal car. Most of the statements specifically indicate: Victory. They want to buy it: three times Hero of the Soviet Union Kozhedub (Molotov: "We must sell"); once a Hero, polar pilot Mazuruk (denied); the announcer of the All-Union radio - Levitan (decided positively) and many, many others.

With the beginning of the Khrushchev thaw, the number of people wishing to buy their own car began to grow rapidly. The car from an indispensable attribute of bureaucracy or a sign of belonging to the "top" began to turn into a means of transport. It was Victory that became the very first car that appeared on the free sale. Since the mid-1950s, GAZ M-20 Pobeda cars have always been in the halls of the Automobiles store on Bakuninskaya Street in Moscow. Well, soon there were already three brands available: Moskvich, Pobeda and ZiM. Moskvich-401 cost 9.000 rubles. (Moskvich convertible - 8.500 rubles), Victory - 16.000 (Victory convertible - 15.500 rubles), ZiM - 40.000 rubles.

The salary of a skilled worker or average engineer was then from five hundred to a thousand rubles a month. The representatives of the technical, creative or managerial elite lived much better at that time.

In total, before production ceased in 1958, 235,999 cars were produced, including 14,222 convertibles and 37,492 taxis.

For our automotive industry, Victory has become an epoch-making machine - thanks to it, the technological level of our factories began to catch up with the world. A school of domestic developers was formed. In addition, the GAZ M-20 became the first truly mass-produced Soviet car. The secret of Victory's success lies in the very principle of designing a car: not repeating mastered models, but creating a car that is ahead of the achieved level of technology.

Technical characteristics of GAZ M-20 Pobeda

Modification	GAZ M-20 (2 series)	GAZ M-20V (3 series)
Production years	1948 — 1955	1955 — 1958
Body type	4-door fastback	4-door fastback
Number of places	5	5
engine's type	petrol	petrol
Supply system	carburetor	carburetor
Number of cylinders	4 (in-line)	4 (in-line)
Working volume, l	2.120	2.120
Max. power, h.p. (rpm)	50 (3600)	52 (3600)
Torque, N * m (rpm)	123 (1800)	125 (2000)
Drive unit	rear	rear
Transmission	3-st. fur.	3-st. fur.
Front suspension	independent spring	independent spring
Rear suspension	dependent spring	dependent spring
Length, mm	4665	4665
Width, mm	1695	1695
Height, mm	1590	1640
Wheelbase, mm	2700	2700
Curb weight, kg	1485	1495
Full weight, kg	1835	1845
Max. speed, km / h	105	105