S3A (es-tri-a) is a two-seater four-wheeled motorized car, serially produced by the Serpukhov Motorcycle Plant from 1958 to 1970. The history of the production of motorized carriages in the USSR began in 1952 with the release of the S3L three-wheeled motorized carriage by the Serpukhov Motorcycle Plant. Creation of such vehicle was dictated by the need to provide transport for disabled veterans of the Great Patriotic War, of whom there were about two million in the country.

Common features for all Soviet sidecars are their simplicity, which in some cases reaches primitivism, as well as extremely low cost in production. They were usually equipped with motorcycle engines located in the rear, pipe frames and a cloth awning instead of a roof. With the help of special controls, disabled people who had lost one or more limbs could ride motorized carriages. Motorized carriages did not go on free sale, but were distributed by the social security bodies of the USSR free of charge among the privileged categories of the population, while, after several years of operation, the motorized carriage could be exchanged for a new one.

In addition, with the modernization of sidecars, some hopes were associated with the creation of an inexpensive car accessible to the wide masses of the population. The fact is that all the cars produced in the USSR in the 50s and 60s were not affordable for the majority of the population, but there was a need for motorization, especially in rural areas. Therefore, they looked for alternative ways of providing citizens with cars, including with the help of improved motorized sidecars. Attempts have even been made to adapt a motorcycle engine to a racing car. So in 1970 on the basis of a two-stroke motorcycle engine the racing car "Estonia - 15M" was created, which reached maximum speed 150 km / h

It was for the implementation of the above tasks in serial production that the S3A motorized carriage, produced there from 1958 to 1970, was developed at the Serpukhov motorcycle plant. In 1962, the sidecar was modernized and its improved version, C3AM, went into production.

С3А became the first two-seater four-wheeled motorized car in the country. He replaced the three-wheeled S3L on the assembly line, while he received an independent front suspension of the "Porsche" type, including two transverse torsion bars with four trailing arms and a rack and pinion steering, tested on an experimental model of the car NAMI-031.

In total, 203,291 units of such sidecars were manufactured in the USSR over the years of production.

He won sympathy among the population of C3A thanks to Leonid Gaidai's film Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures, for his participation in the filming of which the motorized carriage received the nickname “Morgunovka” by the name of the actor Yevgeny Morgunov, whose character owned a copy of the Serpukhov motorized carriage.

As for the technical part, there were both positive aspects and some disadvantages. The main problem was that, chosen for the sake of the principle of economy, the scheme for creating a structure based on a motorcycle engine could not ensure the development of a full-fledged car intended for use on public roads on long journeys. At the same time, C3A was never able to combine the functions of a motorized wheelchair and a car.

So for a disabled motorized carriage, the C3A had a rather large weight - 425 kilograms, while it was very time consuming in production due to the all-metal body with a frame made of chrome-steel pipes. And for a car, it had a rather modest speed dynamics, 60 km / h. In addition, the stroller did not differ in good off-road capability due to the small size of the wheels, and also had a weak engine thrust. With the comfort for which the creation of the C3A was started, everything was far from the best: the cabin was noisy, the tent roof did not protect the driver and passenger from bad weather.

The positive qualities of this model of Soviet sidecars could be called the simplicity of the design and its high maintainability, and high consumption the fuel of the motorcycle engine, forced to drag too much weight, compensated low price for gasoline of that time.

"Morgunovka" successfully fulfilled its task of transporting disabled veterans of the Great Patriotic War. After it was removed from production, the motorized sidecar could still be seen on the roads of countries until the very end of the 70s. Today C3A is quite often found in the collections of retro car lovers. "Morgunovka" is a constant participant in many exhibitions, festivals and other thematic and anniversary events. Our exhibit is no exception; according to the customer's plan, it was destined to become a part of the exposition dedicated to the history of "YUID".

The Movement of Young Inspectors (YID) was founded on March 6, 1973. One of the effective forms of participation of children themselves in the work to ensure traffic safety is the activities of the YID detachments. It all started small: at first, only 10 such units were created on the territory of the Moscow Region. And at the regional traffic inspectorate, an organizing committee of the movement was formed from representatives of education, health care, the society of motorists, and the press. In 1974, the first meeting of the YID detachments took place. And since then, holding rallies of Young Traffic Inspectors has become a good tradition. YUID units began to be created everywhere: in schools, clubs, pioneer camps. At first, they included high school students. After reviewing the Rules road traffic, they became assistants to state traffic inspectors: they were on duty with them, carried out assignments, carried out constant preventive work. About 200 detachments of the YUID took part in the regional review in 1977. And in 1983, the tenth anniversary of the formation of this movement was solemnly celebrated by more than 600 units of the YUID. Before that, at the end of the academic year, YID qualifying competitions were held in the cities and districts of the Moscow region, the winners of which gathered in the city of Domodedovo near Moscow, in a children's park of culture and recreation, where one of the best auto towns in the region was specially built. Today it has been reconstructed and is successfully used for practical training of children in the basics of safe behavior on the roads. Since 1992, all regional schools have become participants in the All-Russian review of the YID detachments.

Over the long history, the “YID” movement has come a long way and had a significant impact on the prevention of child road traffic injuries. Therefore, the detachments "YID" have the greatest and widest prospects of work, and this children's movement the State Traffic Inspectorate, of course, will continue to comprehensively support and develop.

Everyone remembers the crowds of children who collected the motorized carriages of the Serpukhov plant every time they appeared in the yard. Until now, the appearance of this car on the road is invariably accompanied by kind smiles and good mood. Therefore, the choice was obvious. Unfortunately, despite the fact that more than two hundred thousand strollers were produced, several hundred copies have survived to this day, since the state provided the stroller to disabled people of the Great Patriotic War for use for a certain period, after which the veteran was entitled to a new vehicle, and the old one was subject to return and went under the press. But nevertheless, in the shortest possible time, specialists from the Smirnov Design Bureau found such a motorized carriage in Moscow and delivered to our workshop.

For more than half a century of its existence, the car has changed many owners, who made a large number of handicraft modifications and changes to the design, more than modern engine and a large number of later units. The original roof awning has been lost. Chrome parts and interior elements also needed refurbishment.

During the restoration process, all the shortcomings were eliminated and the car acquired its original authentic look. A slight deviation from the original was only the coloring of the motorized carriage, which received the service colors and symbols of the USSR traffic police and the corresponding special signals and equipment (a flashing blue beacon and two loudspeakers of that time). During the celebrations dedicated to the anniversary of the young assistants of the traffic police, according to the plan of our customer, a technical means should be used that attracts the attention of children and reminds them of the rules of the road. After restoration and revision, this car promotes the rules of safe driving. A modern reproducing cyclic recording device was introduced into the established police loud-speaking installation, which tells young viewers about the rules of safe behavior on the road, and commemorative emblems "YID" made with 999-carat gold sheet were applied on the door. Also, in order to attract additional attention and increase the showiness of the exhibit, some elements of the interior and body, originally painted in black at the factory, were chrome-plated.

Thus, the Smirnov Design Bureau contributed to the movement of young inspectors - assistants of the traffic police, creating a bright car that attracts attention and promotes safe traffic as part of measures to reduce child injuries on the roads. At the same time, we discovered a new direction of projects - the development of a corporate style of cars for both commercial organizations and government services and departments.

Specifications:

Length, mm - 2625;
Width, mm - 1316;
Height, mm - 1380;
Weight, kg - 425;
Maximum speed, km / h - 60;
Carrying capacity, kg - 180;
Engine - gasoline;
Engine displacement, cm 3 - 346;
Power, h.p. - eight;
Number of cylinders - 1;
Clearance, mm - 170;
Years of release - 1958-1970;
Circulation, copies - 203291;
Year of release - 1959.

1964 SMZ S-3A

C3A- a two-seater four-wheeled motorized car, serially produced by the Serpukhov Motorcycle Plant from 1958 to 1970 (since 1962, a modernized version of the C3AM was produced). The car used an Izh-49 motorcycle engine with a capacity of 8 hp.

С3А replaced the three-wheeled vehicle on the conveyor motorized carriage SMZ S-1L, being in fact its four-wheeled modification. The design of an independent front suspension of the "Porsche" type (two transverse torsion bars with four trailing arms) and rack and pinion steering were tested on the prototype NAMI-031, which featured a closed plastic body.

A total of 203,291 cars were manufactured.

Known for the film by Leonid Gaidai "Operation" Y "and other adventures of Shurik. After this film, the motorized car was given the "popular" nickname "Morgunovka" (in the film, the motorized car was driven by the character Experienced, played by the actor Yevgeny Morgunov).

In terms of design and performance, the C3A had both significant advantages and significant disadvantages.

The main problem was that, being in essence a kind of motorized wheelchair, not intended for long and long trips, in the conditions of a shortage of conventional cars, the C3A motorized carriage was also endowed with partial functionality of an ordinary two-seater microcar, suitable for normal operation on public roads. This forced unsuccessful compromise between a full-fledged small car and, in the words of Lev Shugurov, a "motorized prosthesis" led to the fact that C3A performed both functions equally mediocre.

On the one hand, for a “motorized wheelchair” C3A was quite heavy (425 kg in equipped form), time consuming and expensive to manufacture due to an all-metal body with a space frame made of chrome-steel pipes. On the other hand, by "automobile" standards, it had poor dynamics (maximum speed 60 km / h), insufficient cross-country ability due to small wheels and weak engine traction. The comfort and design of the open body also left much to be desired, and perhaps the only advantage of the two-stroke motorcycle motor used on the sidecar was the simplicity of the design; other indicators - power, fuel consumption (up to 5 l / 100 km), durability, noise - did not stand up to criticism.

At the same time, the general simplicity and maintainability of the structure partially atoned for its imperfection and low specifications, made the car unpretentious in operation, the extremely low price of gasoline in those years made it possible not to notice its relatively high consumption, and most importantly, for all its shortcomings, C3A still performed, although not ideally, the functions assigned to it, making life much easier people with disabilities.

SPECIFICATIONS

Number of places	2
Drive unit	rear
Length	2625 mm
Width	1316 mm
Height	1380 mm
Wheelbase	1650 mm
Ground clearance	170 mm
Turning radius
Curb weight	425 kg

Engine	1-cylinder (motorcycle two-stroke engine Izh-49)
Working volume	346 cm³
Power	8 h.p.
Fuel supply system	carburetor
Engine location	behind, longitudinal
Checkpoint	mechanical 4-speed
Maximum speed with full weight	60 km / h
Fuel tank capacity	12 l
Fuel consumption, l / 100km	4.5 ÷ 5.0 l
Fuel grade	A-66, A-72 (together with oil)
Battery capacity
Generator power
Brakes	only rear, drum, mechanical

MODIFICATIONS

SERIAL

C-3A- the basic version of a motorized carriage, produced from 1958 to 1962.
C-3AB- modification of the basic version, differed in rack-and-pinion steering and side glazing.
S3AM- a modernized version of the motorized carriage, produced from 1962 to 1970. The upgraded model differed from the base one by rubber hinges of the axle shafts, an improved muffler, hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers instead of frictional ones, and a number of other minor improvements.
S-3B- modification C3A, designed to control disabled people with one arm and one leg, was produced in 1959-1962 (according to other sources, in 1960-1961). A total of 7,819 copies of this modification were produced.

EXPERIMENTAL

C-4A(1959) - an experimental version with a hard roof, did not go into the series.
C-4B(1960) - prototype with a coupe body, did not go into production.
S-5A(1960) - a prototype with fiberglass body panels, did not go into the series.

SMZ-NAMI-086 "Sputnik"(1962) - a prototype of a microcar with a closed body, developed by the designers of NAMI, ZIL and AZLK.

Motorcycle car "Morgunovka"

S-3A (es-tri-a) is a two-seater four-wheeled motorized car, serially produced by the Serpukhov Motorcycle Plant from 1958 to 1970 (since 1962, a modernized version of the S3AM was produced). The car used an Izh-49 motorcycle engine with a capacity of 8 horsepower.

С3А replaced the three-wheeled motorized carriage SMZ S-1L on the conveyor, being in fact its four-wheeled modification. The design of an independent front suspension of the "Porsche" type (two transverse torsion bars with four trailing arms) and rack and pinion steering were tested on the prototype NAMI-031, which featured a closed plastic body.

A total of 203,291 cars were manufactured.

In terms of design and performance, the C3A had both significant advantages and significant disadvantages.

On the one hand, for a "motorized wheelchair" C3A was quite heavy (425 kg in equipped form), time consuming and expensive to manufacture due to an all-metal body with a space frame made of chrome-steel pipes. On the other hand, by "automobile" standards, it had poor dynamics (maximum speed 60 km / h), insufficient cross-country ability due to small wheels and weak engine traction.

The comfort and design of the open body also left much to be desired, and perhaps the only advantage of the two-stroke motorcycle motor used on the sidecar was the simplicity of the design; other indicators - power, fuel consumption (up to 5 l / 100 km), durability, noise - did not stand up to criticism.

At the same time, the general simplicity and maintainability of the structure partially atoned for its imperfection and low technical characteristics, made the car unpretentious in operation, the extremely low price of gasoline in those years made it possible not to notice its relatively high consumption, and most importantly - with all its shortcomings, C3A still performed, although not ideally, the functions assigned to it, greatly facilitating the life of people with disabilities.

Engine: C3-A (IZH-56).
Transmission: 4-speed manual transmission.
Length / width / height, mm: 2625/1316/1380.
Clearance, mm: 170.
Wheelbase (mm): 1650.
Front / rear track, mm: 1114/1050.
Weight, kg: 425.
Maximum speed, km / h: 60.

Strollers C3A distributed free of charge through social welfare agencies to disabled people. They were issued by social security for a certain time, after which the disabled person was obliged to hand over the motorized carriage to the social security and get a new one. In 1970, a new S3D motorized carriage appeared, and all disabled people began to be transplanted onto it. That is why strollers C3A extremely few have survived.

The history of this amazing project began in 2009, when, by chance, a car from the well-known movie "Operation Y and Other Adventures of Shurik", a two-seat runabout SeAZ C-3A, produced in 1960, fell into the hands of Dmitry from Kazakhstan.

“I didn’t choose it and didn’t look for it. One evening we were sitting with friends in a cafe and one friend boasted that he had driven this car from the village for one collector, and I bought it"- says Dmitry.

The car purchased in a deplorable state, immediately after the purchase, went to the garage, where it stood unassembled for 3 years. And only in 2012, the car began to take on a new life. Dmitry's main goal was not a simple restoration of the tiny SeAZ C-3A, but its transformation so that the car would delight people and cause their surprise.

“I was discouraged when I rode it around the city, because many people do not even know what kind of car it is, although the film, I think, was watched by everyone”- says the author of the project.

The famous motorized carriage has not undergone significant alterations. Everything on the chassis has been completely restored, but the 0.5-liter engine and mechanical box The gears have gone through a major overhaul process.

However, it was not possible to pass the reliability test by distance. “I haven’t traveled far by car, only within the city limits, because it doesn’t travel more than 55 km / h. I only drove him in a van to Astana for 300 km to a car audio competition "- says Dmitry.

Dmitry's plans were to install another engine. For this, an ATV was even purchased from China. But in the end it turned out that, apart from wheels, nothing was borrowed from Chinese technology.

As for the interior, the seats were altered and door cards were trimmed. Then SeAZ C-3A went to the auto sound workshop, from where he came with already installed acoustics: a subwoofer, amplifiers, podiums, speakers, a Pioneer DEH-80PRS radio tape recorder. The weak generator was later replaced with a more powerful one and a second battery was installed.

By the start of the summer season and the car audio competition, this project was completed. But this winter Dmitry will again take on the alteration of his car. Improvements in music await him: additional amplifiers and speakers.

“Every time I go to the city for a ride, everyone passing by honk and wave, some take out their phones and start taking pictures, many ask if I sell a car. Once we were in the parking lot with friends. A man drove up with his family on Toyota Camry and offered to change: key to key. I agreed to stump him, and he quickly changed his mind. And I was also surprised by a 13-year-old boy. He drove up to us on a bicycle and asked whose car it was. I replied that it was mine. He shook my hand and said that it was SMZ S-3A and asked to be photographed near the car to show the photo to his father. This is the only person who named the brand and model of the car "- says Dmitry.

When building this good-natured car, Dmitry did not have any difficulties: small car with simple device and the availability of spare parts is a dream of any autotuner.

The history of the production of motorized carriages in the USSR began in 1952 with the release of the S3L three-wheeled motorized carriage by the Serpukhov Motorcycle Plant. The creation of such a vehicle was dictated by the need to provide transport for the disabled of the Great Patriotic War, of whom there were about two million in the country, as well as low-income strata of the population.

Common features for all Soviet sidecars are their simplicity, which in some cases reaches primitivism, as well as extremely low cost in production. They were usually equipped with motorcycle engines located in the rear, pipe frames, and a cloth body. With the help of special controls, disabled people who did not have one or more limbs could ride motorized carriages. Motorized carriages usually did not go on free sale, but were distributed by the social security authorities of the USSR free of charge among the privileged categories of the population, while, after three years of operation, the motorized carriage could also be exchanged for a new one for free.

In addition, with the modernization of sidecars, some hopes were associated with the creation of an inexpensive car accessible to the wide masses of the population. The fact is that all the cars produced in the USSR in the 5060s were not affordable for the majority of the population, but there was a need for motorization, especially in rural areas. Therefore, they looked for alternative ways of providing citizens with cars, including with the help of improved motorized sidecars. Attempts were even made to adapt a motorcycle engine to a racing car, so in 1970 the Estonia-15M racing car was created on the basis of a two-stroke motorcycle engine, reaching a maximum speed of 150 km /.

It was for the implementation of the above tasks in mass production that the S3A (es-tri-a) motorized carriage, produced there from 1958 to 1970, was developed at the Serpukhov motorcycle plant. In 1962, the sidecar was modernized, and its improved version C3AM, based on the engine from the Izh-49 motorcycle with a capacity of 8 horsepower, went into production.

С3А became the first two-seater four-wheeled motorized car in the country. He replaced the three-wheeled S3L on the assembly line, and at the same time received an independent front suspension of the "Porsche" type, including two transverse torsion bars with four trailing arms, and rack and pinion steering, worked out on an experimental model of the NAMI-031 car.

In total, 203,291 units of such sidecars were manufactured in the USSR over the years of production.

As for the technical side, there were both positive aspects and very serious shortcomings. The main problem was that the scheme for creating a design based on a motorcycle engine, chosen for the sake of the principle of economy, could not ensure the development of a full-fledged automobile intended for use on public roads on long journeys. At the same time, C3A was never able to combine the functions of a motorized wheelchair and a car. As Lev Shugurov aptly noted, Serpukhov engineers have created a kind of “motorized prosthesis”.

A still from the famous film "Operation Y" and other adventures of Shurik. A gang of bandits, led by Morgunov, dissects at SMZ-S3A

So for a disabled motorized carriage, the C3A had too much weight - 425 kilograms, while it was very time consuming in production due to the all-metal body with a frame made of chrome-steel pipes. And for a car, it had too bad speed dynamics, only 60 km / h. In addition, the stroller was distinguished by poor cross-country ability due to the small size of the wheels, as well as weak engine thrust. With the comfort for which the creation of the C3A was started, everything was far from the best: the cabin was noisy, the tent roof did not protect the driver and passenger from bad weather, and the design could be called primitive.

The positive qualities of this model of Soviet sidecars could be called the simplicity of the design, and its high maintainability, and the high fuel consumption of a motorcycle engine forced to carry too much weight, was compensated by the low price of gasoline of that time.

In general, C3A successfully fulfilled its task of transporting disabled participants of the Great War. After removing it from production, the motorized sidecar could still be seen on the roads of countries until the very end of the 70s, and even now it is quite often found in the collections of retro car lovers.