History of the Pobeda M 20 car. "Pobeda GAZ M20" is a legendary car of the Soviet period. Refinement and improvement of the design

If we were to compile some Top 5 cars of the Soviet era, then Pobeda would be in it in any case, because in many respects this car became key for the automobile industry of our country. Let's remember what the history of the Victory was like.

According to official history, the start of the new car project was given by a government decree, which the Gorky Automobile Plant received at the very height of the war - in February 1943.

However, some sources claim that many of the style and design solutions for the future car were laid down even before the war, and by 1943, GAZ had already formed a vision of everything post-war model range, because it was obvious that the pre-war GAZ-M1 needed a replacement. So the government’s instruction, apparently, was just a “go-ahead” that gave the project official status.

Well, it's time to introduce the main characters.

The design of the car was led by GAZ chief designer A. A. Lipgart. June 16 marked the 118th anniversary of the birth of Andrei Alexandrovich. This is a man with a difficult fate, a talented Soviet designer who developed 67 experimental designs (passenger cars, trucks, armored cars, tanks), 27 of which later became serial models. In particular, he designed the Emka GAZ-M1, Pobeda, and also a six-seater (after 1957 called GAZ-12). Lipgart died in 1980, due to not the most pleasant life circumstances, having worked at GAZ, UralZIS and NAMI, making a serious design contribution in each place. The silhouette of Victory is carved on his tombstone at the Vvedensky cemetery in Moscow.

In the photo: Andrey Aleksandrovich Lipgart and GAZ M-20 Pobeda

As the chief designer, Lipgart relied on two people: the development of the chassis of the new car was led by A. M. Krieger, and the design of the body was carried out by A. N. Kirillov. As for the design, the first exploratory sketches, which already reflected the concept of a revolutionary “pontoon” body, were completed by Valentin Brodsky in 1943, but the final appearance of the Pobeda was born under the pencil of the design artist Veniamin Samoilov. A tragic and even ominous story is connected with the figure of Samoilov: in May 1945, immediately after the end of the war and literally a month before the presentation of the pre-production Victory to Stalin, Samoilov committed suicide, the circumstances of which are completely unclear to date.

Yes, the author of this design, magnificent even by today’s standards, did not see his creation in the series, passing away shortly after the delivery of the last sketch. It is believed that Samoilov started from the appearance of the 1938 Opel Kapitan, creatively rethinking it - in particular, getting rid of individual protruding wings and combining them with a single stamping, which resulted in the very “pontoon”. But this is true only in the sense that Victory as a whole absorbed many of the advanced developments of that time.

GAZ had good prerequisites for this at the early design stage: firstly, the design staff actually had a captured Kapitan at their disposal, secondly, there was American equipment received by the USSR under Lend-Lease, and thirdly, at GAZ itself in the years During the war, in addition to the production of our own jeeps, trucks and armored vehicles, the assembly of Ford G8T and Chevrolet G7107 trucks was carried out.

Thus, the Gaza people had a large set of interesting solutions and tried to adapt them to Russian realities and to the concept of the new passenger car. The Luftwaffe was still massively bombing the Gorky Automobile Plant (apparently not knowing that the legendary T-34s were being assembled at the neighboring Krasny Sormovo), but the plant continued to produce equipment, and somewhere in the depths of the design bureau, Victory was born.

	In the photo: GAZ M-20 Pobeda Pre-series

Own and foreign in design

The base of the GAZ-20-M body is indeed very similar to the Opel Kapitan: the sub-engine frame, bottom, side members, floor reinforcements, front independent suspension are made according to German “patterns”... The rear suspension was made according to the standard version with longitudinal springs and rigid beam of the bridge.

At the same time, the front suspension struts, pivot assembly and floor sills of the Pobeda are completely original. In terms of the middle and upper power belts, the body of the Soviet car also did not resemble any analogue known at that time. That is, as you can see, there were enough original solutions.

The body had a lower height than its analogues (about 1,600 mm), and, accordingly, the window sill line and floor line were lower. This, in turn, made it possible to lower the height of the seat cushions, eliminate the steps and make it easier to get into the car. Due to the independent front suspension, the engine has moved forward and downwards, so the hood line has also become lower.

All these measures led to a noticeable reduction in the car's center of gravity and had a positive effect on handling and stability. As a result, the car received an almost ideal weight distribution (51% rear axle, 49% anterior), acquired (for the first time for domestic auto industry!) normal trunk and more spacious interior with a body width and height that is smaller than that of the Emka.

The low-valve engine for Pobeda, based on the recently developed GAZ-11 unit, was initially six-cylinder (the factory index GAZ-25 was used for this modification of the car), but on Lipgart’s initiative a four-cylinder model was created, and this is precisely the version of the car that is more economical and, therefore, “folk”, with the factory designation GAZ-20 (the letter “M” in the commonly used name of the model means “Molotovets”) was approved for production at a review of the top party leadership in 1945.

	In the photo: GAZ M-20A Pobeda "1948–58

Later, the six-cylinder Pobeda was still produced in small series under the designation M-20G/M-26, but it was a completely different engine, 90-horsepower from ZIM (GAZ-12). The main, now famous “four” of Victory had a volume of 2.1 liters and a return of 50 liters. With. The engine of its predecessor, the Emka, produced the same amount, but its engine had a volume of 3.5 liters and a much less modest appetite: Pobeda consumed 10-11 liters per 100 km, while the GAZ-M1 consumed all 13.

However, the Victory as we know it was still far away in the mid-1940s. Development was carried out in the shortest possible time, with constant scoldings “from above”, in conditions of war and post-war devastation, a shortage of good body metal and the impossibility of rapid and, most importantly, high-quality development and implementation of a number of components into production.

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Needless to say, a laboratory for exterior and interior decoration appeared at GAZ only in the first quarter of 1945, and until that moment, prototypes and running models of Pobeda were equipped with instruments and interior parts from “analogues” received under Lend-Lease. Not the best best conditions design and implementation into production, as well as the unrealistic “deadline” subsequently played a cruel joke on the car.

Victory and Stalin

In the summer of 1945, the car, after comparative tests with several foreign cars, was presented to the party leadership and Stalin. In addition to the fact that the six-cylinder version was “cut off” at the review, in relation to this event there is a widely known story according to which the Generalissimo, allegedly hearing a variant of the name of the car - “Motherland” -.

However, as we noted earlier, this story should really be considered nothing more than a tale: many sources indicate that the name “Rodina” was never proposed in relation to the GAZ-20-M, it appeared as a working option for naming the next possible model, but was never voiced outside the walls of the plant. However, by the time of development next model there were other options - “Zvezda” and “Volga”, of which, as we know, the second was chosen.

But nevertheless, designer A. A. Lipgart received a portion of negativity from the “leader of the peoples” in connection with the Victory. True, this did not happen at the pre-production Victory review, but much later, when Stalin was shown Lipgart’s next brainchild - ZIM (GAZ-12). The fact is that the early production copies of the Pobeda suffered from a whole bunch of “childhood diseases” that almost ruined the car’s reputation. And at the ZIM review, having learned that it was designed by the same man who made the Victory, Stalin reacted with the phrase “Why is he not punished?” But then everything worked out: the ZIM turned out to be a successful machine and Lipgart even received a Stalin Prize for it. Which, however, did not save him from subsequent persecution to which Lipgart was subjected following the denunciation of a colleague.

So what was wrong with the first serial Pobeda?

Due to the tight deadline, the car turned out to be “raw”. The body was not rigid enough and cracked - moreover, at the first Pobeda windshields even burst. The paint quickly faded and peeled off the body. The door windows rattled, the power windows worked unreliably, and the door handles broke off. The springs "sat down" rear suspension, the engine was prone to detonation and accelerated the car poorly.

Getting off smoothly was a problem due to the imperfection of the clutch. Rear axle with spiral bevel gears and loaded axle shafts, designed specifically for Pobeda, it made a lot of noise when moving. The muffler and parking brake. Due to the lack of glass blowing and a heater, the windows fogged up and became covered with frost in cold weather (the plant recommended that drivers carry a bag of salt and rub the windows with it), and the nomenklatura bosses, who received the first Victories as “servants,” did not like the low roof, made it difficult to sit in a hat or papakha.

In 1946, production began, but in many ways this was a formality necessary in order to “meet” the deadline. In fact, by the end of the year, only 23 cars were assembled using the bypass technology. Cars of the so-called “first series”, which had the above-described shortcomings, were assembled until August 1948, 1,700 of them were produced, after which production was stopped, GAZ director Ivan Kuzmich Loskutov lost his position, and Lipgart, taken under the protection of the Minister of Automotive Industry S.A. . Akopov, received a reprimand.

They began to hastily refine the design, and in November of the same 1948, in Gorky they began to slowly assemble the “second series” of the Pobeda, although not all the improvements appeared on it immediately.

Work on mistakes

But today the “second series” is known as the main one - it was on it that they used a reinforced body, new parabolic springs, a gearbox from ZIM (instead of the outdated one from GAZ-M1, which did not have synchronizers) with a steering column switch instead of a floor one, a modernized carburetor, increased from 4, 7 to 5.125 gear ratio final drive, new thermostat and water pump, heater and windshield defroster, more reliable clock in the cabin. And the seat cushions were simply made 5 centimeters thinner, so that people with tall hats would be guaranteed to fit into the cabin...

It was thanks to the appearance of the “second series” that Pobeda went down in history as an ultra-reliable, completely “indestructible” and practically standard Soviet car.

However, Lipgart always believed in his brainchild. In 1948, when Pobeda was still in full swing collecting all sorts of “bumps” due to its imperfections, he wrote: “In my firm conviction, the M20 car with the “four” fully corresponds to its main purpose - to replace the M1 car in the national economy. Moreover, I take the liberty to say that in terms of efficiency, the quality of the spring suspension, road stability and the performance of the engine itself, this car is outstanding.”

Special versions and modernizations

Until 1958, just over 184,000 GAZ-M-20 Pobeda vehicles were produced, including the “third series” (GAZ-M-20V), which received a 52 hp engine in 1955. p., a radio in the cabin and a new design of the radiator grille. In addition, about 37,500 copies of Pobeda in the taxi version (GAZ-M-20A) and about 14,200 convertible sedans (with rigid roll bars on the upper part of the body) based on Pobeda rolled off the assembly line in Gorky. And also more than 4,600 were built all-wheel drive vehicles with a Pobeda body and a GAZ-69 chassis and two Pobeda-NAMI racing cars. Pobedas with more powerful engines were assembled in small series - boosted to 62 hp. With. M-20D and the above-mentioned police “catch-up” M-20G/M-26 with a 90-horsepower engine from ZIM.

	In the photo: GAZ M-20 "Pobeda" Aerosani "North"

Already at the end of the 1940s, the first vision for the modernization of Victory appeared - it was proposed by an automobile artist, journalist, writer and designer, now a legendary personality, and then simply an employee of NAMI, Yuri Aronovich Dolmatovsky (co-authored with L. Terentyev). An attempt to change the rear of the body in order to get rid of the main drawback of the fastback sedan body - small trunk capacity - was considered at GAZ and fully approved. However, the idea of ​​​​transitioning to a “pure” sedan was not developed then.

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At the same time, the Polish FSO Warszawa, which was a licensed copy of the Pobeda, the shape of the trunk and rear window, as well as the lowered side line, is very reminiscent of the Dolmatovsky-Terentyev project. Well, at the Gorky Automobile Plant, Dolmatovsky’s ideas were used in the design of the next model - the GAZ-21 Volga. But that, as they say, is a completely different story.

What do you remember about the Victory?

Pobeda became one of the world's first production cars with a pontoon body - incredible, but true: most American design studios, which were trendsetters in the mid-1940s, would come to this decision only two or three years after the appearance of the Soviet car. Pobeda in general turned out to be a rather progressive machine - for example, it had 12-volt electrical equipment, which was rare at that time.

And for the automobile industry of the Soviet Union, this car was a breakthrough, because it was the first soviet car with a name (yes, before that there were only alphanumeric indices), a supporting body, a trunk (I’ll note this again!), a hydraulic braking system, as well as a cabin heater, which is so necessary in Russian conditions.

Its creators believed that a truly modern domestic car possible, and in the very near future. They believed in such a future. And they brought him closer as best they could.

In serial production from 1946 to 1958. A total of 236,000 vehicles 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 chief designer A.A. Lipgart. At that time, there was a practice of manufacturing equipment for the production cycle abroad, mainly in American companies. However, at some point, the chief designer took the initiative and instructed the design bureau to make its own, domestic development.

This is how the 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 moved far forward, it ended up above the front suspension beam. Due to this, the interior has become more spacious, and it has become possible to rationally distribute passenger seats.

As a result, the weight distribution reached an almost ideal ratio: the front axle accounted for 49%, the rear axle - 51%. The design continued, and after some time it turned out that the M20 Pobeda "has exceptional aerodynamic performance due to the shape of the body. The front end smoothly entered the flow of oncoming air, and the rear part of the car did not even seem to participate in aerodynamic tests, so low was the resistance of the body to air masses in zone from windshield and to the rear bumper. Special sensors marked the number of units from 0.05 to 0.00.

Presentation

Several examples of cars with different characteristics were presented to the country's top leadership in the Kremlin in the summer of 1945. For serial production, we chose the four-cylinder version of the Pobeda GAZ M20. 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 was continuously improved during the production process. Finally, a fairly efficient heater was installed, combined with a windshield blower; 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 the Pobeda.

Modernization

The car has gone through a number of restylings. The result of the latter in 1955 was the merger of Pobeda with the army GAZ-69. The ultimate goal This strange project was the creation of a Soviet all-terrain vehicle with a high level of comfort. The idea turned out to be unviable because the result was disappointing. We couldn't get anything other than a clumsy freak with huge wheels.

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

There were attempts to create an elegant convertible under the designation "M-20B", more than 140 of these cars were produced. Mass production could not be established 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, and the roof structure did not open. Production had to be suspended.

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

Engine

• type - gasoline, carburetor;
• brand - M20;
• cylinder volume - 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 - camshaft;
• - gray cast iron;
• cylinder head material - aluminum;
• number of cycles - 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 the GAZ M20 Pobeda promises to be an exciting creative process.

"Victory" in miniature

The Pobeda GAZ M20 magazine is currently being published, which offers interesting From issue to issue, the publication 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 be large in comparison with ordinary miniatures, but the identity with the original will be almost one hundred percent. The headlights of the model glow due to built-in diodes.

4.5 / 5 ( 2 voices)

GAZ-M20 Pobeda is a serial passenger car produced by the Soviet state. Production was carried out by the Gorky Automobile Plant from 1946 to 1958. The model was one of the world's debut mass production cars, which had a 4-door pontoon-type body, and which did not have separate fenders, running boards and headlights. He was released in different modifications, which also includes an open cabriolet-type body. All.

Car history

The passenger car was called Pobeda for a reason - because in fact it was a victory in all respects. The Soviet army was able to win the Great Patriotic War, opportunities began to emerge to raise the country’s industry to high level. Therefore, the new model was able to become a symbol of those times.

The design of a brand new vehicle showed that there is a presence in the USSR industry great potential, and he is capable of producing products that are not inferior in their technical specifications products to popular foreign manufacturers.

Here we can add the fact that almost immediately, following the end of hostilities, production of the GAZ-M20 began, which is no small achievement. During the Soviet Union, everything important was done according to party instructions.

Therefore, as soon as the war came to an end, the design bureau in 1945 received a task from the government - to design a machine for civilian purposes. Many enterprises of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, together with the entire industry as a whole, were focused on the production of military vehicles, and the party leadership was already looking to the future.

In past difficult years, it was hard to imagine the scale of work to fulfill orders. The task was to build passenger car, which would be affordable, reliable, and which a well-to-do citizen of the Soviet Union could purchase for himself.

As a result, the GAZ-M20 Pobeda was the car of the creative intelligentsia, military officials and other honored persons of the USSR. The design of the new vehicle was carried out by the famous designer Andrei Aleksandrovich Lipgart. During his early years, he completed an internship at the Detroit Enterprise.

However, the car had nothing to do with his experience of the “American Plan”. This one was absolutely unique car, which was designed by Andrey Lipgart. Following the end of hostilities, the construction of a new GAZ automobile plant began in Gorky.

The designer himself also took part in its construction, and after that he was able to head its design bureau for machine design. The car he designed was truly unique. This was the first car with a “pontoon-type” body, which was produced in the USSR.

If you look at the model from the aerodynamic perspective, Andrei Aleksandrovich thought out the body in such a way that even today it can earn high marks. The first column of several GAZ M 20 Pobeda cars from Gorkovsky automobile plant A state commission was sent to Moscow for inspection.

However, the very first acquaintance allowed the commission to reject the car. The party leadership and generals did not like the fact that the military man’s hat flew off the heads of the soldiers while they were boarding the car. In general, they considered the model still “damp”, so they provided another year for improvement.

In one year, the plant was able to make a whole list of improvements. For example, the sofa installed at the back was lowered extremely low. Some improvements to the design plan could even be called advanced - after all, it was in the GAZ-M20 Pobeda that the presence of a stove appeared, which allowed customers to move around without thick clothes and warm shoes.

In addition, a radio receiver was installed on the model. Even judging by the body shape itself, it was a real breakthrough at that time. The body turned out to be streamlined, elegant and even a little feminine, which corresponded to those trends car fashion.

Under the leadership of Andrei Aleksandrovich Lipgart, it was possible to design a truly amazing, original and modern car, who stood out from the crowd.

From the very beginning, they wanted to give the car the name “Motherland”, which in theory was suitable for the commission. However, Stalin asked: “How much will we sell Rodina?” This puzzled many, so they decided to choose the name “Victory,” which symbolized the victory of Soviet soldiers over Nazi Germany.

IN total were able to produce about 236,000 cars, and many of them were able to survive even to this day, due to the fact that Andrei Aleksandrovich managed to make the design, on the one hand, reliable and durable, and on the other, simple and repairable.

The units, together with the Pobeda units, were perfectly synchronized with other spare parts of the machines, so it was not in vain that they said that in order to repair it, Russian ingenuity, a “hammer and chisel” and “a few hot words” were needed.

There were cases when the car turned over several times, then stood on its wheels, and as if nothing had happened, continued to drive. All this eloquently testified to good body strength.

Over the years of its life, the GAZ-M20 changed its appearance several times, undergoing what is commonly called today “restyling”, which corresponded to those trends in automotive fashion. Moreover, the car had various modifications.

So, in addition to the standard “sedan”, there was a convertible version (which was an unheard of luxury for residents of the Soviet Union), which was intended for a comfortable stay. There were orders for cars based on the GAZ-M20 Pobeda, which were intended for villages, so specialists from the Gorky Automobile Plant were even able to make an all-wheel drive version of the sedan.

This allowed the chairmen of large collective and state farms to travel around their own fields with dignity and without fear of getting stuck somewhere in the field. They even tried to construct from the model ambulance, however, nothing came of this, since the body was too short. But the model gained its popularity in Moscow Taxi.

Also, it would not be superfluous to say that it was on the GAZ-M20 Pobeda that the famous green light in the upper corner of the window lit up for the first time, indicating that the taxi was free. A well-thought-out suspension allowed the GAZ-M20 Pobeda to have a smooth ride while moving, which other cars could not boast of.

Not every citizen could buy a Gorky car, however, despite this, the first store selling Victories was located in Moscow, in the Baumanskaya area. People began to line up to purchase it, despite the, to put it mildly, not very affordable price.

There were not enough cars for everyone, so they decided to make “Victory”, in a sense, a bargaining chip. Therefore, it could be given out as incentives and rewards for famous people, which could include artists, professors, academicians and military pilots. Today the car has become a retro model that is quite affordable.

For a very small amount you can buy a fairly good car in decent technical condition. In addition, it has excellent maintainability, so it can fit a large number of parts from other machines. For example, power unit he will feel quite comfortable in Victory.

The very first exhibition of the Soviet Union, at which the country presented its own car, caused a general sensation. The grandson of the famous Henry Ford, from whom Lipgart studied, when he examined the car, he was able to frankly admit that in this case the student surpassed the teacher - because he really liked it.

After the GAZ-M20 was able to achieve international success, people began to copy it; even England could not resist such a temptation. It began to be produced in the UK under the name “Longard Standard”. It was very similar to Pobeda, and all its technical solutions were there.

After the model in the Soviet Union was withdrawn from serial production at the plant in Gorky, they decided to sell the rights to its production to Poland, which for 20 years did not stop producing this car under the “Warsaw” label.

But everyone understands that the years go by and the world system automotive industry began to take big steps towards improvements, so the GAZ-M20 very soon became obsolete in moral terms. The inactivity of the Russian automotive industry did not allow this car to be further improved.

Serial production replaced Pobeda with , so the GAZ-M20 faded into the background. The design staff had promising developments, ideas, and innovations, but all this was dissolved in the offices of politicians. If it were not for these obstacles, today we would have a fundamentally new automobile industry that would have a higher level.

But, despite all this, all over the world, and even in the Russian Federation, there are a large number of connoisseurs of such a legendary car. There are even specialized clubs in Germany and Eastern Europe, where fans of this brand gather. Russian Federation has clubs for GAZ-M20 lovers, who often go on annual routes on April 12 and May 9.

Exterior

Until the mid-40s of the twentieth century, Victory was a revolutionary machine. The design of the monocoque body, which was borrowed from the Opel Kapitan 1938, allowed the GAZ design staff to fully rethink the appearance of the car and adopt a whole list of innovations that were common in the West only after several years.

If we talk about the body of the GAZ-M20, then it can be classified as a “fastback” type, which is rare today. It is an aerodynamic “two-volume” with a sloping roof, a narrowed rear part, and a strongly inclined rear window and selected luggage compartment with small capacity.

The Opel prototype had 4 doors, where those installed in front opened in the direction of travel of the car, and the rear ones opened against it. Appearance The victory was pleasant partly due to the appearance of the belt line, the unification of the front and rear wings with a body, the absence of decorative steps, an alligator-type hood, headlights integrated into the bow of the body and other characteristic elements that were unusual in those years.

Interior

There was a lot of spacious space inside the Soviet sedan, and the car was distinguished by good spaciousness. The driver sat and received maximum (at that time) convenience and comfort. Perhaps the sofa installed in front was influenced by American fashion, which the designer observed firsthand, but there was the opportunity to comfortably stretch along the entire length in order to relax during a break, and maybe even stay overnight if necessary.

The steering wheel, today, is not very comfortable, it is quite thin and has a huge size - although all this used to correspond to the fashion of those times. It is also very interesting that the gearbox on Pobeda was installed in the same place as the American models - there was a control lever that was located under the steering wheel.

Workers at the Gorky Automobile Plant also installed wipers and a pair of switches for them (depending on how heavy the rain is). The front panel has more informative instruments; you can also see the installation of a clock that does not interfere with the overall interior.

All sensors on the dashboard were arranged in a symmetrical order, which also, at least indirectly, indicates the fashion of that time. The interior was finished with plastic that imitated wooden patterns, and the chairs were covered with leatherette; in rare cases, velor was used.

If we talk about visibility, it suffered greatly, but we should not forget that in those years there were not so many cars, so there was no need to install a rear-view mirror. The vehicle doors have windows, and the windows could be raised and lowered manually, they were enclosed in tight frames to avoid rattling.

As mentioned above, the sedan was successfully used as a taxi, so the sofa installed in the back was quite spacious for passengers of any size. Those who like to smoke will be able to use the built-in ashtray in the back of the sofa installed in front. To ensure good ventilation of the interior, the rear doors also received vents.

The luggage compartment of the GAZ-M20 Pobeda did not stand out for its spacious qualities, because the lion's share was allocated for the spare tire and tool box. But still, it was still possible to put some suitcases in the trunk. Savvy drivers sometimes attached a luggage compartment on the roof to the body, on which they could transport garden tools and other things to the dacha.

Specifications

Power unit

The power unit with a lower valve arrangement was supposed to be a 6-cylinder from the very beginning, but Andrei Aleksandrovich decided to take the initiative to create a four-cylinder model.

Just such an engine was more economical and, most importantly, it was “people’s”, having the factory index GAZ-20 (the letter “M” referred to the commonly used name “Molotovets”).

The engine was approved for mass production at a review by the top party leadership in 1945. A little later, the 6-cylinder car nevertheless began to be produced in small series under the name M-20G/M-26, but there was a fundamentally different power unit. It was an engine from ZIM (), which produced 90 horsepower.

The main engine is the famous four-cylinder 2.1-liter engine, which produces about 50 horses. The predecessor engine, the Emka, had the same power, but its power unit had a volume of 3.5 liters and received much more modest fuel consumption.

The GAZ-M20 consumes about 10-11 liters per hundred kilometers, but the GAZ-M1 consumes about 13 liters. The sedan gained the first hundred kilometers in a long 45 seconds, and the top speed reaches 105 kilometers per hour.

Transmission

The initial version of the GAZ-M20, produced in series from 1946 to 1948, had a three-stage non-synchronized manual gearbox from the GAZ-M1, which had an “easy-on” clutch (instead of a synchronizer).

Already from the beginning of the 1950s, the GAZ-M20 had a 3-speed gearbox, which had synchronized 2nd and 3rd gears, from the GAZ-12 ZIM car. A little later, this box was transferred to the 21st Volga. The gear shift lever was moved from the floor to the steering column.

Suspension

In front there was an independent suspension of the lever-spring type. Everything was much simpler at the back; there were springs. Shock absorbers were used with double-acting hydraulics. They allowed the car to run smoothly. Schematic diagram suspension installed in front was later used on all Volga models.

It had a pivot type and threaded bushings. Some of the parts were borrowed from Opel, but the pivot device itself was of its own design. Hydraulic shock absorbers had a lever method of operation, which allowed them to be, at the same time, upper suspension arms.

Brake system

It was considered the most perfect in the mid-twentieth century. After all, it was on Pobeda that it was hydraulic, previously this type brake system were not used in secular automotive production. However, there was only one circuit, there were no divisions. It turns out that if one of the 4 cylinders leaked, the brakes all disappeared.

All Volga models, where they were drum brakes, on the front suspension there were a pair of working cylinders per wheel. Pobeda had one cylinder on two suspensions, and each of them moved a pair of pads at the same time.

Modifications

Generally speaking, Pobeda did not have so many modifications. Over the twenty-year period of production, it was subject to modernization only twice, and all cars were divided into 3 series:

• GAZ M20. It was a standard car of the 1st and 2nd series. The first (from 1946 to 1948) was produced in small quantities, and in terms of production it had many defects and defects. At some point, they even suspended the production of the car, but starting in 1949, the second production of the GAZ M20 began, which ended only in 1954;
• GAZ M20V. The 3rd series of cars, launched in 1955, was completed at the same time as the completion of the production of GAZ Pobeda in general. The car had a new radiator grille and radio;
• GAZ M20A. Vehicle intended for use as a taxi. The car was produced since 1949 (from the 2nd series). The total number of cars produced is more than 37,000 units;
• GAZ M20 “Cabriolet”. A car with an open top (no metal roof). Its production was established from 1949 to 1953. A total of about 14,000 copies were produced.

Small batches of Victory were also produced for the security services. They designed a super-convertible to hold military parades. Even sports modifications There were, however, they were produced in small editions.

Pros and cons

Pros of the car

• High-quality body;
• Hydraulic brake system;
• Low cost and ease of interchangeability of elements and parts;
• Pleasant appearance;
• High ground clearance(200 mm);
• Spacious and comfortable interior;
• The presence of soft sofas in front and behind;
• Radio;
• Soft suspension allowing the sedan to move smoothly;
• Rich history;
• Convenient steering gear shift.

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

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

The GAZ-M-20 Pobeda had a monocoque body (the first among Soviet cars) of the fastback type with a sloping rear end. It was one of the world's first bodies of the so-called “pontoon” type - without protruding fenders and running boards. Under the hood of the car there was a four-cylinder engine with a volume of 2.1 liters and a power of 50 hp. With. It was mated to a three-speed non-synchronized gearbox, which in 1950 received synchromesh second and third gears.

The cost of the car was approximately 16,000 rubles; Moskvich-400, for example, cost half as much.

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

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

The car of the third series (GAZ-20V Pobeda) entered the production line in 1955. This car could be recognized by the different design of the radiator trim. The modernized engine became a little more powerful (52 hp), and they began installing a radio receiver on the car.

Production of the GAZ-M-20 ended in 1958. A total of 241,497 cars were made, including the all-wheel drive GAZ-M72 (4,677 cars) and a convertible (14,222 cars). “Victory” was exported to Finland (where it was very popular with taxi drivers), other Scandinavian countries, Belgium, and the UK. In 1951, a licensed version of the car was produced in Poland under the Warszawa brand.

Performance characteristics of GAZ 20 M Pobeda

Maximum speed: 105 km/h
Acceleration time to 100 km/h: 46 s
Gas tank volume: 55 l
Vehicle curb weight: 1460 kg
Acceptable gross weight: 1835 kg
Tire size: 6.00-16

Engine characteristics

Location: front, longitudinal
Engine size: 2111 cm3
Engine power: 52 hp
Number of revolutions: 3600
Torque: 127/2200 n*m
Power system: Carburetor
Turbocharging: No
Cylinder arrangement: Row
Number of cylinders: 4
Cylinder diameter: 82 mm
Piston stroke: 100 mm
Compression Ratio: 6.2
Number of valves per cylinder: 2
Recommended fuel: AI-80

Brake system

Front brakes: Drums
Rear brakes: Drums

Steering

Power steering: No

Transmission

Drive: Rear
Number of gears: manual transmission - 3
Gear ratio of the main pair: 4.7-5.125

Suspension

Front suspension: Helical spring
Rear suspension: Spring

Body

Body type: sedan
Number of doors: 4
Number of seats: 5
Machine length: 4665 mm
Machine width: 1695 mm
Machine height: 1640 mm
Wheelbase: 2700 mm
Front track: 1364 mm
Rear track: 1362 mm
Ground clearance (clearance): 200 mm

Modifications

GAZ-M-20 “Pobeda” (1946-1954) - the first modification from 1946 to 1948 and the second from November 1, 1948 received a heater, windshield blower, from October 1948 new parabolic springs, from October 1949 a new thermostat, since 1950 new, more reliable watches; from November 1, 1949 it was assembled on a new assembly line; from October 1950 received new box gears from ZiM with a lever on the steering wheel and around the same time - a new water pump;

GAZ-M-20V from 1955 to 1958 - modernized Pobeda, third series, 52 hp engine. pp., new radiator trim design, radio receiver.

GAZ-M-20A “Pobeda” from 1949 to 1958 - fastback sedan body, 4-cylinder engine, 52 liters. With. GAZ-M-20, modification for taxi, mass series (37,492 copies).

GAZ-M-20B Pobeda - convertible from 1949 to 1953 - sedan-convertible body with rigid roll bars, 4-cyl. engine, 52 liters. With. GAZ-M-20, open-top version, mass production (14,222 copies).

GAZ-M-20D from 1956 to 1958 with boosted 57-62 hp. by increasing the engine compression ratio, option for MGB;

GAZ-M-20G or GAZ-M-26 (1956-1958) - high-speed version for MGB / KGB with a 90-horsepower 6-cylinder engine from ZiM-a;

GAZ-M-72 is an all-wheel drive chassis, developed on the basis of the GAZ-69 army jeep, with a comfortable, at that time, Pobeda body. Externally, the car was distinguished by a significantly increased ground clearance, mud flaps on the rear wheel arches and all-terrain tires.

Production

Year of manufacture: from 1946 to 1958