GAZ-M-20 "Victory"

GAZ-M-20 Victory (Победа ГАЗ-М-20)

          "Victory" - a cult Soviet passenger car series produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant in 1946-1958 years. Factory index model - GAZ-M-20.

 The first Soviet passenger car with a monocoque body and one of the world's first serially-produced with a body full pontoon - no protruding wings and their rudiments, chicanery and headlights.

 A few years before the Second World War, the Soviet government has prepared a directive - the need to develop and manufacture a car to raise the prestige and glory of Soviet industry. This difficult task fell on the shoulders of designers Gorky Automobile Plant.

The victory is a unique machine, which was produced in hard times - was the Great Patriotic War. The beginning of its development as a turning Battle of Stalingrad. Then she went under the working title "Homeland." According to legend, Stalin did not like the name "Homeland", so that the car is called "Victory".

 The general layout of the machine assigned to plot the group led by Boris Kirsanov. The basis of the Victory decided to take the body of the German Opel Kapitan model 1938. A sample of this car was retaken by the Red Army in the Wehrmacht.

         Work on the machine is in the toughest conditions. German bombers attacked constantly GAZ, believing that there produce armored vehicles. In the course of 25 air attacks had destroyed about fifty industrial buildings, put out of 9000 meters of conveyor lines. But work on the car did not stop. 

 November 6, 1944 the chief designer himself, personally drove a prototype and took him to the test. And very soon in the trials included for three prototypes.

June 28, 1946 has begun mass production of cars "Victory". In all there were 235,999 vehicles, including 14,222 convertibles and  37,492 taxis.

          "Victory" is not classified as "popular" cars, because basically distributed to agencies or particularly distinguished Soviet citizens. But at the same time, this car has become one of the most popular in the Soviet Union.

Since 1951, the production model has been established in Poland. The Poles called the car "Warsaw" and continued to build it until 1973. But in the Soviet Union "victory" stopped producing since 1958.

These days, this car is very valuable and desired by collectors and ordinary motorists. Below are photos of the restored car.