GAZ-A

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GAZ
Restored GAZ-A in Moscow (2014)
Restored GAZ-A in Moscow (2014)
GAZ-A
Sales designation: ГАЗ-А
Production period: 1932-1936
Class : Middle class
Body versions : Cabriolet , limousine (individual items)
Engines: Petrol engine :
3.29 liter (29 kW) R4
Length: 3875 mm
Width: 1710 mm
Height: 1780 mm
Wheelbase : 2630 mm
Empty weight : 1080 kg
Previous model none
successor GAZ-M1

The GAZ-A ( Russian ГАЗ-А ) was a Soviet passenger car that was built in series by Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (GAZ) from 1932. It was the first passenger car to be mass-produced in the Soviet Union and is an almost exact copy of the Ford Model A from 1930. The car was nicknamed "Gazik" by the population.

Vehicle history

GAZ-A in a museum (2014)
Postage stamp from the Soviet Post from 1973, GAZ-A as a motif
D-8, armored car based on the GAZ-A, captured by the Finnish armed forces in the Winter War (1942)
GAZ-AA, truck based on the GAZ-A
Ford Model A from 1930, the prototype of the GAZ-A

The cooperation between the Ford Motor Company and Russia dates back to 1909. Ford was an important supplier of passenger cars and commercial vehicles such as tractors and trucks, particularly in the 1910s and 1920s. Tens of thousands of them were imported into the Soviet Union because their own vehicle industry was underdeveloped. The first five-year plan of 1928, which generally made a strong contribution to the development of the Soviet Union's industry , also provided for the establishment of domestic automobile production. In 1929 an official contract was signed with Ford, which stipulated that the USSR should buy large quantities of kits for Ford models every year in order to assemble them in the newly built Nizhnegorodski Avtomobilny Sawod , or NAZ for short (from 1933 GAZ). Vehicles were also assembled at the KIM plant in Moscow.

At the beginning of 1931, the government of the USSR determined that the projected quantities were clearly too large. The global economic crisis hit both Ford and the Soviet Union, significantly fewer kits were needed.

By the end of 1932, the plant in Nizhny Novgorod had been brought to a level where it was able to produce automobiles itself. The first cars left the factory on December 8, 1932. Production of the GAZ-AA began around the same time. It was a truck that was built on the same chassis and took over many other vehicle parts from the car. The drawings for the vehicle were still from Ford.

By 1935, 100,000 vehicles had been built in the new plant, mostly trucks. In the same year the contract between Ford and the Soviet Union was terminated by mutual agreement. In 1936, after 41,917 units had been built, production of the GAZ-A ended in favor of the successor GAZ-M1 .

In 1973 the Soviet Post dedicated a stamp to the GAZ-A.

Model variants

Since the GAZ-A was the only mass-produced automobile in the Soviet Union at that time, a number of other vehicles are based on this model. In addition to the GAZ-AA truck, these were also pick-ups, racing vehicles and an armored car for the army. The list does not claim to be complete.

  • GAZ-A - basic variant, was built from 1932 to 1936.
  • GAZ-AA -Truck builtfrom 1932 to 1938 (and with the GAZ-MM until 1950) that used the same frame and engine as the GAZ-A. The number of units built significantly exceeded that of the automobile.
  • GAZ-AAAA - prototype of a three-axle transport vehicle based on the GAZ-A. There was no series production, only two pieces were made in 1936.
  • GAZ-A-Aero - racing car whose technical origin lies in the GAZ-A. However, the vehicle got a completely redesigned, streamlined body. A single car was built in 1934.
  • GAZ-A Kegress (Russian ГАЗ-А Кегресс) - A half-track vehicle named after Adolphe Kégresse . The rear axle of the GAZ-A was replaced by a caterpillar drive. The design could not prevail, in November 1933 only a prototype was built.
  • GAZ-3 - variant with a closed sedan body. Only one prototype was built in 1934.
  • GAZ-4 - Series-produced pick-up based on the GAZ-A, parts of the GAZ-AA truck were used.
  • GAZ-6 - model version with a closed four-door body. Manufactured in small series from 1934 and used as an ambulance or taxi. Different sources speak of 60 to 100 units built.
  • GAZ-Aremkuz - The Aremkuz automobile factory from Moscow also built a few examples of the GAZ-6. The design of the body varied.
  • D-8 - An armored car built on the chassis of the GAZ-A. Small numbersbuiltin 1932 for the Red Army .

In addition, the engine of the GAZ-A, with technical revisions, was still used in the following decades. He can be found e.g. B. in the GAZ-M1 as well as in the GAZ-64 and GAZ-67 . The GAZ-MM truck, the successor to the GAZ-AA, also uses a revised version of this engine.

Technical specifications

For the basic model GAZ-A.

  • Engine: four-cylinder four-stroke petrol engine
  • Engine type: "GAZ-A"
  • Power: 40 HP (29 kW)
  • Displacement: 3285 cm³
  • Bore: 98.43 mm
  • Stroke: 107.95 mm
  • Fuel consumption: 12 l / 100 km
  • Tank capacity: 40 l
  • Transmission: mechanical, 3 forward gears
  • Top speed: 90 km / h
  • Drive formula : 4 × 2
  • Brakes: mechanical on all four wheels

Dimensions and weights

  • Length: 3875 mm
  • Width: 1710 mm
  • Height: 1780 mm
  • Wheelbase: 2630 mm
  • Ground clearance: 205 mm
  • Empty weight: 1080 kg

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Technical data and other facts about the vehicle (Russian)
  2. ↑ a b c On the history of the cooperation between Ford and Russia or the Soviet Union from 1909 to 1935 (Russian)
  3. ↑ a b c Historical information about the vehicle as well as illustrations (Russian)
  4. ↑ Website about the GAZ-AA truck and its history (Russian)
  5. ↑ List of model variants of the GAZ-A (Russian)
  6. ↑ Picture with a note on the GAZ-3 on a website for the GAZ-A (Russian)
  7. ↑ a b Website specifically for the GAZ-6 (Russian) ( Memento from November 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ↑ Detailed website for the D-8 armored car including history, technical data and pictures (Russian)

Web links

Commons : GAZ-A  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files