RAF-08

RAF
3D drawing of a RAF-08 in the early version
RAF-08
Manufacturer	Riga bus factory
design type	minibus
Production period	1958/1960
axes	2
engine	R4 petrol engine
power	45 hp (33 kW)
length	4,400 m
width	1,810 m
height	2,050 m
Wheelbase	2300 mm
Turning circle	12.6 m
Seats	8 + 1
Empty weight	1420 kg
successor	RAF-977
Similar models	RAF-10

The RAF-08 ( Russian РАФ-08 ), often also with the nickname "Spriditis" (Russian Спридитис, after a Latvian legend), is a prototype minibus from the Soviet Riga Bus Factory (RAF). The vehicle was built in 1958, while the larger RAF-10 was already in series production. In 1960 there was a slightly revised version, the RAF-978 , which also made use of the technology of the Moskvich-407 . Both minibuses had space for eight passengers and were never built in series, after 1960 the project was abandoned.

Vehicle history

Before the Second World War there was no production of minibuses in the Soviet Union. There were larger vehicles from domestic production, but only the Zawod imeni Stalina (models ZIS-8 and ZIS-16 ) and the Gorkowski Avtomobilny Zavod ( GAZ-03-30 ) built significant numbers . After the war, the VW T1 appeared in Germany , which also received attention in the Soviet Union. Based on the basic idea of ​​manufacturing vans or minibuses on the chassis of passenger cars, the Uljanowski Avtomobilny Sawod began in 1954 with the development of the UAZ-450 , which was built in series from 1958. At around the same time, experiments with various prototypes began at the Moscow research institute NAMI , among others in collaboration with Irbitski Motozikletny Sawod . None of the vehicles made it to series production. Moskvich built the Moskvich-A9 in 1957 , a minibus very similar to the RAF-08, but which also remained a one-off.

The Riga bus factory had already started building larger buses in 1955, and in 1957 the series production of the first Soviet minibus, the RAF-10, began . It uses the chassis of the GAZ-M20 Pobeda passenger car, which was widely used at the time . The developers coined the word “micro-bus” in the Russian language for the vehicle; previously only buses on truck chassis had been built. Based on the RAF-10, the designers developed a shorter and lighter version of the vehicle from 1957, which was designed for eight passengers plus the driver. In 1958 the first prototypes were ready. The body of the RAF-10 was shortened by half a meter and the number of windows behind the B-pillar was reduced from five to four. In order to save space, the two-part wing door was dispensed with, and a narrower one-part door was installed as access to the passenger compartment. The driver and front passenger were given their own doors. Unlike the VW T1, the engine is at the front and the rear axle is driven. The designation RAF-08 is derived from the number of seats for passengers, just like the RAF-10.

For the construction of the RAF-08, parts were used that were common in Soviet car construction at the time. The engine and transmission as well as large parts of the chassis came from the Moskvich-407 . The axle suspensions were from the GAZ-M21 Volga , as were the wheels. The same problem arose as with the RAF-10, namely that the engine was dimensioned too weak. The designers then reduced the ratio of the rear axle differential, which also reduced the top speed to 85 km / h.

When series production at RAF was switched to the new RAF-977 , the prototypes of the RAF-08 were also modernized. In 1960 the vehicle received a modified radiator grille and in the second half of the year at least one example was built with a completely redesigned front in the style of the RAF-977D. In the course of this, the model number was also adapted to the standardized Soviet designation system for motor vehicles , from then on the vehicle was called RAF-978 . Although it was presented to the public several times and also shown at international exhibitions, the minibus was never mass-produced, which was probably also due to the lack of production capacities in Riga.

Technical specifications

For the RAF-978 from 1960.

• Engine: four-cylinder in-line petrol engine
• Engine type: "MZMA-407", from the Moskvich-407 passenger car
• Power: 45 HP (33 kW) at 4500 min ^-1
• Displacement: 1358 cm³
• Bore: 76.0 mm
• Stroke: 75.0 mm
• peak torque: 88 Nm at 2600 min ^-1
• Compression: 7.0: 1
• Mixture preparation: carburettor, type K-44
• Valve control: hanging valves
• Firing order: 1–2–4–3
• Starter: ST-22
• Alternator: G22
• On-board voltage: 12 V.
• Transmission: three-speed manual transmission with reverse gear, partly synchronized
• Clutch: single-plate dry clutch
• Top speed: 85 km / h
• Fuel consumption: 13.5 l / 100 km
• Brake: hydraulically operated drum brakes on all four wheels
• Drive formula : 4 × 2

Dimensions and weights

• Length: 4400 mm
• Width: 1810 mm
• Height: 2050 mm
• Wheelbase: 2300 mm
• Front track: 1355 mm
• Rear track: 1362 mm
• minimum ground clearance: 190 mm
• Turning circle: 12.6 m diameter
• Seats: 8 + 1
• Empty weight: 1420 kg
• Tire size: 6.70-15 ″
• Number of doors: 2 passenger doors + separate driver's door

literature

• LM Shugurov: АВТОМОБИЛИ России и СССР . First part. Ilbi / Prostreks, Moscow 1993, ISBN 5-87483-004-9 .
• LM Shugurov: АВТОМОБИЛИ России и СССР . Second part. Ilbi / Prostreks, Moscow 1994, ISBN 5-87483-006-5 .
• Konstantin Andrejew, Andre Krjukowski: Автолегенды СССР: РАФ-8 «Спридитис» . No. 148, DeAgostini, Moscow 2014.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ LM Shugurow: АВТОМОБИЛИ России и СССР . First part. Various pages.
2. ↑ ^{a b} L. M. Shugurow: АВТОМОБИЛИ России и СССР. Second part. P. 72 ff.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Konstantin Andrejew, Andre Krjukowski: Автолегенды СССР: РАФ-8 «Спридитис» .
4. ↑ ^{a b} Микроавтобус РАФ-10 . Article on the appearance of the RAF-10 in the auto magazine “За рулем”, issue 7/1957. (Russian)
5. ↑ Detailed history of the successor RAF-977 on the website of the Kharkov public transport company (Russian)

Web links

Commons : RAF-08  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• On the history of the Riga bus factory (Russian)