GAZ Gorky Automobile Plant GAZ M 20 "Pobeda", "Victory" (diecast 1:43, Deagostini)

This is GAZ M 20 Pobeda. The model is from DeAgostini in scale 1:43. Nothing opens.

GAZ-M-20 "Pobeda" - Soviet passenger car, mass-produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant in 1946-1958. The factory model index is GAZ M-20. The first Soviet passenger car with a monocoque body and one of the first in the world to be mass-produced with a completely pontoon-type body - without protruding fenders and their rudiments, footrests and headlights. On June 28, 1946, the serial production of Pobeda cars began. A total of 235,999 cars were produced, including 14,222 convertibles and 37,492 taxis.

The history of the creation of GAZ M-20
At the end of the winter of 1943, Lipgart, participating in a mass meeting of the People's Commissariat for Sredmash, presented a new plan for the development of new cars. Among this list was "Victory", which already had a clear drawing and approximate technical characteristics. This car was distinguished by its original appearance and good performance, so the designers, designers and engineers immediately set about developing it.

But already in the summer of 1943, on the eve of World War II, the Molotov plant came under a terrible Nazi bombardment. In a short line, at least 25 attacks were made, as a result of which about 6 thousand different technological equipment were destroyed and more than 9 thousand meters of conveyor lines were damaged. But even such difficulties did not stop the designers, and every day Pobeda was acquiring more and more perfect appearance.

Almost a year later, by the method of graphoplasty, the first full-size model of a car made of wood in the USSR was demonstrated.
Everything seems to be fine, but after a thorough examination of the structure, specialists more and more often found flaws and defects. The first step was the front wing, which, although it had a beautiful shape, but when viewed from different positions, it visually seemed concave. Then it was decided to change the curvature of constant radius, or rather, to reduce it. By the way, it was in developing Victory that the designers were the first in the Soviet Union to use surfasography (it was a completely new method of depicting adjacent spaces on the same plane). The second problem Lipgart faced was the metallurgists. At that time, there was a noticeable lack of wide metal sheets for the manufacture of large parts, which the future GAZ M20 required.

But the work was constantly moving forward and already in the fall of 1944 Lipgart was the first to conduct a small test drive of the Pobeda model. This copy had two radiator moldings, wheel discs taken from Emka (GAZ M1), a six-cylinder engine and luxurious sidelights. By the way, the rear doors did not open backward (as is customary), but forward. The rear and front fenders of the car formed peculiar slits, which made the body not one-piece, but "divided" into separate elements. This slightly did not correspond to the original idea of the designers, so they again began to improve this model.
On June 19, 1945, the finished GAZ M-20 was presented to the leader himself, Stalin. Looking at this car, Stalin did not have any emotions. He only skeptically added: "We must take a car with a four, the car is good." He argued that such a car leans towards a high-end model, which would not be very acceptable to ordinary citizens. But it was Lipgart's convictions that the machine was very economical in comparison with others that bore fruit and the leader allowed the Victory to be put into production.

Starting from June 28, 1946, at the Molotov plant, they began mass production of the GAZ M-20 car, which, in the course of work, again underwent a certain modernization of the body. Almost a year later, Victory went to the Kremlin again. This time, the car was evaluated by the three main figures of the USSR - Stalin, Beria and Molotov. In the courtyard, Pobeda underwent numerous tests on a difficult snow-covered road, and then Stalin personally began to inspect every detail of the car.

In the summer of 1949, three GAZ samples went to the great leader's show at once: a regular fastback sedan, a modernized copy and a convertible. Stalin again began to closely examine each of them. In the production copy, he even sat down in the salon, jumped on the seats, assessing their softness, and turned his attention to a fairly spacious interior. And finally, Lipgart heard from Stalin the long-awaited words: "Now it is good."

From that moment on, the Victory found a new life, not only on the territory of the Union, but also outside it. The car often participated in exhibitions. International fairs, and after a while, the license for the production of M-20 was sold to Poland, to the FSO factory, and produced under the Warsaw brand in numerous versions for another 22 years.

In the early years of the Victory, it was exported to many European countries, but it was noticeably different from those copies that were sold on the territory of the Union. The last modernization was carried out by Pobeda in 1955. Then a radio was installed in the car, the radiator received a more beautiful lining and a new emblem, the steering wheel became slightly different and had a ring signal button in the center, and the engine was increased to 52-55 hp. This series of Victory received the GAZ M-20V index.

There is no doubt that the Victory allowed other countries to take a different look at the USSR auto industry. The car was very successfully exported to Belgium, Western Europe, England and even the USA. There were legends about her, she was loved and respected, and most importantly, that she became one of the brightest pages in the history of the Soviet Union.

Appearance of the car GAZ-M-20 Pobeda
At first glance, the GAZ M20 seemed like an ordinary car aimed at satisfying the middle class of the population. But one has only to take a closer look at the design of "Victory", as you immediately find more and more new details, which together form a very rich and bright appearance.
This car even looked too modern, not only in comparison with other Soviet cars, but also many foreign brands. There was a lot of chrome at the front, which gave the Pobeda an expensive look, and the tapering hood - elegance. Designers have reworked the car body more than once, bringing it to undeniable perfection.

Curly sills, exclusive door handles, carefully designed bumper, headlight rubies and harmoniously matched body color - all this created a feeling of complete comfort and did not cause any complaints. In addition, the designers have provided for the fact that the wheels themselves do not protrude beyond the fenders, ensuring the cleanliness of the body, even when driving on muddy roads. As for technical innovations, it was Pobeda that was the first on the territory of the Soviet Union to acquire direction indicators and brake signals.

By the way, the designers of the GAZ M20 could not decide for a long time with the choice of a more suitable engine: some insisted on the American-made four-cylinder Dodge D5, while others wanted to keep the six-cylinder version of the same engine, which was previously installed in the GAZ-11-73 car.



The second series Pobeda M20 is a modernized version of improved quality. The reliability, comfort and even the dynamics and efficiency of Pobeda have improved significantly. Acceleration and fuel consumption have returned to normal. A cabin heater was installed, and since 1950 - a box with a convenient switch on the steering column. The second series is recognizable by the radiator lining with horizontal strips of two sizes (colloquially - "vest").
Features of the engine "Victory"
Choosing a more suitable engine for "Victory", the auto designer Lipgart compared and analyzed many different options. Finally, his choice fell on the American "Dodge-D5". It was a 6-cylinder low-valve engine, which has been produced since 1928 and has proven its reliability through numerous tests.

It was distinguished by a decent power (up to 62 hp), a thermostat, a high-quality filtration system, heat-resistant exhaust valve seats, a modern ventilation system, a floating oil receiver and crank-type bearings. Initially, such engines were installed on the GAZ M-11, self-propelled units and even light tanks.
The structure of the body itself is one-piece, with a cross-member suspension and an impressive thickness. The presence of a trunk was a pleasant surprise for buyers. The bumper "Victory" is massive, made of thick steel, with three-layer chrome plating.

If we talk about the visibility of Victory, then there is something to complain about. First is the small rear window. It was made from Stalinite and Soviet factories and very often came across with defects (curvature, waviness). Secondly, there is no glass heating. As for the stove, it works perfectly and can quickly warm up in winter, as well as blow out the front windows with high quality. But this luxury is only available while driving. One has only to stop the car and you can forget about your miracle stove.

Pobeda's steering wheel is very comfortable, large and easy to spin. By and large, the control system can be proud of. Its construction is simple but very reliable. The brakes on the GAZ M20 are drum brakes, but their disadvantage is curved cuffs, which often leak in winter. The handbrake deserves special attention. It has an impressive size and is located under the dashboard.

With experience, drivers have noticed: in order for the first gear to turn on quietly, it was necessary first to turn on the second, and then to the first. At the same time, always keep the clutch squeezed out. It was in Pobeda that there were such innovations as airflow, stove and electronic direction indicators.
Export to the countries of Europe and the world
It was thanks to this car that other countries started talking about the USSR. Victory was one of the first passenger cars to be exported in huge quantities for mass use. The Moskvich-400, perhaps, reached its level. Until that time, only a few trucks could come from the Soviet Union, and even then in small batches.

GAZ M20 "Pobeda" instantly attracted the Finns, who most often used it for taxis. But already in a short line, it gained great popularity in the Scandinavian countries and orders for this car were received regularly. By the way, Belgium also almost immediately managed to see this "miracle on wheels" and even managed to independently import the Victory to England and the USA through its own dealers.

There were no complaints about this car, and only good responses and words of gratitude came from the Western brothers. In 1952, the British carried out a test drive of "Victory" and in the well-known auto magazine "Motor" made a very expected conclusion: "An interesting car, comfortable, has a decent workmanship, high cross-country ability and a striking appearance. But it is too noisy and with poor dynamics. "

In 1953, the Americans already wanted to test our Victory and even published a detailed review of the model in Cars magazine. Their conclusion can also be called very satisfactory. The USA praised the Victory for its good design, but argued that it "copies" their domestic Ford, and also that it was too heavy and did not have good power. But time passed and many Western countries, adopting the experience of their neighbors, every year created more and more new car models.

And now, by 1957, Pobeda positioned itself as an outdated, low-functional and inconvenient model. But, even in spite of such a "verdict", her popularity did not fall, especially at home.

GAZ M-20 “Victory has become a real star on the screen. This car became famous thanks to the films "Case No. 306", "To the Black Sea", "Marry the Captain", "Ivan Brovkin on the Virgin Lands", "The Case of the" Motley "," Zhurov ", etc.