RAF 977 "Latvija" (diecast 1:43, Dvigateli Factory USSR)

The information is correct.

The history of the development of the first Soviet minibus dates back to the second half of the 50s of the last century. At that time in the USSR, many types of useful and convenient vehicles that were widespread in the West, including minibuses, simply did not exist. Their role was played by expensive and inconvenient ZIS-110 cars used as official vehicles, fixed-route taxis, and ambulances. The bulky design, high fuel consumption, irrational use of usable space - all these shortcomings of ZISs spoke in favor of replacing them with minibuses.

In 1949 on the basis of the Riga Automobile Repair Plant No. 2 (RARZ), a bus body plant was created, which in 1955 was renamed the Riga Experimental Bus Plant, and its products received the abbreviation RAF from the full name of the plant: Riga Bus Factory (Latvian Rigas Autobusu Fabrika, RAF).
In 1958, the production of the GAZ-M20 Pobeda was discontinued - it was replaced by the Volga, GAZ-21. In this regard, the design of the minibus was revised, and in 1959 another vehicle based on the GAZ-21 Volga units was put into mass production, which received the RAF-977 index according to the Unified Vehicle Classification System of 1945. The RAF-977 differed from the RAF-10 also in a narrower single-leaf door to the salon (the RAF-10 had a double-leaf door) and the design of the front end. The car received a proper name "Latvia".

RAF-977 was a minibus with a load-bearing body. At its base lay a full-fledged frame, but it was not separated from the body, but was rigidly welded and worked together with it. The body was sheathed with steel panels, and to lighten the roof, its middle part was an aluminum panel. Two doors led into the cabin - on the driver's and passenger's sides. Two doors also led to the salon - on the starboard side in the base and in the rear panel of the body. The salon in the "minibus" version was designed for 10 passenger seats.

RAF 977D “Latvia”

The mass production of the new model prevented the absence of a conveyor at the Riga Automobile Factory. In the fall of 1961, the modernized RAF-977D appeared. It was this modification that was put on the new conveyor, created in 1962. It differed from the RAF-977 by a curved windshield installed instead of a V-shaped one, by the presence of aluminum moldings on the sides along the "skirt" and under the window line, which hid the seams between the body panels. Also on the RAF-977D appeared a "proprietary" narrow grille above the front bumper. In the mid-60s, the RAF-977D underwent some changes - the windows in the curves of the body in the rear part and the glazing of the roof slopes disappeared, the frames of the cab doors and door hinges changed.
In 1967, the next upgrade of the 977th RAF was presented - RAF-977DM, and in 1969 it replaced the previous version on the assembly line. On the RAF-977DM, five narrow side window sections gave way to three wide ones with sliding windows, and the saloon door became almost twice as wide.
In 1970, an event occurred that predetermined the fate of the 977th model. The production of the GAZ-21 was completed at the Gorky Automobile Plant. It was replaced by a new "Volga", GAZ-24. Units of the 21st model continued to arrive in Riga, but at the same time it was necessary to start production of a minibus based on the GAZ-24. This became possible with the commissioning of a new plant in Jelgava in 1976. At the same time, the production of RAF-977 minibuses was completed.
The minibus RAF-977 was used to work as official vehicles, fixed-route taxis, ambulances, and tourist minibuses. Since the late 60s they have been exported to Bulgaria, Hungary, Cuba, Iran, Nigeria, Finland and other countries.

The successor of the RAF-977 is the YerAZ-762 car of the Yerevan Automobile Plant. Documentation for the production of a cargo van based on the RAF-977 was transferred to Yerevan back in the 60s, since the production capacities of the RAF itself were not enough to produce it. In the future, under the brand name ErAZ-762, utility vehicles and even minibuses were also produced, but unlike the RAF-977 in the USSR, they were never used as fixed-route taxis or ambulances. The build quality of the YerAZs was much worse than their counterparts in Riga. Nevertheless, YerAZ-762 lasted on the assembly line until 1996, so you can still see a lot of Yerevan cars on the streets. The RAF-977 itself, outwardly almost identical to YerAZ, has now become a real rarity, because its production was discontinued more than 30 years ago. Unlike its peers, such as the GAZ-21 or ZAZ-965, carefully preserved by many motorists, the RAF-977 was sold only to enterprises and organizations where these cars were decommissioned after 10-15 years of operation, so they left the streets at the end of 80 -x - early 90s.

On the basis of RAF-977 "Latvia" a road train was made, which carried air passengers at many major airports in the USSR and visitors to VDNKh in Moscow.
The front suspension, unlike the rear, was independent. As a power unit, a ZMZ-21 engine with a volume of 2.4 liters and a power of 75 hp was used, with which a three-speed gearbox was docked. The maximum speed of the car was 115 km / h. The length of the minibus is 4.9 m.
In 1960, RAF-977 "Latvia" received an award at an automobile exhibition in London, in 1961 - at a motor show in Brussels, and in 1962 - in Paris. The minibus turned out to be successful.