http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png http://jalopnik.com/tag/gaz http://jalopnik.com/tag/gaz

When most people go to the trouble and expense of importing two cars from overseas, they are usually not shipping 1950s Soviet cars retrofitted onto German luxury sedan platforms from Russia. In this case however, that's exactly what someone did. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5688891&view=rss&microfeed=true

Russia's armed "aerosleds" may look like science fiction, but they're a real part of Russia's history. As invading armies tried merely to survive the intense Russian winters, the Russians thrived, due in large part to the bizarre, Star Wars-esque snowcraft. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5657142&view=rss&microfeed=true

We'd all love an obsessively detailed 1:18 scale Volvo 240 coupe on our desks, of course, but no collection of automotive tchotchkes is complete without some Soviet iron! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5630288&view=rss&microfeed=true

It’s rather underpowered and lacking in racing cred, but you’ve got to love the Art Deco tank looks of this GAZ GL–1 sports car—from 1938, of all years. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5571982&view=rss&microfeed=true

Sure, it looks like a Chevrolet Volt that wandered into a pizza oven, but when you're talking about a brand that once inspired a quasi-satanic kidnapping legend, you could do a heck of a lot worse. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5468654&view=rss&microfeed=true

57Sweptside loves junkyards, and not just the ones in his native Southwest. He's found for us this collection of photos shot in a Russian yard packed full of Volgas, Moskviches, and even Tchaikas. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5215359&view=rss&microfeed=true

This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. Anything is possible, even a Volga in Southern California! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5188548&view=rss&microfeed=true

Have we ever mentioned that we love English Russia? It's like they knew we were going to review Cars Of The Soviet Union and put up this collection of vintage Soviet racing photos for us! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5188542&view=rss&microfeed=true

Whether you're wrenching on a flying Spitfire or a leaking Spitfire, Haynes has a shop manual for you. Very useful, but hardly the sort of thing you'd keep on your coffee table. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5188073&view=rss&microfeed=true

Are those louvers for a rear-engine setup in this Volga, perhaps some nightmarish GAZ-ZAZ hybrid? More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5137630&view=rss&microfeed=true

Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! Last time, the '72 Stutz Blackhawk blackjacked the Buickborghini and stuffed it in the trunk, for disposal in a hole in the desert later on (the way so many Blackhawk owners in Vegas solved their problems back in the day), according to the 71% of you who voted that way in the Choose Your Eternity poll. Today we're going to go with a couple of choices that allow me to use not-often-seen-in-PCH flags in the poll: Romania versus the Soviet Union!
More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5100966&view=rss&microfeed=true

This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. Today we're heading back to Toronto, a city that's given us all manner of interesting old iron in the past, from the Alfa Romeo Giulia Nuova Super 1600 to just about everything else. Twilight Sentinel has found one of the rarest machines of them all, a Gorbachev-grade '87 GAZ Tchaika 14… and it's for sale! Jump away to learn more. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5098462&view=rss&microfeed=true

After nearly 53 years of production, Russian auto manufacturer GAZ has announced the end of production for the famed Volga saloon. The rolling symbol of the former Soviet Union will be put to rest in two months as a result of falling demand, high commodity prices, and cheap foreign cars flooding the market. GAZ plans to refocus their activities on their more profitable and competitive heavy truck product lines. Despite their declining quality and atrocious handling, we firmly believe that tattooed across every Russian gearhead's heart is the image of a Volga GAZ-23. We expect there will be many shots of vodka tossed back today in honor of the doomed brand. [The Guardian] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5070427&view=rss&microfeed=true

More evidence is emerging that GM is moving quickly to solve its Hummer problem. The Detroit Free Press reports today on John Voss, a Dayton-area dealer who purchased a Hummer franchise in April, who says that GM offered to refund his money. "They have three choices and they said they want to make this decision very quickly," Voss said. "They are either going to make a smaller Hummer hybrid and change the H2, close the brand or sell it." Given the lead time needed to create a Hummer hybrid or impose radical changes to the H2 and the implications of closing the brand, a sale still seems to be the most practical option for GM. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=396535&view=rss&microfeed=true

Nobody will argue that the Volvo XC90 is a pretty decent SUV. It's stylish, comfortable, and even comes with a V8 now. But all that doesn't explain why it won "Russian SUV of The Year"...for the third time. Considering the soft nature of the big Volvo, we would have thought the hardened fist of Russian nationalism would have pushed for a more domestic entry. But if they won't, we will: Thus, Jalopnik's "No Bolshevik" nominations for Russian SUV of the Year. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=395784&view=rss&microfeed=true

Apparently this has been out there for a while, but before we discussed the news that Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, manufacturers of the Volga line of hulking vehicular tragicomic props, was looking for partners on the Indian subcontinent, we needed to find press releases with the right sort of Moose-Und-Sqvirrel feel. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=376620&view=rss&microfeed=true

We think the ideal car for a Russian rockabilly dude would have to be a heavily customized ZIS 112, but the GAZ-M20 Pobeda is way easier to find these days. Lower it a bit, shine up the chrome, and install some aftermarket wheels, and you'll be living in an alternate universe in which the Soviet Union of the 1950s was all about rock-n-roll and hot-rod hoonage. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=360255&view=rss&microfeed=true

Ever wish you had something a little more substantial than the ridiculous Ford F650, but you're looking for something with a military flair? Perhaps a bit more intimidating to keep those overzealous tailgater's off your back side? Might we interest you in this compelling GAZ 59037A? It's the civilian version of Russia's GAZ BTR 80 armored troop carrier. Fitted with all the modern amenities such as fold flat seating, DVD player, panoramic skylights, a 10.85L supercharged V8, good for 260 hp and 578 lb.ft. of torque, nearly half a meter of ground clearance and let's not forget, it floats. We seem to have convinced you, might we interest you in the available central tire inflation system? If you're interested in further details, pay a visit to this site, if you're good with Russian, go here. (Ed - We're going to get so much crazy email over this) More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=357187&view=rss&microfeed=true

While most of us were inhaling fruit cake, those wacky Russians decided to launch three Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) mapping satellites into space on Tuesday. This launch is a big milestone in the implementation of the GLONASS, which has been in the works since the mid 1970s. But how will this affect vehicular navigation? More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=337793&view=rss&microfeed=true

With all the reveals going on for the Frankfurt Auto Show, we almost forgot there's a show in Moscow heating up the Russian capitol, and Russian automaker GAZ has just revealed their newest hot vehicle. And yet again, it's proof that in Russia, cars design you. Don't believe us? Quick, then — walk through the gallery below and spot and name which car(s) this particular Russian sedan's culling design cues from? We've already found four in just a few moments and we're fairly sure there's more fun to be found beneath the Moscow released folds of Russian automaker GAZ's newest intellectual property rip-off homage sedan, the Siber. [via Auto.lenta.ru] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=294709&view=rss&microfeed=true Russian automaker GAZ buys 5% of General Motors. Yes, friends, the end of the world is nigh. [Automotive News via Autoblog] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=287001&view=rss&microfeed=true Gaz wants nothing to do with FoMoCo's Jaguar and Land Rover. We love the sensationalism of the Russian press. [Reuters] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=284231&view=rss&microfeed=true

The GAZ-3102 was obviously a mighty special iteration of the Volga. Just eyeball that cheese-grater grille. Or better yet, bust out a brick of romano and top off your bowl of minestrone. Also not to be missed is what's apparently the heigh of proletariat fashion in the 1980s. Both the outfit and the Volga promise to offer comfort and convenience for many years. Thankfully, the swift comrades at the ad bureau were smart enough to avoid a false-advertising suit by touting style. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=277392&view=rss&microfeed=true

While we were throwing quarters into Spy Hunter or Robotron 2084, our counterparts in the Soviet Union were slipping Kopecks into Obgon and Autorally. Seems that Soviet military factories procured a few Japanese games and reverse engineered over 70 Soviet versions. These games were then officially distributed for the purposes of entertainment, and developing visual estimating ability. A couple of guys at Moscow State University have started collecting and restoring these digital-mechanical monuments to active leisure before the games were converted into wheelbarrows or similar oblivion. The game shown here is called Magistral, which translates as Superhighway. While competition for high score was discouraged, free plays were awarded for great achievement. Soviet-era driving games also featured a distinct lack of gas or brake pedals. – Mike Bumbeck More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=268446&view=rss&microfeed=true Here's a Turk who just loves his '69 Volga! So much so, in fact, that he's put together possibly the most cheezy car-love video ever made. It's got endless photos and videos of his beloved white GAZ, every transition effect his $9.99 video-editing software had to offer, and all set to a tear-jerking weepo-pop soundtrack. We're just disappointed by the lack of Volga Drifting, but hey, can't have everything. – Murilee Martin More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=263539&view=rss&microfeed=true

Everyone wants to make their pedestrian straight-off-the-line car look unique — that's kinda what customization's all about, right? Well, nothing could look more unique in our eyes than what our boy Paul Tan's hipped us to — apparently the owner of this BMW 6-Series didn't feel so cool with Perestroika, and wanted to make sure everyone knew where his allegiances lay. That's the only reason we can think of for why the owner's re-skinned a 6-series to make it look like a 2-door version of the 50's king car of the Kremlin "czars" — the Volga GAZ-21. We don't know much else about the reason why the owner decided to go retro in this re-skin, but we do know it takes someone with seriously big beets to customize a car with this much borscht. – Ray Wert More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=262904&view=rss&microfeed=true

OK, so we'll totally called this one. True, we called it humorously, but whatevs, we'll take our wins when and where we can. Under the terms of an agreement announced early Thursday companies owned by Oleg Deripaska, the Russian entrepreneur, will pay $1.54 billion to acquire 20 million Class A shares of Magna International. Magna CEO Frank "Stroke Me, Stroke Me" Stronach claims the transaction has nothing to do with the Chrysler bid — but it's hard not to think that the additional hot injection of cold Russian capital from Deripaska doesn't have something to do with it. So this means if the Magna deal goes through we'll have the same guy who owns GAZ also now owning part of the Chyrsler Group — so we guess GAZ will finally be able to steal those Jeep designs legally. Ah, the joys of Capitalism! [Hat tip to AllenParkPete!] – Ray Wert More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=259297&view=rss&microfeed=true We don't know what engine this GAZ-M20 Pobeda has, but it sounds pretty mean, in a crappy-yet-tough rusty-muffler-industrial sorta way. – Murilee Martin More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=256939&view=rss&microfeed=true

At first glance we were thinking "All right, Stalin murals on a Volga- that's mildly entertaining, in a sort of twisted let's-pretend-the-gulag-never-happened way." But then we spotted the red star wheels on the thing! Da! English Russia, you're the Czar in our book. – Murilee Martin More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=255944&view=rss&microfeed=true Who says you need to drive cars made in the sweatshops of running-dog capitalist exploiters to have a good time? As we've already seen with the Lowrider FSO Warszawa, cars built in the gulag the glorious workers' factories of the Marxist-Leninist republics get the job done too! For example, these Russian hoons spinning some donuts in their Volgas. Sure, they're relatively lethargic donuts, but donuts nonetheless. – Murilee Martin More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=251504&view=rss&microfeed=true

'50 Mercs and '51 Chevys are hard to come by in Poland, so any Pole who hankers for the feeling of rolling in a chopped-and-channeled lowrider to see the '59 Battle of the Doo Wop Bands in El Monte is forced to make do with local vintage steel. However, that's a good thing, as shown here by this FSO Warszawa (which is, of course, a Polish-made GAZ M20 Pobeda). It's got hydraulics, it does burnouts, and it's (apparently) available for wedding duties. The site's all in Polish, but that won't matter. – Murilee Martin More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=251264&view=rss&microfeed=true Now that we're on the subject of FSO's cars, how about a nice inspiring newsreel trumpeting the glorious FSO Warszawa? The Warszawa was a GAZ Pobeda license-built in Poland by FSO from 1951 through 1973, and they sure look great in May Day parades. Comrade. – Murilee Martin More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=251190&view=rss&microfeed=true

English Russia just keeps serving up huge helpings of vehicular goodness, and here's the latest: a big collection of photographs of various "field expedient" vehicles from across Holy Mother Russia. There's a Volga 21-amino, a busamino, and several examples of sheer Rasputinesque madness. – Murilee Martin More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=249012&view=rss&microfeed=true

Way back, when Uncle Joe Stalin was advising President Roosevelt on where to stick his Yalta, the Soviet Union's workhorse was the GAZ truck. As the story goes, GAZ trucks were so tough, on cold days Russians would start them by firing a 75mm shell into the engine. Once running, they could power through Russian hardtack as if it were ground-up tea cookies. Now, a Moscow tuning shop is creating a street rod from an old GAZ-51, using a rehabbed cabin and a wooden bed. It's destined for coolness, though old Joe probably would have disappeared the team for showing a bit too much individuality. – Mike Spinelli More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=221593&view=rss&microfeed=true

Russia's postwar GAZ-M20 was the symbol of Soviet postwar prosperity (a potato in every pot, and all that). According to Wikipedia it was dubbed Pobeda, or "victory," and is best remembered as the first car in the USSR with turn signals, electric wipers (not the mechanical kind connected to the drivetrain, as was used formerly), an electric heater and an AM radio. Now among the classics, M20s — like this one — are often customized by people like Chip Fooski and Boydchik Codding . [Thanks to Mark for the tip.] – Mike Spinelli More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=207697&view=rss&microfeed=true

GAZ, the Russian automaker, announced at the Moscow Auto Show (who knew!) this past week the arrival of a new SUV that appears to include some style elements not entirely its own. In fact, depending on which direction you're looking at it, it looks alternately like an H3, a Jeep Commander and a Nissan Xterra. Although none of us speak fluent Russian, we were able to consult one of our friends to find out whats up with this GAZ-guzzler. Here's our back n' forth IM convo, along with more pics after the jump: More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=199642&view=rss&microfeed=true