| GAZ-13 Chaika | |
|---|---|
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | GAZ |
| Production | 1959–1981 (first prototype made in 1955 or 1956) |
| Assembly | Soviet Union:Gorky |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Full-sizeluxury car |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 5.5LZMZ-13V8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 3,250 mm (128.0 in) |
| Length | 5,600 mm (220.5 in) |
| Width | 2,000 mm (78.7 in) |
| Height | 1,580 mm (62.2 in) |
| Curb weight | 2,050–2,190 kg (4,519–4,828 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | GAZ-12 ZIM |
| Successor | GAZ-14 |
TheGAZ-13 Chaika (Seagull)[1] is anautomobile manufactured by the Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (GAZ, Gorky Automobile Plant) from 1959 to 1981 as a generation of itsChaika marque. It is famously noted for its styling which resembled 1950sPackard automobiles.[2][3][4]
The GAZ-13 Chaika debuted in 1958.[5] It was produced from 1959 to 1981, with 3,179 built in all.[6] The GAZ-13 was powered by a 195-hp SAE gross 5.5 LV8 with a 4 barrel carburetor called the ZMZ-13 engine, and driven through a push-buttonautomatic transmission of a similar design to theChryslerPowerFlite unit. The engine was a relatively modern and reliable design for its time, and a modified version of it with a reduced compression ratio and smaller 2 barrel carburetor would be used on theGAZ-53 truck, alongside theBRDM-2 military vehicle.[7][8] It was offered as asaloon (GAZ-13),limousine (GAZ-13A), and four-doorcabriolet (GAZ-13B) with anelectrohydraulic top.[9] The cabriolet was made in 1961 and 1962 for official parades.[10]
RAF in Riga produced the GAZ-13A Universal, anestate, in the 1960s in Riga; this was also built as the GAZ-13Sambulance, as well as ahearse.[11] Produced for a few years in the 1960s, it is the lowest-volume Chaika variant. Small numbers were also built forMosfilm.[12] As a limousine-class car, Chaikas were available only to the Soviet government, and could not be purchased by average citizens[citation needed]. However, citizens were allowed to rent Chaikas for weddings. Chaikas were used by Soviet ambassadors andCommunist PartyFirst Secretaries in East Germany, North Korea, Bulgaria, Hungary, Mongolia, China, and Finland, among others;Jiang Qing andFidel Castro were given one each by General SecretaryNikita Khrushchev, who himself preferred the Chaika to his ZIL,[13] and kept one at his summerdacha. He also presented one limousine version each to both KingSisavang Vatthana ofLaos and Prime Minister, PrinceNorodom Sihanouk ofCambodia on their visits to the Soviet Union.[14] For their larger size and more powerful V8, Chaikas were also ordered in some quantity by theKGB. Top speed was 99 mph (159 km/h).[citation needed]
Most Chaikas were saloons. The convertible GAZ-13B was built in limited numbers for only two years, 1961 and 1962. The GAZ-13 was discontinued in 1981, subsequent to the 1977 debut of the succeedingGAZ-14 which continued to be built until the demise of the Chaika in 1988.[15]
Pyotr Masherov, First Secretary of theCommunist Party of Byelorussia, was killed in 1980 when the Chaika he was travelling in collided with aGAZ-53 truck carrying potatoes.
| Engine | Power | Transmission | suspension |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-cylinder | 220 hp SAE gross[16] | 3-speed | Front: independent with coil springs |
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It was very much inspired by the big American Packard of its day with its equally powerful V8 engine and automatic gearbox.
Many say the GAZ Chaika 13 was heavily inspired by the Packard Patrician in terms of design and similarities are obvious.
Its successor, the ZIL-111 drew its inspiration from the same 1955 Packard as does this Chaika, a "smaller" limo for the less well connected party bosses.