The ancestor of the project "Cortege" - GAZ-31029 NAMI

Cars Aurus, which became the subject of heated discussions, but at the same time proved that domestic developers can make premium cars, were not the first attempt to create such models. In the distant 1995, NAMI engineers assembled a limousine, which, according to the idea, was to become an alternative to foreign technology of this class.


The plans were not destined to come true, the car created from GAZ-31029 remained in a single copy. It was shown at exhibitions, but the prototype did not arouse interest among officials, so it got stuck in one of the boxes for a long time. In 2013, it was sold to a private person to make room for work on the second generation of the Cortege.

prehistory

The car was released in 1995 and you need to understand what the situation was in the country at that time. In many ways, this affected the car, the decisions show that the developers were limited in materials and technical capabilities. It is important to understand correctly the essence of this machine. This was the first attempt to create the Cortege project. It turned out to be unsuccessful, but after more than two decades, everything worked out.

GAZ-31029 NAMI was doomed to failure initially for several reasons. Firstly, at that time the Volga, used as a basis, was already hopelessly outdated. Secondly, the then capabilities and skill level of engineers did not allow solving many technical problems effectively. Thirdly, considering the car as a whole, a strong impression is created that the developers themselves did not understand what should happen.

Exterior and interior

The proud nameplate "Volga cortege" says that this is not a garage self-riveting, of which there were many at that time. This is a full-fledged development, albeit done mostly by hand, but concepts are usually created that way.



First of all, the length catches the eye, instead of 4885 mm in the standard, it has become 6000 mm. This is done by a wide insert between the front and rear doors and an enlarged C-pillar. A fragment from the Volga in a station wagon was used on the roof, and the rear doors were also adapted from there. The frame has been reinforced for rigidity. There is no data on the mass, but judging by the fact that the factory version weighs more than 1400 kg, the modified modification will pull at least 2 tons.



An interesting, albeit controversial, detail is the round window in the C-pillar. Outside, its meaning is incomprehensible, but when you sit inside, it becomes clear that the passenger can only look at the street through this improvised porthole, since the door is displaced relative to the seat. The rear pillar is located at a sharper angle, the glass of a suitable size is selected. The silhouette itself is as if chopped, which is easy to explain by the then fashion, if I may say so about the exterior of limousines. In the USA, several models were assembled with a similar design of the rear of the cab.





The passenger part of the cabin has become more spacious by a whole meter, for the sake of its increase and lengthened the base. A soft sofa allows you to comfortably accommodate a person of any height and complexion. But the seat on the side, intended for the guard, is unsuccessful, if a person is sitting there, there will be much less legroom.



The finish is neat, but everything is done differently than is customary now. The panels are fixed with self-tapping screws, the caps of which are visible along the perimeter. Door cards are trimmed with leather, but this is not done quite neatly. As always, the idea was good, but the execution failed.



The equipment of the passenger seat includes only a power window and an ashtray. No climate control systems and other additional options. Heat is supplied to this part of the cabin through a pipe closed with a decorative grille, it is not clear whether this is enough for normal heating in winter. There is a hatch in the roof, you need to open it manually.



There is no minibar, audio system, TV and other attributes associated with a limousine. But there is still a partition separating the passenger compartment from the driver's seat. Moreover, it rises and falls due to the electric drive, although this happens slowly. Only the driver can drive it.

The driver's seat is not much different from the standard. But at the same time there are a number of decorative elements and inserts that improve the appearance. If we add to this a leather-covered panel, we can say that the improvements, although not cardinal, had a positive effect on the perception of space.

Technical aspects

There are even fewer changes. As a power unit, a regular 402nd 2,4-liter engine is used. and 100 hp. With. It is not enough to provide good dynamics, the car accelerates frankly slowly, it is felt that the power unit is working at extreme loads, which is unlikely to have a good effect on its resource. The characteristics indicate that the speed is 145 km / h, but it will take a long time to accelerate to such an indicator.



The cardan is elongated, elements of standard units are used, welded and centered with high quality, there is no excess vibration from the drive. Due to the mass, the load on the brake system has increased, and the efficiency of work has decreased. It is better to monitor the situation on the road in order to slow down in advance, you will not be able to stop quickly.

What the increase in mass had a positive effect on was the suspension. If in a standard car it is harsh, then in a limousine it works out softly and provides a comfortable ride. At the same time, it did not become more convenient to drive a car, it rolled, with not the best directional stability and high steering sensitivity.

The result?

From the point of view of modern automotive industry, this is a primitive limousine with poor equipment. But it must be taken into account that it was assembled 26 years ago and at that time the technologies and capabilities of engineers were not at all what they are today. At the same time, it should be noted that the car is assembled soundly, there are no obvious flaws, for many years the body has not led, it has not deformed, no other problems have come out that could appear. This indicates a quality build.

The car was restored at the Smirnov Design Bureau, as the previous owner had a specific taste and the car received a lot of frankly tasteless details like red seat upholstery and other elements of this kind. Today it is in its original state, close to what it was at the time of its presentation in 1995. The only modern improvement is the rear parking sensors, in a car with such dimensions, it fell into place.





We can say with confidence that this is a worthy piece of Russian automotive history, which has become a harbinger of a successful project, because the Aurus limousine is one of the safest and most technologically advanced today.