These all-terrain vehicles were built in the USSR to conquer “unexplored” lands

Soviet automobile designers periodically challenged their foreign colleagues. They often didn’t know about it, releasing unique equipment. And in the USSR, where there was no commercial confrontation between enterprises, they tried to rise above their conventional competitors. The AZLK plant tried to dump VAZ. And they would have succeeded if the state had not supported the latest enterprise. Even with equal funding, the Muscovites would definitely win. To realize this, just look at the experimental models. If VAZ in the USSR came up with the original Niva, then AZLK had minivans, coupes and SUVs.


But the most interesting things in the Soviet Union were all-terrain vehicles. They were developed primarily for the conquest of nature and military needs. The latter does not concern us, but geologists periodically received interesting machines. Some of them even looked as if they had been delivered straight from the future. First, wheeled vehicles were sent for testing, then tracked ones. There were also augers and hovercraft. The latter turned out to be not very productive in the harsh climate, except on water. And even there, snags often damaged the foundation. The author of the “AUTO HISTORY” channel will tell you about several interesting all-terrain vehicles from the USSR. He guarantees that you definitely haven’t seen some of them.