The Soviet GAZ-21 and its secrets are not a Volga, but a 6x4 pickup truck

Many Russian drivers still remember that the GAZ-21 is the first Soviet Volga. The one with the deer on the hood. But even this information is gradually forgotten. As the years go by, new generations are less and less interested in old cars and the history of the Soviet automobile industry. But there is another GAZ-21. It appeared in 1936 and was in no way reminiscent of the Volga passenger car. Not only was it a universal pickup truck, it also had high cross-country ability. Such vehicles were required by the military, and the global trend then turned towards three-axle vehicles.


GAZ-21 appeared thanks to the efforts of Vitaly Andreevich Grachev. An outstanding Soviet designer working at the Gorky Automobile Plant, he devoted his entire life to creating unique cars. GAZ-21 had a number of features. For example, both rear axles were driven. Two supposedly spare tires located on the cargo bed do their job. They are needed to simplify the exit from surfaces closer to vertical. And if you look closely, you can see small additional wheels located on the bottom of the car. The pickup truck has a long wheelbase, so it won’t take long to get stuck on some hill. And the wheels will help you roll. This is exactly the car that was created from pictures and surviving drawings by the authors of the Ural Auto Restoration channel.