The GAZ-52 is a truck made by the Gorky Automobile Plant, produced from 1964 to 1992 alongside the GAZ-53. It was a transitional model: the cab and chassis components came from the new family, while the inline six-cylinder engine and part of the running gear came from the earlier GAZ-51.[1][2]
Why a "hybrid" model was needed
The economy needed a truck of lower load capacity and noticeably cheaper to operate than the GAZ-53. The plant solved the problem without a new design: it fitted the proven engine of the GAZ-51 "gazon" into the modern cab of the new family.[1][2] This way a single assembly line served two classes of trucks at once, and fleet operators got an engine familiar to service in a new body.
Sources
- avto.at.ua — Encyclopedia of Soviet automotive engineering (archive)
- autohs.ru — GAZ-53: the main truck of the USSR (archive)