The GAZ-67 was a Soviet four-wheel-drive light vehicle built by the Gorky Automobile Plant, produced in series from 1943 to 1953. It was a deep redesign of the GAZ-64; a total of 92,843 units were built, of which 4,851 were made during the war years.[1] The most widespread variant became the GAZ-67B.[1]

What was fixed

The main flaw of its predecessor was a narrow track: the vehicle handled poorly on the road and could not follow ruts left by other vehicles. On the GAZ-67 the track was widened to 1,446 mm against 1,278/1,245 mm on the GAZ-64 — this alone resolved the issue of stability and off-road capability in mud season.[1]

The work was carried out by a team under Vitaly Grachev; the key engineers were Grigory Wasserman and Fyodor Lependin.[1]

The first production GAZ-67 rolled off the assembly line on 23 September 1943; by the end of the year the plant had built 718 vehicles.[2]

Design

The carburetor engine, with a displacement of 3.3 liters, produced 54 hp, paired with a four-speed manual gearbox. Curb weight was 1,320 kg, top speed was 88 km/h, and total fuel tank capacity was 70 liters.[1] A distinctive feature of the vehicle was its four-spoke steering wheel with a bent wooden rim: it was put into production within a single day after the factory supplying carbolite parts burned down in a bombing raid, and drivers valued this wheel for the comfort of driving without gloves in freezing weather.[2]

Service and nicknames

At the front the vehicle served as a staff car, reconnaissance transport, and light artillery tractor.[2] After the war it was taken up by geologists, agriculture, and road maintenance crews.[1]

For its characteristic bouncing over rough terrain the vehicle earned the nickname "kozlik" (little goat); for its resemblance in purpose to its American counterpart it was called "Ivan-Willys."[1] The direct successor to the GAZ-67 was the GAZ-69.

Sources

  1. autonews.ru — The GAZ-67 vehicle: specifications, history, design (archive)
  2. kskdivniy.ru — GAZ-67 — Museum Exhibits — Museum of National Military History (archive)