GAZ Chaika

GAZ Chaika, whose name means gull, is the luxury automobile marque of the Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ) in the Soviet Union. The cars sat one step below the ZIL-111 limousine and were built in much larger numbers. Chaika production consisted of two generations, the GAZ-13 built from 1959 to 1981 and the GAZ-14 built from 1977 to 1988. The GAZ-13 debuted in 1958 and was shown at the Brussels motor show, with a V8 engine and a push-button automatic transmission. The GAZ-14 looked modern but was built around the drivetrain and undercarriage of the older model. Chaikas were used mainly by local governors, because the more luxurious ZiL cars were reserved for the Politburo, though one reached Fidel Castro in Cuba.