GAZ-M72

The GAZ-M72, written M-72 in Russian sources, was a Soviet four-wheel-drive passenger car built by the Gorky Automobile Plant from 1955 to 1958, in a total of 4,677 cars. It was designed as a comfortable, high-clearance car for rough country roads and combined the body shell of the M-20 Pobeda with the drivetrain of the GAZ-69 army off-road car, taking its gearbox, transfer case and front axle from the GAZ-69. The Pobeda body needed fourteen added reinforcements to the floor, side members, door pillars and roof, and the car had a new engine frame designed for a leaf-spring front axle. It rode on 16-inch wheels with deep tread and had a ground clearance of 210 millimetres under both axles. The interior followed the Pobeda, with upholstery, clock, heater and a two-band radio, and the M-72 was the first Soviet car to have a windscreen washer. Its three-bar radiator grille and ring-shaped horn button were later adopted for the Pobeda itself. The first batch was assembled in June 1955, series production began in September 1955, and output ended when the Pobeda ended.