GAZ-13S "Chaika": the Politburo ambulance

This rare unique Soviet car was made at the famous Latvian RAF automobile plant in Riga and, according to some researchers of automotive history, should have been called the RAF-GAZ-13S (all modifications have a plate with the RAF name on the rear door, added to the "Chaika"). Special GAZ-13S ambulances were made for the needs of the 4th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Health, the Special Purpose Garage and the Ministry of Defense of the USSR piese auto online.

GAZ-13S "Chaika": the Politburo ambulance

The production itself essentially consists of a conversion of standard limousines, the roofs of which are cut off at the rear and a longer roof consisting of three parts is placed in the empty space, and finally a fifth door with a Plexiglas window is installed. As the weight of the car increases from 2660 to more than 3000 kg, two additional leaves are added to the rear leaf springs. In the passenger compartment, immediately behind the first row of seats. a partition similar to that in the GAZ-13A is installed, and a stretcher is placed behind it. Boxes with special medical equipment, including a clamp for an intravenous apparatus, are installed on the left side, and oxygen cylinders and an electroshock device are attached to the right side near the rear door. Three switches for the lighting in the sanitary room are installed on the ceiling above the driver's seat. Since the conversion is entirely manual, some minor differences can be found in each instance compared to the others.

Between 1973 and 1982, a total of about 20 such cars were made, which can be divided into two series, as they differ in the lack (or presence) of a pillar on the third side window.

The car also exists in a van version, in which the second and third side windows are replaced with metal panels in the body color. The engine is a standard V8 with a power of 195 horsepower and a working volume of 5.5 liters. The gearbox is a three-speed automatic.

To this day, 12 examples of the boutique series have survived. As far as is known, there is not a single case in which any of these cars were used for their intended purpose.

Car parts AutoPower
Car parts AutoPower

The production itself essentially consists of a conversion of standard limousines, the roofs of which are cut off at the rear and a longer roof consisting of three parts is placed in the empty space, and finally a fifth door with a Plexiglas window is installed

Between 1973 and 1982, a total of about 20 such cars were made, which can be divided into two series, as they differ in the lack (or presence) of a pillar on the third side window