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GAZ marks 30th anniversary of first Soviet limo

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NIZHNY NOVGOROD, February 14 (RIA Novosti - Volga Area, Zhanna Voronova) - The first Soviet luxury limousine, the Chaika, was assembled at the GAZ car plant exactly 30 years ago, the plant said Tuesday.

The automobile was presented to then Soviet leader Leonind Brezhnev in 1976 on his 70th birthday, and serial production began in 1977.

The luxury vehicle derives its name, which means "seagull' in English, from its exterior and technical characteristics that allowed it to fly like a bird, and probably also to the plant's location on the Volga River, whose ports are besieged by gulls.

A rare instance of quality produced by the Russian automotive industry, Chaikas, which are believed to have been inspired by the American Packard, were built to cater to the Kremlin, top military brass, and Soviet embassies and trade delegations abroad.

The assembly line was suddenly shut down in 1988 as part of the state-run campaign to curb the excessive privileges enjoyed by Communist Party bosses. Chaikas began to be replaced by Volgas, also produced by the GAZ. The limo was viewed unfavorably by ordinary Soviet citizens, and evoked images of the KGB in Western countries.

During 11 years of production, GAZ built 1,114 Chaikas. The Volga sedan, a Soviet-era symbol of comfort and prestige, will also fall victim to the Chaika's plight, as the plant said last December that it would retire the model in the next two years, switching to commercial cars.

Vladimir Nosakov, one of the designers of the Soviet limo, said the first Chaika had to be repainted when its color did not match the dark-cherry pen that had been sent from Moscow to represent the desired color.

"We selected the color, painted the car, and displayed it," Nosakov said. "They did not approve the color, saying it was lighter, and that the car had to be repainted."

The Chaika built for Brezhnev, known to have been a car enthusiast, was customized to have its panel gauges moved forward so that he could better see the indicators.

Yury Kudryavtsev, a former GAZ designer, related a amusing story about Brezhnev's limo. The GAZ employee who drove the limo to the plant for routine repairs put a bedpan, which he had bought in Moscow at his mother-in-law's request, in the backseat. A traffic officer eager to travel in the limo in the absence of the VIP passenger stopped the vehicle and saw the bedpan in the backseat. The officer could be the source of the rumor, which at the time was widespread, that the Communist Party leader's car was equipped with a bathroom.

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