The "Volga" is traditionally remembered with nostalgia: a symbol of prestige, a car for the Soviet elite, a taxi driver's dream, and an iconic movie star. However, if we discard romantic memories and evaluate it as an engineering product, a completely different picture emerges. The GAZ-24 appeared in an era when the global automotive industry was undergoing a technological revolution: the mass introduction of independent suspensions, overhead camshaft engines, passive safety systems, automatic transmissions, and effective disc brakes. At this moment, an updated "Volga" is released, outwardly looking modern, but built on the constructive philosophy of the late fifties.
A Concept Frozen in Time
The concept of the GAZ-24 was formed in the early sixties, when the factory sought to replace the morally outdated GAZ-21. A representative-class car was required with a smooth ride, spacious interior, impressive appearance, and the ability to withstand domestic roads. Engineers focused on strength and maintainability, so they used a reinforced monocoque body with a rigidly welded subframe - a massive but durable design.
By this time, European manufacturers had already switched to monocoque bodies with advanced suspension kinematics: Opel Rekord C, Ford Taunus P5, Peugeot 504, Fiat 125, Mercedes W114 - all of them were working on handling and comfort. The USSR continued to rely on resource and ease of maintenance, even if it meant sacrificing dynamics and chassis precision.
Power Unit: Compromise Instead of Progress
The engine became another compromise. The ZMZ-24 and subsequent ZMZ-402 used the classic OHV scheme (overhead valve with lower camshaft and pushrods). With a displacement of 2.4 liters, the engine developed about 95 horsepower and 186 Newton-meters of torque, which was weak by the standards of the late sixties. The Opel Rekord 2.0 developed 100-110 hp, the Ford Taunus 2.3 V6 - 108-114 hp, and American inline "sixes" with a volume of 3.3-3.8 liters - 120-150 hp.
The "Volga's" liter power was at the bottom of its class, fuel consumption in real urban operation reached 15-18 liters per hundred kilometers, and with active driving - exceeded 20 liters. The passport 10.5-11 liters at a speed of 80 km/h looked like a beautiful theory, divorced from reality.
The nature of the power unit's operation revealed the age of the design. Vibrations at idle became a chronic problem and accompanied the model throughout its life cycle. The reasons lay in the crankshaft balancing, rough assembly culture, uneven fuel supply to the cylinders, and weak damping. Twenty years of modernization did not eliminate this effect, which speaks not of a minor defect, but of fundamental constructive fatigue.
Suspension: Strength Instead of Handling
The suspension became a visualization of the conservative approach. An independent double-wishbone scheme was used at the front, but with massive levers. At the rear - a solid axle on leaf springs. At that time, the Opel Rekord and Ford Taunus retained a dependent rear suspension, but installed it on springs and held it with a system of trailing arms, providing trajectory control and stability. The Peugeot 504 and Mercedes W114 went further and used independent rear axle kinematics.
The European school sought handling and comfort, the GAZ-24 relied on strength and load capacity. The result - on bumps, the "Volga" bounced with its rear axle, swayed in turns, and required experience from the driver at high speed. Even the traffic police recommended limiting the speed of official cars to 110 km/h, despite the passport 145 km/h.
Corrosion as a Systemic Problem
Corrosion turned into a systemic disaster. The body was stamped in a cold way, the internal cavities were primed irregularly, the seams were sealed manually. Already after 3-5 years, rust spots appeared in the arches, sills, and the lower part of the wings, after 8-10 years - through damage. By this time, Europe was using galvanizing, plastisol coatings, anti-corrosion mastics, and mandatory sealing of joints.
The "Volga" existed in the logic of state operation: no one planned to preserve it for decades, the resource was considered a consumable.
Safety: Concept of the Past
Safety also did not correspond to the class. The reinforced monocoque body did not have programmable deformation zones. The impact energy was transmitted directly to the cabin. The steering column was a metal shaft without energy absorption, and in a frontal collision, it went into the driver's chest.
Early versions did not have seat belts, later inertial belts were installed, but the body architecture still ignored the concept of passive safety. Even the transfer of the ignition lock from the steering column down under the panel in the seventies was carried out for reasons of knee injury safety, and not as part of a comprehensive protection system.
Special Status Despite Shortcomings
And yet, the GAZ-24 had a special status. Engineering perfection has never been the only value of a car. There are cars that amaze with their characteristics, and there are cars that form an attitude. The "Volga" belonged to the second type.
It required attention, patience, knowledge of its weaknesses, the ability to listen to the engine and feel the chassis. The owner was not limited to operation - he entered into a dialogue with the car. Carburetor tuning, selection of spark plugs, oil change more often than the regulations, the fight against vibrations, welding of sills - all this became part of the interaction between man and technology. A connection arose that was not given by "sterile" Western cars, designed on the principle of "get in and go." This machine encouraged involvement.
The GAZ-24 gave another dimension - a feeling of the road under control. The soft ride swallowed bumps, the high clearance allowed you to move in directions that were considered impassable in Europe, the heavy steering wheel instilled a sense of control over the mass of metal. The atmospheric engine pulled from low revs with such confidence that European inline four-cylinder engines rarely provided. The interior gave space, and the doors closed with a dull metallic sound. Each element formed a sense of physical strength and internal status.
Cultural Phenomenon
The effect was enhanced by the role of the GAZ-24 in culture. This car became the visual standard of the era: official cars, government corteges, taxis, police patrols, cinema, chronicle, chase, wedding, business trip - everywhere the same silhouette. The "Volga" was present at all the rituals of Soviet life. In an industrial sense, it was inferior to competitors, but in a symbolic sense, it dominated. Its image became a collective norm, and recognition turned into power.
Paradox of Character
The paradox of the GAZ-24 is that it was precisely the engineering roughness that gave rise to emotional depth. This car did not strive for sterile perfection, did not try to be a technological masterpiece, and did not adapt to Western standards of comfort. She offered character.
To drive it, you had to understand its features. To save it, you had to invest a part of yourself. Each instance became an individuality. This personalization turned a mass car into a cultural phenomenon that lives in memory not thanks to technical perfection, but despite its absence.