In the history of technology, it is not often that the final model of an entire family turns out to be its most successful embodiment - and at the same time remains in the shadows for reasons dictated by geography and politics. The UralZIS-355M, known as the "Uralets," became precisely such an exception. It absorbed all the best features of the legendary ZIS-5, got rid of its inherent weaknesses, and turned into an almost ideal working tool for its time, yet it never achieved all-Union fame.
Work on modernizing the Ural "Zakhar" began as early as 1947, but the new truck took on real shape only by the mid-1950s. The early project under the "353" index envisaged an original streamlined cab, but for the plant it proved excessively ambitious: the introduction of large one-piece stampings required equipment that UralZIS did not have at the time. A solution was found thanks to A.A. Lipgart - the creator of the "Pobeda," who had ended up in Miass in exile.
Lipgart's proposal was practical: to take the cab from the GAZ-51A, slightly redesign it, and move it forward, "sliding" it over the engine compartment. Formally this looked like a step backward, but in essence it saved the project. For the first time, drivers received a warm and relatively spacious cab with a heater. Factory tests in 1956 showed that at an outside temperature of -30 °C, +10...+12 °C was maintained inside without additional insulation - a result unattainable for the standard ZIS-5. Externally, the truck acquired features reminiscent of GAZ products, but technically it remained Ural.
The main advantage of the "Uralets" was hidden in its mechanicals. The 95 hp UralZIS-353 engine surpassed its predecessor not only in output, but also in reliability and pulling capability - even compared with the Moscow ZIL-120. With a displacement of 5.55 liters, it developed a maximum torque of 29 kgf·m, which allowed it to work confidently while overloaded and to move efficiently in lower gears. Retaining the four-speed gearbox, the designers optimized the gear ratios, making it more practical than the bulky five-speed transmission of the ZIL-150. The final drive ratio was reduced to 6.67 versus 7.82 on the ZIS-5, which lowered engine speed at cruising modes and increased top speed to 70 km/h.
From the ZIS-5, the vehicle inherited endurance and cross-country ability, but got rid of excessive harshness. Telescopic shock absorbers, a revised suspension, and the switch to 8.25-20 tires instead of 34×7-inch ones made the truck significantly more comfortable and stable. According to operating reports from virgin-land farms, the average speed on dirt roads increased by 10-12%, while cases of spring and frame failure under overload were reduced many times over compared with its predecessor. Formally, the payload capacity was 3.5 tons, but in reality the "Uralets" steadily carried 5-6 tons. Off-road, it often pulled out stuck all-wheel-drive GAZ-63 trucks, which had 25 hp less power.
The paradox of the model was that its perfection was the result not of revolutionary innovations, but of a competent combination of proven solutions. It was a balanced working vehicle without the asceticism of the ZIS-5 and without the excessive complexity of new designs. Reports from truck fleets recorded between-repair service life of the clutch and gearbox at the level of 120,000-150,000 km - an outstanding figure for a late-1950s truck. At the implementation stage, the project encountered difficulties and moved forward slowly; only after a visit by a state commission reviewing complaints from the virgin lands did it receive the green light. Put onto the assembly line in 1959, the UralZIS-355M remained in production for seven years - twice as long as originally planned.
From 1959 to 1965, about 192,000 of these vehicles were built. More than 70% of them were sent to agriculture and construction organizations. The "Uralets" rarely appeared in the capitals: they were dispatched to villages, remote construction sites, and state farms. They hauled grain from the virgin lands, transported milk in ACPT-2.2 tankers - it was precisely such a repainted milk truck that flashed by in the film "Gentlemen of Fortune" - and worked where roads effectively did not exist.
It was precisely this "non-capital" fate that determined the model's historical undervaluation. While a new generation of three-axle all-terrain vehicles was being mastered in Miass, the 355M was perceived as the conclusion of an outdated line. Nevertheless, in the regions of the Urals, Siberia, and Kazakhstan, these trucks continued working until the late 1980s, often for 20-25 years, undergoing several major overhauls. Where the "Uralets" served, it was valued: drivers warming themselves in its cab in forty-degree frosts and hauling heavy loads along broken tracks often operated the vehicles for 20-30 years, despite plans to retire them - often simply because there was no equivalent replacement.