According to one version found in Slavic mythology, a shishiga is a devil with a mane of hair sticking out in all directions, the spirit of evil and nightly dreams. According to another version, it is a watermark. According to the third, this is a goblin. In general, there are many versions, the essence is the same, shishiga is evil. But among Soviet, and then Russian motorists there is a version about it.
The appearance of the first "shishigi"
In the summer of 1964, a unique car with the GAZ-66 marking began on the conveyor of the Gorky Plant, and right there, for its number in the abbreviation, it received the nickname “Shishiga” among drivers. It is true that during that period of time when the car was produced by the factory, this car was so overgrown with legends that many began to believe that the car was nicknamed “shishiga” precisely because it feels great on forest impassable roads. As for the cross-country ability of the car, GAZ really managed to create an excellent SUV.
Description
High maneuverability of the car is caused by the fact that the car is four-wheel drive (4x4), self- blocks are installed in the front and rear axles , excellent ground clearance under the axles (over 30 cm), the ability to disable the front axle. In addition, the design of the car has a device that centrally regulates the air pressure in the tires, the inflation of which is carried out by a compressor, with a drive operating directly from the engine of the machine. An eight-cylinder, gasoline ZMZ-66-06, with a working volume of about 4.3 liters, produced 120 liters. from. power. At the same time, fuel consumption ranged from 20 liters per hundred kilometers. For comparison, it is worth noting that the passenger GAZ-69, whose power and engine capacity was two times less, “ate” 14 liters at the same distance.
The location of the center of gravity of the machine, which is located exactly between its axes, allows you to control the car in a critical roll. By the way, precisely because of such a balance, the GAZ-66 was adopted by the USSR landing forces. However, the hostilities during the war in Afghanistan revealed a big lack of a car, which put an end to the fate of the “Shishigi” in the ranks of the armed forces. The fact is that the location of the cabin directly above the wheels and its tightness threatened the crew with almost one hundred percent fatal outcome when hitting a mine.
But in civilian life, the car received a decent rating. Most car owners believe that "shishiga" - a car indispensable for heavy roads. Unstable soils, water barriers with a depth of up to 80 cm, a relatively small turning radius (9.5 meters), maneuverability, compact dimensions with a carrying capacity of 2 tons. All this allows us to conclude that the "shishiga" is really a "monster with a winch", however, in a good way.
Gaz-66 named "Partisan"
Some motorists who own the GAZ-66 decided to reconsider the purpose of the car in their own way. One of these transformations is tuning “shishigi” into a car, which is very similar to the well-known “Hammer”. They called him "Partisan."
True, the Russian version of the American car is similar to it only in appearance. The internal filling - engine, gearbox, razdatka, suspension - remained "native". What exactly the owner of this car wanted to achieve is not entirely clear, since the interior, although it has increased, has remained cramped, the sound insulation has worsened, there are no conveniences, the car has only lost its maneuverability. The only thing that remains at the height is the carrying capacity and throughput. Apparently, the owner’s dream of an American SUV did the trick.
Shishigina "Button"
A deeper tuning of the GAZ-66 was carried out by a group of other Russian "homemade" ones. They created a real "miracle SUV." This car is able to drive where the tri-axle KamAZ is dug in through the bumper.
From "shishigi" alteration received the very best, that is, everything that related to off-road driving. The cab at the new product was welded from two GAZ-66 cabs reinforced with a tube frame. The engine was replaced with a more powerful (250 hp), taken from the Mercedes Actros tractor unit . The car received a five-speed gearbox from him.
All 4 wheels became controllable as a result of the alteration, that is, the rear wheels had the possibility of synchronous rotation with the front. Thus, the car became not only all-wheel drive, but also fully-controlled. And this miracle with wheels from the combine received a nice name from its owners - “Button”.
The new GAZ-66 4x4 "shishiga", aka "Sadko"
Together with craftsmen, the GAZ-66 manufacturers also decided not to stand still and after 35 years they replaced the traditional 4x4 shishiga, releasing the new GAZ-3308 Sadko model. In fact, the car is the same "shishigu", but with a different cab, and naturally more comfortable. Since the cab received a bonnet layout, the manufacturer had to lengthen the chassis of the new “shishigi”. But the Gorky residents did not stop on this machine either.
The newest "shishiga"
In the summer of 2014, they presented at the STT-214 exhibition the latest NEXT GAZ Sadko truck. Of course, outwardly, he no longer looks like the good old GAZ-66. To please the trends of the time, he got a completely new look with various options, handling comparable to a passenger car, and an incredible ride for the truck. But only the classic features of “shishigi” have not been erased. If you do not go into details and do not go deep into the units, but simply remove the new cab and substitute the old one from the GAZ-66, outwardly you get the same "shishiga". But in fairness it’s worth saying that only externally ...
The car was equipped with switchable ABS. The body, in comparison with all its predecessors, increased by 20%. Steering, cardan transmission, shock absorbers, braking system, climate system, driver’s seats and even the engine from the wipers, as well as door locks, the manufacturer installed imported ones from leading manufacturers.
But on the other hand, the heart of the new "shishigi" remained Russian, produced by the Yaroslavl Motor Plant - a YaMZ-534 turbocharged diesel engine with a resource of 700 thousand km.
Despite all the innovations and updates, what remains constant is that "shishiga" is reliability, efficiency and ease of operation.