In Soviet times, a lot of legendary cars were produced. Of particular note is the Volga. This is perhaps the dream of every motorist in those days. The car was distinguished by an incredibly comfortable interior by that standards and special status. After all, the Volga was not accessible to ordinary people, like the Zhiguli and the Muscovites. One of the most massive Volga is the twenty-four. It was produced about twenty years in series. Based on it, many modifications were created. One of these is the GAZ-24 V8. The model had an index of 24-24 and 24-34. And this is not tuning at all. GAZ-24 with a V8 engine was mass-produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant. We will tell you more about this model in our article today.
Description
The Volga GAZ-24-24 V8 is a Soviet middle-class car mass-produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant from 1968 to 1985. The car is built on the basis of the usual GAZ-24. Officially in the documents the car was referred to as an “escort vehicle”.
The main objective of this model was to accompany the government "Seagulls" and ZILs. Most of the GAZ-24 V8 worked in the ninth department of the KGB of the USSR. Unofficially, this car was called "catching up." The machine was not provided for ordinary and "nomenclature" citizens. Also note that the data collection of the copies was carried out manually, in small batches. In total, a little more than one thousand copies were published.
Appearance
The design of this car was no different from the standard “twenty four”. So, in front there is the same chrome bumper with a thin strip-molding, as well as a shiny radiator grill with round halogen headlights. On the wings - massive turn signals, and above - the proud inscription "Volga". Unlike the 21st model, there was no deer figure on the new body. Now it is replaced by a flat icon. Regularly, the car came with stamped 14-inch wheels. Tire size - 205/70. They were without flippers (what is in the photo below, this is tuning).
GAZ-24 V8 had a completely identical “twenty four” body. Externally, these machines are no different. This was the main task of the developers - to create a machine for special services, which would successfully disguise itself as a civilian.
Metal and corrosion
Among the features of the car GAZ-24 with a V8 engine, it is worth noting the quality of painting. So, all KGB cars were painted using the Tchaikovsky technology. The metal has an improved anti-corrosion treatment. Therefore, many models that have survived to this day have been preserved in good condition.
Cars were assembled by hand (therefore, there were significant differences between the individual specimens), painted using the Tchaikovsky technology, with good anticorrosive properties.
Dimensions, clearance
This car has dimensions identical to the civilian GAZ-24. So, the total length of the body is 4.74 meters, width - 1.8, height - 1.48 meters. Ground clearance on standard wheels - 16 centimeters. Also note that now tuning lovers are installing on the GAZ-24 V8 wide chromed American wheels with a large rubber profile. The dimensions of the wheel arches are quite suitable for this. A vivid example of how large discs successfully stand on the Volga - in the photo below.
One of the main differences between the usual "Volga" from the "catch-up" was the curb weight. So, the weight of the Soviet GAZ-24 sedan with an eight-cylinder engine is 1750 kilograms. It was a very heavy car.
Salon
Let's move inside the car GAZ-24 V8. The interior design also did not differ from the usual Volga. Immediately striking is the large two-spoke steering wheel with the inscription "Volga" and a wide central tunnel. It is worth noting that the GAZ-24 V8 came from the factory with an automatic transmission. The task of the developers was such as to hide the presence of automatic transmission lever. So, in the cabin used almost the same selector as on the mechanics. And the switching of modes was carried out by pressing the left pedal (that is, the one that was responsible for the clutch on the usual "Volga"). Some models had paired pedals. That is, both worked like a brake. There are dermatin seats with headrests and a radio in the cabin.
The interior is sheathed in hard plastic. But it is quite high quality and is well preserved to our time. Door panels are embossed horizontally. Inside a lot of space. The car is quite wide and comfortably accommodated up to three adult passengers in the rear. It should be noted that light catching systems were installed on the “catch-up” system to supply signals when moving in a convoy. Additionally, special communication systems were present in the cabin.
However, when decommissioning machines, this equipment was dismantled without fail. The size of the trunk of the catch-up is 500 liters. The seatback does not fold.
Specifications
Now let's move on to the most interesting part - the engine compartment. Since this car was an accompanying one, its technical characteristics should be no worse than that of Chaika. In view of this, a powerful V-shaped gasoline engine from the Zavolzhsky Engine Plant was installed under the hood. This power unit had a working volume of 5526 cubic centimeters. The maximum power that he was able to develop is 195 horsepower. Torque - 412 Nm at 2.2-2.9 thousand revolutions per minute. GAZ-24 5.5 V8 has two aluminum heads and one camshaft with a lower arrangement. There were two valves per cylinder. They opened by means of pushers. By design, this eight-cylinder engine resembled the GAZ-23 ICE. Both had the same exhaust system with two tracts combined into a single pipe.
According to passport data, the car accelerated to 160 kilometers per hour. However, as practice has shown, the real numbers are much higher. "Catching up" can accelerate to 180 kilometers per hour. In this case, acceleration to hundreds takes about 10 seconds.
The power system of the V8 ZMZ engine is carburetor, four-chamber. As a carburetor, the K-114 unit was used. The piston stroke is 88 millimeters. The cylinder diameter is 100 millimeters. The compression ratio is 8.5. Cooling system - liquid, forced type. The cylinder block is aluminum with wet cast-iron sleeves.
Fuel consumption
As the operating experience shows, in terms of efficiency, this car is similar to the Lawn. So, with a volume of 5.5 liters, this engine consumed from 22 to 28 liters of fuel, depending on operating conditions. Recommended fuel - AI-95.
Chassis
As the curb weight increased (especially the load on the front axle), it was necessary to strengthen the suspension. So, it was modified specifically for a large motor. The body remained standard, but the front used reinforced springs and an independent suspension with double wishbones (unlike a pivot beam, as on simple Volga cars).
At the rear was an independent suspension, with semi-elliptical springs. A reinforced anti-roll bar was used in the chassis design. Also rear axle changed. It has a main pair from the GAZ-23 with a reduced gear ratio (3.38 to one).
Steering, brakes
Steering - gear reducer with hydraulic booster. Recall that in ordinary Volga this system was absent. The hydraulic booster has a separate working cylinder, which was not integrated into the steering gear.
The brake system is a fully drum, double-circuit, with a hydraulic drive and a vacuum booster. It is worth noting that the design of the brakes has also been finalized. Therefore, their effectiveness is not worse than on the lighter civilian Volga GAZ-24.
Cost
Is it possible to purchase catch-up now in the secondary market? As statistics show, there are very few ads for the escort vehicle. At the same time, the cost of cars varies significantly. You can buy an eight-cylinder "Volga" at a price of 60 to 200 thousand rubles. Of course, in the first case it will be a completely dead instance.
Such cars are very much appreciated among collectors. But we also note that many people install an eight-cylinder engine on the Volga on their own. However, this is not ZMZ-2424, but the GAZonovsky ZMZ-511 engine of 4.7 liters with the same V-shaped layout. The power of this unit is from 115 to 125 horsepower. Therefore, such a tuned Volga cannot be called a full-fledged catch-up.
Conclusion
So, we found out what the Soviet GAZ-24 car with an eight-cylinder engine is. “Catching up” is a very rare car, it is very difficult to meet it on sale. Often, such models are purchased by collectors. Therefore, if an offer appears, the buyer is very fast. And those who care only about power acquire the usual Volga engines, and only then they put the GAZON engine with compressor or imported Japanese V-engines into the car. In terms of power, they even surpass the characteristics of a regular ZMZ motor.