GAZ-M20 Pobeda History

The GAZ-M20 Pobeda (Russian: Победа, 'Victory') rolled off the Gorky line on 21 June 1946, the first production model developed entirely by Soviet engineers rather than adapted from a foreign design. Its name was approved personally by Joseph Stalin — originally it was to be called 'Rodina' (Homeland), but Stalin preferred Pobeda, a reference to the wartime victory the car was designed to celebrate. Development had begun in 1943, at the height of the war, when a Soviet triumph began to seem achievable.

The Pobeda introduced a long list of Soviet firsts: turn signals, two electric windshield wipers, four-wheel hydraulic brakes, an electric cabin heater, and a factory-installed AM radio. Its streamlined, fastback body style was modern by international standards of the mid-1940s. The 2.1-liter inline-four produced 50 hp, rising to 52 hp in 1955.

Total production reached 235,999 units, including 14,222 convertibles and 37,492 taxis. The Pobeda was licensed to the Polish Passenger Automobile Factory, where it was produced as the FSO Warszawa. Its development techniques effectively built the foundation of the Soviet automobile industry.