Forty-eight Years Ago, the GAZ-14 Chaika Took Flight in the USSR
This page is translated from the original post "Il y a 48 ans, la GAZ-14 Chaïka prenait son envol en URSS" in French.
- 14/10/2025 10:12
48 years ago, the GAZ-14 Chaika became the emblematic limousine of Soviet power and a rare symbol of automotive prestige.
On October 14, 1977, the first GAZ-14 “Chaika” (meaning “Seagull” in Russian) rolled off the Gorki factory lines, marking a major milestone in Soviet automotive history. A true symbol of prestige and power, this limousine was reserved solely for top Party officials, ministers, and allied heads of state in Moscow.
Designed to replace the GAZ-13, the GAZ-14 featured a more modern style, inspired by American sedans of the 1970s. Measuring 6.14 meters in length and 2 meters in width, it commanded attention. Under the hood, its 5.5-liter V8 engine producing 220 hp delivered decent performance despite weighing over 2 tons. The three-speed automatic transmission, borrowed from Chrysler, ensured rare comfort for a Soviet limousine.
Soviet Luxury
Inside, luxury was relative but visible: velour seats, thick carpeting, shortwave radio, and electric curtains. Some versions even featured an integrated telephone. Production was extremely limited—about 1,000 units between 1977 and 1988—and all handmade, without advertising or catalogs.
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Today, the GAZ-14 fascinates collectors and automotive history enthusiasts. It symbolizes an era when automobiles were not just transportation but also a showcase of power. The Chaika remains a rare and imposing testament to the Soviet desire to match the prestige of Western sedans while embodying the austerity and discipline of its regime.
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