This is the 1962 GAZ 16A, the 2nd in a series of 3 total hovercraft/all terrain prototype vehicles (16, 16A, 16B) that were built and designed by Russian automotive manufacturer GAZ (Gorkovsky avtomobilny zavod) in the early 1960s. The Soviet Union agreed to a deal with the Ford Motor Company in 1929 which included assistance with construction of an automobile-manufacturing factory. This became the Nizhny Novgorod Automobile Plant in 1932. The factory would have it’s name changed to GAZ in 1933 after the city was renamed to ‘Gorky’ after writer Maxim Gorky. By the 1950s, one of the next major events to gain international attention was the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. One project from this technology-driven time were the GAZ 16, 16A, and 16B prototype hovercraft vehicles. Starting in 1961 a team at The Gorky Automobile Plant led by Alexei Smolin, head of the special vehicles department began to develop a series of all-terrain prototypes. The project (nicknamed Flying Volga) was inspired by the 1937 Hovercraft Tank by professor Vladimir Levkov. The first prototype was built on the chassis of a Volga GAZ-21. The 1961 model was equipped with a 195hp V8 engine and drove on an air cushion, allowing it to hover about 15 or so centimeters off the ground. The next prototype came in 1962 and was equipped with dual motors and propellers. This model received two additional 28hp motorcycle engines. The air cushion technology was often found to be difficult to use, although, the vehicle successfully operated in the snow without issue. The third and final prototype came in 1963 and was known as the 16B which used a GTD-350 Mi-2 400hp helicopter engine. Ultimately, the vehicles saw no real use in any capacity. Only a small piece of one of the 3 prototypes built is left today in the museum of the Gorky Automobile Plant.
How many made? 3
Engine: 195hp V8 (plus two 28hp motorcycle engines)
Debut: 1962
Top Speed: 105mph (claimed)
0-60mph: n/a
Photo Credit: Sergei Yakovlev
Research: @rarecarsonly