Chief of staff
But first there was a government decree of 1954. It ordered the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, which had barely launched production of the GAZ-69, to design a family of wagon-type vehicles based on it. The main customer was the army. Therefore, the first prototypes were a UAZ-450A ambulance and a UAZ-450B staff vehicle.
The first prototype is the headquarters UAZ-450B, 1956.
The first prototype is the headquarters UAZ-450B, 1956.
Already in 1955, NAMI artist Vladimir Aryamov drew a sketch of a compact van with a huge letter U on the front - as if in response to the VW emblem that appeared on the first generation Volkswagen Transporter cars. Know ours!
Sketch by Vladimir Aryamov, 1955
Sketch by Vladimir Aryamov, 1955
Aryamov’s car not only did not look like any foreign analogue (in the USA all cars of this class at that time were bonneted), but also looked, perhaps, the most elegant and daring among the few European carriage vans and minibuses. Not to mention the fact that there were practically no all-wheel drive vehicles of this class.
How the UAZ-451 was created and what it was intended for
The UAZ “Bukhanka” car entered the assembly line back in 1958, and since then has continued to be in great demand.
History of creation. The beginning of the history of this car was the arrival at the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant of an order from the Ministry of Automotive Industry, which contained instructions to develop and launch serial production of light-duty vehicles with increased cross-country ability in the shortest possible time. The plant did not have the opportunity to conduct experiments with the chassis, so in an effort to reduce the cost of production and meet deadlines, it was decided to take the GAZ-69 as a basis, since there were no problems with the technical documentation - the production of the model was just transferred to UAZ.
The main discussions revolved around the layout. The engineers were divided into two groups, one of which worked on the standard bonnet version, the other making a car with a cab over the engine. During the design process, stiffening ribs were made inside the body, with which the car resembled a sliced loaf, which became the reason for the nickname “Loaf”.
In 1956, two samples were prepared, the bodies of which were made of different materials - wood and metal. The first option was quickly abandoned due to extreme creaking, but the metal one was produced in various versions and was tested throughout the year in the most difficult climatic and road conditions.
UAZ-451. Despite the fact that one of the customers for the first version of the car was the Ministry of Defense, at first there was a shortage of cars, since all the products produced by the Ulyanovsk plant went to army needs. But at the end of the 50s, an acute shortage of light vehicles with a carrying capacity of up to 1 ton began to be felt in civilian life. Vans based on the Moskvich carried only 250 kg of cargo, and the next in terms of carrying capacity was the GAZ-51 - 2.5 tons. The need for such a vehicle for the needs of the national economy was obvious, so immediately after the family was put into mass production, the design bureau began developing small-tonnage versions with rear axle drive, with a load capacity of up to 1 ton. In order to work in urban conditions, a chassis with all-wheel drive was considered redundant - a single-wheel drive was sufficient.
But it was not possible to simply remove the drive from one pair of wheels - problems arose with weight distribution. The result was the need to leave the wheelbase unchanged, and move the engine 220 mm back and 70 mm down. In appearance, vans of this model were recognizable by the presence of a side door, but the rest of the changes made to the design were invisible to the eye.
Conclusion. Despite the fact that mass production was supposed to be established already at the development stage of the previous version, the model went into production with a long delay. The reason was the priority given to utilitarian versions - first they launched the production of an all-metal UAZ-450 van and a flatbed truck (UAZ-450D), then it was the turn of the ambulance UAZ-450A, but the ten-seater minibus, based on the first sketches, began to be mass-produced only in 1965 — along with the model update.
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The most famous and long-running UAZ is a record holder in various categories.
The taste of the “loaf”: the complete history of the UAZ-450Design Features
Initially, the designers of the Ulyanovsk plant and NAMI considered two options for manufacturing a new model.
The easiest way was to make a hooded car based on the GAZ-69. The second option involved the development of a new cabover version of the car, but using standard components and assemblies from Kozlik. As a result, it was decided to make a new design car from scratch. Then this was explained by modern trends in automotive fashion. Plus, the military considered cabovers as promising for transportation.
The first UAZ-450 was created according to the design of Aryamov, who worked at NAMI. The car turned out to be modern, with a noticeable narrowing at the rear and stylish cladding at the front.
Compared to European models of all-metal vans, the experienced UAZ looked the most elegant.
One of the first prototypes of the UAZ-450. Photo: Youtube.com
The military rejected the prototype - it turned out to be too expensive and civilian. Army equipment had to be as inexpensive as possible, but at the same time strong and repairable.
Then the UAZ designers took matters into their own hands and simplified the car in order to reduce its final cost. In the process, several dozen sketches were proposed, many mock-ups were created, but Shemarin’s design, made the day before the model was approved in Moscow, went into work.
The military liked the prototype of the second type and approved it for production. Its carrying capacity was up to 750-800 kg, which was more than enough for an ambulance or staff vehicle.
The Ulyanovsk plant was issued a technical assignment, according to which the UAZ should be produced in several modifications:
