GAZ Chaika

The GAZ Chaika (Russian: Ча́йка), which means gull, is a luxury automobile from the Soviet Union made by GAZ (Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, translated as Gorky Automobile Plant (Russian: ГАЗ or Го́рьковский автомоби́льный заво́д)).

[3] The GAZ-13 was powered by a 195-hp SAE gross 5.5 L V8 and driven through a push-button automatic transmission of a similar design to the Chrysler TorqueFlite unit.

The GAZ-13's styling had become antiquated by the 1970s, and it was succeeded by the more modern GAZ-14 Chaika[4] introduced in 1977 (although production of both versions overlapped by several years).

Although visually modern and fitted with the latest electronic luxury features, the GAZ-14 was in fact built around the drivetrain and undercarriage of the older model.

[5] Chaikas were mainly used by local governors, as the more luxurious ZiL were usually reserved exclusively for members of the Politburo, but in some cases it found its way up to the top, such as in Cuba where it was used by Fidel Castro.