The Volga was stylistically in line with the major American manufacturers of the period in which it was introduced, and incorporated such then-luxury features as the reclining front seat, cigarette lighter, heater, windshield washer and three-wave radio.

Alexander Nevzorov, head of the design team, was given a free hand to develop whatever he wanted to reach the objective of competing with American automobiles.

[4] Designer Lev Eremeyev decided to follow the fashion set by the Chevrolet Bel Air, Plymouth Savoy, and Ford Mainline; the finished product bears a resemblance to the 1952 Mainline,[4] although according to archive documents, the GAZ-21 was just stylistically inspired by the American Ford and was not mechanically reverse engineered and developed from it.

[5][6] The prototype appeared in the first quarter of 1954, powered by an inline four with overhead camshaft (driven by chain) and cross-flow hemispherical head.

[4] Since the OHV engine was not ready in time, production M21s had a 65 PS (48 kW; 64 hp) 2,432 cc (148.4 cu in) sidevalve four, based on the GAZ-20's.

Front suspension was independent, while the rear was a live axle with semielliptical springs; lever shock absorbers were on all four corners.

[9] The three variants were the standard M21G, an M21B taxi (with a taximeter in place of the radio and bucket seats in front instead of a bench), and a tropical model, the M21GYU, all with the GAZ leaping deer hood ornament.

[10] The Volga made its public debut in 1955, with a three cars on a demonstration drive from Moscow to the Crimea, two automatic models and a manual.

[12] Standard equipment on all models included spare parts and two tool kits, with spanners, wrenches, screwdrivers, a tire pump, and a can of paint to fix minor dings.

[13] Also, export models were built, M21D with the manual transmission and M21E with the automatic, both with a higher 7.2:1 compression engine, producing 80 PS (59 kW; 79 hp).

[7] The second-series Volgas became known for having no frills, but outstanding durability, helped by the 230 mm (9.1 in) ground clearance.

[7] That year, the central lubrication system was deleted, in favor of a more traditional local grease-application nipple.

[18] The car's large size and tough construction made it popular in the police and taxi trades, and V8-powered versions (designated GAZ M23) were produced for the KGB.

[citation needed] Based on the GAZ-21, a number of pick-up trucks were also built on its basis by various autonomous auto repair plants from all around the country.

A special-variant GAZ-23 Volga was produced for Soviet special services only, with a 160 PS (120 kW; 160 hp) 5.53-litre V8 engine from the Chaika.