Special Purpose Garage Exhibition in Russia

Feb 17, 2023

Moscow (Russia), Feb 17 (ANI/TV BRICS): "Classified design"- the century-long history of designing cars for the state's top officials was unveiled at the VDNKH. This first Soviet limousine came off the assembly line of the Putilov plant. At that time production specialised mostly in tractors, and when their model became obsolete they decided to use the line for luxury cars. The experimental prototype by the designer Yuri Dolmatovsky could become a breakthrough in the Soviet car industry, as the ideas were so innovative, rear-wheel drive and no bonnet. Soviet car designers were often asked to look at their foreign colleagues, but for themselves they drew rather fantastic designs. Only some contemporary models were put on wheels, but they suffered the same fate - a ban on mass production. In the mid-80s an amazing car couple was created - a dark sedan "Misha" and a light one "Raya" - in honor of the Secretary General Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife. Models that didn't make it to the assembly line faced oblivion. Everything from the mock-ups to the blueprints had to be destroyed. The miraculously survived exhibits are shown for the first time. Some of them were still classified just recently.