Interesting facts about cars KGB spy

Soviet Cojuza no more, and three letters KGB today sound like a "horror story" of bygone times. However, veterans are still alive intelligence and memory of their opposition to the war. Together with them alive and interest automobile collectors to the machines on which these cranks espionage operations. In the USSR, these machines (the ones who knew about them) love called "catch-up".

1. How many were emergency vehicles in the USSR?

For the entire Soviet period, hundreds of cars at GAZ have been made on the request of the CBD. The first was a "victory" M20G 6-cylinder modified with a manual transmission. Total of 100 pieces were produced. The second was the "Volga" -23, where 603 pieces were produced for the KGB. This was followed by 24 and 25 models with the motor from "seagulls", as well as their modifications.

2. The spy car looked like an ordinary "Volga"?

Soviet spy car (spy car as well as other countries) were outwardly indistinguishable from the production of civilian cars. However, the filling of these vehicles is always much higher than not only the production models, but also some prototypes. For example, the "Victory" M20G was 10 km \ h faster than the speed of civil car of its time. Moreover, the KGB cars often received an automatic transmission. Incidentally, even in this case, the automatic transmission lever outwardly looked like a very ordinary "civil".

3. Was it possible to recognize a spy "Volga"?

Make it could only true professional. The fact that the sound of the engine of the KGB cars still different from the sound of the engine production models for obvious reasons: sound different from the 8 cylinders 4 and 6. Also, due to the more powerful engines, the machines needed in the two exhaust pipes. The designers were able to "gracefully" to disguise them by connecting the output of one, but looking at this "Volga" in it to learn quickly is not a civilian version.

4. The scouts raced on the black "Volga"?

The term "black funnels" so is firmly in people's minds with the darkest Soviet times that with him rooted myth, though all the KGB cars were black. Of course, it is not. Painted spying "Volga" in a variety of colors, even in taxis. All in order to merge into the flow of cars. Collectors, which fell into the hands of special products of GAZ, told that they are on the "Volga" on 5-10 layers of paint. This indicates that the machine could be repainted, if it is "lit up".

Government, including special "Volga" could be black, but as a rule, they were cars processional.

5. What is needed special "Volga"?

From the outset, the KGB special car to position as "surveillance machine". First of all they were required to spy on guests from other countries. Foreign cars in the Soviet Union were a rarity, as a rule, they drove the journalists and employees of foreign embassies. To monitor them and created such machines. Most KGB interested in foreign cars with an index D004 - it was American ambassadors. By the way, in such number represents the profession of car owner and the numbers - country.

6. "Volga" the KGB was classified?

No, no car, forced to adopt the KGB, was not classified. All technical documentation of improved cars were freely available and not a state secret. So the creation of the "charged" models known to all. The catch was that the secretive and out was absolutely all additional toppings such machines, for example, means of communication.

By the way, many of these accessories are not declassified KGB and today, but because the issue is such utter region of myths, legends and fantasy writers. Did the KGB changing rooms - hard to say, but it is known that the car could include lights separately.

7. A as "buried" spy car?

Sooner or later any "Volga" the KGB produces a resource or fail. In this case, a machine removes all the extra equipment and improved mechanisms, for example, a more powerful engine was changed to the one installed on the serial cars. Thus, the Soviet intelligence veteran disguised the last time and retiring, falling on the secondary market.