LuAZ

LuAZ (Ukrainian: ЛуАЗ, short for "Луцький автомобільний завод", Lutskyi avtomobilnyi zavod; Lutsk automobile factory) is an Ukrainian automobile manufacturer in the city Lutsk.

History

The factory was founded in 1951, and was known as LARZ and then LuMZ (Mechanical Factories of Lutz) from 1955. Along with truck repairs, the early products of this relatively small plant were mobile repair shop and refrigerated truck bodies on Moskvitch, ZIL, and UAZ frames.

Its first original design is the sturdy and simple LuAZ-967 off-road vehicle for the Red Army. It originated after the Korean War, when the Soviets saw a need for small off-road vehicles comparable to the American Jeep, to supplement the overly-large and -heavy GAZ-69s then in service. Developed at NAMI (the National Automobile Institute), the prototype, known as NAMI 049, was completed in 1958.

LuAZ's civlian products suffered such a reputation for poor quality, "for a time the LuAZ was the only car that could be bought off the shelf by Soviet motorists".

LuAZ-967

The LuAZ-967 (Ukrainian: ЛуАЗ-967) was the Transporter of the Front Line, a small Soviet four-wheel drive amphibious vehicle. Light enough to be air transportable, it had a 400 kg (880 lb) payload over most terrain.

History

The design originated after the Korean War, when the Soviets saw a need for small off-road vehicles comparable to the American Jeep, to supplement the overly-large and -heavy GAZ-69s then in service. It was to serve for casualty evacuation, munition supply and the carriage of light armaments, to be used by Russian Airborne Troops (VDV).

Developed at NAMI (the National Automobile Institute), the prototype, known as NAMI 049, was completed in 1958. Unlike the Jeep, it had a Fibreglass body, four-wheel torsion bar independent suspension, and permanent four-wheel drive with locking hubs. It had a wheelbase of 1,800 mm (71 in), a ground clearance of 280 mm (11 in), and was powered by a 22 hp (16 kW; 22 PS) MD-65 motorcycle engine (copied from an Orbita motorcycle). Trials proved it underpowered, and the body too fragile.