USSR diecast model car "Chaika GAZ-13"
Box 6 ½ x 2 x 2 ¼
Made in the USSR, scale 1:43, reserved an executive class vehicle for government officials, black four-door sedan enhanced with silver details, in original box ox red with white, gold and black lettering.
The GAZ-13 preceded the 14 model. It looked like a copy of a 1950 Packard!
GAZ-13 ART C-CO-100D
These were produced in the most common and ubiquitous USSR limousines. It was an impressive machine and it had a dull and quiet V8 engine.
The detailing of the model is more than a tribute to the real thing. Look at the "jump seats" which blows!
Very baroque design with "tons" of chromium.
Al and a 'Packard' up to and including the suitcase! The designers should not have too much inspiration.
Heavy metal base plate screwed into place rivets like many of the other models in the series.
Well detailed box. All others come with colored pictures of the real thing at the back.
A Chaika (Russian:), meaning seagull, a luxury car of the Soviet Union made by GAZ.
Chaika production consisted of two generations. The brand first Chaika, the GAZ M13 was produced from 1959 to 1981, and is the most famous and numerous built with more than 3,100 samples run during 22 years of production. The Chaika GAZ M13 was visually a near-clone of the 1955 Packard Patrician and Mercury, with typical chrome-decked 1950 styling. The M13 was powered by a 195 hp (145 kW) 5.5L V8 and driven by means of a push-button automatic transmission of a similar design as the Chrysler Torqueflite unit. If a limousine-class car, Chaikas were only available to the Soviet government, and could not be purchased by the average citizen. However, citizens were allowed to hire Chaikas for weddings. Chaikas were a class lower than the more prestigious ZIL limousines, and issued to the top professionals, party officials, scientists, academics and other VIPs. For their larger size and more powerful V8, Chaikas were also ordered in a certain amount through the KGB. Nikita Khrushchev, was entitled to a ZIL, was known for its preference for a Chaikas, and held an M13 after his summer dacha. Top speed was 99 mph (158 km / h)
Vintage 1950s-style M13 was replaced by the more modern Chaika M14 introduced in 1977 (although the production of both versions overlapped by several years). The M14 took features from angular, upright American luxury sedans of the period, but not to directly copy a design unlike the M13. Although visually modern and equipped with the latest electronic luxury features, the M14 was basically built around the powertrain and chassis of the older model. The M14 engine was modernized and reached 220 hp (160 kW). The Chaika M14 remained in the production of 1977 to 1988, after which point of the limousine Chaika was brand
_____________
Unfortunately the brand tends to be affected by metal fatigue, some models more than others, and the GAZ-13 Chaika is one of the most severely affected of all. The models simply get a clay-like characteristic and cracks, at first, before literally smoldering into small fragments. Not all models are affected, though, so it's still possible to get one in pefect condition. Personally I've had two of these - one was (and still is) in mint condition, while the other was given to me as a gift, because I was interested in studying it close up. The entire body was completely crumbling, and although the pieces were already small, even they had several cracks, signaling further disintegration in the future. Personally I think that so many years have passed since production now, that the risk of buying an affected model should be quite small since they are very likely to have completely fallen apart by now. But by all means, if looking to buy one, make sure to view good, sharp close-up images before purchase.
