No.15 - 27 Oct 2000

Capital M.

Some of GAZ cars of 1930-ies - early 60-ies carried letter "M" in their model index. Among those are GAZ-M-20 "Pobeda", GAZ-M-21, or simply M-21 "Volga". And there is ZIM.
 

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With M standing for Molotov, V.M whose name was attached to the Gorky Auto plant in the murky days from the Old Sun setting to the New Sun rising. Ironically, while the personality of Molotow is fading with time from bleak to void, the perception of the M-branded cars quality is crystallizing into a standard that - sorry - hard to find a measure for in the cars world, although, yeah, I heard about a make Rolls-Royce. The kind of quality that lets the car on the main page display run into its second hundred of kilos (whichever measures system) with its original brake pads.

Giving the M's new life and original quality is the Molotov Garage Restoration located in outskirts of Moscow City, with their exposition at Autoexotika-2000 show including the ultimate - ZIS-110.

Read also Motor magazine's "The black horse of Marshal Rybalko".

Maxime Bujakov
Dmitry Kuznetsov (photo)
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