Gaz · 1959–present
GAZ-13
The GAZ-13 Chaika (Seagull) is an automobile which was manufactured by the Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (GAZ, Gorky Automobile Plant) from 1959 to 1981 as a generation of its Chaika marque. It is famously noted for its styling which resembled 1950s Packard Patrician.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Predecessor: GAZ-12 ZIM · Successor: GAZ-14 Chaika
All Gaz GAZ-13 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →
History
The GAZ-13 Chaika debuted in 1958. It was produced from 1959 to 1981, with 3,179 built in all. The GAZ-13 was powered by a 195-hp SAE gross 5.5 L V8 with a 4 barrel carburetor called the ZMZ-13 engine, and driven through a push-button automatic transmission of a similar design to the Chrysler PowerFlite unit. The engine was a relatively modern and reliable design for its time, and a modified version with a reduced compression ratio and smaller 2 barrel carburetor was used on the GAZ-53 truck, alongside the BRDM-2 military vehicle. It was offered as a saloon (GAZ-13), limousine (GAZ-13A), and four-door cabriolet (GAZ-13B) with an electrohydraulic top. The cabriolet was made in 1961 and 1962 for official parades. RAF in Riga produced the GAZ-13A Universal, an estate, in the 1960s in Riga; this was also built as the GAZ-13S ambulance, as well as a hearse. Produced for a few years in the 1960s, it is the lowest-volume Chaika variant. Small numbers were also built for Mosfilm. As a limousine-class car, Chaikas were available only to the Soviet government, and could not be purchased by average citizens. However, citizens were allowed to rent Chaikas for weddings. Chaikas were used by Soviet ambassadors and Communist Party First Secretaries in East Germany, North Korea, Bulgaria, Hungary, Mongolia, China, and Finland, among others; Jiang Qing and Fidel Castro were given one each by General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev, who himself preferred the Chaika to his ZIL, and kept one at his summer dacha. He also presented one limousine version each to both King Sisavang Vatthana of Laos and Prime Minister, Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia on their visits to the Soviet Union. For their larger size and more powerful V8, Chaikas were also ordered in some quantity by the KGB. Top speed
Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.
Specifications
- name
- GAZ-13 Chaika
- Manufacturer
- GAZ
- Production
- 1959–1981 (first prototype made in 1955 or 1956)
- Assembly
- Soviet Union: Gorky
- Predecessor
- GAZ-12 ZIM
- Successor
- GAZ-14
- Class
- Full-size luxury car
- Layout
- FR layout
- Engine
- 5.5L ZMZ-13 V8
- Related
- Packard Patrician
- Transmission
- 3-speed automatic
- Wheelbase
- 3250 mm
- Length
- 5600 mm
- Width
- 2000 mm
- Height
- 1580 mm
- Kerb weight
- 2050-2190 kg
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.
More photos
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7133282CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAZ-13CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1364646311 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Russian_car_GAZ-13_Chaika.jpgPublic domain · Photo: Игоревич · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.