The GAZ-M20 Pobeda (“Victory”) is a Soviet passenger car built by the Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ) from 1946 to 1958. It was also licensed to the Polish Passenger Automobile Factory, where it was built as the FSO Warszawa. This page covers the key facts, the history, the variants and the questions people ask most often.
GAZ-M20 Pobeda at a glance
| Manufacturer | Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ) |
|---|---|
| Production years | 1946–1958 in the USSR |
| Licence production | Poland, as the FSO Warszawa, 1951–1973 |
| Class | Mid-size passenger car |
| Successor | GAZ-21 Volga (1956–1970) |
The English and Russian sources give the same Soviet production years. The Polish production years come from the Russian source.
History
The Pobeda was produced in the Soviet Union by GAZ from 1946 until 1958. After the war the Soviet Union needed a new mid-size car, and the Pobeda was its answer. The name means “Victory”, which reflects the period in which the car was introduced.
The car was also licensed to the Polish Passenger Automobile Factory, which built it as the FSO Warszawa. Polish production ran from 1951 to 1973, which is far longer than the Soviet run.
Design and features
- A mid-size passenger car, one of the main Soviet cars of the immediate post-war years.
- Built in the USSR and under licence in Poland, which gave the model a longer life there.
Variants
- GAZ-M20 Pobeda: the Soviet car, 1946–1958.
- FSO Warszawa: the Polish licence version, 1951–1973.
- GAZ-M72: the four-wheel-drive car built on the Pobeda body, 1955–1958.
- GAZ-20: another name for the same car, the GAZ-M20 Pobeda.
See also: the GAZ collection, the GAZ 21 Volga, the GAZ M-72 and the GAZ M-1 Emka.
GAZ-M20 Pobeda questions and answers
What does Pobeda mean?
“Victory” in Russian.
When was the Pobeda built?
From 1946 to 1958 in the USSR, and in Poland as the FSO Warszawa from 1951 to 1973.
What replaced the Pobeda?
The GAZ-21 Volga, built from 1956 to 1970.
Video: GAZ M20 Pobeda
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- GAZ-M20 Pobeda, English Wikipedia: production 1946–1958, Polish licence as FSO Warszawa, name
- ГАЗ М-20 «Победа», Russian Wikipedia: production years in the USSR and Poland
- GAZ M20 Pobeda in Tashkent, Wikimedia Commons: photo and licence
