Start with what the GAZ 46 is: a waterproofed hull with 4 cyl petrol, 2112cc GAZ-69, built from 1954 to 1958, at the height of the post-war boom. What it meant takes a little longer.
The story
The GAZ-46, army designation MAV (Russian, малый автомобиль водоплавающий, small floating car), is a Soviet-made light four-wheel drive amphibious military vehicle that entered service in the 1950s and has been used by many Eastern Bloc allied forces since.
What is underneath
The engine is 4 cyl petrol, 2112cc GAZ-69; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 1270 kg. Drive goes through a 3-speed manual; 2-speed transfer case / water: PTO propeller drive. The wheelbase is 230 cm (91 inch). These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
In the GAZ line-up the GAZ 46 has a clear place: the factory was Soviet Union. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Chevrolet Corvette. Nearby in the GAZ catalogue sit the Chaika and the GAZ 24-24.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the GAZ 46 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.