GAZ does not build many cars like the GAZ-M1 with 3.3 L (201 ci) GAZ-M (Ford L-head-4) Straight-four engine, built from 1936 to 1948 when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together.
Where it came from
The GAZ M1 (“Эмка“/”Emka”) was a passenger car produced by the Soviet automaker GAZ between 1936 and 1943, at their plant in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod, Russia). Systematic production ended in 1941, but the factory was able to continue assembling cars from existing inventory of parts and components until 1943. In total, 62,888 GAZ M1 automobiles were produced.
Much of the car's production period coincided with the Great Patriotic War (World War II), and many Emkas, as they were commonly called, were used by the army as staff cars. Various special versions were produced such as the GAZ M - FAI and BA-20 armoured car models. The car has subsequently become an icon of its time in Russia, having been relatively popular, and featuring in film and photographic images of a defining period in the history of the Soviet Union.
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 3.3 L (201 ci) GAZ-M (Ford L-head-4) Straight-four engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 1370-1450 kg. The gearbox is a 3-speed manual. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 2845 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Where it sits in GAZ's history is not in doubt: the GAZ-A (1932–1936) came before it; the GAZ-M20 Pobeda (4-cylinder) / GAZ-12 ZIM (6-cylinder) followed it; it was built at Gorky, Soviet Union. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Chevrolet Suburban, the Bugatti Type 57, the Volkswagen Beetle. Nearby in the GAZ catalogue sit the Chaika and the GAZ 24-24.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the GAZ-M1 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.