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If the Zil (see Top 10 presidential limousines) was the Rolls-Royce of Russian cars, then the Chaika was the Rover or Humber - wheels for less flash, but still respected, fat-cat executives and politicians. Like the Zil, it was a prestigious official saloon for those who were equal, but a little more equal than others. Only the movers and shakers of the communist party could drive - or more likely be driven - in a Chaika. Launched in 1958, the Chaika-Gaz 13 appeared to be a direct copy of a Packard Caribbean, but it was powered by its own 5.5-litre, 195 bhp V8 engine with alloy cylinder heads, hitched to a pushbutton, three-speed automatic transmission. It was good for 100 mph at a time when most other Russian cars struggled to maintain 70, and the Chaika 'owner' could luxuriate in such niceties as power steering, door locks, winding windows and a five-band radio with an automatic antenna. For warmer climes and state occasions, a four-door phaeton convertible was available.
Early Chaikas were offered in up-beat, two-tone colour schemes, but as the cold war got chillier, they came only in sombre diplomatic black. Incredibly, production didn't finish until the late '70s.
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