The Volga GAZ-21 gave a start in life to many vehicles. For example, snowmobiles were made based on it. Also, few people know that there is an amphibious Volga – a high-speed boat of Project 343.
The Volga boat was developed in 1958 in Gorky (Nizhny Novgorod) and was initially called Strela. Interestingly, it was sold abroad, but in the USSR, it was impossible to buy the Volga.
The boat shares not only the name with the GAZ-21 – many units and assemblies were borrowed from the Volga. In particular, the front panel, steering wheel, seats, and radio were adopted from it.
Boats of Project 343 were produced in Batumi and Gomel, and there were several modifications. All of them reached 8.5 meters in length with a draft of 0.85 meters and were equipped with hydrofoils. The body was made of aluminum.
The amphibious Volga was equipped with various GAZ engines with a power of 75-90 hp. The maximum speed was 65 km/h.