Through the 70s and into the 80s amateur homemade car rallies were held in the USSR in which ordinary citizens built their own vehicles and put them through a variety of endurance and environmental tests. They were sponsored by the Soviet magazine Tekhnika Molodezhi (or Molodyozhi) which translates to Technology for Youth.
These events were very popular and got a lot of media attention. It was thought or hoped that they would also stimulate technological innovation or new ideas in the "mainstream" Soviet car industry, though to what extent this ever happened is not clear. Without any doubt, however, amateur science, radio, etc was a major pastime in the USSR and was facilitated and encouraged from an early age through groups like the Pioneers.
Here we look at an article about the car rallies from June, 1983 that includes some pretty wild car designs. The amphibious car with a sail -- designed by Igor Rikman -- is, in my opinion, especially out there. The blurb with the photo said that "professional car designers" felt it had a great future, though from a mass production viewpoint this seems unlikely. Still, I would really love to take a ride in it!
FUNNY HOME-MADE CARS
By Alexander Perevozchikov
Is it possible to make a car on your own? Or would that be tantamount to inventing the bicycle all over again? The amateur car builders who are testing their mettle at rallies sponsored by Tekhnika—Molodyozhi magazine are proving they can.
The route of the motor rally was more im-pressive than ever: The motorists were to cover 10,000 kilometers of road through seven Soviet union republics, crossing hundreds of cities in Russia, Central Asia and Transcaucasia, overcoming the sands of the Kara-Kum Desert and the steep mountains of the Tien Shans and the Pamirs.
Wherever the homemade cars appeared. whether in the central squares of the capitals. in the stadiums or on the streets of numerous towns and settlements, the reception was the same: crowds of curious onlookers asking endless questions of the rally participants, carrying bouquets of flowers and wearing broad smiles. It goes without saying that a caravan of unusual cars poses quite an unusual spectacle for both city dwellers and people living in the country. But it would be an oversimplification if I were to say that that alone accounts for the interest of thousands of amateur designers in car modification. Vasili Zakharchenko, editor in chief of Tekhnika—Molodyozhi magazine expressed it this way: "Besides everything else, rallies are the perfect place for new ideas to be tried out. For this reason our magazine has supported amateur car building for many years. We hold annual rallies, where the most interesting nonstandard cars can be seen, including amphibious vehicles, jeeps, Land Rovers and cars with plastic bodies, to name but a few. Over the years our original exhibition of science and technology on wheels has covered dozens of different routes. Thousands of people have seen the amateur cars along the Volga or in Transcaucasia, the Baltic republics, the Ukraine and Byelorussia.
"Professional designers from the large auto plants in Gorky, Togliatti, Ulyanovsk and Izhevsk (the Urals) attend the motor rallies, too. They're not only interested in seeing what's new but also in looking into the new technical 'kitchens' of the amateur car builders. And that has proved beneficial in the past. I think it takes a professional to really appreciate a good design or, frankly, to chide a maker for inventing another 'bicycle.' "
Who Is Who?
"Creating is contagious," says Alexander Kulygin, a 25-year-old engineer from Ukhta, Northern Russia. He has participated in three motor rallies. "After you've made your first car, you feel like making another one that's more perfect," he adds. The amateur designer knows best, so to speak. Kulygin with his buddy Yuri Bekhtev designed the Pangolina, a two-passenger sports car. It is the fourth car Kulygin has built in the last few years. The first design had a veneer body. The second was a cross between a dune buggy and a jeep. Both cars were equipped with powerful cycle motors and enjoyed great popularity in the local Palace of Young Pioneers and Schoolchildren. His third car, a six-wheel Ukhta Land Rover christened Lunokhod (Moon Rover) for its phenomenal cross-country ability, earned the amateur car designer much fame: He won the rally and he appeared on the national TV program "You Can Do It."
The Pangolina takes its name from the pangolin, a small armored mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa. Kulygin and Bekhtev did their best to incorporate the qualities of the animal's durable shell in their design. The Pangolina's body is made of plastic 4 to 10 millimeters thick. Its engine, axles and steering column are im-provements upon the Soviet Lada's. The designers gave the front end of the car a beautiful wedge shape, creating an aerodynamic force that helps the car stay on the road.
All of the models entered in the latest rally for the Tekhnika—Molodyozhi Prize are "peaches." But the amateur car builders say in jest that the amphibious vehicle designed by Igor Rikman from Moscow is a peach from an especially delicious compote! And indeed, his lchtyandr with its original geometric body can at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour plunge into water without braking and switch to a pump-jet propulsion unit. During last year's rally a thousand-strong crowd witnessed the lchtyandr traveling around Ilmen Lake. The crew of a tugboat on the lake in the vicinity of the amphibian accepted the latter's silent challenge and tried to overtake it. However, Rikman pushed on, an impressive surf rising behind the stern. The tugboat followed suit but could not close the distance between them. Suddenly, as the captain of the tugboat was pressing his accelerator to the floor, the engine began to rumble and the smokestack began to belch black smoke. Finally, the vessel came to a complete stop. Amid laughter and applause from spectators on the shore, the Ichtyandr smugly sidled up to the tug and towed it to shore.
The Gubarev brothers, Igor and Nikolai, from Tbilisi, gave their car the ability to change road clearance while in motion. This enables it to easily traverse difficult mountain roads and passes.
Vladimir Kasyanov from Moscow attempted to solve the complex engineering problem of designing an economical engine. The Lada engine he modified runs on a mixture of gas and water, which is sucked into the carburetor by a special nozzle.
Without exception, all of the participants in the rally keenly followed the reports in the local press. They were not only interested in seeing their names in print, which of course tickled them, but also, of greater importance, in learning the outsider's view of the club on wheels. Here are quotes from two newspapers that added strength to the amateur car builders:
The two dozen original cars made with the amateurs' own hands are not inferior to their series production brothers. Each car is unique! - From Uralski Rabochiy (Ural Worker) Sverdlovsk
The designers of the cars—people from various professions, some far removed from technology—are united by their enthusiasm and the desire to engage in creating.- From Chelyabinski Rabochiy (Chelyabinsk Worker) Chelyabinsk
As the motor rally sponsored by Tekhnika—Molodyozhi moves from city to city and republic to republic, it accomplishes its main goal: It wins the hearts of young people, inspiring them to partake in the quest for bold technological ideas. ■
Comments