Volga pick-up part 2, Pobeda pick-up

Doua descoperiri...

Prima, taxiurile Volga pick-up existau inca din 1968 si nu incepand cu 1970. In prima imagine, din 1968, se vede clar un exemplar. De fapt, deja prezentasem poza pe blog. Se pare ca si in Uniunea Sovietica, multe modele vechi sau accidentate au fost convertite artizanal in pick-up, de multe ori in regiuni mai sarace, regiuni in care si azi se mai vede cate o Pobeda sau Volga M21 facandu-si treaba.

A doua e chiar fascinanta. Studiand atent o poza din 1959, se vede, in statia de autofurgnete ITB, un pick-up, care nu poate fi decat un GAZ M20 Pobeda. In acel timp, stiam ca ITB folosea numai GAZ-69 sau primele modele de IMS ca autofurgonete. Iata totusi o Pobeda modificata artizanal. Ma intreb daca era singura in flota de taximetrie a capitalei.





Two things I found out recently...

First, when I said that pick-up Volga M21 taxis were introduced in around 1970, I was wrong. The above image, with one clearly visible, is from 1968. In fact, I had already presented this picture earlier. It seems that in the USSR too, may old or crashed Volga M21s were converted into pick-ups, mainly in poorer, outlying areas - where even today you can see the odd Volga M21 or Pobeda in daily use.

The second is more interesting. Looking carefully at a 1959 photo showing the commerical taxi rank in Bucharest, you can clearly see a pick-up, in the dinstinctive shape of the Gaz M20 Pobeda. I know that in those days the Bucharest public transport system used early AROs or GAZ 69 vehicles for carrying goods, but never a Pobeda converted to a pick-up. I wonder if it was the only one.