GAZ-Ataman

GAZ Ataman at a glance

In the mid-1990s GAZ was looking for new uses for the production capacity of its Volga passenger-car line. Its engineers had already developed a light truck, the Burlak, on Volga components, and a pickup called the GAZ-2307 followed. The Ataman grew out of this work. It was a more robust pickup with its own frame, all-wheel drive and a higher stance, intended for buyers who needed an off-road work vehicle. Its unusual looks earned it many nicknames when it appeared. The wider story of the plant is in the history of GAZ.

How the Ataman was developed

The starting point was the Volga saloon of the time (the Volga generations comparison shows the family), the GAZ-3110 and its predecessors. To make a pickup, engineers lengthened the wheelbase by 300 mm, which required a longer propeller shaft and handbrake cables. They also reinforced the suspension and added a rear frame joined to the body's side members. This produced the GAZ-2307 pickup, a hybrid of the Volga's body base and a truck-style load area.

The Ataman went further. It received a full separate frame, its own cab and front end, all-wheel drive and a range of engines from the plant's cars and light trucks. The four-wheel-drive GAZ-2308 was the main version, and a rear-wheel-drive GAZ-2309 was built alongside it for buyers who did not need off-road ability. According to the old 1cars text, the Ataman-2, coded GAZ-3106, was developed in cooperation with an American engineering company and had a more modern, enclosed SUV body.

GAZ Ataman engines: a V8, petrol fours and a turbodiesel

The engine line-up changed during development, and the old 1cars text describes several combinations. The figures below are those it gives.

With these engines the Ataman reached 120–140 km/h, depending on version. Fuel consumption was high, with about 15.8 l/100 km in town quoted for the petrol versions (the fuel cost calculator converts that into a cost per trip), a result of the vehicle's weight, size and the technology of the time. The clutch pedal was notably heavy.

Drivetrain, chassis and brakes

The all-wheel-drive version has two extra levers next to the gear lever: one for the low range and one for the centre differential lock. The old 1cars text describes a comparison on loose sand in which the rear-wheel-drive GAZ-2309 began to dig in, while the GAZ-2308 crossed without trouble and was even able to pull the 4x2 version out. Long-travel front springs and rear leaf springs gave a reasonably smooth ride while carrying about 800 kg.

Cab and interior

The three-seat cab of the pickups was spacious, with a large glass area and good visibility. Inside, the Ataman was a working vehicle: a separate driver's seat, a dashboard with much in common with GAZ's trucks, a large speedometer and a two-spoke steering wheel. Plastics were basic and the overall finish was spartan, closer to a light truck than to the Volga saloon whose parts it shared.

Ataman versions compared

Why the Ataman never reached series production

The GAZ-2308 was the version cleared for series production, which was planned to start in 2000. In that year, however, GAZ came under new ownership and management, and the restructuring that followed cut many projects, the Ataman among them. Only about 100 experimental and pre-series cars had been built. Some were sold to private owners and are still in use, while others have disappeared. GAZ's later attempt at a modern passenger car, the Volga Siber, came from a very different direction: a licensed Chrysler design.