RAF-2203-01
The building on Duntes Street in Riga by the architect Gurevich, where the STC and the experimental workshop of the Riga Bus Factory were once located and near which we photographed RAF-2203-01, released in 1990, appeared much later than the 2203 model. And yet, the minibus and the brick building have a lot in common. Both look unusual and original. And all because they designed them with a soul ...
RIGA - MOSCOW - JELGAVA
Once upon a time there was a small factory on Duntes Street in Riga. They made about three thousand RAF-977 minibuses a year. The conveyor was manual: the bodies were rolled on trolleys on rails laid on a concrete floor. Of course, the plant's managers - director Ilya Ivanovich Poznyak and chief engineer Reginald Albertovich Ballod-Nagradov - understood that in order to get the go-ahead for the construction of a new powerful enterprise (there was nowhere to expand on Duntes), it was necessary to show absolutely new model... "Completely new" - of course, relatively, since the components and assemblies could be borrowed only from serial Soviet cars.
The residents of Riga chose not the most usual way for the USSR to create a new car - a competition between two independent groups of artists and engineers. In 1967, a minibus of the Meizis group with the code name RAF-982-I was released. The car looked quite modern, but unoriginal - reminiscent of a Ford Transit.
Arthur Eisert's group finished RAF-982-II only in 1968. But her angular minibus with rectangular headlights looked, if not an alien from another galaxy, then certainly no less bold than other Western concepts. The units and assemblies for both buses were, of course, serial. By the way, on the second sample, the futuristic one, at first they installed not a Volgov engine, but a completely new then 75-strong unit from Moskvich-412, which was not inferior in power to the ZMZ-21 engine.
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At the farthest approaches to the new RAF was the first prototype of the RAF-982, created in 1965 at the GAZ-21 nodes by the Meizis group. In 1967, the next two prototypes were built, which differed from the first in external elements.
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The prototype of Eisert's group appeared in 1968. The futuristic car was powered by a Moskvich-412 engine. Both minibuses were driven to Moscow, where they were shown to an interdepartmental commission, which even included doctors - the RAFs were the main ambulances of the USSR. The authorities then approved the sample with a more traditional design, which did not like the residents of Riga. The avant-garde car was nicer to them. In addition, they believed that it was for such a machine that they would be allowed to build a large and modern factory... As a result, the residents of Riga won. Slightly smoothed (in the literal sense - the body lines became less sharp) RAF-2203 with a gas engine, gearbox and suspensions entered the conveyor of a new plant in Jelgava, named, as was customary in those days, in honor of the XXV Congress of the CPSU. The first cars were produced in 1975, and a large mass production started in February 1976.
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RAF-2203-01RAF-2203-01
WAYBILL
Today it looks a little strange on its narrow wheels in wide arches: from some angles it is very modern, from others it is naive and funny. But it is definitely recognizable. That's how life turned out! More recently, such cars aroused interest only among the most notorious bus enthusiasts. Now even in Latvia, where the Soviet automobile legacy disappears from the roads especially quickly, our striped "rafik" was politely allowed to pass during rebuilding. To greet, they even put their hand out of the cool salon in the heat unprecedented for Riga. By the way, in the RAF we have to deal with it - just not completely lowering glass doors and sliding doors at the back. To quickly take or leave the driver's seat, you need certain skills: the seat is just above the wheel. But convenient: the back is not tired at all for a couple of hundred kilometers. To the gear lever, which is strongly shifted back (the original cover for the standard Volgovskaya gearbox was made in Riga), it doesn’t take long to get used to it either. It is not very handy to turn on the fourth and back, but you can get used to it. Especially considering that the structures are four decades old. The dynamics, of course, are not at all modern. A strong lower shaft Zavolzhsky motor, spurred on by frequent low gears, as it can keep a car in the city traffic of the XXI century. But it is not difficult to walk on the highway at 90-100 km / h permitted by the rules. But the car makes a noise with everything it can - so much so that a more or less calm voice can only talk with the person sitting next to it. An unpleasant vibration is heard on the floor - probably from a mediocre balanced cardan shaft... And if you go over 100 km / h, the car is completely flat road begins to swim. To be fair: at lower speeds the RAF-2203 behaves pretty well.05 RAF2203 zr03-15
RAF-2203-01. In terms of safety and convenience, the location of the ignition switch is far from ideal. Well, they didn’t find another ... A plastic platform with bumpers, fixed on the engine cover, is a factory complete set of later cars.RAF-2203-01. In terms of safety and convenience, the location of the ignition switch is far from ideal. Well, they didn’t find another ... A plastic platform with bumpers, fixed on the engine cover, is a factory complete set of later cars.
Former Rafov workers say that for a conventional conveyor machine (this RAF-2203-01 was produced in 1990, mileage 24,500 km), everything is fine. The testers and the most meticulous and hardworking drivers modified the cars for themselves: they added additional noise insulation, balanced and regulated everything and everyone.
The RAF, like most Soviet cars, is woven of contradictions. The ride even with four riders is excellent. But the car is designed for twelve people. Only now the Volgovskaya front suspension from the 1950s with pins and threaded bushings wore out very quickly. On an unloaded car, the brakes work pretty well, but if you take those twelve people on board, the drums and pads from the "Volga" cope with their work already with difficulty. Although under the plywood floor as many as two Muscovite hydro-vacuum amplifiers are working (to put it mildly, far from the most reliable units in the history of the Soviet automobile industry): one for the front circuit, the other for the rear. Well finishing touch to a cursory portrait: the legs of the driver and front passenger are protected only by a thin wall with rectangular headlights fashionable in the 1970s. However, in this sense, modern buses have left the "rafik" not very far.
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RAF-2203-01. The current owner has removed some of the seats to register the vehicle as passenger.RAF-2203-01. The current owner has removed some of the seats to register the vehicle as passenger.
FROM EXIT TO EXIT
For the USSR in the mid-1970s, RAF-2203 is quite modern car as well as the plant in Jelgava. By the way, even in the most stagnant seventies, factories were built in the country (let us also recall VAZ and KamAZ), albeit not as intensively as today - shopping centers. The new "rafik" (by the beginning of the 1970s this nickname was established in relation to the model 977) with the inscription “Latvija” on the hood seemed, like much of the Baltic, a little foreign. Well, for example, like Latvian knitwear, Art Nouveau architecture in the center of Riga, small cozy cafes and imperturbable Raimonds Pauls with his "Yellow Leaves", which became one of the Soviet hits in 1975. It was with this song that the all-Union glory of the composer began. The plant, designed for 16 thousand cars, sometimes made under 18 thousand a year. The need for minibuses was enormous, since the "rafik" had no analogues in the USSR, in fact. Minibuses and nurses, special vehicles for the police and simply "acceleration" cars at enterprises ... A little later, a bunch of modifications for the Olympics-80, experimental electric vehicles were added to them. The residents of Riga understood better than others that the car needed to be modernized. New lights and bumpers, steering and dashboard (they were gradually introduced) are good. But the car needed more powerful engine, a different suspension (at least in front) and brakes. We tried imported diesel engines, ZMZ-406 and even VAZ rotary motor... In US, under the leadership of designer V.A. Mironov created an original suspension of the McPherson type, but with external shock absorbers, nicknamed in Riga "McMiron". We made samples with disc brakes in front with two Niva calipers. This could well have become RAF-22038. But he didn't. In the USSR, no one undertook to make original components for such a small car plant with relatively modest production volumes.10 RAF2203 zr03-15
RAF-2203-01. The trunk is, in general, conditional. But the spare wheel, fortunately, is not under the belly.RAF-2203-01. The trunk is, in general, conditional. But the spare wheel, fortunately, is not under the belly.
The trunk is, in general, conditional. But the spare wheel, fortunately, is not under the belly.
And soon the USSR began to disintegrate like a badly worn and poorly maintained "rafik". The plant in Jelgava has created a lot of very different, sometimes bizarre, modifications. For example, trucks with an onboard platform and dubious handling, mobile benches and other special vehicles. They also designed completely new models, but by the mid-1990s the enterprise had actually died. Sad, but, in general, a logical story for that era. It would seem that in the unfavorable climate of recent decades, the remaining Riga minibuses were destined to rot completely. But some of them have survived, and this one, let me remind you, did not even cover 25 thousand kilometers! It turns out that he is almost new RAF... Let's remember that these cars were called so in the 1970s, and we will rejoice: there is a Riga bus in the world today that deserves the same epithet. The editors would like to thank Andris Dambis for the car provided and Valdis Brant for help in preparing the material.
On the banks of the Lielupe
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The city of Jelgava (the Latvians say Yalgava, with an accent on the first syllable; in Russian it was formerly called Mitava) was founded in 1573. In the XVI-XVIII centuries. was the capital of Courland. Among the attractions is the Mitava (Jelgava) Castle, built by Rastrelli and the Danish architect Severin Jensen for the Duke of Courland Ernst Biron.
Even before the construction of the RAF, there were small metalworking and machine-building enterprises in Jelgava. Since 2005, the AMO-Plant has been operating, collecting imported buses and tractors. The main owner is the property department of the Moscow government.
Higher, longer, harder
Over the long life of the RAF-2203, it has acquired dozens of modifications, ranging from the well-known route taxis and ambulances. For the Olympics-80 alone, a dozen and a half versions were made. Let's recall some of the most interesting ones.The high local authorities praised the car and promised to find investors. Moreover, the second was already ready at the RAF, no less interesting car- Stills (M2). Alas, both he and "Roxana" were destined to remain only prototypes ... But the designers and testers of the Riga Bus Factory hoped that their minibus would be modern even at the beginning of the 21st century.
Back in the mid-1980s, when a huge country lived with perestroika hopes, the RAF started to modernize the 2203 model. The need for this, the only Soviet car in its class, was enormous, although the 12-seater car, which was maximally unified with the Volga, had shortcomings. , enough. The durability of the suspension, steering, brakes was very low. The latter, by the way, despite the two hydraulic boosters (one in each circuit), were also ineffective.
Riga designers, who decided to "pull up" RAF-2203 to an acceptable level, found a like-minded person in NAMI - an ardent supporter front wheel drive Vladimir Andreevich Mironov. He created a simple and reliable suspension with a guide vane from two pipes inserted into one another and shock absorbers abutting the upper ends against the body - a kind of simplified semblance of McPherson. There were no racks suitable for the RAF in the USSR, and no one would produce them especially for a relatively small minibus plant. The suspension, developed by Mironov at NAMI, was nicknamed Mac-Miron by Riga designers.
Mironov, together with the chief designer of the RAF, Ivan Stepanovich Danilkiv, also conceived a radical modernization of the brakes. The minibus was equipped with two "Nivov" calipers on each front wheel and vacuum, instead of hydro-vacuum, amplifier. A new safety steering shaft was also designed. At the same time, the Rafik design was refreshed: new radiator grilles, front door glass, and mirrors appeared. Tests in 1986 showed that not only the reliability improved, but also the controllability of the machine.
There was a very "little" thing to do: to convince the management of the plant and, most importantly, the Ministry of Automobile Industry to allocate considerable funds for modernization. The residents of Riga saved as much as they could. They decided to make the suspension themselves - a workshop was planned for this in Jelgava. While the decision at the top was maturing, in 1989 two modernized RAF-22038-30 were sent on a run to Vladivostok. The cars (one of them passed state tests before the long journey) returned to Riga with almost no complaints. But only the 22038-02 version with the old suspension was put into production. As very often happened in those years - "bye" ...
And the time of unprecedented hopes and grandiose projects has already begun in the country. What is the modernization of the model almost 20 years ago? The new, the first in the USSR, the director of the RAF, Viktor Davydovich Bossert, elected by the collective (remember this?), Proclaimed: we will make a car of the XXI century! Who among the designers and designers would not have responded to such a call. Bossert initiated an all-Union competition, sponsored by Komsomolskaya Pravda, for the design of a minibus. Specialists from several Soviet factories took part, but their own, residents of Riga, won. No juggling: they were just more "in the subject."
Initially, they planned a car with front-wheel drive, but still settled on the classic layout. It was easier to bring such a car to the conveyor, relying on components produced in the USSR. On the M1 prototype designed by the resident of Riga, Vladimir Vasiliev, there was a ZMZ-406 injection engine - the most modern in the Union at that time, McPherson struts from the promising representative Volga GAZ 3105, five-speed gearbox gears for UAZ. Steering rack and the amplifier for the prototype had to be borrowed from Ford. In 1990, a minibus, a bit similar (but by no means a copy!) To Transit, made its first trip near the RAF STC on Duntes Street in Riga.
The British company IAD was entrusted with finishing the prototype, which had already collaborated with US and UAZ in the creation of a one and a half ton truck (ZR, 2003, No. 1). The British have done a great job, bringing to mind the body and interior of "Roxana" and teaching Riga residents a lot. By the way, the car got its own name just at this time. But Danilkiv and Mironov have already promoted another project - a car with a shortened "nose" and, nevertheless, front-wheel drive. The end of the 1980s is the time of the maximalists!
The RAF-M2 project was led by the deputy chief designer Roman Popov. The design was developed at NAMI, the layout was made at ZAZ, with which RAF had good connections. The engine on the Steels, assembled in 1993, was the same - ZMZ-406. The front suspension is double wishbone, because the high struts could not fit in a cabover car. The rear suspension was similar in design to the Moskvich 2141. The residents of Riga also dreamed of pneumatic, but they understood that this was not a matter of close tomorrow. The steering system on the prototype was again imported from Mercedes-Benz.
Road tests failed. The testers, like other specialists, one after the other left the plant, where life, like many other enterprises in the USSR, was slowly dying away. However, the Steeles body was tested for strength and vibration resistance at the still operating Riga carriage building. The car, or rather, the body, as the engineers say, turned out to be "honest" - it showed good results.
The designers still hoped to bring the car at least to small-scale production. We went to factories of the former USSR, trying to find suppliers of electrical equipment, gearboxes, glass. To begin with, it was planned to produce "Stills" in the small series workshop, together with trucks and special vehicles based on RAF-22038.
The minibus was taken to exhibitions. The press and, of course, "Za Rulem" did not ignore him, praising him for the advanced design. But it was not destined to become at least a small-scale car. To do it entirely in Latvia is an absolute utopia, and no one was interested in foreign, after the collapse of the USSR, developments in the former fraternal republics. In addition, they began to produce Gazelle in Russia.
Now this is history. After all, the years that have passed "after the RAF" have changed everything very much. But looking at the miraculously preserved "Roxanne" and "Steeles", one involuntarily thinks: after all, the creators of these machines were right - even at the beginning of the 21st century they do not look like dinosaurs.
A bus of an especially small class of general purpose, produced by the plant of Minibuses "RAF" since 1987. Body - all-metal, wagon-type, 4-door (two doors in the front compartment, one side for entering the salon and one at the back). The location of the engine is forward. The driver's seat is adjustable in length and backrest tilt. The heating system is liquid, using heat from the engine cooling system. Previously, the RAF-2203 bus was produced (1976-1987), which was distinguished by the use of the Engine mod. ZMZ-24D of lower power and some individual body elements (bumpers, door windows, mirrors).
Modifications:
RAF-22031-01- linear ambulance car medical care;
RAF-2203-02- working on liquefied gas.
Engine.
Maud. ZMZ-402.10, gasoline, in-line, 4-cyl., 92x92 mm, 2.445 l, compression ratio 8.2, operating procedure 1-2-4-3, power 72.1 kW (98 hp) at 4500 rpm / min, torque 180.4 Nm (18.4 kgf-m) at 2400-2600 rpm; carburetor K-126GM; air filter- inertial oil.Transmission.
The clutch is single-disc, the shutdown drive is hydraulic. Gearbox 4-speed, gear numbers: I-3.50; II 2.26; III-1.4 5; IV-1.00; ZX-3.54; synchronizers in all forward gears. The cardan drive consists of two shafts with an intermediate bearing. The main gear is single, hypoid, gear. number 3.9.Wheels and tires.
Wheels - disc, rims 5K-15 or 5 1 / 2J-15, mount on 5 studs. Tires 185 / 82P15 mod. I-288, tread pattern - road, tire pressure of the front wheels 3.2-3.3, rear - 3.7-3.8 kgf / cm. sq. The number of wheels is 4 + 1.Suspension.
Front - independent, spring, with wishbones, two shock absorbers, rear suspension- dependent, on semi-elliptical springs, two shock absorbers.Brakes.
Working brake system - two-circuit, with hydraulic drive with two vacuum amplifiers, drum mechanisms (diameter 280 mm, pad width 50 mm), cam release. Parking brake- on the brakes rear wheels, with a mechanical drive.Steering.
The steering gear is a globoidal worm and a three-ridge roller, transmit. number 19.1.Electrical equipment.
Voltage 12 V, ac. 6ST-60EM battery, G16.3701 generator with 13.3702 voltage regulator, ST230-B1 starter, 19.3706 distributor sensor, B116 ignition coil, A14-B spark plugs. Fuel tank - 55 liters, AI-93 gasoline;cooling system - 13l, water or antifreeze A-40;
lubrication system - 6L, all-season M-6 / 10G, M-12G in summer, M-8G in winter;
steering gear housing - 0.40 l, TAP-15V or TAD-17 I;
gearbox - 0.95 l, TAD-17 I or TAP-15V;
drive axle housing - 1.20 l, TAD-17I or TSp-gip;
hydraulic brake and clutch - 0.95 l, brake fluid BSK;
Shock absorbers:
front - 2x0.14,
rear - 2x0.2 1 l, spindle oil AU;
Windshield washer reservoir - 2 liters, water or NIISS-4 liquid mixed with water.
Unit weight (in kg).
engine with equipment and clutch - 185,gearbox - 26.5;
cardan shaft - 12;
rear axle - 85.5;
body - 890;
complete wheel with tire - 25;
radiator - 12.6.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Capacity: | |
|---|---|
| number of seats | 11 |
| total number of seats | 11 |
| number of positions | 1 |
| Curb weight | 1815 kg. |
| Including: | |
| on the front axle | 980 kg. |
| on the rear axle | 835 kg. |
| Full mass | 2710 kg. |
| Including: | |
| on the front axle | 1275 kg. |
| on the rear axle | 1435 kg. |
| Max speed | 125 km / h |
| Acceleration time to 60 km / h | 14 s. |
| Max. overcome. rise | 25 % |
| Run-out from 60 km / h | 600 m. |
| Braking distance from 50 km / h | 32 m. |
| Control fuel consumption at 60 km / h, l / 100 km | 11.8 l. |
| Turning radius: | |
| on the outer wheel | 5.5 m. |
| overall | 6.2 m. |
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History of the RAF / RAF brand
Riga Bus Factory, RAF (Latvian. Rigas Autobusu Fabrika, RAF) is a Soviet and Latvian enterprise for the production of minibuses. In 1949, on the basis of the Riga car repair plant No. 2, which was located in the former workshops of Deitsmanis and Potreki on st. Terbatas, the Riga Bus Body Plant (RZAK) was established. The activity of the plant was the production of medium-sized buses. In 1951 RZAK was merged with the Riga Experimental Automobile Factory (REAF). In 1953, the plant produced the first 25 RAF-651 buses. The bonneted RAF-651 was a copy of the Gorky GZA-651 bus on the GAZ-51 truck chassis, accommodated 25 passengers and had 16 seats. On June 10, 1954, by order of the Ministry of Motor Transport, the plant was reorganized into the "Riga Experimental Bus Factory", but already on September 30, 1954 it was renamed again - and this time it received the final name: "Riga Bus Factory" (RAF). In 1955, the production of buses was launched self-developed. New bus RAF-251 was also based on the GAZ-51 chassis, but already had wagon layout.
In 1957, the RAF employees got acquainted with Volkswagen minibuses and decided to organize the production of small comfortable buses in Riga. Chief engineer Laimonis Klege, designers J. Ositis, G. Sils and 4 other enthusiasts on their own initiative created the first car RAF-10. In honor of the VI World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow, RAF-10 was named "Festival" (Latvian. Festivals). RAF-10 was built on the platform passenger car GAZ-M20 "Pobeda", had a wagon layout, steel load-bearing body and 10 seats(corresponds to the model index). The original body structure caused a lot of criticism and was changed in 1958. The car also received an engine from the GAZ-21 Volga. On November 20, 1958, the plant started serial production of the RAF-10 "Festival" minibus; by the end of the year, 11 copies were produced. The experience gained during the development and refinement of RAF-10 and RAF-08 was implemented in the model RAF-977 "Latvia" (Latvian. Latvija), built on the chassis of a GAZ-21 "Volga" passenger car. In 1958, the first 10 copies were produced, and since 1959, full-scale serial production has been launched. In 1960, the first generation cars were replaced by modernized RAF-977V.
In 1976 in the city of Jelgava near Riga was commissioned new plant, designed for the production of 17 thousand cars per year. Here the production of 11-seater minibuses RAF 2203 "Latvia" on GAZ-24 "Volga" units began. Many modifications were produced on its basis, and the Finnish company Tamro has created a resuscitation vehicle. In the 1980s, excursion road trains based on RAF-2203 operated at VDNKh in Moscow. By 1986, the decline in the quality of RAF products caused a public outcry in the USSR, which entailed the resignation of the former management of the plant. In the spirit of perestroika reforms, in 1987 the appointment of a new director was preceded by his election by the plant's staff from a list of proposed candidates. Victor Bossert won the election. This man served as director of the RAF until 1990. On September 6, 1991, the RAF was reorganized into a joint stock company. In the same year, Latvia became independent, the end of the Soviet planned economy. After the deployment in March 1996 at GAZ of a large-scale production of minibuses of the GAZ-3221 GAZelle family, which in many respects surpassed the products of the RAF, the export of Latvian minibuses to Russia quickly disappeared. In 1997, production at the RAF plant was stopped. The owners filed for bankruptcy in 1998. As of 2010, most of the production buildings have been destroyed, in their place are rented retail space.
An article about minibuses RAF: history of creation, model range, evolution of technology, features, Interesting Facts... At the end of the article - a video about the history of the RAF.
The content of the article:
Minibuses of the RAF series for the first time left the assembly line since 1976 and instantly dispersed throughout the Soviet Union. What caused such a phenomenal popularity of these cars and their massive use in all areas of activity?
German inspiration
The Soviet-Latvian enterprise was founded back in 1949. Since 1953, when the plant merged with an experimental automobile factory, it began to actively produce medium-sized buses. Before the triumphant march of the most popular models - 223 and its modifications - there were a number of experiments.
You should start with RAF-10, the prototype of future minibuses, which became ideological inspirers and a kind of "test bench" for many technical developments... Although it was based on the Pobeda chassis, it was a full-fledged minibus, before the creation of which the designers carefully studied and were inspired by the simplicity and reliability of the design of Volkswagen vehicles.
They were seen by Soviet specialists during a trip to Europe to exchange experience, where german car industry just gaining momentum and was almost a reference for other automakers.
For the development of RAF-10, which was produced from 1956 to 1958, the Volkswagen Transporter model of the first generation was "spied". Soviet car received a steel load-bearing body, wagon layout and accommodated 10 passengers. However, this design received a number of complaints, and therefore underwent significant modernization in 1958.
The next stage was the release of RAF-977, which existed immeasurably longer than its "brother" - from 1958 to 1976. Its chassis was borrowed from the GAZ-21, while the minibus itself was used everywhere: for freight and passenger transportation, as a transport for medical services, but mainly as a service bus of various government organizations. In all areas, he has established himself as reliable car and, moreover, more than comfortable for that time.
The famous RAF-2203 was produced from 1976 to 1997, and left the market only under pressure from the ever-increasing competition from the Gorky Automobile Plant.
Automakers began a fierce rivalry in the early 90s, modernizing and promoting each of their models - "Gazelles" and "RAFs". Unfortunately, the former surpassed Latvian creations in terms of their characteristics and cost, and therefore became leaders in the Russian car market.
A remarkable fact - it was originally planned to make a minibus body from fiberglass, but then this idea was abandoned.
The best creation of the car plant - model 2203 - was made with a load-bearing or frameless power base, which included:
- spars;
- front shield;
- wheel arches;
- wagon or cabover body layout.
The engine for the minibus, axles and suspension are borrowed from the GAZ-24 car, in later versions - from the GAZ-24-10. Brake system has two circuits, all wheels are equipped with brake drums, and the hydraulic vacuum brake booster is taken from the "Moskvich-412".
Like a complex constructor, it consisted of many elements taken from others domestic cars... Even seemingly unique steering it was still developed with the borrowing of parts from GAZ passenger models. The engineering and design team of the plant explained this approach by the simplicity of car maintenance.
The tires were original, specially designed for RAF-2203, although wheels from GAZ-21 were also suitable."Exclusive" tires for minibuses produced tire factory in Yaroslavl, and after the collapse of the Union, they began to install any wheels suitable for the landing diameter and height.
Modifications
During production, several modifications of the minibus were developed that differed technical features, as well as the possibility of exploitation. Far from all the developed versions reached mass production, especially with regard to the options that they worked on in 1990-1995.
Some versions were simply not suitable for practical application, as, for example, a modification with the original taillights which did not imply separate lamp replacement. Thus, in the event of a malfunction of one lamp, the entire lantern would have to be replaced, which seemed extremely inconvenient and costly.
Therefore, this modification never went into mass production.
Some varieties were produced in small batches to meet the specific needs of the national economy. Mostly, the models changed and improved some technical elements, most often the suspension, which increases the level of comfort. Objectively, between different modifications no radical changes were noted.
The first version of the RAF-2203 bus is considered basic and has two main modifications. The first - with the original dashboard and sidelights from the GAZ-24. The second used dashboard from GAZ-24, as well as optical devices standard for those years from other serial buses.
The first generation of this car was produced until 1986, after which the quality of the produced copies began to deteriorate rapidly. Many complaints were received from medical organizations, where minibuses were used as ambulances.
During operation, it turned out that even completely new models, literally received from the assembly line, could break down on the road for no apparent reason. An example of poor quality is the fact that in February 1986, the state commission did not accept 13% of these cars.
Ideas, no resources
The result of the disputes about the quality was the technical re-equipment of the plant and the subsequent release new modification RAF, which included certain novelties of the time. Unfortunately, the plant's capacity did not allow to introduce all the planned innovations, therefore the engineers had to focus on the key points:
- reinforced body;
- sunroof and side vents on the rear windows;
- disc brakes on the front wheels;
- front suspension of the "swinging candle" type.
After the collapse of the USSR, the demand for minibuses fell, although the management of the plant tried to make on the basis of RAF-2203-01 an all-metal van and a version in the form of a pickup truck, which was in great demand at that time. The consumers liked these cars, but the plant did not have enough resources to completely transfer the conveyors to the assembly of new models.
Safe RAF
In 1994, another upgrade was made. It can hardly be called global, but it made the RAF-22038-02 minibus the safest in the country. He received the following changes:
- one brake booster instead of two, which reduced the risk of failures;
- modified carburetor, which supplies fuel more efficiently;
- modern air filter;
- new heating system;
- inertial seat belts;
- spherical rear-view mirrors;
- insulation of the motor.
The last refinement, for which there were enough resources, was the all-plastic bumpers. In 1997, production was stopped due to the loss of the sales market.
Mass distribution
The so-called "RAFiki" were produced in the USSR only for state structures and enterprises, not going on free sale. In this regard, the models were divided into several main series, some of which were intended for strictly limited use:
- ambulances;
- route taxis;
- Olympic series specially designed for work in Moscow in 1980;
- police cars.
The most common modification was the medical one. This version was labeled RAF-22031 and was initially produced on the same assembly lines with other varieties. Later under assembly ambulances a separate conveyor was allocated.
The main difference from the "civilian" versions was the interior upholstery, which was made of light brown leatherette. There was also a partition between the passenger compartment and the driver's compartment, complete with sliding glass. Two lanterns with a red cross were mounted on the roof, as well as a search lamp designed to search for an address at night. A blue flashing beacon was a must.
There were also more specialized models, for example, for blood transfusions or resuscitation vehicles. But they were produced in extremely limited quantities.
To work as passenger buses small capacity, better known as "minibuses", usually used standard modifications. Also, as an experiment, there were specially designed RAF-22032, which had a ticket office, a circular layout and distinctive signs of belonging to passenger transport. But such buses did not enter the series, mainly minibuses were based on the RAF-2203.
In the early 1990s, a version of RAF-22039 was produced, specifically for route taxis. It was distinguished by its increased capacity and a fiberglass roof. This reduced the weight of the vehicle, and also increased the profitability of the routes due to the increased capacity.
There was a separate modification for mobile laboratories, it had additional batteries to power the instruments.
In a limited edition, traffic police cars and fire brigade staff buses were produced.
Olympic series
It was RAFik who was honored to become the official vehicle of the 1980 Olympics, therefore such a significant sporting event was developed special versions cars. The most interesting among them are the following:
- Referee electric car- intended for transportation of judges during marathon races. It accelerated to 30 km / h and had a cruising range on one battery of up to 100 km.
- Truck tractors RAF-3407- for the movement of athletes, capable of towing up to two passenger trailers.
The main advantage of RAFics was the unification of components with other popular cars at that time, which simplified maintenance. In addition, the minibus's advantage was its excellent maneuverability, even despite the rather wide base from the Volga. The disadvantages include poor weight distribution and a criticism of build quality, which led to problems with the operation of even new cars.
In 2018, information about the restoration of the plant was leaked to the press. It is assumed that, together with European manufacturers, minibuses and city electric buses, compact buses with electric motors and even trolleybuses will be produced there.
The plans also include the creation of a series Vehicle, built on a single base and having the characteristics of both a trolleybus and a bus. The unusual design will be able to move both on its own power reserve and be recharged from the city power grid.
If the investments in production pay off, you can count on a new "golden age" of the Baltic miracle - the RAF minibus.
Video about the history of the RAF:
