GAZ 3105 Volga. 1994–6 (prod. 55). 4-door saloon. F/A, 3398 cm³ (V8 OHC). Incredibly lengthy genesis for upmarket official saloon, with the Audi 200 (C3) as the benchmark. Lacking funds, the Politburo considered building a foreign car under licence during the period of perestroika, but an all-Soviet solution won out, with prototype testing from 1988, though production was not approved till 1992. Production finally began in 1994 with a target of 250 cars. Rack-and-pinion steering, electronic fuel injection, electronically controlled air conditioning, permanent all-wheel drive, C_d of between 0,35 and 0,36. With the opening up of the economy, 3105 proved too expensive and, without protection against imports, undesirable. Those who could afford it opted for a foreign car. Sister cars 3103 and 3104 never entered production.

Manufacturing location: Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Marque: GAZ