Perhaps, there was no person in the Soviet Union who did not know and did not want the famous Pobeda car to be located in his garage. It was not for nothing that it was considered one of the best - a successful design, the connoisseurs of which can still be found today, as well as good technical characteristics, only added to its popularity. However, there was one structure that the usual modification of the legendary car did not completely suit. We are talking about the notorious KGB, for the sake of meeting the needs of which, in fact, a new modification of the "Victory" was invented, which received a very original nickname - "Catch-up".
It would seem that everything in this famous car was in its place - it was not for nothing that almost all motorists of the Soviet Union dreamed of buying it. Indeed, with not the strongest standard four-cylinder engine with a capacity of only 50 hp, such a heavy car felt great on the road with an average speed of 50-60 km / h. In addition, motorists of the middle of the last century were completely satisfied that "Pobeda" accelerated to 100 km / h in a minute.
However, the USSR secret services did not like this car in the form in which it was in mass production. And all because it didn't seem fast enough. And this despite the fact that, according to the editorial office of Novate.ru, "Pobeda" could not catch up only with the government "ZIS". In addition, the necessary power of cars was not created to accompany the motorcade of the first persons of the Soviet state. That is why it was decided to create a faster modification on the basis of the already legendary car.
For the modernization of the model, which would later be given the apt nickname "Catch-up", was undertaken by Georgy Wasserman, who, on the basis of the same "Pobeda", designed its first crossover GAZ M72. Replacing the engine with a more powerful one was the main task, and it was completed, which significantly improved the technical characteristics of the new modification in comparison with the mass analogue. So, "Catch-up" was already capable of developing a maximum speed of 140 km / h, while a hundred was reached in just thirty seconds. Most of the car's other indicators have not received significant changes.
In fact, there is not much information left about this modification. For example, the total circulation of the high-speed "Victory" series is not known. Available sources often mention about hundreds of collected specimens. It goes without saying that they did not hit the market, but were distributed among the departments of special services in Moscow, and several cars went to serve in the capitals of the union republics. To date, there are only a few original "Catch-ups" left. Some of them ended up in museums after restoration, and some went to private collections of motorists.
Interesting fact: the original "Catch-ups" were never painted black by the manufacturer. They were made like that either at the place where they were operated. But most often such cars can be found among the copies that have come down to us after restoration - it was the tuning specialists who gave the car this color.
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