A unique exhibit, GAZ M-1 automobile, was put on display at Koltsovo international airport (part of the Airports of Regions holding) in the run-up to V-Day. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War it was one of the most widespread commander’s vehicles in the Red Army. The airport’s passengers and guests may see the famous “Emka” in the domestic airlines arrivals area of Koltsovo passenger terminal.
The GAZ M-1 automobile was serially manufactured at Gorky automotive plant during seven years from 1936 to 1943, its prototype being Ford V8 Model 40. Overall more than 62,000 such cars were manufactured in the USSR. Emka became a genuine symbol of that epoch as one of the most popular passenger cars in the country.
When the war broke out, the output of GAZ M-1 was put to a halt but a sizeable stock of parts allowed the assembly of this model to continue. Furthermore, all possessors of such automobiles were obliged to hand them over to the national defense fund in exchange for a certificate which could later be produced by a car owner to claim back his or her movable property. As of late June of 1941 there were around 11,000 Emka cars in the Red Army’s motor fleets.
The exposition in Koltsovo was organised with the aid of UMMC Museum.