How did Shishiga go
During the 1950s in the Soviet Union, the GAZ-63 held the role of the primary all‑wheel‑drive two‑ton truck. Yet it tended to tip, and its engine power fell short for demanding tasks. For the military, the compact size mattered greatly, aiding the vehicle’s air transportability.
That need spurred the birth of the GAZ-66, which entered mass production in 1964. Designers lowered the center of gravity to prevent tipping more effectively than the sixty‑third. With a turning circle of 50 meters and a top speed around 65 km/h, a skid could still provoke a rollover.
Equipped with a new eight‑cylinder engine, the Shishiga emerged as the most capable four‑wheel drive truck in the Soviet fleet, delivering 33 horsepower per ton of empty weight.
The nickname Shishiga traces back to the numbers sixty‑six, while in Russian folklore Shishiga referred to mischievous spirits. In 1968 a centralized wheel inflation control system was introduced. Combined with differential locks, the vehicle could adapt to a wide range of off‑road conditions. The cabover design offered excellent road visibility, and on dry, firm soil the GAZ‑66 could climb slopes of 37 degrees, compared with the sixty‑third’s slip at 28 degrees.
“Shishiga” in wartime conditions
The Army’s view of the Sixty‑six was mixed. It performed well for many tasks but also revealed several flaws. The main issues centered on the cabover cabin, where the engine sat between driver and passenger and consumed much of the space. Consequently, the gear lever was placed on the right rear of the driver. Keeping the right hand in that position for long drives caused shoulder discomfort. Additionally, with the engine nearly inside the cockpit, summer drives could become unbearably hot in Shishig settings.
In combat, the survival rate for the GAZ‑66 driver was critically low. Trucks with the engine in the engine compartment offered better protection, as debris tended to strike the protected engine bay rather than the cab.
GAZ‑66B for paratroopers displays the evolving approach to the platform. A missile‑launch concept and other auxiliary systems were demonstrated on GAZ‑66 chassis in defense publications of the era.
Despite drawbacks, Shishiga remained in use in hotspots. Modifications sometimes appeared unexpectedly, such as the GAZ‑66B for airborne forces, where the top of the cabin and the windshield could be folded to ease airlift. A compact miniature Grad missile system spanned from the Shishiga platform, enabling ground‑to‑air engagement and remote mining functions as a field adaptation.
Also built on the GAZ‑66 were staff cars, degassing chambers, fuel and water transports, medical units, and pontoon depots.
There was even a nuclear war concept: a KZ‑1 body mounted on the GAZ‑66, with foam and fiberglass shielding to reduce radiation penetration and dampen blast shock. The design remained a prototype rather than moving into mass production.
Shishiga in peacetime
GAZ‑66 is thirsty and not particularly ergonomic, yet its ability to traverse long distances keeps it in civilian service. The sixty‑six appears in utility forms such as dump trucks and shift buses. In the early 1990s, in the Krasnoyarsk region, a repair plant produced 19‑seat shift buses based on Shishiga. They earned the nickname Selyanka and required a firm grip on the handrails during motion.
Today the classic Shishiga becomes rarer, though production lines have yielded about 966,000 units to date, keeping the model visible for collectors and historians alike.
- Little‑known facts and photographs of USSR buses, both serial and experimental, are documented in specialized archives.
- The most dramatic changes of the 1990s are explored in dedicated sources elsewhere.
- Further reading about these vehicles is available through related channels and historical overviews.