Volga in the 1970s: Life, Luxury, and Legend in the USSR

Exploring the Volga’s Legend in Soviet Life

Describing life around the Volga during the 1970s in the Soviet Union was a challenge. The Volga name carried a weight of admiration, and private ownership was rare enough to create a sense of mystique. It felt almost like a symbol or a dream car that captured the imagination of many.

What was it like to feel the pull of the Volga while studying at a driving school? Classmates chased the Zhiguli, the car most people hoped to own. Yet in some families the Volga did not exist, and could not exist. Still, the thought lingered: could this be the chance to drive the country’s premier automobile?

Then the moment arrived. A student with a practical, grey-blue car tagged twenty-four learned about life on rough streets and the rough edges of cadet life, and never would he have guessed he would come to know a fleet of Volgas in different models.

Big Ship…

In 1977, as the aquamarine Volga rolled off the line at the Gorky Automobile Plant, Eldar Ryazanov released another film, Office Romance. In the movie, the character Novoseltsev, played by Andrey Myagkov, contrasts the Volga with the more comfortable Samokhvalov (Oleg Basilashvili), who enjoys a small apartment. At the time, that comparison carried a different meaning.

Owners of the Volga tended to live in nicer apartments and maintain a lifestyle that included imported furniture, radio gear, and even a dacha. The hero in Office Romance likely bought the Volga at Birch, returning from a business trip abroad. People earned currency and traded it for certificates and checks, exchanging them in Beryozka stores as many did in those years.

LOVE BAG AT WORK The Volga GAZ-24 plays a significant supporting role in this 1977 film. The screenwriters were Eldar Ryazanov and Emil Braginsky, with direction by Ryazanov. That year the movie topped the Union box office, drawing 58.4 million viewers.

… Lovely Swimming

The highest peak in the USSR, located in Tajikistan, rises to 7495 meters. Known as Stalin Peak before 1962, it was renamed Ismoil Somoni Peak in 1998. During that era, climbers earning the badge for summiting the Communist Peak carried a numbered token.

Interestingly, this Volga was also bought in 1977 at the same place – in Beryozka. That is how the rare aquamarine color came to be. Many longed for a black Volga, while some dreamed of joining the party and the economic elite. Officials’ cars were typically black, and the higher the position, the blacker the vehicle. Yet blue stood out for its striking presence in public life.

Despite the enormous price tag for most Soviet citizens – around 9,000 rubles – obtaining a Volga was far from easy. Most units went to taxis or official fleets. The rest went to individuals who stood close to power: leaders, scientists, artists, and well-known athletes. Some were even willing to pay 20 to 25 thousand rubles on the black market for a new car.

There were solid, practical reasons to appreciate the GAZ-24. It was the only Soviet car that allowed rear-seat passengers to sit comfortably behind the front seats. It was one of the few true five-seaters available to ordinary people, making a taxi ride feel a bit like a family road trip for those who could afford it.

The steering wheel carried a geometric late-60s badge, a symbol of the era’s design language.

When the new GAZ-24 arrived for the press, some called it a six-seater. Early models even featured a folding center insert between the front seats to transform them into a sofa. The insert was later dropped, and the gear lever stayed on the floor. The driver’s seat was shifted left to create more space for the passenger area. If only two sat in front, elbows weren’t crowded even with a second occupant nearby.

Officials and directors usually rode beside the driver, a subtle nod to socialist democracy and a practical acknowledgment of party leadership in daily life.

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