How much has been said and written about the legendary car UAZ-469, but the topic is still relevant. For the first time descended from the assembly line in 1973, it became a replacement for the SUV GAZ-69, the production of which had already been transferred to Ulyanovsk. Having absorbed in itself all the best features of the predecessor and getting rid of a number of its shortcomings, the new machine had such a great potential for modernization that so far, more and more generations of the all-terrain vehicle have come down from the slops of the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant. It is noteworthy that during the tests of the new car in the Caucasus, at the request of local geologists, UAZ easily climbed to a height of 4 kilometers and also easily descended from it. A standard factory machine without winches and other special equipment has made this climb in 40 minutes!
UAZ-469 is a military modification, and the civil one was called UAZ-469B and, strangely enough, went to the conveyor a little earlier, at the end of 1972. At the time of the launch, there were three models. The third was UAZ-469 BG, a medical version of the car.
The UAZ-469, whose technical characteristics were determined primarily by the military department, turned out to be a simple, unpretentious machine. The version for the military industry had bridges with onboard wheel gears, which allowed to increase the ground clearance to an impressive 300 mm, the variant with the index "B" could boast only with standard continuous bridges. In comparison with its predecessor, the all-terrain vehicle also had a large internal and under-hood space, a lightened landing, better ergonomics of the driver's workplace . Most importantly, now there was no need to produce two versions: cargo and passenger. The UAZ, thanks to the transforming cabin and the rear flap, combined these two functions. The machine could take on board up to 600 kg of cargo and at the same time haul a light artillery gun. Possessing an impressive ground clearance, it could do without roads and drive in, where it is difficult to walk on foot.
It was not without incident, at first there were no locks on the doors of the UAZ, and if the military did not care, the Soviet collective farms were genuinely perplexed about this. Subsequently, this problem was naturally solved.
UAZ-469, reviews about which the army and the population were mostly positive, often forgave the low qualification of service personnel. Exclusive maintainability of the all-terrain vehicle allowed to make minor repairs in the open field, "on the knee". For the characteristic appearance of the machine received in the people the nickname "bobik." And indeed, as a faithful mongrel, "UAZ" carried along with the owner all the hardships and hardships, rarely failed and often rescued from the most difficult situations.
And here such an ordinary "Bobik" visited six continents, participated in virtually all armed conflicts in the world, became an indispensable assistant to the fisherman and hunter, lasted more than thirty years on the assembly line, having undergone several generations of modernization. It can be rightly called, without making a mistake against the truth, to be called legendary.