The GAZ-53 is a 3.5 tonne 4x2 truck produced by GAZ(Gorskovsky Avtomobilny Zavod) in Gorky, Russian SFSR between 1961 and 1993.
The main variant of GAZ-53 with no suffix letter was released in 1964. It featured the brand new 4254 cc light alloy V8 ZMZ-53 engine. The ZMZ-53 produces 120 hp SAE Gross at 3200 rpm, giving the GAZ-53 a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph).
Early versions, called GAZ-53F, were powered by an old 75-hp (SAE Gross) six-cylinder engine from the GAZ-51 truck; but since 1964, the GAZ-53 was equipped with a 4.3L ZMZ-53 V8 engine. Payload was increased to 4 tons in the 1965 model, called GAZ-53A.
The 53A was built until January 1983, when the GAZ-53-12 took over until production ended. All variants use a four-speed gearbox, synchronised on third and fourth. A number of other sub-versions were also introduced, including the military version GAZ-53A-016.
In total, over 4 million GAZ-53 were built, making it the highest production truck of the Soviet Union.
