GAZ-21S police Cars in Service

Volgas in a special bright-yellow livery with a blue stripe entered patrol service after 1969. For its time, the car was agile and lively enough to catch a reckless driver in any small car or lorry.

Each special-purpose car was fitted at the factory with loudspeakers and a blue beacon, whose shapes and sizes often varied. Radios, one or two searchlights and sometimes extra fog lamps could also be installed.

The police GAZ-21S usually had a 75 hp engine capable of running on low-octane A-66 or A-72 petrol. In the capital and larger cities, where A-76 was available, Volgas with uprated 85 hp engines were also used.

From the late 1960s to the early 1980s, a small proportion of police cars also carried a large red lamp on the boot. After overtaking an offender, the officer switched it on to illuminate the message “Stop”.