Russian ingenuity before Perestroika

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Let’s stay with the Russian theme for another little while. The weather is still Siberian out here, so it does fit in with that. The cool creature seen here was built in 1964 by the Russian Research institute of Estheticsm who called it VNIITE-PT. This beingan abbreviation of All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Technical Aesthetics Perspective Taxi.

And, yes, it was meant to be the Russian taxi of the future at the time. It had to be able to combine the characteristics of a passenger car and a bus: comfortable and reliable on the one side, compact and manoeuvrable on the other. And roomy inside, too, with low floor, tall roof, wide doors and a separate cab for the driver, who was seated in the middle of the vehicle. A prototype with a fibreglass body shell was made and extensively tested on the streets of Moscow. The car was propelled by a 50bhp 1.3-litre engine, sourced from a Moskvich-408, which was placed in the back to drive the rear wheels through what appears to have been a complicated double gearbox. The sliding door was operated electrically and is seen here being demonstrated by a rare Russian Friday Lady (smile! You're on camera! But what happened to your pantyhose..?).

With its massive front overhang it is said to be inspired by Ghia’s Selene I, but admittedly it looked pretty convincing and promising. However, production was never started due to a number of reasons – Russian taxi-drivers being keen on their Volgas being just one. The one car made does survive, though. And it is said to be in the State Military-Technical Museum, near to Moscow. Oh, and some original Russian film footage has found its way to the world wide web, too. Enjoy.

(Words editor, picture source unknown)
 

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