Taiga 670

Taiga 670 Sedan (1952)

Rear-mounted engine

The Taiga 670 (sometimes referred to as the *TAZ-670*), is a luxury sedan produced by then-Soviet automaker Taiga. It is notable for utilizing a rear-engined V8 platform, which was highly unusual. Regardless, it became popular as a diplomat car among Soviet embassies, and was occasionally made available to high-ranking members of society in the Soviet Union as well as its satellite states. It was replaced by the Taiga 680 in 1973, though it continued production for one additional year as to use up spare parts and tooling.

## History & design

The 670 was originally part of several aerodynamic prototypes developed by Taiga since the 1930's. The project was halted due to the outbreak of World War II in the USSR in 1941, and would not officially resume until the late 1940's. The 670 was conceptualized shortly after the Taiga Koryakia, and the two share many design features. The 670, however, opts for a rear-engine layout as opposed to the Koryakia's front-mounted layout. Their body design and interior also share several similarities, though only the 670 would reach full-scale production, with the first complete vehicles rolling off the production line in 1952. The 670 also took major inspiration from its predecessing model, the similarly rear-engined 660 Photon.

The car is built on a steel space frame chassis, using steel panels. It is mostly a traditional construction, though it uses double wishbone suspension on both axles, which was rather advanced at the time. Furthermore, the anti-roll bars were made very stiff. This was done to reduce sway in the body at high speeds, which is a common issue on rear-engined cars. Even with these alterations, it still became notorious for being difficult to control at high speeds.

The body itself is designed with aerodynamics in mind, relying on a low drag coefficient. It is fitted with dual front headlights, encased inside a fake front grille inset. It has large chromed bumpers both front and rear, in addition to chrome trim along the side of the car as well as the top of the rear fenders. The bumpers themselves are classically 1950's, with two dagmar-style protrusions, mimicking jet engine intakes. Some models also feature yellow spotlights fitted to the front bumper. A large hood scoop is present, though it only services the air conditioning system. As the car is rear-engined, a large raised intake is fitted on the trunk, providing cooling to the engine. This raised line continues down the trunk, where it is cut off by a molded license plate holder. The taillights are rather conventional, with triple-slotted box lights featuring brake lights, reverse lights and indicators.

## Production and use

As a large luxury vehicle, the 670 saw rather limited production. It was also never made directly available outside Soviet territories, which made it essentially unheard of in the west. It was selected as one of the options for Soviet diplomatic vehicles in 1954, which resulted in some units being exported to their respective countries.

While originally only purchasable by government agencies, some 670's were privately owned. These owners were usually elite members of society, such as important party officials, factory directors, and high-ranking officers in the armed forces.

## In competition

The 670 was quickly seen as an opportunity to show off Soviet engineering to the western bloc. Between 1955 - 1964, some 670 models were converted to the "Competition" specification - this included lower, stiffened suspension, stronger anti-roll bars, a more staggered setup featuring -3.0 degrees of camber at the rear and -1.5 degrees at the front, and wider tires. In addition, this specification increased power output to 160 horsepower. Two distinct "blast pipe" exhausts were present at the rear, though these serve no other purpose than styling.

The Competition model enjoyed success in touring car races around Europe through the 1950's, though by the mid-1960's it was becoming outdated - its large body was uncompetitive against the smaller, purpose-built sportscars, and its engine was becoming underpowered.

## Discontinuation and cult status

The 670 remained in production until 1974, when it was discontinued in favor of the Taiga 680. By this time, its style and engineering had aged considerably. Nevertheless, it remained in use amongst several government organs until the 1990's.

In more recent years, the 670 has come to be viewed as one of, if not the most luxurious vehicle produced by the Soviet Union which while also being produced in large numbers. While relatively inexpensive, there exist several clubs and collector communities centered around rear-engined Taiga vehicles.