1970–1974
The GAZ-24 was displayed at the London Motor Show in 1970.[8] Full-scale manufacturing started 15 July 1970.[3] Export sales began in 1971.[8] From 1970 until 1974, the Volga remained almost unchanged. Only minor modifications took place in 1972–1973, when the car got a new trunk decklid lock, flat ashtrays in rear doors instead of early ashtrays that were built in rear doors armrests, new rear bumper and new radio with more pleasant appearance and modified construction. In 1973, a dashboard with a simulated wood insert appeared (also a "silver" grained finish was used until 1974). After 1973, the ignition switch was moved from the dashboard to beneath the steering wheel, to prevent knee injuries in road accidents, although that was less convenient for the driver. Also in 1974, the Volga got additional parking lights on the C-pillars, akin to the opera lights popular on American cars at the time. The GAZ-24-01 was joined in 1977 by the GAZ-24-07, which was fitted to use liquified propane.[8]
The original strip speedometer was changed to a dial in 1975, the same year the ignition switch was moved from the dash to the steering column.[7] Beginning in 1977, seatbelts were offered.[7]
In 1978, about 1,000 right-hand drive GAZ-24-56s were built for export to India, Pakistan, and Singapore; powered by the Peugeot XDP 4.90 engine, they were not assembled in Belgium, and were the last right-hand drive vehicles GAZ built.[7]
The Volga was a status symbol in the Soviet Union, being large and luxurious, with a three-band radio. Unlike the GAZ-21, however, for most of its production lifetime, it was not commonly available to the public;[7] those that were sold required a special permit to purchase them.[9] This would not begin to change until the 1980s.[9]
Taxi
Volga cars were almost the only taxis in the USSR. In 1971, the GAZ-24-01 taxi was introduced.[8] It had cheap and easy-to-wash all-vinyl interior,[10] a low-compression ZMZ-24-01 engine (85 PS, SAE 95 PS) able to run on 76 octane fuel (most commonly available in the Soviet Union),[8] taximeter under the dash, and distinctive checkerboard stripe on front doors. At first, Volga taxis were painted in different light colors; later, most taxis were painted in lime-yellow.[11] The GAZ-24 is still famous for its roadworthiness and durability. Volga taxicabs often have more than 1,000,000 km on their odometers, and several engine rebuilds. Taxicab drivers nicknamed GAZ-24 sedan the "Shrimp" due to its slim appearance (when compared to the GAZ-21, nicknamed the "Holy Cow") and the two "fangs" beneath the front bumper that resembled shrimp's claws. Wagon taxis GAZ-24-04 (station wagons were used as cargo taxies) were nicknamed the "Shed" due to vast interior space; they had a payload of 400 kg, due to stiffer rear springs.
