This Russian Gaz-13 “Chaika” limousine is one of only 3,719 built between 1959 and 1981. The Chaika, which means Gull, was favored by Kremlin officials, Soviet heads of state, and senior KGB officers. To the average Russian, however, the cars were sinister symbols of the terrible power of the state. The large rear seat made it easy for the KGB to simply pull up beside citizens on the sidewalk and drag them into the car for a trip to the feared Lubyanka prison. Nikita Khrushchev was known to have three Chaikas at his disposal and Premier Brezhnev reportedly preferred his Chaika over his ZIL, another Russian luxury car. Official Russian policy dictated that the cars be destroyed at the end of their duty cycle, so few survive.
