But while the Soviets held their own and in some cases bettered their capitalist rivals in some fields -- such as space exploration and weaponry -- they were behind from the start when it came to the automobile. Often, the U.S.S.R. had to copy its capitalist rivals just to keep pace.
The Copycat Cars Of The U.S.S.R.
Industry loomed large in the race for influence between the West and the Soviet Union, symbolizing power and the ability to create, innovate, and carry the world into the future.
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A 1939 Opel Kadett. Prior to World War II, Stalin had tried to work out a deal to assemble the car in the Soviet Union. But following the Allied victory, the Soviet leader considered it to be a spoil of war. In 1946 he reportedly had an entire Opel factory dismantled, transported out of Germany, and into the U.S.S.R.
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The result was the mass-produced Moskvich 400. While in the West the automobile was seen as giving the average Joe access to the open road and more individual freedom, early Soviet cars were reserved almost exclusively for bureaucrats. Citizens in the 1930s literally had to win a national lottery to enjoy the privilege of sliding into their own vehicle.
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The 1947 Ford Super Deluxe Woody was well suited to the dry, sunny weather of the Californian coast.
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But despite the drizzle of Russia's autumns and famously severe winters, the Soviets gave it a try -- reputedly as a means of saving steel.