The story began right after war, in 1946, when Alexander Peltser, an engineer for NAMI from Moscow, decided to build his own car with a motorcycle engine that could beat an International land speed record in 350cc class. The result to surpass was a record speed of 146,9kph shown by Raffaele Cecchini in his Moscerino in 1939.
Alexander Peltser has been familiar with racing – before the war he has participated in Moscow-Leningrad-Moscow runs twice. In addition to that, in 1938 he has built a first Soviet gas-generator GAZ M1G car based on GAZ M1, took it for a 3000km and 5000km runs on October 3, 1938 and together with two other drivers showed an average speed of 63kph, which was higher than International record of 57kph set by French drivers. Talented engineer, he was capable of making the first Soviet record car. The first, because even the absolute USSR speed record of 161,87kph shown by Arkadi Nikolaev on September 22, 1940 was achieved in a modified and rebodied production car – GL-1 based on GAZ M1.
In April, 1946 work on the project has begun. The major purpose was to achieve minimum weight and maximum aerodynamic efficiency, so the body with a drag coefficient (Cx) of just 0,138 was made of aluminium and had a flat bottom. The chassis were built around a chromancil frame and featured an independent suspension – Moskvitch 400 springs in the front and a single transverse leaf spring with swinging semi-axles in the rear. The engine was a prewar German DKW UL350 designed by Arnold Zoller for 1939 DKW SS350 racing motorcycle. That 346cc two-stroke four-cylinder supercharged unit with a shared combustion chamber for each pair of cylinders provided 30,5hp at 5500rpm, but that was quite enough for a car weighing 609kg, although that was a little heavier than planned. Together with a 5-speed gearbox taken from Mercedes-Benz 170V, the engine was placed behind the rear axle. Interesting that in order to not to spoil aerodynamics it was decided not to make an air scoop for the radiator, which was placed right behind the driver’s seat and the air was directed to it through the cockpit. The real problem was to find racing tires for the 19-inch motorcycle wheels. The ones produced by Soviet industry were not suitable for record runs, so the protector has been worn off manually to avoid stratifying on targeted 160kph.
In autumn that year, after just some months of work, the car named Zvezda (‘star’ in Russian) was ready to run. It turned out to be rather big for a 350cc car – with a wheelbase of 2150mm it was 4200mm long, 1670mm wide and 720mm high and had front and rear tracks of 1105mm and 900mm respectively. On September 23 Peltser himself took the car for a road test. During those testing runs Zvezda showed 148kph, which was faster than Cecchini’s 1939 record speed, but was not registered.
The first attempt for the result was made on November 5, 1946 on 42nd kilometer of Minskoe road near Moscow with Peltser at the wheel. Starting in a smallest of the four categories existing in USSR then – up to 1200cc – he achieved 139,643kph on 1 km distance. Not fast enough to beat the International record, but quite well for a Soviet one in that category. But the next day has brought a trouble – Peltser caught a cold and some time after both his legs have been paralyzed.
Nonetheless, the work on a record car did not stop. In 1947 Zvezda has been heavily modified. The engine has now been placed within a wheelbase and forced up to 42hp at 6500rpm, a new gearbox has been installed. The cockpit has been covered with a cap, so the air could not reach the radiator no more. To avoid overheating a 25-liter water tank has been installed.
The modified car, Zvezda 2, has performed its first run on August 29, 1947. Andrei Ponizovkin achieved 147,601kph on 1 kilometer. On October 12, 1947 the same tandem reached 159,645kph on the same distance. World record for 350cc cars has been surpassed, first time in USSR history. But this result did not make its way to FIA official statistics, as FAS USSR has not been a member of the Federation then.
Who knows, maybe after that the activity around Zvezda project would calm down, but later the same year the record speed has been increased – Giovanni Lurani from Italy showed 169,17kph on his self-built Nibbio-Guzzi. That was a challenge, and in 1948 Zvezda has been further modified. Instead of a good old DKW engine Peltser has developed his own unit, although it was still based on Zoller’s principles. The engine called 3P was a 342cc one with an output of 47hp at 7000rpm. Still placed within a wheelbase, it has now been combined with a 4–speed gearbox from IMZ M72 motorcycle and Moskvitch 400 final drive. Moreover, its position has now been longitudinal, and not transverse like before. The suspension has also been modified – springs for all of the four wheels, while the wheels themselves were changed to 16-inch Moskvitch 400 ones, this time e quipped with a special racing tires. The cockpit cap has been removed. After all of these modifications the new car, Zvezda 3, weighed 550kg, as compared to the first generation 609kg.
On August 13, 1949 Ponizovkin ran 1 kilometer at 164,16kph, thus setting a new absolute USSR record. Six days later Zvezda 3 ran again, this time with a World record speed of 172,827kph, but this time, just like in 1947, the result has not been registered by FIA. This figure has remained an absolute USSR record until April 22, 1951, when it was beaten by Valeriy Nikitin’s Kharkov 2 record car (177,78kph on 1 kilometer with a flying start) with a 2,4 liter GAZ engine.
The fourth generation of Peltser’s record runner saw the light in 1950 and was called Zvezda 3M. With further modifications in the engine and cooling system and GAZ 20 Pobeda steering mechanism instead of Moskvitch 400 used before the star has saved 50kg more, mostly because of applying a radiator instead of water tank again. Andrei Ponizovkin has switched to another class and drove a Pobeda based car in 1950, so the star was entrusted to other drivers. In the end of August, 1950 P.Baranov hit a 50 kilometer distance with a dead start and achieved an average speed of 128,781kph. Some months after, in October, Y.Karol has exceeded a 200 limit with a speed of 205,011kph, but only in one direction. On July 18, 1951 the car has set another record – on a 5 kilometer distance Alexey Podkutov* has showed 167,754kph. Higher results were not achieved because of some technical problems – the engine was unreliable and was overheating fastly.
In 1951 Peltser’s bureau was taken under NAMI wing and became known as NAMI speed cars laboratory. The car, further modified, has also got a new name – Zvezda M NAMI, which got an additional figure in front of ‘M’ depending on engine installed at the moment. 1M index has been given to a car with a new 5P engine – 368cc unit giving out 64hp at 7000rpm and built for racing in 500cc category, the modification for 250cc category with a 246cc engine – 2P capable of 43hp at 7500rpm was called 2M, and finally Zvezda 3M NAMI was a version with a good old 342cc 3P. Apart from two new engines, much time was spent in attempts to increase the reliability of the car.
First start of the new modification took place on May 3, 1952. The car has been entrusted to Alexey Ambrosenkov, NAMI tester, who became a new permanent Zvezda driver. On a 246cc 2M version he ran 156,589kph on a 50 kilometer distance and set up a record for this distance. On May, 17 a 342cc car has exceeded 200kph with a speed of 204,54kph – a new absolute USSR record. May, 28, Zvezda 2M NAMI, 1 kilometer distance and another record in 250cc category – 164,684kph with a flying start, later that day improved to 175,524kph, which was higher than a similar International record. On July, 15 Ambrosenkov on 2M has achieved 189,474kph on 1 kilometer, flying start and 177,389kph on 5 kilometer distance again with a flying start. Next day another record came – 103,836kph on a 3M with a dead start on 1 kilometer distance.
On September, 27 Zvezda 3M NAMI has accelerated to 169,907kph (50 kilometers) and 153,931kph (1000 kilometers), which was again faster than the International records. Next day the result was even better – on a kilometer distance Ambrosenkov has showed 215,182kph with a flying start. The highest speed with a 500cc category engine was 210,699kph, flying start… But soon an unexpected rival has appeared – Eduard Lorent from Kharkov has built his own small displacement record car – 250cc category Kharkov L1, which set four different records in 1953 driven by Lorent himself.
Zvezda M NAMI had nothing to say against the new Kharkov car, and in 1955 the next evolution has come – Zvezda 5. Like a previous version, the fifth Zvezda had three engines to choose from – already known 245cc and 342cc ones and a new 480cc engine, giving out 97hp at 7000rpm. Zvezda 5 was smaller and much lighter (360kg) – aluminium body was changed to an interline interval one, while the wheelbase was decreased from 2100mm to 1700mm. New car was also a mere meter shorter than its predecessor – just 3250mm, narrower (1250mm) and lower (820mm). The track was also narrowed to 860mm.Numerous mechanical upgrades were made, like the new 3-step gearbox, new steering mechanism, new frame and 12 inch wheels. Sadly, in 1955 Ambrosenkov could not exceed any previous records, but a year later, when a 250cc engine was modified, he finally set a new record of 200,557kph on a kilometer range with a flying start. Better results could not be achieved because of a low reliability.
The last of Peltser’s record cars, Zvezda 6, was ready in 1958 and was the most different one. It was decided to lay off the 500cc engine and to concentrate on running the smaller ones, forced to 82hp at 7500rpm for a 350cc variation and 54hp at 7200rpm for a 250cc car. If the latter figure does not impress you, think of it as of a 220hp for 1 liter. The body, made again of aluminium, was very long (4500mm), low and narrow (1000mm, while the track was only 700mm wide) to gain better aerodynamic efficiency, which was lacking on a fifth evolution. Compared to Zvezda 3, aerodynamic loss decreased by 48%. The driver was placed in a way much similar to modern formula cars – lying on his back, very low in a cockpit. The new longeron frame consisted of 63mm tubes, and the engine was moved backwards, out of the wheelbase, thus returning the car back to the rear-engined scheme. The modifications became rather successful, and in 1958 on a road near Djankoi Alexey Ambrosenkov showed 182,8kph setting a new record un 250cc class, and in summer that year on Minskoe road near Moscow exceeded 200kph with the same engine during a kilometer run, flying start. The result was lower than Lorent’s one, but it was still higher than the World record. Happily, in 1958 FAS USSR has already been a member of FIA, and the record was officially registered. In 1960, running a new track on a Baskunchak salt lake, Ambrosenkov achieved 95,9kph on a kilometer distance with a dead start, again with a 250cc car. Ambrosenkov raced Zvezda 6 at least until 1962, but showed no more record results.
Among the seven modifications, not to count different engines, no cars existed at the same time. Each version was built upon previous one, or received some mechanical components of an earlier car. Speaking about record cars, it is a complete truth. But there was something else…
In 1957 Peltser’s bureau issued a party of three racing cars with streamlined bodies built around a longeron tube frame to compete in a Soviet Championship in a 1000cc class, rather close to International Formula Junior regulations. The new cars featured two-cylinder four-stroke 496cc boxers giving out 36hp at 6250rpm, taken from an IMZ M52S racing motorcycle and placed in the rear end. The 4-speed gearbox also featured a wide variety of motorcycle parts taken from a production IMZ M72. The dimensions of a new racing car were very close to the ones of Zvezda 5, which hit record tracks those years – 3200x1300x910mm, with front and rear track of 930 and 950mm respectively, although the wheelbase of 1900mm was 200mm longer. The 500 also weighed the same 360kg. Front independent suspension was taken from NAMI 031 prototype (together with a steering mechanism), while the rear, either independent, featured some parts from production Moskvitch 402, which has also shared a braking system. The first test of a Zvezda 500 (also known as NAMI 041) was performed in a traditional way for Peltser’s cars – on a record speed track. In April 1958 Georgiy Surguchiov drove a car with a closed cockpit, which was never seen in circuit races, and reached a speed of 170kph on 1 kilometer range with a flying start. Being active on race tracks through 1958-1960, Zvezda 500 allowed Dmitriy Borisov and Nikolai Klimanov to make a great double in USSR Championship in 1959, and together with Borisov became a Soviet Championship runner-up in 1960, while the champion’s crown walked away to another Peltser’s car – NAMI 041M driven by Georgiy Surguchiov.
Zvezda era, lasted for nearly 15 years, has ended in the beginning of sixties, when the new age of Kharkov and KhADI cars has begun. Those new competitors have lately exceeded most records set by Peltser’s cars, but were unable to take away the right to be the first in Soviet Union to surpass an International speed record.
* Podkutov was reported to be a proud owner of a BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster, bodied by Touring to take a part in 1940 Mille Miglia. The car #71, driven by Fritz Hans Wenscher and Rudolf Scholz, finished sixth. After the war it has been captured by Soviet soldiers and taken to Moscow. In 1947 the BMW made its way into Podkutov’s hands. Alexey wanted to race the car in USSR, but sadly couldn’t do that, as in December 1948 any foreign cars in USSR competitions have been restricted.
Many thanks to Alexey Rogachev for his help in writing this material. For those interested, don’t hesitate to PM me to request a link to his great website concerning Soviet motor racing, as to put the direct link here would be a bit against the forum rules.
Pictures were taken from Avto Mir and AMS Avtomotosport magazines, Biografija Bystryh Koles (Biography of Fast Wheels) book and Alexey Rogachev's website.
