Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Moscow Government – Moscow Government –
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To the collection Moscow Transport Museum A new exhibit has arrived—the body of a VNIITE-Maxi car. It was donated by collector Vladimir Kireev, a historian and recognized expert in vintage cars and automobile collections, as well as a member of the public council of the Moscow Transport Museum.
The car can now be seen at the "You Look Your Best!" exhibition in the Moscow Transport Museum pavilion at VDNKh. This one-off car was created by the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Technical Aesthetics (VNIITE) in 1967.
"The Moscow Transport Museum's exhibition, 'You Look 100%!', features iconic vehicle design concepts. Among them is the body of the VNIITE-Maxi, a unique minivan model developed in 1967 by the All-Russian Research Institute of Technical Aesthetics. After the exhibition, the car will become part of the museum's collection. We are preserving the capital's transport history at the behest of Sergei Sobyanin," said Moscow Deputy Mayor for Transport and Industry.
In 1960, the famous ZAZ-965 "Zaporozhets" was released, nicknamed "the hunchback." Seven years later, VNIITE designers proposed a concept for a new compact car—the same size, with the same MeMZ-965 engine, but significantly more spacious and comfortable. The interior of this car had only one volume, like a minivan. Large sliding doors led inside, and the front seats swiveled like office chairs for entry and exit. The massive C-pillar served as a rollover protection bar and concealed air intakes that helped cool the Zaporozhets's overheating engine.
The name "Maxi" was coined to contrast the British compact car brand Mini, which emerged at the same time. It emphasized that VNIITE designers had extracted maximum benefit from a relatively small car. The car's design was created by Yuri Dolmatovsky, Vladimir Aryamov, Lev Kuzmichev, Alexander Olshanetsky, and Gennady Petrov. Over the course of its history, VNIITE built three passenger cars under its own brand: the VNIITE-PT, the Izh-VNIITE, and the VNIITE-Maxi.
"Large-scale exhibitions like 'You Look Your Best!' are impossible to achieve without the support of friendly transport and technical museums, restoration workshops, and, of course, private collectors. This year, we launched a new project."
Moscow Transport Museum Collectors' Club"It aims to foster a community of transport enthusiasts and collectors around the museum. We express our gratitude to Vladimir Kireev for his support of the museum's initiatives and fruitful collaboration: Vladimir previously donated a collection of travel documents, and now the VNIITE-Maxi collection has been added to the museum's collection. We are sincerely grateful to our friends and colleagues, thanks to whom visitors can become acquainted with unique vehicles," added Oksana Bondarenko, Director of the Moscow Transport Museum.
VNIITE was founded in 1962 under the leadership of the distinguished designer Yuri Solovyov. The institute became the leading design organization in the USSR. Over time, it expanded, establishing 10 branches across the country and collaborating with hundreds of companies, helping them develop or improve their products. The institute also began publishing the leading Soviet design publication, the journal "Technical Esthetics."
The Moscow Transport Museum continues its campaign "Let's create a museum together", through which city residents can participate in the collection's development. The museum accepts items from the late 19th and late 20th centuries related to the history of trams, buses, metros, taxis, and automobiles. These include urban environment objects, navigation and information items, transportation components, as well as old photographs, postcards, tickets, books, timetables, road service uniforms, and much more.
Moscow Transport Museum The Museum is an open urban space and a vibrant research center. The museum's collection includes over 250 passenger cars, trucks, taxis, buses, trolleybuses, city service vehicles, as well as bicycles and motorcycles. Exhibits from the museum's collection can be seen at exhibitions and among the city's transportation infrastructure.
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