Unique Minibus RAF Found In Chile Sold To Russia

2023 Author: Natalie MacDonald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 13:59

One of the first RAF-977 "Latvia", recently discovered in Chile, was bought by an unnamed Russian collector. The car will be returned to Russia and restored. The announcement of the sale of the minibus appeared in March. They asked for 800,000 Chilean pesos (73,200 rubles).

• The sold RAF-977 belongs to the first series produced in Riga from 1959 to 1962. The circulation was 1297 pieces. According to Drom, it was previously believed that not a single copy of this modification has survived.

• A salesman from Chile told details about the unique car. The minibus was owned by a Swiss Catholic priest who served as a missionary all his life. The car is now in poor condition and is being used as a storage facility.
• The native 70-horsepower 2.5 petrol engine from the GAZ-21 on this RAF-977 has long been replaced with a Chrysler engine, and an “American” dashboard appeared in the cabin. However, another engine has already broken down and now the minibus is not running.
• RAF-977 "Latvia" is built on the GAZ-21 chassis. The found car differs from later versions with a front end with a split windshield, a high radiator grille, and also small skylights.