I believe that the Austrian Pinzgauer SUV and the armored reconnaissance and patrol vehicle (BRDM) are especially popular in the sales market for conversion special and automotive equipment that was stored in the armed forces.
For their exceptional qualities, they have gained immense popularity among hunters and fishermen, among extreme driving enthusiasts and simply among those who want to climb into the most impassable jungle in pursuit of a good portion of adrenaline.
I decided to devote this review to civilian versions of the BRDM-2.
It turned out that on the Internet, many BRDM owners posted more or less detailed photo reports and descriptions of the alterations that were made in order for their "war horses" to find civilian comfort and meet their specific requirements. After all, they are bought for specific needs, whether it is an extreme expedition, hunting or fishing, funny “rides”, transportation of VIP-passengers or especially valuable cargo.
I learned that reworking and fine-tuning the BRDM is done in different ways: both by enthusiasts on an individual basis, and campaigns - in “small batches”. This can happen in a private garage, in which a couple of men with bright heads and straight arms will create a “shushpanzer”, on which they themselves will go hunting or fishing. Or maybe a specialized company and a tuning studio will do this, fulfilling the order of a wealthy man who has everything, but wants something else.
The price of a particular car depends on the number of alterations, their technical equipment, their functionality and who was involved in this, a team of enthusiasts or a specialized workshop.
After going through a lot of information, I put together the laid out reviews and photos of the most interesting, in my opinion, samples and offer the result to you, dear readers. I apologize if I forgot to mention someone, or vice versa, I overdid it and revealed someone's incognito. All materials (photos, videos and texts) used in this review are taken from open sources. Links to the sources from which these materials were borrowed are given at the end of the article.
I reserve the right to make abbreviations or stylistic changes to the text that do not affect the content of the article, without the consent of the author (s).
BRDM is my second car!
Vadim Amosov, Simferopol.
The idea to buy a BRDM came up by chance, in a bathhouse. Once in a Saturday bath, in September 2009, a friend of mine asked:
- Vadik, do you want to buy a BRDM? There is a possibility.
- What is it? I asked.
“Difficult to explain,” the Admiral replied. - Type in the Internet, in a search engine, "BRDM-2", you will see everything …
From that moment on, sleepless nights began with thoughts of buying this "miracle of technology". I got sick with it! And, most importantly, I don't know why I need him - I'm not a hunter or a treasure hunter! I just want it and that's it!
The paperwork took 2 months. During this time, I managed to go to the military unit, choose my car. On December 24, they put it on KamAZ and drove it to the Crimea. Naturally, before that they removed the turret with weapons, a night vision device, armor plates covering the frontal windows and the entire interior: walkie-talkies, chemical equipment, triplexes, etc. (Then I bought everything I needed from these babies in the same place, except for the tower.) thrown off the place with a crane, put the batteries, started "half a barrel" and drove into the garage on their own.
Imagine, there are 1250 km on the speedometer, and even those are probably wound. I stood on the street for 34 years, in the rain and snow, and started up and drove off! Pride for equipment from the USSR!
We rode for several days, then drove into the box and cut it for four months, “cooked it”, ripped off all the paint, painted it. In the end, it turned out exactly what I wanted.
I wanted to partially use it for commercial purposes, then changed my mind. We ride with friends in the mountains and swim in the lakes.
Registered with Gostekhnadzor as an energy module for agricultural purposes. I bought a tractor driver's license. Inspection, insurance - everything is as it should be!
I am posting pictures of "reincarnation" …
Taking this opportunity, I want to say thank you to everyone who participated in this project!
Painting the BRDM turned out to be one of the most difficult and painstaking works.
Pasha (on the site - grivna22) well done, only tired of some "accomplices": he works exclusively at night!
Video from the BRDM in Alushta.
BRDM swim in Partenit. Partenit is an urban-type settlement on the southern coast of Crimea. It is part of the Alushta City District.
All-terrain vehicle BRDM (S 5.5 VIP-class).
Michael. No other data could be found.
(This car bears a resemblance to the photo posted on the Ecoprof NP website. - Approx.).
“It took over three years to tune, a lot of money and an uncompensated number of nerve cells. But the image still needs to be worked on, says Mikhail.
Short description:
All-terrain vehicle BRDM (S 5.5 VIP-class).
The only copy, completely hand-assembled.
Highway speed up to 120 km / h, on water up to 12 km / h.
The V-8 5.5 engine is uprated.
Armored body, color black-green mother-of-pearl - "chameleon".
The car is equipped with a satellite communications station, air conditioning, TV and audio equipment, an echo sounder, a powerful overhead spotlight, night vision, strobe lights, GPS navigation, leather interior and other "garbage".
Power point:
Special purpose motor ZMZ-41.
Carbureted, gasoline, 8-cylinder engine with 90 degree V-shaped cylinders, highly turbulent combustion chambers and screw inlets.
Nom. power 140 HP at a crankshaft rotation speed of 3200 rpm.
Max. torque 353 Nm at a crankshaft speed of 2000-2500 rpm.
Minimum specific fuel consumption 333 (245) g / kWh (g / hp h.)
Bore x stroke, 100x88 mm.
Weight: 271 kg.
Fuel: AI-76.
Compression ratio: 6, 7.
It all started with the fact that one day Mikhail saw a BDR passing by a car. I saw and was completely delighted - that's what a real man needs! Having learned from the military everything that they knew about the car, Mikhail got fired up with the idea of buying the same one and soon discovered that it was quite possible - there would be enough money. Enough!
The only condition was the absence of a turret with weapons. Armor protection, unsurpassed cross-country ability, ability to swim and, of course, military durability. Well, something, but we know how to do military equipment.
Later, the idea came up to remake everything that was possible, and, in the end, outshine the Hummer. Enthusiasm was fueled by the idea that this car was domestic.
The work was colossal. The car had to be taken apart naked. Imagine what this means: the car is huge, natively assembled and even with a filling that is unfamiliar to “civilian” mechanics. But this stage was not the most difficult. Ahead was the alteration of the units, the change in appearance, the re-equipment of the cab …
The body of the car was stripped down to bare metal and repainted. Combining the old, multi-layer painting technology with intermediate polishing and the best modern materials. The owner calls the current color of the car “black-green pearl-chameleon”. The paint is really interesting: it looks and feels like powder enamel.
Some elements of the hull and cabin are decorated with corrugated aluminum sheet. This not only decorates the car, but also makes it more convenient and safer. For example, the groove on the nose of the case will prevent slipping in wet shoes or barefoot. The aluminum isn't just riveted to the body, it is bonded with UHU Plus Endfest 300 epoxy two-component adhesive for incredible bond strength.
And rivets - so, for beauty. Well, and additional insurance at the same time.
The standard headlights located on the nose, according to the owner of the car, shone poorly. The solution was simple: they hung six identical headlights instead of four. The cases were chromed, the glass was protected with a chrome grille.
In addition, we supplied all the necessary lighting devices - turn signals, side lights. A huge searchlight and night vision device were installed on top of the armor.
The army vehicle is in trouble with visibility. To make life easier for the driver, armor plates were removed from the front windows, huge spherical mirrors were attached to the sides of the cab, and a rear-view camera on a swing arm was fitted to the spare wheel in the stern - above the jet engine tunnel (the designers apparently did not envisage a retreat, so that it is simply impossible to move in reverse without it). The viewing angle allows you to get an excellent picture on the monitor in the cockpit. An echo sounder is installed.
The BRDM is welded entirely from armor plates and can float, which means that it would be nice to see the bottom relief with underwater inhabitants in detail.
By the way, about the spare tire. By and large, this is just a props, because the compressor of the central pumping of the wheels allows each cylinder to withstand up to seven bullet holes, not to mention nails.
And not everyone can remove and put such a wheel.
Let's clarify this point. At first glance, it seems that the car is four-wheeled, but - take a closer look! Between each pair on the side there are two more wheels - smaller.
There are pneumatic aviation tires inflated to 5, 5-6, 0 atm. Usually they are in the stowed position - tucked in under the "belly". But they can be released by turning on the hydraulic drive, and then the BRDM will become four-axle. A?! In terms of cross-country ability, he can only compete with a tank, what can we say about all sorts of Land Rovers or even Hummers. Also, the standard equipment of the BRDM includes a 4-ton winch with a 30-meter cable.
The six-seater cockpit is luxuriously yachting - trimmed with expensive, pleasant-to-touch leather "currency" color, carpet of the same shade, lacquered African oak panels. There is everything you can dream of: a satellite communication system, a fire extinguishing system, video and audio equipment, an echo sounder, a night vision device, GPS navigation, a bar, a refrigerator, a periscope, and so on and so forth.
There is no need to talk about trifles like an air conditioner.
The performers' attention to detail is again striking: for example, the lock of the hatch leading to the engine compartment, not anyhow, but the Mul-T-Lock brand. Chromed, of course.
Now again a little about the engine compartment. Carbureted V8 with a volume of 5.5 liters, boosted to 132 kW (180 hp). The regular ZMZ-41 develops 140 hp. with. at 3200 rpm. The torque is 353 Nm in the range of 2000-2500 rpm. Of course, an increase of 40 forces for such an engine is not God knows what, but the car is able to honestly keep the speed of 120 km / h on the highway and up to 12 km / h on the water. How much more ?!
It is also worth considering the brutal appetite of the G8. True, the capacity of the fuel tanks cannot be called modest either, and it is believed that the range at one gas station is 750 km. Tuning BRDM eats gasoline in about the same way as the standard one: the weight of additional equipment compensates for the lack of a tower.
Those who have seen an ordinary BRDM will confirm that the voice is frightening. The "luxury" sound can be called pleasant - the engine works smoother, and the mufflers are tuning Ultima. Please make sure - stand in their places above the engine, next to the hooks for towing through the water.
It took more than three years, a lot of money and an uncompensated number of nerve cells to combine the achievements of our military-industrial complex and "their" tuning. It cannot be said that the owner is completely dissatisfied with the result. “It's still worth working on the image,” says Mikhail. “There is still something chauvinistic in the BRDM.” Somehow, the words of Mikhail Zhvanetsky from the monologue “My armor” come to mind:
I want to buy, like during the war, a tank at the expense of the artist, but use it myself for some time. It's nice, probably, to suddenly appear in the housing office and ask to replace the floor in the kitchen without leaving the car. It is good to enter the bazaar and ask through the crack: "Skoko, skoko? One kilo or the whole bag?"
