[valdo]

The first Pobedas planned to build with a 6-cylinder engine, similar to the GAZ-51 engine which originated on the late 1920\'s Dodge D5 R6 engine.

Although when the test cars in 1944 were demonstrated to the Soviet leader Stalin he said that R6-engines is too fuel-wastable and ordered to changed it to the more economic one. After it the constructors worked out the 4-cylinder engine simple by the withdrawing 2 \"redundant\" cylinders to get an R4 engine. Therefore a lot of parts of R4 Pobeda engines (pistons, valves etc) are interchangeable with the R6 GAZ-51 engine (GAZ-51 was one of the leader trucks in USSR between 1940s and 70s made more than 3 million items).

The few (only 2 or 3 items) test-R6-Pobedas were not preserved.

The R6-Pobeda born again in 1950s, when they were made for the KGB (Secret Service in USSR). The engine was similar to the ZIM (and therefore GAZ-51) R6 engine. Althogh these R6-Pobedas was made only a few units and no one has preserved up to this time. Therefore, almost all of more than 230,000 Pobedas were equipped by the R4 engine.

Conclusion. If you wish to assemble to your Pobeda R6 (ZIM or GAZ-51) engine, it is possible, but you have to change the shape and placement of the radiator. Assembling of R8 engine is quite problematic because of the limited lenght. Assembling of V8 engine is also problematic or difficult - the space for the engine is quite narrow because of high-profile 16-inch wheels which \"wasting\" a lot of the width of the car.