The original Perestroyka Truck from MAZ remembered by Vladimir on Biglorryblog...did it influence the Renault Magnum or was it the other way around?

• 29 December 2010
• By Biglorryblog

Remember this weird wagon? Vladimir Chekhuta does and he has e-mailed Biglorryblog to say:"Hello Brian, when I saw first the Renault Magnum on BLB I remembered the concept truck called the MAZ-2000 'Perestroyka' which you see above." Some people here believe that the MAZ formed the basic idea for the Magnum..I don't know if this is true but here some photos and facts about Perestroyka." And click through here for the full story from Vladimir...

He continues: "Work on the truck officially started in 1985---however a lot of the basic conceptual ideas on the vehicle were done by engineer Sivolobov before the start.It's hard to translate the technical text so I've I used PC program---I hope you can understand it!

"The main feature of the truck was that it had a modular design with active drive. The main components of the vehicle consisted of a a high and convenient cabin with a flat floor and cargo platform with a load-bearing frame. The traction module held the engine, transmission and driving wheels. The traction module was joined to a frame or  'transport module' (a combination of a rigid body and semi-trailer) with its own wheels and the additional equipment) and the steering module (which used a turntable below the fixed cabin) which took provided the direcetional steering). By closing the gap between the cab and 'body' this unusual configuration was designed to allow greater profitability for transport as the internal length of the cargo platform had grown and the useful volume of the body had also accordingly increased by 5-10 cubic metres. The full weight of the vehicle was 41 tons, and the maximum speed 120 km/h."

If I remember rightly the cab and steering module could be separated/un-coupled from the body using a special dolly to support the forward module... 

Vladimir adds: "The unusual design and technical innovations of the Byelorussian truck so amazed the officials atthe Ministry Autoindustry USSR, that they have decided to send the truck to the Paris International Motor Show of 1988 [that's two years before the Magnum was officially launched--BLB]. 

Meanhile the disintegration of the USSR and and the deep economic crisis didn't allowed MAZ to start series production of the original truck confirms Vladimir. "And in August 2010 the Perestroyka truck became a monument near the MAZ plant. Maybe it will interest you and the BLB readers? Best wishes and Happy New Year, Vladimir!" Well it certainly does interest BLB and just to give some more food for thought this is the concept Magnum that appeared in 2007...

Not exactly dissimilar are they?  And certainly the MAZ showed the way forward in terms of separating the engine and cabin modules to create a flat floor on the latter which ultimately appeared on the Magnum...

Of course Maggie fans will say that the only ancester to the Magnum was the Virages which was first shown to the press in 1985, three years ahead of the Perestroyka. So did great minds think alike in terms of the basic design---or did each get inspiration from the other? Or was it simply a case of unconnected but parallel development? A fascinating subject Vladimir!