Italian motorhomes from Soviet UAZ “Loaf” I would not be mistaken, perhaps, if I call “Loaf” one of the symbols of the era. Unpretentious, passable... Such a native brainchild Soviet automobile industry. Did you know that various foreign designers have had their eye on them for a long time. “Bukhanka” turned out to be an excellent base for the production of houses on wheels! In Italy, this business was even put on stream in various studios involved in the conversion of UAZ vehicles. At that time, cars were supplied abroad with Soviet engines or with 78 hp Peugeot diesel engines. The most popular were unglazed UAZ-452s with a French engine. The well-known Schiepatti studio made two models of campers: Adventure Camper (cheaper) and Safari (more expensive). Both cars have everything you need for a comfortable stay of 4-5 people: a kitchen unit with a stove, a sink and a small refrigerator, two water tanks with a total capacity of 200 liters, and back occupies a large sofa, which at night turns into a bed 1.80 m x 1.74 m. If desired, you can even put a dry closet in these houses. The ceiling in both models was raised by 40 cm, and the roof was replaced with fiberglass expedition trunk. Such a car, just like a serial UAZ, can travel 600 km without refueling, and reaches a speed of about 100 km/h. By the way, in 1983, such a UAZ participated in competitions in the Sahara Desert and won. And its rivals, by the way, were campers based on Renault and Iveco! Another studio, Grand Erg, produced the UAZ-452D in Thule modifications (we wrote about it in detail a little earlier) and Tundra. The “loaves” were equipped with noise and thermal insulation; each of them, in addition to sleeping places, was equipped with a full kitchen and shower. In the 1980s, the Martorelli brothers made a grand expedition across Iceland using a UAZ Tundra, driving almost 25,000 km. It was practically no different from the basic UAZ, but everything you needed fit here: a kitchen with a stove, a small refrigerator and a sink, a water tank, a small cabinet for things, a dry closet and, of course, sleeping places. The most elegant “Loaf” was created by craftsmen from the Caba company (although, in fact, they specialize in yachts). In appearance there is nothing remarkable... But inside it is beautiful and very comfortable! A lifting roof, an interior trimmed with rare wood, and elegant furniture. In the Arca atelier 7 sq. meters of living space inside the “Loaf”, - by some miracle, no less - was divided into three full rooms: a kitchen, a bathroom and, of course, a recreation room with beds and even a wardrobe. In the ceiling, the craftsmen equipped a hatch with a hinged lid, which was extremely convenient for hunters or, for example, television crews. By the way, this model also visited the Sahara: in the early 70s, journalists from the Quattroruote publishing house went on an expedition with it. In fact, there were many more studios specializing in UAZs in Italy, but these are the most famous and famous.

Mobile home based on UAZ-3303 (Onboard “Loaf”)

Motorhome UAZ "Bukhanka"

Dismantled on the car onboard platform, a van for temporary accommodation was installed instead. Installed additional equipment.

The standard onboard platform has been dismantled. Instead, a used factory-made van was installed on the chassis side members using standard fasteners.

The installation of the van body was carried out in accordance with the requirements of Appendix No. 9 of TR CU 018/2011.

The overall width does not exceed 2.55 m, and the height is 4.0 m.

The van body is securely attached to the vehicle frame with fastening elements similar in design, quantity and material to the fastening elements of the van body of the same vehicle, manufactured under mass production conditions, of the same or greater technically permissible maximum weight.

The van body has been converted into a temporary living van. The walls of the equipped camper van are glazed using safety glass (UNECE Regulation No. 43).

Upholstery, interior lighting and interior heating have been installed. The floor of the van is covered with non-slip material.

A bracket for a TV and media system is installed on the back wall of the van using standard fasteners.

For passengers to enter, a swing door on the starboard side is used.

The van has 2 sleeping places.

A factory-made folding table using standard fasteners is installed on the front wall of the van.

There are storage boxes on the front wall and at the rear of the left side.

Shelves are installed on the rear wall of the van using standard fasteners.

The surfaces of the internal volume of the passenger space comply with the requirements for injury safety of internal equipment.

All additional equipment installed in the cabin is securely fastened.

The use of equipment and the presence of people in the van while driving is not intended.

The standard front and rear bumper. Used front (with radiator protection) and rear bumpers are installed in standard places.

On front bumper installed electromechanical winch using standard fasteners. The winch does not protrude beyond the front surface of the bumper.

There are two headlights on the front bumper high beam. Installation and connection of high beam headlights comply with the requirements of paragraph 6.1 of UN Regulation No. 48.

In the rear part of the vehicle frame there is a used towing device(TSU) for the evacuation of a vehicle and the articulated coupling of a car with a trailer exclusively outside public roads. The trailer hitch is installed in its standard location and secured using standard fasteners included in the trailer hitch mounting kit.

A ladder is installed on the rear wall of the van using standard hardware to provide access to the van.

Instead of standard suspension elements, certified elastic and damping suspension elements are installed: springs, springs and shock absorbers.

Certified tires (UNECE Regulations No. 30 and 117) and wheels (UNECE Regulations No. 124) with dimensions 32x11.5R15 are installed, the speedometer is calibrated, the conditions of clause 5.2.5 of UNECE Regulations No. 39 are met.

A bracket for mounting a spare wheel is installed on the rear wall of the van.

From engine compartment The external air intake has been removed.

A tool box is installed on the right side of the car frame. The tool box door locks securely while driving.

Installation completed autonomous heater Webasto salon. The overall design of the vehicle complies with the requirements regarding the prevention of fire hazards (UNECE Regulation No. 34).

Motorhome UAZ "Bukhanka" - Rear view

Motorhome UAZ "Bukhanka" - interior Motorhome UAZ "Bukhanka" - interior Motorhome UAZ "Bukhanka" - interior

It's finished. No matter how some real and virtual friends tried to dissuade me, no matter how they said that “a loaf is a cattle truck”, What “no ergonomics or safety”, the evil virus has done its job.

Now I am the proud owner and rider of the loaf.
Why not "driver"? No, the person who controls a galloping animal is called "rider", almost a horseman.

Let's jump back a little to that carefree time when I was just studying for category "B". Receipt driver's license pursued one single goal - I wanted to travel the world by car. I didn’t need a car to take my loved one to work and to get food. I didn't need a car to pick up young ladies. I didn't need a car to “everyone has it, but I don’t”.

Only for travel or for off-road competitions... or both. Back then I didn’t know what made me sick more.

Of course, the choice of cars was determined precisely by this goal, and by the desire to have exactly domestic car. The thought that “there is no better and more reliable car than a Toyota the age of the first teacher” I couldn’t wrap my head around it then, just like now.

By comparing all sorts of different things, adding up the pros and cons, I came to the formula that you need to take a loaf for travel, and for change from the loaf - LuAZ for competitions. The loaf is spacious, maintainable, passable, charismatic. LuAZik is light, small, you don’t mind it, you can put it in the engine for a penny.
Wife, when I heard about such an intricate choice vehicle, said that we would have to get a divorce.
Will you say that I fell for it? Yes, you are damn right, but understand me, I just got married. Everything was good and romantic, the young wife... I absolutely didn’t want to get a divorce because of the car.
I tried to bargain and reject LuAZik. It was no use, the wife was adamant. Perhaps she didn’t understand “what kind of LuAZik was,” but it was the loaf that made her feel hotter than anything else.

Periodically, scenes played out on the street.
- Look what little eyes drove by! Beauty.
- Don't you dare! Only homeless people ride loaves of bread.
- What the hell are homeless people? Homeless people don't drive cars!
- That means “scourges.” Do the scourges travel? So you will...

For Vladimir’s long journey, his wife baked two bags of pies, and she knows a lot about them. With cabbage... with onions and eggs... all my favorites. This gave hope for a successful outcome of the event. If we don’t buy a car, we’ll at least eat some pies.

The road to Biysk flew by in an instant. Firstly, the pies won’t eat themselves; this took a lot of work. It’s good that nerves increase the capacity of the stomach at least twice. Secondly, sensing a successful outcome, Uncle Volodya kept loading me up with another Bukhankovodsk trick “if this happens, do this”. I call it "to grow wiser at someone else's expense".

A short stop for a photo shoot with Cucumber...

... and we are there. We look and admire.

Whether the original mileage was on the speedometer or not - we will never know, for some reason the ECU on the car was changed, but judging by the condition it is very, very similar to the declared 60,000. There is no rot, there is almost no rye, the original paint, no cracks in openings. Theoretically, such machines should not exist in nature, but the loaf stood in front of us, refuting the theory with its presence.

With shaking hands, I signed the contract, counted the money and drove out onto the highway. Agree, this is symbolic. We have almost forgotten what " bring the car", or “drive to Tolyatti”, but these are not just words. This is a whole process that delivers a significant dose of endorphin to the brain. And I don’t care that the car doesn’t smell like new plastic. I don’t care that I didn’t pick it up from the factory parking lot in Ulyanovsk.
To drive a car is to drive a car.

In general, stay tuned for news. A new loaf is waiting and interesting life, she is destined to become a motorhome. No, not a show car, sparkling varnish, yacht gadgets and plastic shower compartment. And not a fisherman’s house with a now-classic homemade sofa covering the entire interior. It will be something in between, but I don’t know what yet - that’s the main thrill. For the first time since purchasing the first Patriot, I am standing on the threshold of something incomprehensible, but very interesting.

Damn good feeling!

The car doesn't have a name yet. Neither ordinary, nor pretentious, nothing at all. It is clear that it should itself "shoot", but you can suggest your own option in the comments. What if it shoots? The loaf has a name, and you have honor, respect and the title of godfather.

I won’t be wrong, perhaps, if I call “Loaf” one of the symbols of the era. Unpretentious, passable... Such a native brainchild of the Soviet automobile industry. Did you know that various foreign designers have had their eye on them for a long time. “Bukhanka” turned out to be an excellent base for the production of houses on wheels! In Italy, this business was even put on stream in various studios involved in the conversion of UAZ vehicles. At that time, cars were supplied abroad with Soviet engines or with 78 hp Peugeot diesel engines. The most popular were unglazed UAZ-452s with a French engine.

The well-known Schiepatti studio made two models of campers: Adventure Camper (cheaper) and Safari (more expensive). Both cars have everything you need for a comfortable stay of 4-5 people: a kitchen unit with a stove, a sink and a small refrigerator, two water tanks with a total capacity of 200 liters, and the rear part is occupied by a large sofa, which turns into a bed at night 1 ,80 m x 1.74 m. If desired, you can even put a dry closet in these houses.

The ceiling in both models was raised by 40 cm, and the roof was replaced with fiberglass with an expeditionary trunk. Such a car, like a serial UAZ, can travel 600 km without refueling, and reaches a speed of about 100 km/h.

By the way, in 1983, such a UAZ took part in competitions in the Sahara Desert and won. And its rivals, by the way, were campers based on Renault and Iveco!

Another studio, Grand Erg, produced the UAZ-452D in Thule (we wrote about it in detail) and Tundra modifications. The “loaves” were equipped with noise and thermal insulation; each of them, in addition to sleeping places, was equipped with a full kitchen and shower.

In the 1980s, the Martorelli brothers made a grand expedition across Iceland using a UAZ Tundra, driving almost 25,000 km.

It was practically no different from the basic UAZ, but everything you needed fit here: a kitchen with a stove, a small refrigerator and a sink, a water tank, a small cabinet for things, a dry closet and, of course, sleeping places.

The most elegant “Loaf” was created by craftsmen from the Caba company (although, in fact, they specialize in yachts). Nothing remarkable in appearance... But the inside is beautiful and very comfortable! A lifting roof, an interior trimmed with rare wood, and elegant furniture.

In the Arca atelier 7 sq. meters of living space inside the “Loaf”, - by some miracle, no less - was divided into three full rooms: a kitchen, a bathroom and, of course, a recreation room with beds and even a wardrobe. In the ceiling, the craftsmen equipped a hatch with a hinged lid, which was extremely convenient for hunters or, for example, television crews. By the way, this model also visited the Sahara: in the early 70s, journalists from the Quattroruote publishing house went on an expedition with it.

In fact, there were many more studios specializing in UAZs in Italy, but these are the most famous and famous.

Today I want to introduce our readers to Evgeny Khmelev from St. Petersburg and his camper, which he made himself. Back in 2010, Evgeny purchased a UAZ car, sometimes called a “loaf,” for trips into nature. Moreover, he acquired it in a completely finished form, knowing that with his own hands he would make it the way he needed it.

As planned, I first restored the frame and body, which were not even hoped for.




Then I painted it as planned.




It was not easy work, but that was not all. Evgeniy personally covered the inside of the body with vibration protection and did the insulation himself. After all, winter trips were also planned.


And now the moment has come interior decoration salon, and his wife helped him a lot)

At that time, a huge amount of work had already been done, but Evgeniy continued anyway, dividing the salon into residential and utility parts. It turned out well!




Everything I wanted found its place there.


Since the standard heater was not suitable for long-term parking, a well-known 2 kW Planar heater was purchased and installed for these purposes, which, as it turned out, was sufficient for temperatures of -15C. I haven't been able to test it at a lower level yet. But everything is still ahead!


Of course, Evgeniy did not forget about the possibility of autonomous living. The car had its place in 3 batteries, which were enough for 10 days, an inverter, as well as a gas generator. There are also plans to acquire a wind generator.


Currently, the camper has been tested more than once in a variety of conditions and has confirmed its functionality and practicality. Vacations are spent with the whole family and relatives, as well as two cats, driving it to hard-to-reach places, taking with them an external bathhouse and an external shower.