MAZ 2000 PERESTROIKA
MAZ-2000 "Perestroika" is a prototype of a modular mainline road train of the Minsk Automobile Plant, which at the time of creation has a number of unique technical solutions.
Having the dimension and purpose of a conventional truck truck, the truck was distinguished by a revolutionary modular design without a division into a tractor and semi-trailer and could be built up by modules into large configurations.
It was first publicly presented in 1988 at the Paris Motor Show, where it was awarded a gold medal for outstanding technical solutions. It became the first Soviet truck that meets the strict requirements of international standards for mainline road trains.
The curb weight of the basic road train was 12 tons, the gross weight was 33 tons (41 tons with a three—axle rear trolley). The volume of the cargo platform was 83 m3, which is 5-10 m3 more than that of the classic road trains of the same length.
Due to the rotability of the traction module, the fixed cabin and the cargo compartment are combined into one unit, which dramatically improved the aerodynamics of the road train, as well as increased the volume of the body. The low drag coefficient of the MAZ-2000 made it at that time the most streamlined road train both in the USSR and in Europe. Improved aerodynamics contributed to a significant improvement in fuel efficiency and dynamic characteristics of the truck.
The prototype of the new generation road train also had the following innovative technical solutions for the 1980s: wheel fairings, aerodynamic cab shape and fiberglass panels.
Some technical solutions of the MAZ-2000, for example, a flat cabin floor, a panoramic windshield and a cabin separated from the chassis, contrary to popular misconception, although they were revolutionary for the Soviet automotive industry, they were still borrowed from the Renault Virages VE-10 concept car, introduced in 1985.
In the early 1990s, licenses for the modular design of the road train were sold to the USA and Japan.
The last time the MAZ-2000 was publicly demonstrated in 2002 in Minsk in the park named after. Gorky at the exhibition "Autoexotics". Especially for this exhibition, the truck was restored at MAZ.
