The RAF-2203 Latvija (nickname ''Rafik'') was a cabover

van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

designed and developed by Rīgas Autobusu Fabrika from 1976 to 1997. They were widely used throughout the USSR as

fixed-run taxi ''Marshrutka''marshrutkas),

medical car An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to med ...

s, used for trade and as a special services vehicles. It was the successor of the RAF-977. This

used the engine of the GAZ-24, between the front seats, making its construction similar to other competing vans such as the Dodge A100 and the Volkswagen LT, with independent front suspension also from the GAZ-24 (but springs from the GAZ-13). It borrowed headlights and brake system parts from the Moskvitch 412, outside door handles from the Moskvitch 408, and wheels of the GAZ-21 Volga. The single rear door hinged at the top, rather than the more-usual side-opening. There were two major models: one, the 2203, seated ten plus driver and passenger, powered by a with 8.2:1 compression; the other, the 22032, a twelve-seat "route taxi", had longitudinal seats and lower 6.7:1 compression (to use more readily available 76

octane Octane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula , and the condensed structural formula . Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers, 2,2,4-Tri ...

petrol), and produced only . (The 2203-02 would run on liquified propane). An ambulance, the 22031, was soon added to the range, and made up fully a third of all 2203s built; there was also a 22035 for blood donor clinics. These were joined by the 22034, for

fire department A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

In addition to the uncommon 22033 and 22036 for state militias, there were prototype electric vehicles. While the 2203 looked good, it was susceptible to rust, especially in the frame rails, and was unpleasant to drive in bad weather. Quality control of the assembly was also poor. Oil leaks and axle bearing failures were frequent. It also suffered overheating, serious vibration issues, failures of front suspension parts leading to poor handling, and high fuel consumption. On top of it all, access to the cab was difficult, despite the forward-control position.Thompson, p.198. After RAF went bankrupt, production was picked up by GAZ, who quickly replaced it with the GAZelle.

Variants

* RAF-2203 Latvija – 4x2 4dr

, 1976 * RAF-2203 Latvija elivery– 4x2 4dr

delivery van A panel van, also known as a blind van, car-derived van (United Kingdom) or sedan delivery (United States), is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind the B-pillar. ...

* RAF-2203 Latvija ardiology– 4x2 4dr cardiac ambulance * RAF-2203 Latvija ire– 4x2 4dr fire minivan * RAF-2203 Latvija GAI – 4x2 4dr police van * RAF-2203 Latvija

ail Ail or AIL may refer to: * Illness, a state of poor health * Ail (''Sailor Moon''), a character in the ''Sailor Moon'' anime series * Acceptance in lieu, an arrangement in the UK for accepting works of art etc. in lieu of tax * Agilus, a Frankis ...

– 4x2 4dr

mail van A covered goods wagon or van is a railway goods wagon which is designed for the transportation of moisture-susceptible goods and therefore fully enclosed by sides and a fixed roof. They are often referred to simply as covered wagons, and this is ...

* RAF-2203 Latvija axi– 4x2 4dr taxi

* RAF-2203 Latvija VAI – 4x2 4dr military police van * RAF-22031 Latvija – 4x2 4dr ambulance * RAF-2907 – special car based on RAF-2203

Gallery

РАФ-2203 "Латвия".JPG, RAF-2203 РАФ-2203.jpg, RAF-2203 РАФ-2203 Лаборатория.jpg, RAF-2203 Автомобиль скорой медицинской помощи РАФ-22031 из коллекции музея автомобильной техники УГМК.jpg, RAF-22031 RAF-2915-02 1.jpg, RAF-2915-02 RAF-22038.jpg, RAF-22038 РАФ-22038-21.jpg, РАФ-22038-021 RAF-2914.jpg, RAF-2914 RAF-2909 2.jpg, RAF-2909 Kiev-UkrainianNationalChernobylMuseum 02.jpg, RAF-2203 (far right) that was used during the liquidation procedure of the

Chernobyl Disaster The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two nuc ...

Микроавтобус РАФ-2203 (реплика автомобиля ГАИ СССР).jpg, RAF-2203 RAF-2203 Latvija model van (4).JPG, RAF-2203 1:43 die-cast toy

References

{{Commons category, RAF-2203 1970s cars 1980s cars 1990s cars Riga Autobus Factory vehicles Vans Minibuses Taxi vehicles Ambulances Cab over vehicles Police vehicles Buses of the Soviet Union Vehicles introduced in 1976 Motor vehicles manufactured in Latvia