The RAF-2203 Latvija (nickname ''Rafik'') is a

cabover Cab-over, also known as cab over engine (COE), cab forward or flat face (U.S.), flat nose (Canada), or forward control (UK), is a body style of truck, bus, or van that has a vertical front, "flat face" or a semi-hood, with the cab of the ...

van designed and developed by

Rīgas Autobusu Fabrika The Riga Autobus Factory (RAF; ) was a factory in Jelgava, Latvia, making vans and minibuses under the brand name Latvija. History Origins, Riga period During the Soviet Union, Soviet period, RAF and UAZ were the only producers of vans ...

from 1976 to 1997. They were widely used throughout the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

as fixed-run taxis (

marshrutka ''Marshrutnoye taksi''medical cars, used for trade and as a special services vehicles. It was the successor of the

RAF-977 The RAF-977 was a Soviet Union, Soviet cabover van made by Riga Autobus Factory (RAF) based on components from the GAZ-21, GAZ-21 Volga. It was introduced in 1958 and was manufactured in two main styles: a 10-seater minibus and an ambulance. In 19 ...

. This van 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 The Volkswagen LT is the largest Light commercial vehicle, light commercial panel van produced by Volkswagen (and subsequently Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles as of 1996) from 1975 to 2006, before being replaced by the Volkswagen Crafter, Crafter ...

, with independent front suspension also from the GAZ-24 (but springs from the GAZ-13). It borrowed

headlight A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for t ...

s 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 also an alkane with the chemical formula C8H18, and the condensed structural formula CH3(CH2)6CH3. Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers ...

petrol), and produced only . (The 2203-02 would run on liquified propane). An

ambulance An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport 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 ...

, 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 (North American English) or fire brigade (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organi ...

s. In addition to the uncommon 22033 and 22036 for state

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

s, 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. After the

collapse of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

, sales of the RAF-2203 plummeted, and sales in export markets began to gradually disappear. It was planned to sell the RAF, along with the RAF-2203 model, to

GAZ Gaz may refer to: Geography *Gaz, Kyrgyzstan Iran * Gaz, Darmian, village in South Khorasan province * Gaz, Golestan, a village in Bandar-e Gaz County * Gaz, Hormozgan, a village in Minab County * Gaz, Kerman, a village * Gaz, North Khorasan, a ...

in Russia, which would continue production under its own name, but for political and economic reasons, this project was eventually cancelled. In 1998, the RAF went bankrupt and production of the RAF-2203 van stopped. Nevertheless, the idea of a Russian van using components from passenger cars, most notably the GAZ Volga, was later taken up by the

GAZelle A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . There are also seven species included in two further genera; '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third former subgenus, ' ...

light commercial vehicle, which largely replaced the RAF-2203 in its minibus and van roles in the

post-Soviet states The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...

Variants

* RAF-2203 Latvija – 4x2 4dr van, 1976 * RAF-2203 Latvija elivery– 4x2 4dr delivery van * RAF-2203 Latvija ardiology– 4x2 4dr cardiac

* RAF-2203 Latvija ire– 4x2 4dr

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

minivan Minivan (sometimes called simply a van) is a car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows . The equivalent classification in Europe is MPV (multi-p ...

* RAF-2203 Latvija GAI – 4x2 4dr

police van A police van (also known as a paddy wagon, meat wagon, divisional van, patrol van, patrol wagon, police wagon, Black Mariah/Maria, police carrier, pie wagon (in old-fashioned usage) or squadrol (a unique name for the Chicago Police Department ...

* RAF-2203 Latvija ail– 4x2 4dr mail van * RAF-2203 axi– 4x2 4dr taxi van * RAF-2203 Latvija VAI – 4x2 4dr military

* RAF-22031 (РАФ-22031 "Скорая помощь") – 4x2 4dr

. As a result of the installation of

emergency vehicle lighting Emergency vehicle lighting, also known as simply emergency lighting or emergency lights, is a type of Automotive lighting, vehicle lighting used to visually announce a vehicle's presence to other road users. A sub-type of emergency vehicle equipme ...

, portable

two-way radio A two-way radio is a radio transceiver (a radio that can both transmit and receive radio waves), which is used for bidirectional person-to-person voice communication with other users with similar radios, in contrast to a broadcast receiver, whi ...

transceiver In radio communication, a transceiver is an electronic device which is a combination of a radio ''trans''mitter and a re''ceiver'', hence the name. It can both transmit and receive radio waves using an antenna, for communication purposes. The ...

and medical equipment (artificial respiration apparatus, oxygen, standard medical

stretcher A stretcher, gurney, litter, or pram is an medical device, apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or ...

, etc.), the weight of the car increased by 290 kilograms compared to the standard passenger version.инженер Л. Шугуров. И многие другие... // журнал « Наука и жизнь», № 12, 1981. стр.74-77 * RAF-2907 – special car based on RAF-2203

Gallery

File:RAF 2203 Moscow 2023-03.tiff, RAF-2203 File:РАФ-2203 Лаборатория.jpg, RAF-2203 File:Автомобиль скорой медицинской помощи РАФ-22031 из коллекции музея автомобильной техники УГМК.jpg, RAF-22031 File:RAF-2915-02 1.jpg, RAF-2915-02 File:RAF-22038.jpg, RAF-22038 File:РАФ-22038-21.jpg, РАФ-22038-021 File:RAF-2914.jpg, RAF-2914 File:RAF-2909 2.jpg, RAF-2909 File:Kiev-UkrainianNationalChernobylMuseum 02.jpg, RAF-2203 (far right) that was used during the liquidation procedure of the

Chernobyl Disaster On 26 April 1986, the no. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties, it is one of only ...

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

die-cast toy A die-cast toy (also spelled diecast, or die cast) is a toy or a collectible model produced by using the die casting, die-casting method of putting molten lead, zinc alloy or plastic in a mold to produce a particular shape. Such toys are made o ...

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