This car had many names. From the offensive "Constipation" and "Humpbacked" to the affectionate "Round" and "Cheburashka". It was unusual to literally everyone: unusually small, unusually cheap, with an unusual "hump" in the stern, the bowels of which contained a rattling air-cooled engine. The price was also pleasantly surprising: 1800 rubles against 2511 for Moskvich and fabulous 5100 for the Volga! Having saved 22 of his salaries and having stood in line for a car for several years, the newly minted motorist received his OWN vehicle. For many families in the USSR, it was the unsightly Zaporozhets that became the first car in the family. He was the subject of pride and ridicule at the same time. "Half an hour of shame and you are at work" - this is exactly about him. The most affordable car of the Soviet Union: Zaporozhets.

The history of this little car began at the end of the fifties, when it became clear that the country desperately needed a car of an especially small class, a kind of "people's car" in the manner of Citroen "Shi-Vi" or the Beetle. The initial development of the car was entrusted to the Moscow Minicar Plant (MZMA). The work began at the end of 1956, the Italian FIAT 600 was taken as a basis, and the development was entrusted to the Moscow Minicar Plant.
Already in 1957, a prototype of the future "Zaporozhets" was created - then still Moskvich - 444, and only 5 experimental machines were made. By 1958, it became clear that the fully loaded Moscow plant simply did not have the capacity to manufacture a new minicar. And on November 28, 1958, the USSR Council of Ministers made a “historic” decision to organize the production of a new car at the Kommunar Zaporizhzhya agricultural machinery plant without stopping the production of the main product. Melitopol Motor Plant (MeMZ) was appointed as the engine supplier
The production had to be opened practically from a "clean face", the plant did not have its own "automotive" engineers, therefore, part of the team was called up from GAZ and all the same MZMA, and part of them underwent training at these factories.

Serial FIAT-600.

Moskvich-444. Prototype 1958. Highlighted by distinctive design elements and two-tone paintwork

ZAZ-965, 1960 prototype. Typical teardrop-shaped repeaters on the wings are visible

ZAZ-965. Serial version. Photo taken Pavel Kuneev Judging by the mirror and molding on the sidewall export modification ZAZ-965AE Yalta

Here is what one of the creators of the car, then only demobilized from the army, airfield technician Ivan Koshkin recalls (Autoreview No. 4, 2011):

« Experimental Muscovites turned out to be running models. We could somehow move independently, but we couldn't drive on the road with a load. Judge for yourself: the front suspension with a transverse spring provided a dynamic travel of only 30-40 mm, although our roads needed at least 70. And this Irbit motorcycle motor? After all, it was immediately clear that he was not suitable! We did not even seriously test this sample.»

Failures associated with the engine have always pursued the Cossacks. At first, for a long time, they could not find the required power unit, they even equipped experimental samples bMW motors, then in the shortest possible time they "adjusted" the motor, created by US and hastily sent to Zaporozhye ... Air cooling of the engine automatically meant the presence of an autonomous stove, as a result, both did not work properly and did not have sufficient resources.

In 1961, the first batch of Humpbacks was released. However, it did not get into auto shops, but went to subcontractors. Disrupt the production plan passenger cars it was impossible in the USSR! Therefore, they got out as best they could, modernizing a frankly "raw" car "on the go" ...

Several basic modifications were produced on the basis of the Gorbaty:
 965AE - export version, featured improved interior trim and sound insulation, as well as an ashtray and a radio receiver as standard equipment. It was sold in Western markets under the names Yalta or Jalta. By the way, the Scaldia-Volga company, about which we are in one of the previous posts, was still the dealer of Yalta. According to various sources, about 5,000 copies were exported.

 965B / 965AB / 965AR - a disabled modification designed for people with injured legs and healthy hands.
 965P - pickup truck for in-plant use. In general, the feasibility of creating a pickup based on a rear-engined car is highly questionable. Created with a workaround technology, it did not have a side or rear door.
 965С - a car for collecting letters with a right-hand drive and plugs instead of rear windows.

In 1963, the car was seriously modernized for the first time and began to install a 27-horsepower (versus 22 in the previous model) MeMZ-965 engine, and also carry out a facelift of the front end.

In 1963 the first Soviet "beach" comedy "Three plus two" was released on the screens of the country. The lyrical and carefree tape with tanned characters, shiny cars and restaurants on the seashore at first did not like the powers that be from the cinema. Like, how so: in the frame, Soviet people do nothing for an hour and a half! They embark on car chases, read Western "duduktivs" and make love affairs. Such skepticism, however, did not prevent the film from being screened in the country's cinemas to gather 35 million people ... However, for us, the picture is valuable primarily for the 966th Zaporozhets in the supporting role, as well as the catch phrase of Andrei Mironov: "Tin can of the Zaporozhets system"

By the way, the dialogue that follows the phrase seems meaningless:

- Tin can of the Zaporozhets system!
- New brand?
- Old stuff!

What new brand asked diplomat Vadim veterinarian Roman - remains a mystery, tk. by 1963, the ZAZ-966 model had not yet been produced. We can only assume that two friends visited VDNKh, where new concepts of the "maturing" 966 were exhibited every year ...

Meanwhile, objectively speaking, the ZAZ-965 was initially an outdated model: the body and rear suspension were borrowed from the popular FIAT-600, the front suspension was borrowed from the Volkswagen Zhuk, the engine resembled the Tatra airplane, only greatly reduced. By the way, FIAT - 600 also once "starred in a movie", and not with anyone else, but with Maestro Frederico Fellini himself. It was the white Fiat that became the first car of one of the minor heroes in the 1957 Nights of Cabiria film.

By the way, such a controversial structural element as the doors hung on the middle pillars was caused by the need to improve the usability of the car for the disabled, whose "target audience" was partly. In general, the car was originally designed to be as maintainable as possible, simple in design and passable. For example, the engine could be removed from the engine compartment by two people, and the front and rear windows were interchangeable.

In Kiev, near the building of the road technical school on the Lybidska metro station, there is a monument to the 965th.

Historical background: Zaporozhye plant Kommunar has a long history. It was founded in 1863 (interestingly, two years after the abolition of serfdom) by the Dutchman Abraham (Abraham) Koop and specialized in the production of agricultural machinery. In 1923 former factory Koopa was nationalized and renamed Kommunar. Having retained the main line of business, the plant was redesigned to produce more modern products - combines and tractors. In 1961, the plant was renamed into Zaporozhye Automobile Plant and the production of automobile products was launched there.

In 1966, the plant began to produce a new model of the Zaporozhets - ZAZ-966. There are still controversies surrounding the design of this car. Many point to an obvious resemblance to the West German NSU Prinz 4. However, the underlying idea of \u200b\u200bthe Prince's design - namely the wrap-around horizontal waist line - is in turn styling elements of the 1960 American Chevrolet Corvair. By the way, the "Constipation" so familiar to us could have looked much bolder, as evidenced by the search prototypes of those years. However, pretentious front fenders, a sloping roof and an abundance of chrome would very quickly make the car obsolete, and a private change or renewal of the main model was impossible for a number of reasons. Perhaps that is why a more “calm” outwardly version was put into production. Structurally, it did not differ much from its predecessor and was equipped with only a slightly "upgraded" engine from the previous model (ZAZ-966 with a MeMZ-966V engine - 887 cc, 27 hp).

One of the first prototypes of the 966th. 1961 year. The strong influence of the American school of design is felt.

Another of the search prototypes. The front end is not so pretentious

And this option strongly resembles the VAZ "kopeck" design of the front end.

Original Source: 1960 Chevrolet Corvair

Serial ZAZ-966

ZAZ -968 has been produced since 1972. Notable for including the introduction of reversing lights. Before us, however, there is again an export modification.

Full-scale production of the ZAZ-966 with its own power unit (1198 cc, 41 hp) began later, in 1967. However, there was not enough 1.2-liter engines for all cars, and some of the cars, even the next, "968", models were supplied with a 30-horsepower engine, leading its pedigree directly from the ZAZ-965 engine and even at that time did not provide the necessary speakers.

Below is a video recording of the news of those years, dedicated to the new ZAZ-966 going on sale

However, it seems to me more interesting to talk not about the "966" itself, but about the modifications that were supposed to be released on its basis and which have remained concepts forever.

In 1962, taking into account the experience accumulated on the ZAZ-970 model, Kommunar presented a whole family of light vehicles of the 970th family (all 4x2), among which was the all-metal van ZAZ-970B. The appearance of the entire family was developed at the factory bureau for the architectural design of the car (the concept of "design center" did not yet exist then) under the leadership of Yuri Viktorovich Danilov, and Lev Petrovich Murashov was the leading designer of the monocoque body (while still working for ZMA, he participated in the creation of Moskvich -444 "). The cars were equipped with up to 27 hp. engine from ZAZ-965A (located at the rear) and a standard gearbox. In addition, the cars inherited from ZAZ-966 independent suspension of all wheels: front torsion bar on trailing arms and rear spring suspension.

ZAZ-970. 1961 year

ZAZ-970B. 1962 year

ZAZ-970B vans had a partition between the passenger compartment and the cargo compartment. The useful volume of the cargo compartment was 2.5 cubic meters. The carrying capacity of the car was 350 kg with a driver and a passenger. The rear-engine layout of the 970th family determined the originality of access to cargo in the van body - cargo doors were located on both sides of the body. In addition, in some sources there is a mention of another auxiliary door at the back, above the motor. It should also be noted that due to the V-shaped design of the engine, it "humped" into the body, which is why the cargo area was not even over the entire floor area

Pickup truck ZAZ-970G "Celina". 1962-1964 years

All-wheel drive ZAZ-971. 1962 year

Soon after the creation of the prototype truck ZAZ-970, in 1962 at the Kommunar plant was built four-wheel drive car ZAZ-971 with a tented top, also made on ZAZ-965A and ZAZ-966 units. The car had a rear-mounted power unit. Only one car with such a body was built. Subsequently, the plant carried out work to create all-wheel drive modifications of cars of the 970th family based on constructive solutions, worked out at ZAZ-971.

In 1969, the country's screens released the cartoon "Gena Crocodile" about a crocodile working, oddly enough, as an African crocodile in the zoo. Children are very happy about the new, unusually staged puppet cartoon, and adults rename "Constipation" to "Cheburashka" for the characteristic shape of "ears-air intakes"

In 1972 ZAZ-968 appears
In 1973 it was upgraded to the ZAZ-968A version.
In 1974, his original "luxury" modification ZAZ-968A was released. Active (brakes) and passive (seat belts and energy-absorbing steering column) safety improved. The cabin has less chrome and more plastic. A new plastic front panel covered archaic bare metal. Instead of the old seats, they installed new, more comfortable ones from the "Kopeyka" VAZ-2101. Both models were produced in parallel until mid-1979.
In 1979, it was replaced by the ZAZ-968M, which, with minor changes, was produced until the end of the production of this model.

Modifications of the ZAZ-968M generally repeated the models of previous years of production, and on the basis of defective bodies, pickups for in-plant services were still produced. However, there was information that until 1994, such cars were also produced on orders.

Experimental ZAZ-968M. Attention is drawn to the "refined" wheels. Such did not go into the series

In terms of design changes, the designers followed the classic restyling scheme for those years: gradually the car lost its original chrome decorative elements, and plastic or rubber ones took their place. In the course of modernization, Zaporozhets lost both the famous ears and the characteristic chrome strip on the front end, called "Wings of the Soviets", and the rounded repeaters and lights were replaced by square and rectangular, respectively. The car has not acquired a powerful and modern engine for its entire long conveyor life. And even on the 968 M version, weak 30-strong motors were sometimes installed, although 41 and even 50-horsepower motors were already produced.

Since the beginning of the seventies, the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant has been making attempts to create a new front-wheel drive car Perspektiva (the name Tavria will be fixed much later), but all these attempts will be unsuccessful until 1988. However, the creation of Tavria is already another era and the topic of one of our next reviews.

In total, during the production of the Zaporozhets, about three million copies were produced, which is certainly not a lot for a country with almost three hundred million population (as of 1991). The same FIAT-600, produced from 1955 to 1969 - i.e. 14 years old, sold 2,600,000 copies, while by 1970 the population of Italy was about fifty-three million people. The Zaporozhets did not become truly popular. Neither the efforts of Nikita Khrushchev, nor the unconditional enthusiasm of the staff of the enterprise were able to perform a miracle where this miracle was not expected. The tester Ivan Koshkin speaks most eloquently about the failures of his native enterprise: “… In our country the whole country worked for geniuses, but only in one area - defense.” And yet, in front of a huge part of Soviet motorists, Zaporozhets fulfilled its task - it became the first car, introduced it to a different culture of movement and way of life. They say that in 1972, a student at Leningrad State University, Volodya Putin, won his first car in the lottery - it was precisely the ZAZ-966. "Throwing in" is this or the truth, of course, we hardly know - however, in many respects "Ushastik" really was the first, and if he was a little lucky, he would certainly become the most popular car ...

P.S. On January 28, 2011 the last Ukrainian car "Slavuta" rolled off the assembly line of ZAZ. From that moment on, the plant switched exclusively to the assembly of foreign cars.

The car "Zaporozhets" is passenger car, which was produced by the Zaporozhye plant "Kommunar", better known as ZAZ. The world-famous name united the release of two generations of vehicles, which were similar in some technical characteristics. Moreover, for a certain period of time they gathered at the same time. A little later, the production of the initial models was stopped.

The history of the car "Zaporozhets" begins in 1960. The first generation is dated 1960-1969. During this period, the ZAZ-365 and ZAZ-365A models were produced. The second generation is represented by the ZAZ-368 and 368M line. It was produced from 1966 to 1994.

The main difference between Zaporozhets cars is their special design. They were all two-door sedans, the engine was of a carburetor type, and the suspension mounted on the wheel axles was independent in all cases.

ZAZ-965 / 965A

The main modification called ZAZ-965 was produced for nine years from 1960. This car "Zaporozhets" has a prototype from which the main body design was taken, as well as some technical aspects (we are talking about the steering wheel, suspension, gearbox). However, unlike the original model, which is the progenitor, the basic structure has been redesigned and the engine is assembled from scratch.

The car has 4 seats, including the driver's seat. Front and rear glass able to interchange each other. The doors have an excellent mechanism that allows you to open the sash back. The power unit that received this car "Zaporozhets" was a novelty for the world car industry, as it was used quite rarely. It is a 4-cylinder engine with special air cooling. It should be noted that it is located at the back, not in front. The rear wheels became the driving wheels. The described model ZAZ-365 was produced for export and disabled people.

The next model ZAZ-965A was distinguished by its engine: its volume was 887 m³, and its capacity was 27 liters. from. Instead of two mufflers, the car received only one, and the moldings on the sidewalls were removed.

ZAZ-966/968 / 968A

After the release of the first generation was fully debugged, the development of the next modification began. It happened in 1961. The prototype from which it was created new model, appeared in the autumn of the same period. However, the fabulous plans of the plant were prevented by the economic situation of the enterprise (there was not enough finance), and the fact that the working team had little experience had a strong impact. Moreover, all the elements that were added to the model became borrowed from other copies, in particular from foreign ones.

Serial production of the ZAZ-966 lasted from 1966 to 1972. At the same time, at first, only the so-called transitional model, which was called 966B, left the assembly line. Its disadvantage was that the engine was designed for 1.2 liters, and its power was 30 liters. from.

The car "Zaporozhets" 968 practically did not differ from the 966 model. Its main feature among all available is an improved engine version and a slightly modified control panel. The manufacturer constantly released an upgraded version of the machine. The changes were minimal, but in a few years (already by 1978) the car acquired completely the new kind... The ZAZ-968A car was a representative of these copies. It has improved the security system, brakes, instrument panel. The latter was also used in such vehiclelike the ZAZ-968M car.

"Zaporozhets" 968M

The model with the "M" index went into production in 1979. It was she who closed the leading era of the Cossacks. This car was equipped with engines with a capacity of 28, 41, 45 and 50 horse power... The second option was the most common.

It differed from the main model “M” by its exterior and interior. The design was completely different. The number of chrome-plated parts has decreased, while plastic, on the contrary, has become more. Due to the fact that the cooling system of the power unit was changed, the "ears" were no longer installed on the body. This model became the one that domestic manufacturer waited so long - it did not overheat. However, with the elimination of such a minus, another one was added. The air duct box began to clog up, and its tightness was broken too quickly.

This particular car "Zaporozhets" became the most popular. It was he who could be found at one time most often on the roads. This model was also available for disabled people.

"Zaporozhets" for export

Together with models for the domestic market, the Zaporozhye plant produced copies for export. Depending on which market this or that car was sent to, the name changed. There was "Yalta" (Jalta, Yalta) and "Eliette" (Eliette). Such names were invented because for European people the word "Zaporozhets" is difficult for both perception and pronunciation. Export options differed from authentic copies in an improved level of noise insulation. There were also installed rear-view mirrors, radio, lining.

Sales were carried out through Finnish and Belgian companies. No more than 5 thousand copies were sold per year.

Jokes about "Zaporozhets"

The engine of the car "Zaporozhets" often deteriorated. However, this was not due to a factory defect, as the owners of the car so vehemently argued. All problems arose due to improper care of the vehicle. Also, jokes appeared because of the engine under the rear hood and its small size.

However, it should be noted that at that time "Zaporozhets" was a car that was no different from imported models its category in technical characteristics... And therefore, the constant bullying of him, in fact, was inappropriate. It should be noted that the same cars of the brand "Fiat", "Renault", "Volkswagen" became for their people the property and symbol of the corresponding era.

The most common joke was that the Zaporozhets was a humpbacked car. We are talking about the ZAZ-965 model, which had a specific body. She was also nicknamed "armored car". Other models with indexes 966 and 968 are popularly nicknamed "eared" and "cheburashka", respectively. Their names came from the cooling system. The soap dish is the 968M model. People noted its similarity to this item due to the lack of air intakes. After the collapse, a lot of anecdotes appeared that told about accidents involving "Zaporozhets" and "Mercedes".

Engine

In various modifications, the engine had a capacity of 41 to 50 hp. from. At the same time, he made a fairly loud rumble during work. The unit is capable of operating for about 40-50 km, but this is more to blame for consumers who do not follow what kind of fuel "absorbs" their car. However, this is the main plus of the engine. If imported options are able to die in such conditions after a short period of time, then "Zaporozhets" will serve faithfully for a very long time. The installed "air vents" were designed for a volume of 1.2 liters.

Transmission

First time new transmission works well, but over time the traction looses and the 4-speed gearbox starts to malfunction. A common problem it is difficult to switch between speeds, which already leads to an emergency on the road. When buying, each buyer had to discuss this nuance with the seller.

Zaporozhets (export designations for Western European countries - Yalta, Eliette and ZAZ) is a brand of Soviet and Ukrainian rear-engined passenger cars of an extra small class produced by the Kommunar plant in the city of Zaporozhye.

(later - Zaporozhye car factory, in 1960-1994 it was part of the AvtoZAZ production association).
Under the brand name "Zaporozhets" actually produced two different generations car models, connected by technical succession and for some time rolled off the assembly line in parallel:
- in 1960-1969 - the first generation, ZAZ-965 and since 1962 - ZAZ-
965A;
- in 1966-1994 - the second generation, ZAZ-966, ZAZ-966V, ZAZ-968,
ZAZ-968A and ZAZ-968M.
All cars "Zaporozhets" had a number of characteristic design features: a rear-engined layout with a longitudinal arrangement of a cantilevered engine behind rear axle and gearboxes within the wheelbase; body type "two-door sedan"; V-shaped four-cylinder carburetor engine from air cooled; independent suspension all wheels; autonomous petrol interior heater.
All variants of "Zaporozhtsev" differed in the maximum degree of unification in units and assemblies with the army all-terrain vehicle TPK (a sanitary wheeled conveyor of the front edge, LuAZ-967). The "civilian" all-terrain vehicles of the LuAZ brand - various modifications of the LuAZ-969 belonged to the same family.

ZAZ-965 / 965A.

The ZAZ-965 model was produced from 1960 to 1969. The main prototype of the ZAZ-965 in relation to the overall design of the body, partially - an independent spring rear suspension, steering gear, transmission was a Fiat 600; nevertheless, already at the level of the first prototype, the Moskvich-444, the design of the car was significantly redesigned relative to Fiat, and the power unit was developed completely from scratch. The body is a four-seater, with interchangeable front and rear windows, welded front fenders. The doors (there are two of them) open back, not forward. The engine is a rare type in the global automotive industry, a four-cylinder V-shaped, air-cooled, located at the rear. Magnesium alloy crankcase and transmission. The driving wheels are rear. The car was also manufactured in export and disabled versions.
The ZAZ-965A model is distinguished by an engine with an increased working volume (887 cm3) and power (27 hp), one muffler (instead of two) and the absence of decorative molding on the sidewalls.

ZAZ-966/968 / 968A / 968M.

The development of the next generation of "Zaporozhtsev" began almost immediately after the development of the first in production - in 1961, and prototypes appeared by the autumn of that year. However, due to the lack of experience among the plant staff (the "965th" model was developed at MZMA in cooperation with NAMI) and also due to lack of funding, the production was put into production for many years, and the design of the final version was a collection of elements borrowed from various models of those years old.
The ZAZ-966 model was in serial production from 1966 to 1972, and for the first year only a transitional modification of the 966B with an outdated 30-horsepower engine was produced - the production of a 1.2-liter 40-horsepower MeMZ-968 engine was ready only the next year.
ZAZ-968 has been produced since 1972. Initially, it did not have external differences from the "966", and its main feature was a slightly modernized MeMZ-968 engine (another carburetor) and a modified front panel (instead of stamped as a whole - the new instrument panel was assembled from individual elements). The model was constantly modernized, and by the end of production, in 1978, it was practically indistinguishable from the ZAZ-968A, which was produced in parallel and went into series in 1973 (according to other sources, in fact, production began only at the end of 1974) ZAZ-968A, which had an updated appearance and a number of design changes that improved safety: dual-circuit brakes, seat belts and a soft dashboard, which was subsequently installed on the ZAZ-968M.
The next modification was the ZAZ-968M, which was produced from 1979 to 1994 - this machine completed the Zaporozhtsev model line. It was also equipped with various power units with a working volume of 890 cm³ with a capacity of 28 liters. from. and 1.2 liters. with a capacity of 41 (the bulk of the machines), 45 or 50 liters. s ... From the ZAZ-968 model, it first of all differed in appearance and interior, there were fewer chrome parts and, in turn, more plastic appeared. "Ears" on the sidewalls of the body disappeared, as the cooling system was radically changed - this almost completely saved the car from overheating problems during normal operation, but added new ones - with the tightness of the air duct and clogging of its box. This version of "Zaporozhets" is the most widespread. Before ZAZ-968M, the air was sucked from the heads and cylinders by a fan, and then the hot air "cooled" the car generator.

Export options: Yalta / Jalta, Eliette.

Along with basic modifications Zaporozhtsev cars, their export versions were also produced (including those with a steering wheel on the right) - ZAZ-965E, ZAZ-965AE, ZAZ-966E, ZAZ-968E and ZAZ-968AE. Depending on the target market, they had the trade designation Yalta / Jalta ("Yalta") or Eliette ("Eliett"), since the phonetics and transliteration of the word "Zaporozhets" is very difficult for European languages. Have compared to basic models improved consumer qualities. For example, the models "965E" and "965AE" differed from the "965" and "965A" in improved noise insulation, the presence of an outside rear-view mirror on the left, an ashtray, a radio, linings on the sides of the car and the lower edge of the trunk.
ZAZ-968E and ZAZ-968AE in quantities of up to 5,000 units per year were sold in
Europe through the Finnish company Konela and the Belgian Scaldia-Volga.

Jokes about "Zaporozhets".

Because of the bad technical condition the majority of "Zaporozhtsev"
caused mainly by owners' non-compliance with the rules maintenance, unusual rear-engined layout and small dimensions - ZAZ cars were quite often the object of jokes and anecdotes. It is also worth recognizing that in fact, the Zaporozhian Cossacks were not inferior to foreign counterparts of their time in most of their performance characteristics, and in this case the rumor was unfair to them. Moreover, in Europe, cars of the same class “Volkswagen Beetle”, “Renault 4CV”, “Fiat 500” and others are considered a national treasure and symbols of their era, and numerous replicas of them are produced.
So, ZAZ-965 was nicknamed "humpbacked" for its characteristic body shape, as well as "Jewish armored car", ZAZ-966 and ZAZ-968 - "eared" or "Cheburashka" for the shape of the side air intakes of the cooling system, and ZAZ-968M "soap dish "For the similarity of the shape of the body that has lost the side air intakes (" ears ") with this object and the presence of cooling slots on the hood.
In post-Soviet times, there were many anecdotes about various accidents involving the driver of a "Zaporozhets" and a "new Russian" in a "600 Mercedes", as well as this car was sung by the famous Russian performer - Bogdan Titomir, with the song "A" Zaporozhets "- a car class "))

ZAZ-965 Zaporozhets, 1962–69

ZAZ-965A Zaporozhets, 1962–65 c.

Torpedo ZAZ-965A Zaporozhets, 1965-69

ZAZ-965AE Jalta, 1965–69

ZAZ-966 Zaporozhets, 1967-71

ZAZ-966 Zaporozhets, 1971–72

ZAZ-966V Zaporozhets, 1966–72.

ZAZ-966E Eliette, 1967–71.

ZAZ-968 Zaporozhets, 1971–79

Salon ZAZ-968A Zaporozhets, 1974–79.

ZAZ-968AE Zaporozhets, 1974–79.

ZAZ-968M Zaporozhets, 1979–94

Well, and by right in this post - you need to show this good car, its modifications:

There are several versions about the year of foundation of the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant. The factory workers themselves are accustomed to consider the date of creation of the plant in 1863, when the Dutchman Abraham Coop created a plant for the production of agricultural machinery. Another option is 1908, when the Melitopol Motor Plant (MeMZ) was founded, which in 1960 began to supply its engines to ZAZ. Another date is 1923, when the former plant of Abraham Koop was renamed into Kommunar. However, the direction of the enterprise's activity remained until 1960 - the production of agricultural machinery.

And so, probably, until now the Kommunar plant would have been producing hay-mowers and harrows, if one day Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev hadn’t got the idea to overtake the United States in terms of the number of cars per capita. True, unlike America, our car (like an apartment) should be small. Well, Khrushchev didn't like big things!

And the choice fell on the "Fiat" novelty FIAT-600. Initially, the car was planned to be assembled at the MOSKVICH plant and that is why the MZMA Design Bureau took over the development of the car, which together with the NAMI Automobile Institute developed the so-called Moskvich-444, which was later renamed Moskvich-560. But by the decision of the board of the State Planning Committee in connection with the congestion of the MOSKVICH plant, it was decided to start production at the Kommunar plant in Zaporozhye.

And on November 22, 1960, the company released the first batch of "ZAZ-965" popularly called "Humpbacked" for its original body shape.

Almost immediately after the release of the "hunchback" design bureau of ZAZ began to develop a new car "ZAZ-966", which has a completely new body.

However, its production was delayed by the union leadership, possibly for economic reasons: putting a new model on the assembly line just a year after the previous one was released was considered wasteful. Therefore, "ZAZ-966" was published only six years later.

It was a typical 'rectangular' sedan of the 1960s, featuring side air intakes. The people immediately called them "ears", and the car itself "eared". So the era of ZAZ "hunchback" was replaced by a long era of his even more anecdotal "eared" heir.

Its engine was also located at the rear. In the beginning it was the 30-horsepower MeMZ-966A, which was installed on the latest modifications of its "humped" predecessor. Then the 40-strong MeMZ-966V appeared, which made it possible to accelerate the car to a speed of 120 km / h on a straight track. True, in practice, not everyone achieved it, and fines for speeding by the Zaporozhets were really so rare that they were regarded as an anecdote.

The model underwent a more serious alteration in 1979-1980. "ZAZ-968M" became the last domestic car with an engine located in the rear compartment - but also the longest-lived, since it was produced until 1994. Having lost its "ears", replaced by simple grilles, the car received the nickname "soap dish" - for its already outdated and too simple design. But for her, more powerful engines: MeMZ-968GE (45 hp) and MeMZ-968BE (50 hp).

Perhaps further modernization of the model would have allowed to create something interesting, but in the 1990s the opinion prevailed that the Zaporozhians were a disgrace to the Ukrainian car industry. And the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant concentrated on the production of "TAVRIA".

In November 1963, the 29-year-old engineer Vladimir Steshenko brought the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a front-wheel drive minicar to ZAZ. The new chief designer "infected" her first design bureau, and then the leadership of the entire association. Steshenko himself was imbued with the idea of \u200b\u200bfront-wheel drive after meeting the famous Mini. The Ukrainian designer was especially impressed by the fact that this modest "box" Mini is exclusively due to front wheel drive, as well as the engine deployed across and pushed forward, utterly defeated all competitors in the 1962 rally. And including the Porsche 911, Fiat Abarth 600 and Volkswagen 1200L.

By 1976, two more prototypes were created - a sedan with front-wheel drive and an all-wheel drive hatchback. These two options formed the basis of "Perspektiva" (this is how the TAVRIA car was called at that time in the design bureau). In 1980, the creation of the car was completed and it took 7 long years to bring the design idea to life. And only in 1988 the full production of this car was started. On the basis of the developed "TAVRIA" a car in the body of a sedan was created, which received the name "SLAVUTA".

Experimental developments of ZAZ that were not put into mass production deserve a separate word.

In 1961, under the leadership of Yu.N. Sorochkin, in parallel with the development of the 966th machine, an experimental ZAZ-970 truck with a carrying capacity of 350 kg was designed.

In fact, the car was a kind of search layout work. The car was nicknamed "Sharpener" by the factory workers and, unlike the subsequent cars of the 970th family, had a small hood.

In 1962, along with the ZAZ-970B van, a six-seater minibus (according to the current classification - minivan) ZAZ-970V was created. The seats of the second and third rows were designed to be foldable, so the car was, in fact, a cargo-passenger - with the two rear seats folded, it could carry 175 kg of cargo, and with two rows of seats folded - 350 kg of cargo.

Like the ZAZ-970B van, the engine protruded into the cabin with a noticeable "hump", which is why the two third-row seats were separate and placed at a noticeable distance from each other - between them there was a service hatch for access to the engine. Unlike a van, a ventilation hatch in the roof was provided in the minibus, and there was only one door for entering and exiting passengers - on the starboard side.

At the end of the 70s of the twentieth century, ZAZ was considered as one of the options for expanding the lineup - Taxi project. An in-plant competition was announced for best car of this type.

One of the options-winners of the competition was a car on the units of a promising "Tavria" and its length did not exceed 3.5 meters. The driver's location is noteworthy - above the left front wheel, while the engine was supposed to be placed to the right of it.

During 1990-1992, an unusual modification of the base ZAZ-968M was produced - the ZAZ-968MP pickup.

It should be noted right away that pickups of a similar design were produced by ZAZ, like any car plant, always for its own internal plant needs (a typical example is ZAZ-965P). However, the ZAZ-968MP, which got into the series, is nothing more than an attempt by the plant to offer the market its own in-plant pickup in the early 90s of the twentieth century as a delivery vehicle.

In fact, the ZAZ-968MP was made according to the slipway-bypass technology - the rear of the cab was cut off from the rejected or even conditioned (depending on the demand for pickups in a particular period) ZAZ-968M body, and the rear wall with a window was welded behind the front seats. Backseat was not put, the resulting niche was the cargo compartment.

But the experience was unsuccessful and after the reduction in production of this car, the ZAZ-968M was also discontinued.

Another global change in Zaporozhye took place in 1998, when a Ukrainian-Korean joint venture with foreign investment was registered in the form of CJSC AvtoZAZ-DEU. and SKD began daewoo cars Lanos, Daewoo Nubira and Daewoo Leganza are the first models of the Korean company created by their own specialists.

History vehicle LANOS (supplied to Russia under the CHANCE brand) is very interesting. This front-wheel drive car, designed by ItalDesign, was first shown back in 1997. In 2002, Daewoo showed a new model called Kalos (in Russia it changed the name, which was incongruous for the Russian ear, to AVEO), but Lanos continued to exist! In 1998, the production of this car was launched in Poland and Ukraine.

And now, for almost 10 years, this car has been one of the best-selling foreign cars in Russia, having proven itself as a workhorse for taxi fleets, courier services, traffic police, and enterprises that use it as a "traveling" car.

In 2003, the plant in Zaporozhye again changed its form of ownership and became a closed joint-stock company with foreign investment “Zaporozhye Automobile Building Plant”. Now 50% of the enterprise belongs to UkrAvto and another 50% is owned by the Swiss company Hirsch & Cie.

Since 2004, in addition to the ZAZ and Daewoo models, the full-scale production of VAZ-2107, 21093 and 21099 cars has been mastered directly at the Zaporozhye plant, which are still being produced.

An interesting project in the development of the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant was the Opel project.

On March 25, 2003, a cooperation agreement was signed in Kiev between Ukravto, ZAZ CJSC and Adam Opel AG. According to the contract, the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant in the spring of 2003 began assembling Opel cars of the Vectra, Astra, and Korsa models from vehicle kits imported to Ukraine.

According to the admissions of the auto plants themselves, cooperation with the German auto concern taught the plant workers in German a clear approach to the quality of assembled cars. And, despite the fact that at the moment this cooperation has already been terminated for reasons of economic efficiency, the car manufacturers are still using the quality system, which they have mastered together with German partners.

In 2009, the Zaporizhzhya Automobile Plant started producing cars of the KIA concern at its facilities. Together with Korean partners, 2 models of the Korean concern are being produced at the facilities of ZAZ CJSC, these are KIA Cee "d and KIA Sportage.

But 2010 may become another major milestone in the history of the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant. In December 2010, a new model was delivered to the main conveyor of ZAZ, which will replace the most popular LANOS (in the Russian Federation since 2009 it has been presented as CHANCE).

On the basis of the Chinese Chery A-13, the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant began to produce cars under its own brand ZAZ-FORZA.

Automobile plants already had experience in assembling cars from China, in 2006 at the plant in Ilyichevsk, which is part of ZAZ CJSC, “pilot” lots of Chinese cars were assembled.

And in December 2010, a full-fledged assembly of a new car started on the ZAZ conveyor. It will be supplied not only to the domestic market of Ukraine, but also to the Russian Federation. Base, Comfort, Luxury versions will be presented in sedan and hatchback bodies. At the moment, the cars are undergoing certification tests at the test site in Dmitrov, near Moscow, and in mid-2011 they will already appear at dealerships.

The text of the article and photographs were provided by A.O. Kremlev. - the head of the marketing department of the car dealership "", authorized dealer COMPANY .

In 1956, it was decided to create a small class car at MZMA (Moscow Small Car Plant - now Moskvich JSC). The Italian FIAT-600 was taken as a basis. The car was named Moskvich-444.
So the future "humpback" Zaporozhets ZAZ-965 was born. It was decided to set up serial production of this car in Zaporozhye, on the areas of the former Kommunar combine plant. Before the appearance of the VAZ Oka in the early 1990s, Zaporozhets was the most affordable car, mainly due to its low price - about 3 thousand rubles. For comparison: the price for the VAZ-2101 was about 6 thousand rubles. Moskvich 2140/412 - about 7 thousand rubles Volga GAZ-24 - about 12 thousand rubles.

In 1958, the first Ukrainian car, ZAZ-965, rolled off the assembly line in Zaporozhye. Initially, it was planned to equip the firstborn with an air-cooled 2-cylinder motorcycle engine from the Irbit Motorcycle Plant, but this engine had a lot of drawbacks: it was very noisy, low-powered and had a resource of only 25 thousand km As a result, MeMZ-965 was chosen - a 4-cylinder, air-cooled, developed by NAMI specialists at
based on German bMW engine early 50s.

In 1967, the serial production of its own design began - the ZAZ-966 model. The design of this model began in 1961, but due to a number of circumstances, the 966 entered the assembly line only six years later. This car was equipped with a MeMZ-966 engine with a power of 30 hp. Later, a more powerful one was added to it - MeMZ-968 (40 hp).

In 1971, the ZAZ-968 model appeared, which differed little from the previous model. As it was "eared" it remained (it was also called "soap dish"). This model was mainly equipped with a MeMZ-968 engine, 40 hp and a new improved gearbox. As for the design, in modern terms, it was a facelift model ZAZ-966. Changes affected the main front part of the body. There were new bumpers, and rear lights appeared-reversing signals. There was another change that facilitates storage of the car in urban conditions - the neck of the gas tank was now hidden under the hood of the engine compartment. (On on the 966 it was located openly on the left rear fender ramp).

In 1980, ZAZ-968M appeared, which got rid of the nickname "eared"
due to the lack of side air intakes. Lattices appeared instead. This Zaporozhets had two nicknames at once: "pop-eyed" and "soap dish". Unlike the previous model, the "emka" had a more modern body design, new bumpers. The electrical system was improved, an alarm appeared. Spare wheel migrated from the trunk to engine compartment.
The engine and gearbox remained the same - MeMZ-968 (40 hp). A small amount of the ZAZ-968M-005 model was produced with the ZAZ-966G engine (30 hp). The last ZAZ-968M rolled off the assembly line in 1994. This was the end of the era of the most affordable Soviet car.

In 1988 "Tavria" (ZAZ-1102) appeared. When developing this model, a car was taken as a basis Ford Fiesta... However, in the process of adaptation of Tavria to Soviet conditions, the car changed significantly and these changes were not for the better. Compared to the Fiesta, the Tavria decreased in size in width, which negatively affected the space and comfort of the cabin, the design of the entire car was changed, so much so that, compared to the Fiesta, the trunk opening turned out to be high, which made loading / unloading luggage much more difficult. (VAZ-2108/09, М2141 and IZH Orbita (ODA) also suffered from this drawback. chassis... The front suspension was almost completely redesigned, as a result, practically nothing remained of the progressive design of the Fiesta front suspension, which negatively affected the stability of the Tavria at high speeds. This is just a small part of the differences between Tavria and Fiesta. It seems that the designers tried to hide the origin of the car as much as possible. Of course, compared to the previous model (ZAZ-968M), this was a serious step forward, but the restructuring that had begun made its own adjustments.
A stream of cheap used foreign cars poured into the country, often exceeding
many parameters even new domestic cars... But despite this, the demand for domestic cars remained stable and Tavria also found its customers. The last modification of this model - Slavuta, with a five-door hatchback body, was released in 2008.

1998 cooperation with the Korean company Daewoo Motors began. JV "AvtoZAZ-Daewoo" was created, which, in addition to the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant, also included the Melitopol Motor Plant (MeMZ) and several other Ukrainian enterprises. In the same year, SKD assembly of Daewoo Lanos, Nubira and Leganza vehicles began.
Production started in 2001 budget model ZAZ Sens. The body for this car was borrowed from the 1997 Daewoo Lanos, the engine and gearbox migrated from Tavria. In Russia, Sens began to be sold only in 2007. In the same 2007, the Daewoo Lanos model underwent a slight restyling and changed its name to Chevrolet lanos (the result of the purchase by the Concern General Motors of a controlling stake in Daewoo Motors).

In 2009, cooperation with General Motors, which includes Daewoo, ended. The American partners no longer wanted to renew the contract, as a result, the production of the Chevrolet Lanos model was stopped. However, the leadership Zaporozhye plant decided to continue to produce this car, but already under its own brand - ZAZ Chance... The car has not undergone any changes, only the nameplate on the radiator grill has changed. ... At the same time, the ZAZ Sens model, which was a mixture of Tavria and Daewoo Lanos, was discontinued. In 2012, the ZAZ-Vida model appeared, created on the basis of the 2011 Chevrolet Aveo. ...