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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CAR ZAZ-965A and ZAZ-965AB

common data

Controlled gasoline consumption per 100 km of run in summer for serviceable,
running-in car, with full load, at constant speed -
35-40 km / h in 4th gear on a horizontal and flat highway - 5.5 liters.

Note. Controlled gasoline consumption is an indicator
determining the health of the car, and operating costs
fuel cannot serve.
The plant does not establish the operating fuel consumption rate.

Engine

Power transmission

Chassis

Steering

Electrical equipment

Equipment

Refueling capacities and norms

Regulation data

Location of engine, chassis and body numbers

The engine number is stamped on the right side of the crankcase near the seat
fastening the fuel pump.

The chassis and body numbers are stamped on the front panel shelf.

Serial numbers of the engine, chassis (the chassis number is the number of the auto-
mobile) and bodies are also stamped on the nameplate located in the
torn compartment.

"Humpbacked" ZAZ - Soviet passenger car of category "A". The years of production are 1960-1969. During this time, more than 322 thousand copies were produced. The trunk volume is one hundred liters, the drive is rear. A gasoline engine with a four-speed manual transmission is used as a power unit. Fuel consumption in the city is about 7 liters per 100 km. The maximum speed threshold of the car is 90 km / h. People also call it "bug", "zhuzhik", "baby elephant". Consider its features, characteristics and tuning capabilities.

History of creation

For the humpbacked ZAZ, NAMI specialists have designed a 746-cc V-shaped engine with four cylinders. The engine had a unique design with cast-type shafts. The parameters of the new power plant for that time looked very decent. It was mounted from the back, assembled at the Zaporozhye plant, and then refined in Melitopol at MeMZ.

Difficult internal tests of the unit took place for several months. Two experienced cars drove 5 and 14 thousand kilometers on them. Then the transport was received by a special interdepartmental commission. Comments were indicated that the estimated weight is 54 kilograms more, and the body height does not correspond to the drawings (it differs by almost 300 millimeters). After eliminating the defects, the "humped" ZAZ went into mass production (1960). The price of the car was 18 thousand rubles, which is one and a half times cheaper than the 407th "Moskvich". At the end of 1962, engineers improved the engine, increasing the cylinders to 72 mm, the volume to 887 cubic meters. cm, power - up to 27 horsepower.

Design

From the first years of production, the car in question fell in love with buyers and did not cause serious complaints. "The humpback proved to be excellent when driving on rural and problem roads. Good cross-country ability is ensured by the presence of a smooth bottom, independent suspension on all wheels, as well as a decent load on the driving elements. The weight of the car is only 665 kg, two people could easily push it out.

A distinctive feature of the Zhuzhik was the ability to drive between rough tracks left by trucks. Other passenger cars could not do this. The owners of the "humped" ZAZ were pleased not only with good maneuverability, but also with a durable body, efficiency and ease of maintenance of the power unit.

Exterior

When creating a car design, the designers did not attach much importance to decorative elements and wide additional functionality. This is not surprising, since the main task was to create a budget model for the general population. The closed one is made of solid metal, which made it somewhat bloated. The front part was distinguished by a pair of folds of the original symmetrical shape.

The curved transitions of these elements had a small radius, and the wheel edges were slightly protruded. The hubcaps had three bolt heads, and the rear wheels had noticeable camber. The power unit was located at the back, respectively, the trunk was moved forward. Its lid was closed from the inside.

Interior

ZAZ "hunchback", the photo of which is presented above, was equipped with adjustable movable separate seats. The back seat in the shape of a sofa was quite comfortable. Useful accessories include sun visors, door pockets, 12 volt single-wire electrical equipment.

In the interior of the car, the preference was given to minimalism. Behind the steering column there are several control devices, on the right side - the ignition, control buttons, radio and heater. The windshield guaranteed acceptable visibility; there were vents in the form of corners on the side elements. Although the car in question had only two doors, it belonged to a full-fledged four-seat class.

Landing on the back seat was carried out by folding the front passenger seat forward. The disadvantages include high noise levels, poor soundproofing of the cabin, swinging the doors in the opposite direction and placing the fuel tank in front, which is dangerous in a collision.

ZAZ "humped": technical characteristics

The main body part is the crankcase. Its inner baffle has a special cavity to support the one-piece bearing. On the walls of the crankcase there is a mount for a camshaft, on top there are 4 holes for mounting cylinders with aluminum heads and cooling fins. There are four inlet channels, two outlet channels.

The four-range transmission has two shafts and three strokes. One gear is reverse, the rest are equipped with synchronizers. Unit couplings move with forks and rods. The cooling system tends to overheat, especially on long journeys.

The front suspension is borrowed from the Volkswagen Beetle. It includes a pair of transverse torsion bars with four levers. The fists of the driving wheels are additionally connected to them. The rear assembly consists of two diagonal levers with axle shafts. Later, engineers changed the design to an oblique lever block with hinges on the axle shafts.

Main settings

Below are the main characteristics that the ZAZ "hunchback" has, the photo of which is presented in the article:

• Length / width / height - 3.3 / 1.39 / 1.45 m.
• Body type - all-metal two-door sedan.
• Ventilation - local type.
• Weight - 665 kg.
• Wheel track (front / rear) - 1.15 / 1.16 m.
• Clearance - 17.5 cm.
• The minimum turning radius is 5 m.
• The maximum speed is 100 km / h.
• The power unit is an atmospheric-cooled gasoline engine with overhead valves.
• Compression - 6.5.
• The clutch is a dry single disc assembly.
• Carburetor type - vertical with a feed flow.
• Brakes - pads.

1. The assembly of the ZAZ "humpback" engine was carried out simultaneously by two manufacturers.
2. In Odessa, the car was often called the "Jewish tank".
3. Among the nicknames of the car were such: "baby", "zazik", "constipation".
4. "Humpback" was the last Soviet car, the doors of which were opened against the movement.
5. The stable air intakes were called "Wasserman graters" after their inventor.

Modifications

Several developments of the machine in question are known. Among them:

• 965AB - manually operated.
• 965AR - a special vehicle for disabled people with one injured arm or leg.
• 965C is a right-hand drive mail van.
• 965E "Yalta" - an export model supplied to Finland and Belgium. It had the best equipment, noise insulation and interior trim.
• "Pickup" - produced for internal use at the plant.

ZAZ "humpback": tuning

To carry out the correct modernization of the vehicle in question, you will need to create sketches on paper or in 3D. This will allow you to see the big picture from the expected tuning. The project will provide an opportunity to determine the scope of work and further actions. As a rule, the hubs are changed, drum discs with ventilation are installed, and the standard springs on the rear suspension are changed to a more rigid version. In front, you can mount the suspension from the ZAZ-968. "Humpback" after that will become tougher and tougher.

Reducing fuel consumption will allow new connecting rods, boring of the intake and exhaust manifolds, installation of a pump from the "eight" and a carburetor zeroer. At the same time, the power of the power unit will increase. Disc wheels are often used to provide better cornering stability, making steering easier.

Strengthening the engine

Increasing the power of the motor is a very justified operation. After all, the native installation has a capacity of only three dozen "horses" at a speed maximum of 100 km / h. Taking into account the fact that the motor is located at the rear, it is necessary to choose a suitable gearbox designed for the rear power units.

The transmission unit will fit from the later versions of the Zaporozhtsev, as well as from the Volkswagen, Porsche and Tatra vans. If you install the MeMZ-968 engine, you get an increase in power up to 45 horsepower. True, it will be necessary to replace the native carburetor with a two-chamber analogue of the "VAZ" type. You can fix it directly in the trunk. It is also advisable to change the stove to an improved heating system.

Body

The body of the ZAZ car is "humped" undergoing restyling. Tuning, the photo of which is presented above, allows you to improve aerodynamics and appearance. Since on the machine in question, the doors open in the opposite direction, which is dangerous in the event of unforeseen traffic situations, it is better to outweigh these elements from the rear sheds to the front hinges. The outdated lock is also being replaced by a modern version.

Exterior upgrades also include the widening of the wheel arches for 195/60 / R14 tires. To enhance the vehicle's originality and purify the incoming air, the intakes are mounted on top. In addition, a kenguryatnik is installed, winglets, side arches, an aerodynamic kit made of plastic. In this design, the car will look great and very stylish.

Salon

This element of the Soviet car has become obsolete for a long time. It has not been distinguished by high comfort for passengers and driver before. Improving the interior of the ZAZ-965 is not so difficult. Install new seats, a sports steering wheel, oil pressure indicators and other performance indicators, including a temperature and fuel level sensor.

On the ceiling, you can adapt the trim from natural black or red leather, and lay carpet with similar shades on the floor. You should also replace the door trim, pedals. If you do not want to throw away the regular seats, you should make them high-quality upholstery. If you are not confident in your own abilities, entrust the hauling of the salon to specialists.

Electrical equipment

The electronics on the machine in question has a voltage of 12 V, is powered by a single-wire system. Headlights from IZH-12 are suitable as lighting elements. At the beginning of the improvement, you should remove the native optics. To do this, the movable socket is taken out, the wires are unhooked, the tongue is sawn off on top of the "eye socket". Then a round headlight from the Moskvich is taken, tried on to the installation place. Six holes are planned, two of which are made with a larger diameter for adjustable chips.

The location of the element will be vertical, so you need to grind off the tongue. The optical element and adjustment chips are removed. The wires are brought out to the standard sockets. The headlamp is fastened with bolts from the inside and external nuts. After that, the optics are mounted and pressed with control nuts. The protruding parts of the bolts are cut off. For the outer edging, a rim from the 968 model will do. With proper handling, it will be possible to install dimmable halogen lamps.

Additionally

To enhance the quality of the engine cooling unit, you can mount a pair of radiators from "Ford" or "Tavria". The new ZAZ "humpback" will become even more attractive and practical if you install a transmission, for example, from a VAZ-2108 with five ranges. External changes are mainly associated with the reshaping of the frame for a new engine, since the wheel arches expand, and the rear axle of the car is moved.

The main parameters of the comparison participants:

Make and model: FIAT 600
Production years: 1955-1969
Body type: 2-door fastback
Engines: 0.6; 0.8; both - I4
Length: 3215 mm
Width: 1380 mm
Height: 1405 mm

Make and model: ZAZ-965 "Zaporozhets"
Production years: 1960-1969
Body type: 2-door sedan (coupe)
Engines: 0.9; V4
Length: 3330 mm
Width: 1395 mm
Height: 1450 mm

Cars are large, regular, and small. They can also be tiny. Such is the FIAT 600 - a small car weighing only 585 kg, and this is already equipped. Several men, if necessary, could pull such a car out of any pit with their hands. And another indisputable advantage of this funny vehicle was the price, enthusiasts thought that if this car were sold today, its cost would be about € 6500. Cheaper than any other European car. It was cars like the FIAT 600 and FIAT 500 that were able to turn post-war Italy into an automobile country. From 1955 to 1969, two and a half million FIAT 600s were produced, after stopping production in Italy, the car continued to be made in South America; to the total you need to add both the Spanish SEAT 600 and the Yugoslavian Zastava 750, all of which were copies of the famous minicar.
If it was required to pick up an illustration for the expression "a car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation," then the Italian minicar would fit perfectly. It is truly a "vehicle" - four wheels, motor and steering wheel. A cramped interior, seats like a grandmother's chair (from the adjustments only "back and forth"), the trunk is smaller than another suitcase; what a luxury here!
Meanwhile, it was these machines that were popular in unspoiled post-war Europe. In an even less spoiled victorious country - the USSR - the need for an extremely simple and inexpensive car was enormous! And it is not surprising that the FIAT 600 was taken as a model for the development of such a machine. We must pay tribute to the MZMA team (the future AZLK), they did not limit themselves to simple copying. The ideas laid down in FIAT were rethought by Soviet designers, the cars received a different suspension and a slightly more spacious body. The tiny wheels of the prototype were replaced with larger ones, they were better suited for Soviet roads. The result is a car named Moskvich-444. But it never went into production, the capacities of the Moscow plant were fully loaded. It was necessary to urgently reorient the Kommunar agricultural machinery plant in the Ukrainian city of Zaporozhye to produce a new car. This is how the ZAZ-965, the legendary "humpback", appeared ...

FIAT 600 - the prototype of the first "Zaporozhets"

"Zaporozhets" is a little larger than its progenitor. And the main difference is that FIAT has no "hump"

A small lyrical digression: who could have thought then, in the middle of the twentieth century, that in the new, twenty-first century, the former combine plant, having outlived the country that made it automobile, would continue to exist, becoming the only large automobile plant in Ukraine and producing copies of Korean cars. Even the most daring science fiction writer could not have predicted this in 1960. But even this is not interesting, it is curious to know what will become of the country and the plant after another half a century, what zigzags history will write - this is really interesting. It remains only to wait for these same half a century :-)

Let's go back to FIAT. I managed to meet such a car on the streets of Helsinki last summer. Interestingly, the car was simply parked on one of the streets in the city center. I don't know, the owner uses it as an everyday car, but I haven't been able to meet ZAZ-965 in the cities of the former USSR for many years. We are not talking, of course, about exhibition cars during various retro events. There they are often found, among collectors "humpback" - one of the most favorite toys. And so, just walking, it is almost impossible to see this car on the street in our time.

FIAT 600 on Helsinki street in summer 2011

Let's see what these little cars were like. There will be a little more photos today than usual.

The doors hinged on the rear hinges are one of the striking features of the FIAT 600 and its Soviet counterpart. It's not worth talking about the spaciousness of the cabin, but if desired, five people could squeeze into the car, if, of course, they did not have the dimensions of Nikolai Valuev

Despite its super miniature size, there was ample legroom in the front seats thanks to the rear engine layout. The interior of the car is touching - take a look at the door handles

The trunk, which is already small, is compressed to the size of a cradle by a spare wheel and a gas tank. The jack can be seen next to the spare wheel. Although Nikolai Valuev, I think, would have done without him, raising such a car for a Russian giant is not a problem :-)

The front panel was metal and painted in body color. The driver was not spoiled with an abundance of instruments either

All photos of the blue car from the Microcar museum website

The Zaporozhye 965 is not far from its prototype. The same laconicism of the salon. Take a look:

Painted metal, tumblers sticking out here and there and a niche under the panel instead of the "glove compartment". But people managed to travel all over the USSR in these cars!

For the current car enthusiast as an example :-) What kind of climate controls and on-board computers are there! Speedometer, oil temperature gauge, fuel meter and two controls for headlights and turn signals. It's all.

The Humpback was an iconic vehicle for the Land of the Soviets. Perhaps it symbolizes the best that was in it. This is a car of the era of the sixties and sixties, a time of hope and optimism. That was the time when space seemed close and accessible: just about after Gagarin and other cosmonauts hundreds of new ships will fly to the stars, soon we will open a base on the Moon, and there it is not far from cities on Mars. It was a time of kindness and self-confidence: no one is being imprisoned anymore, and the times of the Gulag are publicly condemned. Strange, but it is this little funny machine that evokes the warmest feelings among the inhabitants of the former Soviet state. And this is probably not without reason.
So thanks to the Italian designers who created the FIAT 600 and inspired Soviet engineers for the ZAZ-965. They were small cars, but big epochs.

Not only mothers with children, but also quite adult men did not disdain to ride a mini-car FIAT.

ZAZ-965. Small car of a big country

Probably, there was not a single courtyard where Zaporozhets did not meet. There was such a car in the yard of my childhood. It was owned by an elderly taxi driver. I wonder what it was like for him to change from a working "Volga" to a personal "Constipation"? :-) The owner looked after the car well. Not a single weekend passed without a round bald taxi driver digging around with his car. Every summer on fine days, he drove her out into the air and painted with a vacuum cleaner always the same pale blue color.
This continued until the early nineties. Once a taxi driver appeared in the yard in a creamy Zhiguli "kopeck". The honored "hunchback" was kicked out of the garage and settled under the windows of the house for several years. The taxi driver's grandson periodically drove around the neighborhood in an elderly "Zaporozhets". They stopped painting it and rust began to appear on the uneven sides of the old workaholic.
And then they disappeared: the old taxi driver, and his grandson, and the Zaporozhets. Apparently, they moved to another address. The garages were demolished a few years later, and now nothing reminds of the old cars and their owners.

In real life, you can see ZAZ-965 and FIAT 600 side by side only at the exhibition. Never did these machines work side by side, then automobile Italy and automobile USSR were too far away.

Text, photos - phantomserge

& copy Iron Ghosts of the Past - 2012

Additions or amendments to

1965 ZAZ 965 "Zaporozhets"

ZAZ-965 "Zaporozhets" - Soviet minicar manufactured from 1960 to 1963.

ZAZ-965A "Zaporozhets" - modification with a 27 hp engine, produced from November 1962 to 1969.

A total of 322,166 cars of all modifications were produced.

PRICE

At the time of its appearance in 1960, "Zaporozhets" cost 18,000 pre-reform rubles - however, in reality, only a small batch of cars was produced that year, mainly sold to allied factories of ZAZ, the very first commercial vehicles went on sale after the monetary reform, at the price of 1 800 rubles. According to legend, the price was determined as the total cost of 1,000 bottles of vodka (1.80 rubles each).

With the average wage in the USSR in the early 1960s, this value correlated approximately as 20: 1, that is, "Zaporozhets" could be bought for about 20 average wages in the country.

The current cost of ZAZ-965 in the secondary market varies greatly depending on the seller and the safety of the car, ranging from several thousand rubles to several thousand dollars.

MODIFICATIONS

• 965 / 965А - standard modification

• 965E / 965AE "Yalta" - an export modification, distinguished by side sloping moldings, improved interior trim, enhanced sound insulation, as well as an ashtray and an outside rear-view mirror on the left side. Dealers also installed a radio on their 965E / 965AE Yalta cars. The import was carried out through the Finnish company Konela (under the name "Jalta") and the Belgian company Scaldia (under the name "Yalta").

• 965B / 965AB - modification designed for disabled people with injured legs and healthy hands.

• 965Р / 965АР - modification designed for disabled people who have one healthy arm and one healthy leg.

• 965С / 965АС - postal van for collecting letters with a right-hand drive. The car had modified air intakes of the cooling system. The rear side windows have been replaced with metal panels.

• The pickup for in-plant use did not have its own index. Made from defective bodies of serial cars.

ZAZ-965 IN THE PEOPLE

An early version of the ZAZ-965 can be seen in the movie "The Queen of the Gas Station".

Also, the car appears in the cartoon "Winter in Prostokvashino" -

... and bought the old "Zaporozhets", destroyed ...

"ZAZ-965" is briefly shown in the Soviet cartoon "Well, Wait!" in the fifth issue, when the Wolf tries to force the Hare to leave the phone booth. When he lights up a lot of cigarettes, he starts pumping and he goes out on the road, where he is almost knocked down by a green Zaporozhets. A car similar to the ZAZ-965 can also be seen in the 20th series "Well, wait!"

"ZAZ-965" also starred in the films "Three plus two" (1962), "Until the thunder breaks out" (1967), "Once twenty years later", "Detective" (1979), "Casket of Maria Medici" (1980) , "Golden Eye" (1995), "Patriotic Comedy" (1992), "LAPPY. Episode 1 "(2009); Georgian short films "Saturday evening" (1975) and "Three rubles" (1976). The export version of the ZAZ-965AE can be seen in the movie "Acceleratka" (1987), and a home-made convertible based on the ZAZ-965 - in the movie "Be my husband" (1981). In the "Adult" series of the animated series "Barboskins", a scale model "ZAZ-965" with a convertible body is present as a Druzhka machine.

Also ZAZ-965 is one of the heroes of the video for the song "Hey Guy" by Chris Kelmi and the Rock-Atelier group.

• Popular nicknames: "Zhuzhik", "Constipation", "ZAZik", "Baby", etc. But despite the ridicule and anecdotalism, the car was a popular favorite, until the 80s of the last century, while in the XXI century there are lovers of this model.

• Air intake louvers, the so-called "Gills", have another name that has an interesting history. During the development process, one of the main problems of the car was overheating of the engine. The solution was found by one of the designers of the Kommunar plant (ZAZ), by the name of Wasserman. After testing, the idea was approved and after that, this detail was given the nickname "Wasserman grater".
• Since, thanks to the design, the car was distinguished by high cross-country ability, the people joked: "Where a foreign car slows down," constipation "on the belly will creep!"

• Among the modifications of the "zhuzhik" there was also a model for disabled people with one arm and one leg ZAZ-965AR. The main feature was an automatic electromagnetic clutch - only two pedals and a gear lever were used to drive the car. Subsequently, it was recognized as insufficiently reliable - the ferromagnetic powder lost its properties over time, in addition, due to the increased moment of inertia of the armature, the fast gear shifting necessary for intensive acceleration of the car was not provided, and the gearbox synchronizers were significantly overloaded and worn out more. Therefore, over time (already on models based on ZAZ-968), a vacuum-driven clutch was introduced instead.

• The ZAZ-965 became the last Soviet car with a turn signal toggle switch (in fact, the early ZAZ-966 also had a turn signal toggle switch in the middle of the dashboard) and with doors opening against the car's movement.

2008, Reykjavik, the annual Retro Car Auto Show. To the surprise of the automobile public, the Soviet car ZAZ-9B5 "Zaporozheio of Kiev resident Alexei Martynenko became the master of the auto show in the" ultra-retro-compact "class. Without taking the car off the podium, he immediately set another Allin record by selling it to a certain American millionaire for 365 thousand euros!
The history of the ZAZ-965, the first domestic mini-car, or, as they say now, an especially small class car, dates back to the mid-1950s, when the Moscow Small Car Plant (MZMA) stopped production of the 401st, the cheapest at that time "Moskvich" and switched to the release of the 402nd - more expensive, albeit more modern.
I must say that in the post-war years, the automotive industry of European countries, taking into account the extremely low paying capacity of the population, relied on compact and inexpensive minicar cars - in Germany it was the Messerschmitt three-wheeled scooter, four-wheeled microcars BMW-lzetta, Zundapp-Janus and Heinkel-Kabine, in Italy - FIAT-500 and FIAT-600, in France - Citroen 2CV, Mochet and Coggomobil. Well, the task of mass motorization of the population was not set for the Soviet auto industry - the ideologists of that time proclaimed the preferential development of public transport for our country - tram, trolleybus, bus and, in extreme cases, taxi.
For the first time in our country, the initiative to create an inexpensive mass car was shown by the leadership of the Irbit Motorcycle Plant (IMZ), which at that time was producing a heavy M-72 motorcycle with a sidecar. The plant workers proposed to organize the production of an especially small class car at the IMZ on the basis of the main components of the motorcycle. The development of his project was entrusted to the Scientific Automotive Institute (NAMI), while as a result it was supposed to obtain a promising design, quite comfortable, as well as unpretentious in operation and unpretentious to the quality of roads to the same extent as a motorcycle with a sidecar.
One of the main creators of the minicar was the famous auto constructor and designer, Candidate of Technical Sciences Yu.A. Dolmatovsky. I will add that for many years he was a permanent member of the editorial board of the "Modelist-Constructor" magazine and its regular author. In the early 1950s, Yu.A. Dolmatovsky, in collaboration with designer V.I. Aryamov, worked on the concept of a rear-wheel drive car of a wagon layout, which provided compactness, increased capacity, comfort, and also a lower drag coefficient. It was this layout that was chosen for the future mini-car.
The creation of two prototypes of the car, dubbed "Belka", took less than a year. Accelerated work on this car was facilitated by the "Kremlin" show in the summer of 1955 of European minicars to the leaders of the state headed by NS Khrushchev - shortly before this event, a batch of such cars was purchased by the Ministry of the Automotive Industry.
It was assumed that at an impromptu meeting, the First Secretary of the Central Committee would give valuable instructions to the Soviet auto designers and tell which of the mini-foreign cars could become the prototype of the first Soviet compact car. During the conversation Nikita Sergeevich was shown photographs of the "Squirrel" - he became interested in domestic development and ordered to urgently make prototypes of the unusual car.
Five prototypes of the car were built in a short time. Unfortunately, the matter did not come to their tests - by order from above, the engines were removed from them and installed on the prototypes of the future "Zaporozhets" developed in the design bureau of MZMA, which were named "Moskvich-444". As a prototype for the car, the Minister of Automotive Industry N.I. Strokin approved the Italian car of an especially small class FIAT-600. The design of the minicar was supervised by the chief designer of the MZMA A.F. Andronov.

It should be noted that the compact FIAT-600 was not chosen as a model by chance - this car, launched in series in 1955, was the last word of the Italian automotive industry, which had vast experience in creating such cars. This gave hope that a car made in his image and likeness could be produced for a long time.
The first sample of the Soviet compact car "based on" the FIAT-600 was built in October 1957. The car did not become an absolute copy of the "six hundred" - with the external similarity, the landing diameter of its tires increased from 12 to 13 inches to increase ground clearance and, as a result, cross-country ability. In turn, the large wheels required changes in the suspension kinematics, an increase in wheel arches and, accordingly, an adjustment to the interior layout.
Another important difference from the "600" was the engine - the Italian car was equipped with a 4-cylinder "four" liquid-cooled, and the future "Zaporozhets" was equipped at first with a motorcycle 2-cylinder op-posite air-cooled engine MD-65 produced by IMZ. True, due to the developed crankcase, the prototype had to be equipped with wheel gears - this was the only way to provide the car with an acceptable ground clearance.
Tests of the car showed that a motorcycle engine was completely unsuitable for it. The motor developed 17.5 hp at the stand, which did not provide the car with the necessary dynamics. And the maximum speed of 80 km / h was significantly lower than the design one - 95 km / h. The Fie stood up to criticism and the reliability of the engine - the mileage of the car before its overhaul was only 30 thousand kilometers.
The designers of MZMA and FIAMH had to undertake the design of a new motor. Power units from Citroen 2CV, BMV-600 and VW Kafer ("Zhuk") cars were used as samples. The most acceptable from the point of view of the designers of the 444th was the NAMI-V boxer engine, modeled on the VW engine. With such a power unit, it was quite possible to launch the car in series.
In accordance with the decision of the State Planning Committee, it was decided to place the production of a new minicar not at the MZMA (it was fully occupied with the production of Muscovites), but to create a new car plant for the new car on the basis of the former Kommunar combine plant in Zaporozhye. For reference, this enterprise was founded in the city of Aleksandrov (as the city of Zaporozhye was called until 1921) in 1863 for the manufacture of agricultural implements. In the Soviet years, the plant was reconstructed and expanded, after which an enterprise called Kommunar began to produce combines.
The production of engines for minicars was planned to be deployed at the former plant of light marine diesel engines in the city of Melitopol. At the same time, however, it was proposed to use for the car not the boxer engine NAMI-V, but NAMI-G, which, according to experts from the State Planning Commission, was designed at a higher technical level. He, however, had a drawback - the designers designed the motor in such a way that it could be installed only in front of the car! But the State Planning Commission had at the same time a weighty argument - NAMI-G, created by specialists of the military-industrial complex as a power unit for a light amphibious landing vehicle, was almost ready for serial production.
Contrary to the strong objections of the car developers, the 23-horsepower engine, which was named MeMZ-965 in the series, was approved for installation on a minicar. True, its dimensions differed in a larger direction from the sizes of those engines that were installed on the 444th earlier, so the rear of the car had to be urgently redone - to change the rear fenders, and make the smooth hood convex. At the same time, it was necessary to adjust the layout of the engine - in particular, its block, which consisted of a gearbox, a clutch housing, a differential and a transfer case.
The finished minicar was named ZAZ-965 "Zaporozhets". On July 18, 1960, the car was taken to the Kremlin for approval.
Test driver A.V.Skidaenko drove N.S. Khrushchev along the building of the Council of Ministers of the USSR to Ivanovskaya Square and back. Nikita Sergeevich approved the car, advising the financiers to set a not too high price for it, which was done - the cost of the "Zaporozhets" was 12,000 rubles (after the 1961 denomination - 1200 rubles).
The serial production of the minicar began on October 25, 1960; by the end of the year, the plant assembled about one and a half thousand cars.
In 1966, the car was modernized - it was equipped with a more powerful 27-horsepower engine with a working volume of 0.887 liters, a steering wheel with a recessed hub, sidelights under the headlights (and not on the fenders, like in cars of the first releases), moldings along the sidewalls of the body and a decorative grille on the front panel.
965 turned out to be the long-awaited and therefore beloved brainchild of the Soviet people. This was facilitated by its relative affordability, and excellent maintainability (they say that almost any more or less competent driver could disassemble and reassemble a miniature passenger car), and fantastic cross-country ability due to the smooth bottom and competent weight distribution along the axles (even 650 - kilogram "Zaporozhets" easily pulled out the minicar crew), and excellent economy (the car consumed only 6.5 liters of 76 gasoline per hundred kilometers) and, in the end, high strength and rigidity of the two-door body.
The serial production of the "hunchback" continued for nine years, during this time the Zaporozhye automobile plant produced 302,166 cars, after which it happened what often happens to many of our automobile factories, sometimes forgetting that the consumer sympathies created and cultivated for many years manufactured goods, which are now called the capacious term "brand", are as invaluable as the design and engineering solutions incorporated into the product. The car, which was loved by Soviet motorists, was discontinued and instead of it, the production of a completely inexpressive ZAZ-966 began, which differed slightly from the "Muscovites" and "Zhiguli" in size and price, and very radically in terms of consumer properties.

Airframe ZAZ-965A

ZAZ-965A "Zaporozhets" is a frameless minicar four-seater two-door car of an especially small class with a monocoque closed body. The engine is a carburetor, 4-cylinder V-shaped upper clan, its power is 27 hp, it is located together with the transmission units in the rear of the body. Fuel - gasoline A-76, control fuel consumption - 5.9 l / 100 km; the highest speed is 90 km / h.
ZAZ-965A had a modernized power unit of the MeMZ-966 model produced by the Melitopol Motor Plant, which included the engine itself, a clutch and a gearbox with a main drive. All engine units are mounted on a common crankcase, cast from a magnesium alloy. On top of the crankcase there are separate cast iron cylinders arranged in two rows at an angle of 90 degrees. Cooling ribs are cast on the outer surface of each cylinder. Above, on each pair of cylinders, a common ribbed head made of light alloy is fixed through a gasket.
The pistons were cast from an aluminum alloy. The crankshaft, which had four cranks located in pairs in mutually perpendicular planes, was mounted on three main bearings in the front and rear walls of the crankcase and in its middle bulkhead.
The latest ZAZ-965A cars were equipped with an upgraded 30-horsepower MeMZ-966A engine.
The drive mechanisms of the driving wheels of the car, including the main gear and the differential with semi-axles, are installed in a common crankcase with the gearbox, connected to the engine crankcase.
The car is equipped with a dry single-plate clutch with peripherally located springs and a mechanical pedal release drive. A stamped steel clutch cover containing a pressure plate with six pressure springs is bolted to the engine flywheel. Between the flywheel and the pressure plate there is a clutch disc with friction lining.

The ZAZ-965A has a two-shaft four-speed gearbox with synchronizers for engaging the second, third and fourth gears. All gearbox mechanisms are mounted in a crankcase, cast from light alloy together with the final drive crankcase and attached to the clutch housing.

The rear drive wheels have independent suspension. The drive shaft bracket for each of the drive wheels is attached to a swinging angled two-arm suspension arm. The wheel suspension uses coil springs with telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers inside.

The wheels of the car are disc, lightweight, with a deep symmetrical rim; wheel tires are tubeless. A characteristic feature of the Zaporozhets is a rather large camber of the rear wheels, which, however, under normal load, became almost invisible.
The front wheels also have independent suspension. The elastic element of the front suspension is a pair of rectangular torsion bars assembled from steel plates and installed in tubular casings. The latter are rigidly fixed across the vehicle at the front of the body base.

Front suspension shock absorbers are hydraulic, telescopic type. The steering gear of the ZAZ-965A car is a pair of a globoid worm and a two-ridge roller. The latter is fixed on the shaft axis of the steering arm on ball bearings. The worm, mounted in the crankcase on two tapered roller bearings, is fixed to the lower end of the steering shaft. The steering box is secured to the body base bracket and the steering column is secured to the bracket on the body shield. A two-spoke steering wheel is mounted on the upper end of the steering shaft. The signal button is located in the center of the steering wheel.
The ZAZ-965 brake system includes shoe (drum) brakes with hydraulic drive from the foot pedal. The rear brakes also perform the function of parking brakes and have a cable drive from a lever located between the front seats of the machine.

The "humpback" still has a lot of fans, confirmed by numerous rallies and shows of vintage cars, as well as clubs and communities of fans of 965 "Cossacks". Many amateur autobuilding historians and amateur mechanics scrupulously restore retro cars to the last detail, many enthusiasts consider these minicars as an object for tuning, creating magnificent examples of automotive design on the basis of the 965s. Well, the smallest part continues to drive "humpbacks", causing a kind smile from the drivers of oncoming and passing cars.

Driver's workplace:

1 - gas pedal; 2 - gear shift lever; 3 - brake pedal; 4 - clutch pedal; 5 - handle of the trunk hood lock; 6 - sound signal button; 7 - windscreen washer pump switch; 8 - instrument panel; 9 steering wheel; 10- sun visor;
11 - rearview mirror; 12 warning light for emergency oil pressure; 13-toggle switch for turning on the wiper blades; 14 - central light switch; 15 - ignition key; 16 - toggle switch for turning on direction indicators; 17 - a control lamp of the generator; 18 - heater switch; 19-signal lamp for normal operation of the heater; 20-handle for heater flaps; 21 - button for controlling the carburetor air damper ("suction"); 22-lever hand (parking) brake
The instrument panel of the ZAZ-965 car had the required minimum of indicators: a speedometer with a distance meter, fuel level and oil temperature indicators, a repeater of turn signals and a warning lamp for headlights