Known as the Zhiguli within the Soviet Union, the main differences between the VAZ-2101 and the Fiat 124 are the use of thicker gauge steel for the bodyshell, an overhead camshaft engine (in place of the original Fiat OHV unit), and the use of aluminium drum brakes on the rear wheels in place of disc brakes. Early versions of the car featured a starting handle for cranking the engine manually should the battery go flat in Siberian winter conditions, and an auxiliary fuel pump.
AvtoVAZ were forbidden from selling the car in competing markets alongside Fiat 124; however, exports to Western European nations began in 1974 when the 124 was discontinued in favour of Fiats newer 131 Mirafiori model. The 2101 was sold in export markets as the Lada 1200, Lada 1300 and Lada 1200S until 1989; it was sold in the United Kingdom from May 1974, until the arrival of the Riva in 1983. It was the first Lada to be sold in the United Kingdom.
History (Sorry, It translated by google, please associated)
As of that time, CMEA world in history, the Zsiguli have a hero of the Soviet industrial-innovative versions, full of bright-eyed Stakhanovite workers people. It is a mundane, lots of lag, ever unfulfilled goals, but sometimes it exciting stories taking place in the other.
1961 Palmiro Togliatti, the Italian Communist Party leader in Moscow and had visited the AZLK-operation. At first emerged as a serious intention to replace the technically completely obsolete Moskvich might be a really good Soviet peoples car. This development, of course, no experience, expertise was not at hand, so that there could be only to ready to buy something from the west.
Compared to the previous practice progress can be to not only smoothly stole a Western model, but wanted to take license. Bear in mind, at this time, being the total automotive impasse, the development of Zaporozhets, they also meant the Soviet peoples car. But that concept is embodied in the "how not to build a car," a textbook example.
Meanwhile, the Russians instead of the antiquated engine Moskvich copied as a BMW engine, but Togliatti in 1964, the KGB resident in Rome again raised the idea. It meant to be a thing of the bosses and slow mos waterfront grounds in 1965 also began the negotiations. Many of the other models tested with the Fiat 124 will be severely failed in the Russian reality lezavart tests. But unlike others, Fiat has committed to strengthen the car, adapt and modernize the Soviet rögvalósághoz. The result was the Fiat 124R prototype, which is virtually identical to the 2101 Zsigulival. Thus, contrary to the legend of the more technically advanced and durable point really is not the intellectual property of Studebaker Soviet engineers.
In 1961 the Soviet government by Vladimir in.The Szuskov Roman trade advisable for you to Fiat Professor Vittorio Valletta, Fiat is now 84 years old chairman discussed. Requested $ 130 million for the license, which the Russian response was 40 million. It knocked the security of öregnél so outraged traveled to Moscow to meet in person Kosziginnel.
I finally was able to negotiate Szuskovval who is supported by calculations under the belief that the price for the license is far too exaggerated. Good Soviet-style Valletta milk bathed in butter, which did not impress too much. Farewell asked the Russians to say what the final bids. Szuskov recommended me 48 million, though she knew Kosygin up to $ 100 million would be given a few months ago. Valletta went into the store - for several reasons. First, know that this is his last business, and sympathized with the Soviet defeat of the Nazis and thus for Italy to regain freedom. So it was that 1966th August 14, A. M. Tarasov Soviet automobile industry minister and leader Vittorio Valletta, Fiat agreed on the construction of a car factory in the Soviet Union.
Of course, the old man dropped his head no, the real deal came just after that. The Italian governments one billion dollar loan to the Soviet Union to build the plant, which is the main contractor for the Fiat. So to be certain that a billion Fiat finally went to the coffers. Valletta all of this to the Soviets to the last deal of his life he called a closed circuit simply turn of the century the business said.
And lo and behold, it found the Fiat-powered Studebaker urban legend root, the same factory equipment in Western Europe are made, often by those in Fiatnál accurate reproductions. For example, the screws are too long zömítőformáiban it was the Fiat-subscribed, so long as they are not renewed, those marked fasteners manufactured them.
Also városilegenda-Select suspect the factory premises. This is - by the way still have not been refuted - story goes that 35 cities were competing for gyárért. All the parameters in these municipalities fed into a computer, which then threw Togliatti, which at that time was only a porfészek the Kalmyk steppe. Even the contemporary Hungarian press also published references to this story. According to the contract signed 1967th January near Sztravropol (which later flooded due to a dam construction), along the Volga, began the 370-meter high Studebaker hill near the factory building, with its 18 kilometers per city rather than the original innovators Italian Communist conductor, Togliattiról named after him. I did not have that far to go, however, many of the job - two kilometers from the factory with a sleeping city was also established for them.
The factory sets the date of the neighborhoods image. In the 70 years descriptions of articles developing a beautiful, modern, socialist, industrial cityscape unfolds, but there were reports of never-completed construction sites, lakáshiányról, sártengerről catastrophic lakóinfrastruktúráról, scandalous munkamorálról comments. The situation did not improve much after, when shortly after the factory started his senses and admitted that the premium is not overrun, but the quality is running.
The factory as it was in the Soviet Union considered new computerized production planning and control, but it did not help the fact that the workers letojták the FIFO (first incoming items first elimination, system management acronym), the production halls were the depot higher priority, and suppliers coordination of a multitude of components due to a disastrous bloody rain, winter, hot sun in the yard, while others are usually shut down production due to parts supply blockage. There was people that were a regular basis to raw, but he took the rusted bodies on polishing workshop without any treatment. It is no wonder that the Hungarian capitalism construction of the underbody with hand carved out of a huge business.
If you just look at the numbers, the plant produced impressively. Capacity is reached in the second half of the 70s to 700 thousand cars per year, total of 200 lines of automated production lines more than 160 kilometers in 5000 with continued preparation of components, assembly, these numbers can become a world leader Togliatti. Of course, questions of what this has been reported, because no one checked - would not be able to - data.
Those who have seen the factory at the time, it was reported that everything was gigantic, I had to run between the units of the car factory halls, halls the size surpasses all imagination. Togliatti was a unique way - and truly unique from among the large factories - that there was a brief period when hardly rely on external suppliers.
The official factory was built three years. 1970th April 19, assembled for the first Zsigulit, even by hand, and because of the mass production started later on, so the queues only 1970th September 9, Studebaker rolled off the front. The construction work actually took place (as evidenced by the completion of the factory vert large bronze coin as well) until 1973, since 1970, has just designed a series of three hours, after which the total capacity of more than 700 thousand cars a year.
Presumably, Soviet legend is that when the Italian factory workers to agree to begin the training of the Soviets, they were waiting for a ready-made car, as evidence that they do not need any help with car assembly. Whether this is true or not, it sure is reportedly the Italian engineers and workers have also isolated house blocks lived 1978-79 in Togliatti, for them to even ensure the continuity of production, as well as the development in participation was.
Originally designed for the production of three models, the 2101 case (1200), 2102 times (Combi 1200) and the 2103 Ashe (1500). There was a plan in 1971 at the direction of Kosygin 2121 (Niva). When the first three models already in production was much, immediately began the further development of the 21011-chances (1300), 2106, OSE (1600), and the frames are followed, finally, the Porsche involvement of the first front-wheel drive Lada, in 2108 (Sputnik / Samara) and its variants in 2109 (five-door hatchback Samara) and 21099 (four-door sedan Samara) finish.
The first Lada 2101 also issued stolen the wipers, even before the presentation.
The famous press photo, which first presented the official Studebaker Automobile Industry Exhibition in Moscow, it is obvious that lack of windshield wipers. Soviet Union because it was a terrible lack of wipers from that, even before the show was stolen from the car occupants, but not new ones have it, saying stolen them anyway.
The cars name to be seen for a long time, has been showing up since 1967 for "Studebaker", but other variations have been reported. The carmakers name VAZ - Volzskij Avtomobilnij Zavod, or Volga Automobile Plant - one and a while (like coins too) referred to him as "The 50-year-old Soviet Union named Volga Automobile Plant" is the name Studebaker might seem too simple, so 1968. I will cut off an application to the new name of the car, as the name Vilszto won commemorated Lenin in 1970 due 100th birthday (VI Lenin, stochastic, or a hundred), but he is deeply buried, as it looked in 1970 certainly a piece of no car will roll off the assembly line on.
The Lada name by György Liener (Hungarian) spread in the wake of the mid-1970s Auto Motor edge thereof to the vessel in the Viking Volga name (bad cirillből reading through "soft"), which is the emblem of the Studebaker. However, this has not found a confirmation of one (all source points back to this article), but a consistently more places to be, that created during the Renaissance, an archaic Slavic mythology Lada of beauty, love and fertility goddesss name.
The emblem of the vessel has already bloomed there long before that Avtoexport 1971 had advised all foreign partners to export its products VAZ Lada name will be. In the West it went through without any problem, because the people there for Zsigulit would have been difficult to pronounce, but the CMEA countries for years, Soviet belpiacos Studebaker logo exported cars. The demands for change of name is very difficult to go through the public consciousness is really only after 75-labeled Lada has started to come out of the cars. The Hungarian press car some schizophrenic monomániából Due to constantly "Studebaker, that Lada" was mentioned as an option.
Models
VAZ-2101
- VAZ-2101 (1970–1982) — first variant was equipped with 1.2 liter engine with 58 hp offers 132 km/h top speed and acceleration 0–100 km/h about 23 seconds. Compare to the Fiat 124 modifications were done to suspension, carburator and some other parts in order to satisfy to wide range of Russian climate conditions. All these models had an adapted to the local roads and still soft enough suspension, that provided very comfortable ride even on tough gravel roads. After extensive tests even the Western press recognized Vaz 2101 as a better car than its originator (Fiat 124).In the shortest time Lada became a real hit in Soviet Union. Virtually Vaz 2101 (and its first modifications) opened a new era in Russian motorization. Unfortunately the Togliatti plant where Lada were produced could not keep up with the consumer demand and people had to wait for years to get chances to buy a car.
- VAZ-21011 (1974–1981) — modified variant was equipped with engine 1.3 l (63 hp) instead of 1.2 l with only 58 hp. Further changes included self-adjusting drum brakes on the rear axle, this setup was also fitted to the VAZ-2101. Flat forward turn light glasses instead of the roof-shaped ones on the VAZ-2101. The "horns" on the bumpers were removed and replaced with a rubber strip running the whole length of the bumper. The rear lights were also flattened in a similar manner like the turn indicator glasses and the passive reflector (previously a separate part underneath the main rear lights) was incorporated as a small, square-shaped part in the rear light glasses themselves. The windshield pump was moved down and was operated by the leg instead of rubber button on the dashboard (VAZ 2101, which was operated by pushing with finger). The dashboard had a wood plastic trim; the horn was placed on the steering wheel cover. The front and rear seats have become more comfortable. Material and coloring of the instrument panel was changed from the original black on light gray to white on black, the instrument panel lighting was altered as well. On the rear pillars there were a ventilation rectangular holes with grid, which Vaz 2101 did not have. And there 4 decorative horizontal oval holes appeared on the front panel just above the front bumper. The export series were designated the Lada 1300.
- VAZ-21013 (1977–1988) — similar to VAZ-21011, engine 1.2 liters, exported as the Lada 1200 with an upgraded version (incorporating the exterior and dashboard changes introduced with the VAZ-21011) called Lada 1200S.
- VAZ-21016 (1976–1981) — special modification for Soviet police, engine 1.3 l (from VAZ-21011)
- VAZ-21018 (1978) — first series rotary engine modification for Soviet police & KGB with single-section Wankel engine VAZ-311 (80HP). Presented to the public by 1982.
- VAZ-21019 "Arkan" (1983?) — second series rotary engine modification for Soviet police & KGB with two-section Wankel engine VAZ-411 (120HP)
