LAZ-697 "Tourist": specifications. Intercity buses

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

From the moment of its inception and up to 1955, in the range of production of the Lviv Bus Plant named after. 50 years of the USSR included: truck cranes and spare parts for them, electric vehicles, chassis for trailers, trailers themselves, specialized trailers for transporting bread, vans, trailer shops … In general, the plant produced anything except the buses themselves. And only on August 17, 1955, during an extended meeting, the technical council of the plant determined those. policy and development direction of the bus industry.

Prototypes of LAZ buses

Specially for the bus experimental workshop at the plant, a design bureau was created, the leadership of which was entrusted to V. V. Osepchugov. The main staff of the bureau's specialists was represented by young designers who had recently graduated from automotive institutes.

Initially, it was planned to launch the production of a ready-made model of the ZIS-155 bus at LAZ. However, the ambitious young design bureau team was categorically against such a prospect and offered to create their own car. The idea was supported by the top management, and especially for LAZ, so that the work did not start from scratch, the latest European buses at that time were purchased: Magirus, Neoplan and"Mercedes". Factory engineers literally took them apart piece by piece, carefully studying the design features of imported machines.

As a result, by the end of 1955, the prototype bus was almost ready. For the first time, a power base was used in it, consisting of pipes with a rectangular cross section. The frame of the bus body was rigidly connected to the base. At the same time, the engine of the car, which was also a novelty, was located longitudinally in its rear part.

The design bureau of the plant developed the wheel suspension together with NAMI engineers. It was a dependent, spring-spring structure, the rigidity of which increased in proportion to the increase in load. Therefore, the degree of bus congestion did not affect the comfort of passengers in any way. This has become another distinctive characteristic of Lviv cars.

In 1956, the first urban LAZ-695 rolled off the assembly line of the plant, which became the prototype for future long-distance modifications.

The beginning of the "tourist" path

In the fall of 1958, the Lviv Automobile Plant produced a prototype bus designed for intercity communications. For the reason that. that the car was planned to be used for long-distance transportation, he received an addition to the numbered index - "Tourist". The new bus was a joint product of the engineers of the automobile plant and the designers of the NAMI Institute.

Besides the fact that "Tourist" received a number of design changes that distinguished it from the prototype(LAZ-695), the designers tried to create a comfortable environment for passengers as well.

The screen doors located at both ends of the cabin were replaced with one single-leaf door that opens manually. The roof of the car was made sliding.

Two systems were responsible for the microclimate in the cabin of the LAZ-697 "Tourist":

• heater type heating;
• forced ventilation equipped with humidifier.

The salon was designed for 33 seats.

The passenger seat had a fairly comfortable design, with the ability to adjust the backrest. In addition, each seat was equipped with: an individual ceiling lamp for night lighting, a net designed for books, newspapers or magazines, as well as an ashtray.

For the guide, a separate additional chair was provided - the 34th, with the ability to rotate 180 degrees.

It was this Lviv bus that was first marked with the ZIL brand name - the letter "L" in a chrome frame. Further, such a sign began to designate all subsequent models and modifications of machines produced by the plant.

The finished experimental model was presented at the exhibition of achievements of the national economy, in a new category - "Intercity buses". After participating in VDNH, the bus was sent with a tourist group, consisting of the most distinguished workers of the plant, on a trip to socialist Poland and Czechoslovakia.

Double two

In the early summer of 1959, LAZ createdanother version of the "Tourist", under the same marking number, but which had a number of design differences from the first prototype.

Serious changes affected the roof of the bus: its sliding model was replaced by a huge hatch (1.8 x 2.7 m), which reduced the area of glazing roof slopes. For the first time on this model, an air intake was installed above the windshields, which provided natural ventilation for the cabin. In shape, it resembled a visor from a cap. All subsequent buses were equipped with such a visor, which became a distinctive feature of LAZs. Also, the heritage of all subsequent models of buses was the increased size of the window vents, first installed on the double LAZ-697.

Place for passengers' luggage was equipped directly under the cabin floor. Luggage was loaded from the outside, through special side hatches located on the sides of the bus.

The power unit was a ZIL-164 engine. Suspension spring type (4 semi-elliptical springs) with springs for correction.

This Lviv bus was presented as an exhibit at international exhibitions for 2 years in a row: in 1959 - in France, and in 1960 - in Switzerland.

Mass-produced machines differed from the prototypes in the power unit. A 109-horsepower ZIL-158A engine was installed on intercity buses. The city cars received the same engine - LAZ-695B.

LAZ-697: specifications

• Bus dimensions, m - 9.19 x 2.5 x 2.99 (length, width, heightrespectively).
• Curb weight - 6 tons 950 kg.
• Total weight of the machine is 10 tons 230 kg.
• Clearance - 27 cm.
• The speed limit is 80 km/h.
• The power of the power unit is 109 l / s.
• Gearbox - mechanical with five steps.
• Clutch - single disc type, dry, hydraulically actuated.
• Width of the doorway - 84 cm.
• Number of seats for passengers - 33.
• Aisle width - 45 cm.
• Minimum turning radius - 9.6 m.

Modifications "Tourist"

After the release of the LAZ-697 series, the development of the car did not stop there, and over time, 4 more modifications of the intercity bus appeared:

• LAZ - 697E;
• LAZ - 697M;
• LAZ - 697N;
• LAZ – 697R.

Modification "E"

Starting from 1961, the ZIL plant began to supply new engines for Lviv buses, 150-horsepower units from the ZIL-130. These engines were installed both on city and intercity buses, due to which the marking of the produced models changed (the letter “E” was added) - LAZ-695E and LAZ-697E, respectively.

The result of the changes was an increase in the maximum speed of buses to 87 km/h. However, the supplied batches of new engines were small, therefore, along with modified models, the plant continued to produce "old" buses. Outwardly, the "old" and "new" cars did not differ from each other.

This went on until 1964, when Zilovsky deliveries of power units became regular, and the newthe engine completely replaced the old model.

It was from this year that the modified bus received minor external changes - the wheel arches became rounded, the side moldings were removed from the car. This update ended, and in this form the bus was produced until 1969.

Modification "M"

In 1970, the traditional bus model received a deeper change that affected both the intercity bus and its urban counterpart, both cars also received the letter “M” to their digital marking. Now they were called LAZ-697M and LAZ-695M (intercity and urban, respectively).

Designers have completely abandoned the glazing of the roof slopes, but the area of the side windows has increased. In addition, the engine air intake pipe, which was previously installed at the rear of the bus, has disappeared. It was replaced by side deflectors.

Changes also affected the transmission of the car. The factory rear axle was replaced with a more advanced “Slave”, Hungarian-made, and the steering was equipped with a hydraulic booster.

However, the first demonstration model, which the factory workers presented at the Moscow exhibition back in 1969, was somewhat different from the serial buses in the design of the front of the car and the presence of several emergency exits that replaced traditional windows.

Serial production of the LAZ-697M continued until 1975, by which time another modification of the Tourist, the LAZ-697N, was already being prepared to replace it. By the way, fullthe transition to the new car was carried out gradually, before the models, which are a hybrid of two modifications, left the assembly line of the plant. The front part of the body was still from the LAZ-697M, and the back was already from the new LAZ-697N.

LAZ-697N

The letter "H", which replaced the "M" in the index of the machine, appeared after the serial LAZ-697M increased the size of the windshields. They did it in 1973. But for the first time, a car with such an index was presented at an exhibition of achievements in Moscow back in 1971. It was essentially an old 697M, but with a redesigned front end.

Mass production of buses began in 1975. At the same time, preparations were underway for the production of the next car, which was supposed to enter the series in two years, and receive the LAZ-697R index. And while the transition period was going on, intermediate models with design changes began to roll off the assembly line.

For example, in these cars, the vents from the side windows were completely removed, replacing them with a solid glass sheet, and an external air intake located on the roof of the bus was responsible for the interior ventilation. In the rear overhang, another front folding door appeared.

LAZ-697R

Production of another modification, LAZ-697R, began, as planned, in 1978. Traditionally, the new bus differed slightly from the old one. The most striking difference between LAZ-697R and LAZ-697N was the absence of a rear entrance door, it was again decided to abandon it, due to the fact that its presence reduced the number of seats. Well, another sign by which it was possible to distinguish a newmodel from the old one is the location of the turn signals. At LAZ-697R, the direction indicators had a more modern square shape and were located directly above the headlights. In LAZ-697N, the turn signals were located on the side of the headlights, their shape was round.

Go to history

All modifications of the 697 series buses belonged to the middle class, and time did not stand still. We needed a car with more seats. Therefore, in 1985, the production of the old "Tourists" was completely discontinued. They were replaced by a new 41-seater LAZ-699, sending the 697th series to the category of "retro buses"

Our days and Lviv retro "Tourist"

More than half a century has passed since the first experimental bus with the LAZ-697 marking appeared. But until now, among the private ads, you can find notices about the sale of cars of this series. And it should be noted that the retro buses are not only in working condition, but also in pretty good condition. Of course, it is unlikely that anyone would think of using such a car for long-distance trips, but for private collections it would fit perfectly. In addition, the cost of the bus is relatively low.

But there are exceptions. In the Museum of Urban Transport in Kyiv there is one of the modifications of the "Tourist" - LAZ-697M. This bus is one of several models (specialists say there are three in total) that have been preserved in their original form, and even in running condition. It came to the museum after the restoration carried out at the LAZ plant. And honestlyspeaking, if this is really one of the three surviving cars, then the real cost of the bus is difficult to imagine.

By and large, what is the price of an old car does not matter, the important thing is that there are people who are not indifferent to the history of the development of motor transport in the USSR.