ZAZ 968M - cheap and cheerful

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

Cars produced by the Zaporozhye plant "Kommunar" caused a special attitude, in any case, each of them had its own nickname. It all started with a "humpback", then "eared" appeared, and the story ended with a "soap box". That is what the people called ZAZ 968M. Nevertheless, all the inhabitants of the USSR had a twofold attitude towards him. Everyone made fun of him, told a lot of jokes, however, almost everyone, as soon as the opportunity arose, was ready to buy this car.

If we go back a little, then the history of the "Cossacks", as these cars later became known, begins with the thaw. It was then that the USSR Council of Ministers decided to produce a minicar cheaper than Moskvich. The "godfathers" of the new car can be considered the designers of Moskvich. The Italian Fiat-600 was chosen as the prototype. However, there were no production facilities and areas for the production of such a car at Moskvich, and it went toZaporozhye, to the plant of agricultural machinery "Kommunar". And so the "humped" was born - ZAZ 965.

Now you can, relatively speaking, be transported from 1960, when the ZAZ 965 appeared, to 1980, when the ZAZ 968M, the last modernization of the Zaporozhets, hit the road. It was the most affordable car for Soviet people. Its price was 3,500 Soviet rubles, the price of a Moskvich was 5,500 rubles, and a Zhiguli - 7,500. performed no worse than other cars. In addition, patency on dirt roads was second only to UAZ.

The modernized "Zaporozhets" outwardly looked quite decent - compact, all dimensions are proportional, the exterior finish has nothing superfluous. The air intakes that gave the predecessors an "eared" look disappeared, they were replaced by grilles. Interior decoration, especially in terms of modern habits, corresponding to automotive requirements can only be recognized conditionally. Nevertheless, despite the Spartan simplicity of the situation, the car successfully performed its main task - it moved. For personal convenience in the ZAZ 968M, everyone did the tuning to the best of their understanding and capabilities.

The power unit was an air-cooled engine of 1.2 liters, developing power from forty to fifty hp. It was a V-shaped four, locatedbehind. Theoretically, the ZAZ 968M characteristics were quite acceptable, although it was theoretically. The car had many problems - low reliability, engine overheating, rapid wear of the chassis and transmission. However, everything was compensated by the amazing endurance and "omnivorousness" of the engine. It worked on any gasoline and oil, up to the use of "return", and even when any other would have stopped long ago.

But the main advantage of ZAZ 968 was the price. It was she who reconciled people with his shortcomings. Moreover, attempts were made to somehow improve the car, to transfer it to a higher level, but all of them were nipped in the bud, because in this case, the "Cossack" lost its main advantage, and some new advantages remained rather doubtful.

It was an affordable and cheap people's car. This is approximately how one should treat the character of numerous jokes. ZAZ 968M at that time gave the Soviet people the opportunity to touch the car for personal use, laid the foundation for the culture of private transport and showed the road along which it is necessary to move on.