LAZ-697 "Tourist": technical characteristics. Intercity buses

Since its inception and up to 1955 in the assortment 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 transportation of bread, cars-vans, car trailers ... In general, the plant produced anything but buses. And only on August 17, 1955, the technical council of the plant during the extended meeting determined those. Policy and direction of development of bus transport.

Prototypes of LAZ buses

Especially for a bus experimental workshop, a design bureau was set up at the plant, which was commissioned by V.V. Osepchugov. The main staff of the bureau specialists was represented by young designers who recently graduated from the automotive industry.

Initially, the LAZ planned to arrange the production of a ready-made model of the ZIS-155 bus. However, the ambitious young team of the KB was categorically against such a prospect and proposed to create its own car. The idea was supported in the top management, and specially for LAZ, so that the work did not start from scratch, the newest European buses were purchased at the time: Magirus, Neoplan and Mercedes. The factory engineers literally disassembled them, carefully studying the design features of imported machines.

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

The suspension of the wheels of the plant's KB was developed jointly with the engineers of NAMI. It was a dependent, spring-spring design, the rigidity of which increased in proportion to the increase in load. Therefore, the degree of congestion of the bus did not affect the comfort of movement of passengers. This became yet another distinctive characteristic of Lviv machines.

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

The beginning of the "tourist" way

In the autumn of 1958, the Lviv Automobile Plant produced a prototype of a bus intended for intercity communications. Because. That the car was planned to be used for long-distance transportations, he received an addition to the index index - "Tourist". The new bus was a joint product of the engineers of the car factory and the designers of the NAMI Institute.

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

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

For the microclimate in the cabin LAZ-697 "Tourist" was responsible for two systems:

• Heating of the radiator type;
• Forced ventilation, equipped with a humidifier.

The salon was calculated on 33 seats.

The passenger seat had a rather comfortable design, with the ability to adjust the inclination of the backrest. In addition, each place was equipped with: an individual night light, a grid designed for books, newspapers or magazines, and an ashtray.

For the guide provided for a separate additional seat - 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. Then all the subsequent models and modifications of the machines produced by the plant became known as such a sign.

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

Take two

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

Serious changes touched 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 rajets. For the first time on this model, an air intake was installed above the windshields, which provided natural ventilation of the cabin. In shape, it looked like a cap from a cap. All subsequent buses supplied such a visor, which became a distinctive feature of LAZ. Also, the legacy of all subsequent bus models became the increased size of the window, first installed on the double LAZ-697.

The place for luggage of passengers was equipped directly under the floor of the salon. Loading of luggage was made outside, through special side hatches, located along the sides of the bus.

The power unit was a ZiL-164 engine. Suspension of spring type (4 semielliptical springs) with springs for correction.

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

The cars produced serially differed from the prototypes by the power unit. The intercity buses were equipped with a 109-strong ZiL-158A engine. The same motor received and city - LAZ-695B.

LAZ-697: technical specifications

• Dimensions of the bus, m - 9.19 x 2.5 x 2.99 (length, width, height, respectively).
• The curb weight is 6 tons 950 kg.
• The total weight of the machine is 10 t 230 kg.
• The ground clearance is 27 cm.
• The limiting speed is 80 km / h.
• The power of the power unit is 109 l / s.
• Gearbox - mechanical with five steps.
• Coupling - single-disk type, dry, equipped with a hydraulic drive.
• The width of the doorway is 84 cm.
• The number of seats for passengers is 33.
• The width of the passage is 45 cm.
• The minimum turning radius is 9.6 m.

Modifications "Tourist"

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

• LAZ - 697E;
• LAZ - 697M;
• LAZ-697H;
• LAZ - 697R.

Modification "E"

Since 1961 the ZiL plant has begun to supply new engines for Lviv buses, 150-strong units from ZiL-130. These engines were installed both on city and on intercity buses, because of what the marking of 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 delivered lots of new engines were small, therefore, along with the modified models, the plant continued to produce "old" buses. Externally, the "old" and "new" cars did not differ from each other.

This continued until 1964, when the Zilovsky powertrain supplies became regular, and the new engine completely replaced the old model.

It was from this year that the modified bus received minor external changes - the wheel arches became round in shape, the side moldings were removed from the car. On this update is over, and in this form the bus was produced until 1969.

Modification "M"

In 1970, the traditional bus model got deeper changes that affected both the intercity bus and its urban colleague, both cars also received the letter "M" for their digital marking. Now they were called LAZ-697M and LAZ-695M (intercity and city respectively).

The designers completely abandoned the glazing of the roof slopes, but the area of the side windows increased. In addition, the air intake pipe of the engine, which used to be installed in the back of the bus, disappeared. It was replaced by side deflectors.

Changes have touched and transmission of the car. The factory rear axle was replaced by a more perfect one - "Rab", 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, differed somewhat from the serial buses with the design of the front end of the car and the presence of several emergency exits, which were replaced by traditional glass.

The serial production of the LAZ-697 M continued until 1975, by that time another modification of the "Tourist" LAZ-697H was already being prepared for it. By the way, the full transition to the new machine was carried out gradually, before the models, representing a hybrid of two modifications, came off the assembly line of the plant. The front part of the body was still from the LAZ-697M, and the rear was already from the new LAZ-697H.

LAZ-697N

The letter "N", replacing the "M" in the index of the machine, appeared after the serial LAZ-697M increased the size of the windshields. Did this in 1973. But for the first time a car with such an index was presented at the exhibition of achievements in Moscow in 1971. In fact it was the old 697M, but with an updated front end design.

Mass production of buses began in 1975. Simultaneously, preparations were made for the production of the next machine, which was to be released in two years, and to obtain the LAZ-697R index. And while the transition period was in progress, the intermediate models began to come off the assembly line with the introduced design changes.

For example, in these machines, the window pane was completely removed from the side windows, replacing them with a single glass sheet, and for inside ventilation there was an external air intake located on the roof of the bus. In the back overhang another entrance wing door appeared.

LAZ-697R

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

Going to the story

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

Our days and the Lviv retro "Tourist"

More than half a century has passed since the first experienced bus with the LAZ-697 marking appeared. But so far among private announcements you can find notices about the sale of cars of this series. And it should be noted that retro buses are not only in working, but also quite decent condition. Of course, for intercity trips it is unlikely anyone will come up with the idea of using such a car, but for private collections it would be quite handy. In addition, the cost of the bus is relatively low.

But there are exceptions. In the museum of urban transport in Kiev is one of the modifications of "Tourist" - LAZ-697M. This bus is one of several models (experts claim that there are only three of them), which were preserved in the original state, and even the running condition. He got to the museum after the restoration, which was carried out at the LAZ plant. And, frankly, 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 the old car, it does not matter, what is important is that there are people who are not indifferent to the history of motor transport development in the USSR.