ZAZ 968M - cheap and angry

The cars produced by the Zaporozhye factory "Kommunar", caused a special attitude, at least, each of them had its nickname. It all began with a "humpbacked", then "eared" appeared, and the story ended with a "soapbox". This is how the ZAZ 968M was nicknamed in the people . Nevertheless, in all the inhabitants of the USSR, the attitude towards him was twofold. Everyone was making fun of him, telling a lot of anecdotes, nevertheless, almost everything, as soon as the opportunity appeared, were ready to buy this car.

If you go back a bit, the history of "Zaporozhye", as these cars later became known as "cars," begins with the thaw. It was then that the USSR Council of Ministers decided to release a minicar car cheaper than Moskvich. The "godfathers" of the new machine 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 on Muscovite, and she went to Zaporozhye, to the Kommunar agricultural equipment plant. So was born "humpbacked" - ZAZ 965.

Now it is possible, relatively speaking, to transfer from 1960, when ZAZ 965 appeared, in 1980, when ZAZ 968M left the road - the last modernization of the Zaporozhye. This was the most affordable car for Soviet people. Its price was 3500 Soviet rubles, Moskvich's price was 5500 rubles, and Zhiguli - 7500. In the absence of any comfort, its purely utilitarian function is to get to the dacha, take the load, often more by the weight of himself, get to the right place - he Performed no worse than other cars. In addition, permeability on dirt roads was second only to UAZ.

The modernized "Zaporozhets" looked quite decent - compact, all sizes are proportional, the exterior finish has nothing superfluous. The air intakes disappeared, giving the predecessors a "eared" look, they were replaced by lattices. Interior decoration, especially from the point of view of modern habits, corresponding to automobile requirements, can only be recognized conditionally. Nevertheless, despite the Spartan simplicity of the situation, the car successfully fulfilled its main task - it moved. For personal convenience in ZAZ 968M, everyone did their 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 horsepower. It was a V-shaped four, located behind. Theoretically, the ZAZ 968M characteristics were quite acceptable, although it was theoretically. Problems with the car were many - low reliability, engine overheating, fast wear of the running gear and transmission. However, all was compensated by the amazing endurance and "omnivorousness" of the engine. He worked on any gasoline and oil, up to the use of "reverse", and even when any other had long ceased to exist.

But the main advantage of ZAZ 968 was the price. It was she who reconciled people with his shortcomings. And attempts were made to improve the car somehow, to transfer it to a higher level, but they were all stopped at the root, because in that case the Cossack lost its main advantage, and some new advantages remained rather doubtful.

It was an affordable and cheap folk car. That's about the way to treat the character of numerous anecdotes. ZAZ 968M at that time gave Soviet people the opportunity to touch the car in personal use, laid the foundations of a culture of private transport and showed the way on which it is necessary to move on.