ZAZ-968 Producing History

ZAZ-968 is a legendary "small car" of Zaporozhye automobile plant, which was produced from 1971 to 1994. It has three main modifications (968, 968A, 968M), traditional rear engine arrangement and entered the history of the Soviet automobile industry as a people's car of "especially low class".

Car ZAZ-968.

Short history of car ZAZ-968.

This car gathered a lot of controversial statements, irony and even ridicule around itself, but still, during the existence of the USSR, it was very popular. And let this popularity is due to the record low price, but thousands of families were able to finally get a vehicle, and were, moreover, very happy.Probably, everyone remembers that the first "Zaporozhtsy" 965 model was openly created on the basis of Fiat-600 car, the similarity with which as a result was simply striking. There is an opinion (at that, very reasonable) that ZAZ-968 had its prototype, namely NSU Prinz. But in the Soviet Union they literally waved their hands away from it, saying that they had "their own pride".

A possible prototype of the NSU Prinz "long-eared".

This car is interesting because it was the last of the "Zaporozhtsy" family, and its last modification 968M was produced from 1980 to 1994, practically without any changes or improvements. And now ZAZ-968 still makes you smile and raises your spirits, and its price can be quite comparable with two pairs of branded trainers, but its history is very interesting and definitely deserves attention.

And so, let's go back to the 70s of the XX century... Seeing how intensively the automobile industry is developing, there was an urgent need for complete modernisation of the well-known "humpback". Having removed ZAZ-965 from production, the engineers started active development of more modern "people's car" and already in 1971 the first ZAZ-968 came off the assembly line, which not only completely changed its appearance and changed the nickname "humpback" to "eared", but also became noticeably more productive.

ZAZ-968 in bright orange color, 1974 of production

Adhering to the policy of public accessibility, engineers still decided not to pay much attention to comfort, and therefore the new ZAZik had only a basic set of electrical appliances, traditional rear location of the engine and very primitive interior. After 4 years, the car underwent a small modernization, due to which it changed its name to 968A. More cardinal and, however, the last modernization Zaporozhets was subjected in 1979 and renamed to ZAZ-968M. It received a new "front end", new tail lights and another instrument panel. At that time, the cost of the car was only 3500 rubles, so all families who had dreamed of having their own transportation for many years and carefully saved up funds, because, for example, Volga or Zhiguli could buy only a few.

New and more proportional body of the car ZAZ-968M

Appearance and interior of ZAZ-968

Compared to its predecessor, the ZAZ-968 became more modern and proportional in size. The all-metal body had an acceptable finish, and the rear fenders had very elaborate air intakes. This two-door sedan was designed for 4 passengers, but considering the "especially small class", the comfort was not even worth to count on. Interesting is the fact that the locks from the doors just surprise with their "universality", because sometimes it was possible to open them even with thin scissors, twisted wire or any keys from the apartment. The car was painted very qualitatively and in one color, so, ironically, many people consider this fact to be the main advantage of "Zaporozhts", as the paint "did not slip" even after tens of years. The stamped doors consisted of two panels, were equipped with a manual window elevator and an angular rotary glass with an internal latch. The salon of ZAZik is simply surprising by its asceticism - a minimum number of control devices, rear view mirror, independent "stove", very compressed space and simple monochrome upholstery, without a hint of coziness. But was it the main thing, if the car skillfully overcomes any roads, does not require special care and "does not harm" about fuel quality?

Front panel of ZAZ-968A

The next generation of "eared" ZAZ-968A already had new seats, brake system with separate drive and even a protective anti-theft system. After 6 years, the car underwent the last modernization, due to which it could boast rectangular rear lights, a minimum amount of chrome and a more perfect front panel of rounded shape with a metal strip, thanks to which the trunk volume increased a little (although it still remained so small that even a travel bag could not accommodate). The front lights were slightly changed, turn signals appeared, the "spare" from the trunk was moved under the hood, the front seats became adjustable, and the rear seat was fully folding, which made the car suitable even for sleeping. Also, this modification ceased to be "eared", because instead of air intakes engineers put neat grilles. ZAZ-968M received new bumpers, but only it is not clear, whether it played a positive role. The removable plastic sides warped at the slightest impact, and the moldings were very susceptible to corrosion.

ZAZ-968 design

According to the "good old" tradition, the power unit of Zaporozhtsa is located at the rear and gives full accessibility during its inspection or repair. The four-stroke carbureted engine has a working volume of 1197 ml and 40 horsepower (although among ZAZ-968M there were low-production modifications, in which the engine power was also 45 and 50 hp). Making a brief review of the MeZM 968, we can still mention the upper valve arrangement and air type of cooling. The V-shaped cylinders are made of cast iron, they are easily removable and feature a ribbed surface. While the cylinder heads are aluminum and there are only two of them. The crankshaft is cast iron and has a pretty good balance with centrifuge and flywheel. The overhead valve timing gearbox has a balancer, rods, camshaft and rocker arms. As for acceleration, the ZAZik could reach 100 km/h in only 38 seconds, and its average fuel consumption did not exceed 7.8 liters/100 km (considering rural, unpaved roads).

Graphical diagram of the 968 Zaporozhts.

Returning to the engine cooling system, we would like to consider the axial fan, which forced air through a special grille. The one-piece guide apparatus had blades and provided also a device for the generator. By the way, small slits on the side parts of the body also additionally cooled the engine. It is surprising that the owners of ZAZ neglected the quality of fuel. The car was filled with 76 (which could contain naphthalene, water, etc.), and even already processed fuel, but it practically did not affect its driving characteristics (except for the "rumble" during operation).

The gas tank was located behind the rear seats, and a 1-disc hydraulically actuated clutch was connected in a unit with a driven disk. The mechanical 4-speed gearbox had three strokes and was located together with the differential. Due to the lack of timely maintenance, the gearbox became stiffer after a short time, difficult to shift, and during driving the gears could even "fly off".

Lever-torsion front suspension was two steel tubes, which were fastened by brackets, and shock absorbers of hydraulic type were supplemented by springs. The rear spring suspension had a double arm made of steel, to which the floor of ZAZ itself is attached with the help of 2 brackets.

The drum brake system had floating pads, regulator of the gap between them and the drum itself. The mechanical "handbrake" was applied only on the rear wheels, and the last modification ZAZ-968M already had a separate hydraulic drive. The steering mechanism included links, reducer, pendulum arms and energy-absorbing element.

By the way, ZAZ-968M with gas installation was produced inside the plant, but they were not intended for sale, but only served as cargo carriers within the company.

Comparative characteristics of "three generations" of ZAZ-968

Main modifications of ZAZ-968

ZAZ-968MR is a sedan for disabled people who do not have one arm or one leg;

3A3-968MB - sedan for disabled amputees;

ZAZ-968B2 (AB2) - a sedan, 27 hp, designed for disabled people with damaged or amputated right leg;

ZAZ-968AB4 - a sedan for disabled people with damaged or amputated left leg;

ZAZ-968MG is a sedan with the MeMZ-966G engine and 27 hp. It is designed for disabled people with one damaged leg;

ZAZ-968AP (MP) - an in-plant pickup truck with gas installation;

ZAZ-968B and ZAZ-968R - sedan, 27 hp with automatic electromagnetic clutch system.

Popularity of ZAZik in various spheres of life

Collector's model of orange ZAZ-968A from izd. "Avtolegendy SSSR"

In any case, the Zaporozhets gained a lot of fame. For example, this car was used in the movies "Taran", "I Want to Go to Prison", "Shall We Send a Messenger?", "Cargo 200" and others;

There were also toy Zaporozhye cars. For example, at the Soviet factory "Tantal", a model of ZAZ-968A with Y-suspension was made in 1:43 scale. But a few years later, they improved the toy by making the trunk and hood open;

In 2009, together with the magazine "Avtolegendy SSSR" went ZAZ-968A orange color, and in 2011 the publishing house decided to please its readers with the latest modification of ZAZ-968M in a beautiful coral color. By the way, not so long ago (in the summer of 2010) the company "Nash Avtoprom" released a very large batch of red and blue "ears" in the same scale 1:43.

Collector's model ZAZ-968M in coral color from izd. "Avtolegendy SSSR"

In honor of ZAZ-968 in the SRSR (1971) was also issued a triangular postage stamp, on which this car was "painted" in green color.

Soviet postage stamp with the image of ZAZ-968 (1971).

This legendary "soapbox" is not forgotten in our time. In particular, ZAZ can be seen in computer games S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Need for russia: Made in USSR, Half-Life 2, "Communism Muscle Cars", etc.

ZAZ 968M in the computer game GTA "San Andreas"

Look also: history of ZAZ-965 and Moskvich-407