Perhaps no one will be able to object to the statement that the Zaporozhets managed to become a truly legendary car in the history of the automotive industry of the Soviet Union. However, not everyone realizes that it is also a unique machine in many ways. Features of the location of the engine, strong body and even a "gadget" in the design, which was to the liking … of the fishermen - all this makes the brainchild of the concern "ZAZ" not like everyone else. We bring to your attention the "seven" facts about the "Zaporozhets", which make it unlike other Soviet cars.
1. Location of the engine
Perhaps even a child knows about this constructive feature of the Zaporozhets. The thing is that a V-shaped four-cylinder gasoline carburetor engine with an air cooling system was installed at the rear, and the trunk of the cars was at the front. In many ways, this decision was unique for the then car industry, although not the first in world practice. Even today, cars with an engine in the rear are much less common than counterparts with a standard placement.
Interesting fact: some think the Zaporozhets is the most massive car in the world to have a rear engine. However, in reality it is not so: according to the Novate.ru editorial office, the Volkswagen Käfer model became the record holder for this indicator, it is also the legendary "Beetle", of which more than 21 million copies were produced. By the way, the layout of the German car was very similar to the Soviet Zaporozhets.
2. Suspension
The front suspension of the Zaporozhets was not just original: you will not find such a design on any other Soviet passenger car. It was independent, torsion bar with spring shock absorbers. The rear suspension was also independent, moreover, linkage. In addition, despite the fact that the car was rear-wheel drive, and there were no hydraulic boosters at all, the Zaporozhets was passable off-road.
Less stress on the front wheels meant that the driver was able to steer with less effort. Another design feature of the Zaporozhets was the absence of a propeller shaft, and the gearbox and the engine were combined into a common mechanism, which was located at the rear driving wheels. This decision led to the fact that the cars were lighter and shorter, and the cabin was quieter than in other models.
3. Similarity with LuAZ-967
It would seem that there is nothing in common between the legendary Zaporozhets and the army all-terrain vehicle LuAZ-967, which is also known as the front-end sanitary wheeled conveyor. However, in reality this is not at all the case. It turns out that virtually every modification of the Zaporozhtsev was distinguished by the maximum degree of unification in terms of components and assemblies with the aforementioned cars of the Lutsk Automobile Plant. Moreover, the same tendency is observed in relation to the so-called "civilian" all-terrain vehicles of the "LuAZ" brand - a number of versions of the LuAZ-969.
4. Petrol heater
No matter how they scolded Zaporozhets for the unprepossessing appearance or the operation of individual units, the designers did not neglect the provision of comfort for the driver and passengers in the matter of regulating the temperature in the cabin. But not everyone knows that the stove in these machines is unique in every sense. The thing is that the gasoline heater, which the engineers placed in the trunk, has one design feature: interior heating does not require starting the engine, which gives significant savings both directly in fuel and in the resource of the engine.
5. Manual control
It was on the Zaporozhets that manual control was most often installed. The reason for this decision was the actual focus on certain consumers, because despite the fact that cars were released on the market, first of all, they were made for a certain category of people. "Zaporozhets" was the most massive Soviet passenger car, which was produced specifically for disabled people. In addition, the state issued the same cars for free to veterans of the Great Patriotic War, as well as to citizens of other privileged categories.
6. Strong body
No matter how many shortcomings motorists find in "Zaporozhets", one unconditional advantage, which cars were famous for, has never been refuted. The ZAZ brainchilds have always been distinguished by their strong body: they were made of rather thick metal. However, the most important thing in this case was the choice of material, because for Zaporozhets they chose steel that did not undergo global corrosion. It should be clarified that after many years of operation, rust did appear in certain places, however, as happened with other cars, the body never rotted to the point of holes.
7. Fishing hatch
In fairness, this constructive feature is not present in all Zaporozhtsev models, but you can find it in the legendary and very massive ZAZ-968M. Oddly enough, we are talking about a special hatch, which made it possible to do winter fishing on ice, without leaving the warm interior of the car. It is, without exaggeration, a miracle of engineering thought of ZAZ specialists located at the feet of the passenger seat.
Continuing the theme: it turns out, even with a car, a Soviet driver could not always use all the chips of cars - What options were available only to "select" drivers in the USSR