They laughed at it, invented stories about it. But for many it was the first, and therefore particularly memorable car. In good hands Zaporozhetses (Cossacks) served diligently and for a long time, sometimes passing from the hands of grandparents even to grandchildren. Serial production of ZAZ-966 began half a century ago, and produced the car slowly modernizing, almost thirty years.
As soon as "hunchback" - ZAZ-965 - stood on the conveyor, in Zaporozhye began to prepare a new model. The first prototype was already made in 1961 and shown at the Exhibition of Economic Achievements in September.
In the first half of 1960 made at least three versions of cars with serial V4 engine, a volume of 0.89 liter capacity of 27 hp Cars differed in length, base (2120-2170 mm), parts of the body and decoration. Option 2 was the most daring - to limber in the American style.
For a long time it was customary to assume that ZAZ copied from the German NSU Prinz 4. They do have much in common stylistically and structurally - rear air-cooled engine. In it the NSU, however, 2-cylinder, 0.6 liter capacity, 30 hp German car had a suspension spring. Zaporozhets had front torsion bars, inherited from ZAZ-965 and from Volkswagen. Outwardly, of course, it is similar, but Prinz 4 was first shown in September 1961 in Frankfurt, and ZAZ-966 was shown at ENEA before.
Engineer Lev Murashov not remember to ZAZ engineers studied the NSU. But he remembers that in the US at that time there was a sensational American Chevrolet Corvair boxer "six" air-cooled 80 hp located at the rear. The model was launched back in 1959. This car studied, struggling with the overheating of the motor plows. And, apparently, it was his style has influenced both the Soviet and German designers on. As is known, the Corvair was attacked by an American journalist Ralph Najder, who claimed that the car is prone to rollover. However, criticized by Najder model, upgrading, selling quite well until 1969.
Impact style Chevrolet did not avoid, and other European firms. American features are read, for example, in the British Hillman Imp 1963.
Serial ZAZ-966 had a lattice makes the car look like a "adult" perednemotornye cars and reduces the similarity with NSU and Chevrolet. The car quickly earned the nickname "eared", and for the feature line, visually separating the body along - also "soap box".
The style of the dashboard, of course, adjusted for vehicle class and materials, too, it was much closer to the American Chevrolet, rather than to the German NSU.
In the history of Chevrolet Corvair, there is another, less well-known page: cargo, carload modifications, including a minibus.
Almost parallel with the ZAZ-966 in Zaporozhye worked on family ZAZ-970/971 with rear and all-wheel drive. It was part and seven-seat minivan with a rapidly removable seats. Motor V4 was, of course, the above boxer, like Chevrolet and Volkswagen, but because taking too much space in the cabin.
Chevrolet had a and cargo modifications - Rampside pickup trucks and a van and Loadside Sorvan.
Zaporozhye analogues trucks Chevrolet - pick-up and van. The press of the 1960s had already announced the imminent start of series production, but the plant in Zaporozhye could not learn a second family.
ZAZ-966, and then 968 with engines power 30 and 40 hp (For export - 45 or even 50 hp), including a few modifications for people with disabilities, upgrading, did until 1994 Total built under 2.5 million copies.
Serial production of ZAZ-966.
