45 years ago, in 1970, a car came off the assembly line in Togliatti, which changed the course of automotive history in the vastness of the USSR. This is a VAZ-2101, a Zhiguli or simply a Kopeyka. I still fondly remember my "Penny" - my first car, a workhorse.

The idea of ​​building an automobile plant of unprecedented scale was born at the very top. Its initiator was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR A.N. Kosygin, who was supported by Brezhnev himself. The amount of money not backed by goods was growing in the country, and a mass car could become a necessary lifesaver: citizens would willingly give their savings for it. In addition, a modern car that was in demand abroad was supposed to improve the export position of the country, which bought more for foreign currency than sold.

The Soviet delegation inspects the FIAT lineup, 1966

The search for partners was carried out without too much publicity. Even the KGB was involved in this activity, in particular L. Kolosov, the Izvestia correspondent in Italy, and part-time employee of the all-powerful committee. The choice fell on the FIAT concern - it offered the most favorable conditions. In Italy, with its traditionally strong leftist movement, a general strike was going on at the time, and the contract with the Soviets greatly helped straighten out the financial position of the concern. In the USSR, of course, they also took into account the fact that in 1966 the FIAT-124 became the car of the year in Europe

FIAT-124

The General Agreement was signed on August 8 of the same year in Moscow. The documents were signed by the head of FIAT Vittorio Valletta and the Minister of the Automobile Industry of the USSR A.M. Tarasov. They decided to build the plant on the banks of the Volga (the presence of the river solved many transport problems), in the young city of Togliatti. Previously, there was Stavropol-on-Volga, partially flooded after the construction of the hydroelectric power station, but the city was built almost anew under the auto giant. One of the reasons for choosing the site was precisely the presence of powerful construction organizations.

Soon, several FIAT-124 cars were brought to the USSR, which went to comprehensive tests. They were driven all over the country, from the Crimea to Vorkuta, where, of course, they were delivered by rail. Work was also carried out at the not fully rebuilt Dmitrovsky training ground. As a result, the FIAT-124R (R means Russia) began to be born, which differs markedly from the standard "Italian".

Improved samples of the Fiat 124 passed at the NAMI training ground from November 17 to December 10, 1966 for 12 thousand km (8 thousand - light cobblestone, 2 thousand - heavy and another 2 thousand - dirt roads)

The VAZ enterprise was so important for the USSR that the deputy minister of the automotive industry was appointed its general director. The construction of AvtoVAZ and filling it with equipment the state spent from 4 to 5 billion rubles. Almost all components for VAZ cars were produced locally. For this, equipment was purchased from their own - 844 Soviet factories, at 900 enterprises in the CMEA countries (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Czechoslovakia), as well as in Italy, Germany, England, France and the USA

For its time, the automobile plant in Togliatti has become one of the most modern and advanced enterprises in Europe. The planned production volume looks rather big and today - 600 thousand cars a year. Although, even such figures did not eliminate the deficit in the USSR. For the VAZ, it was necessary to stand in line for 5 years. And the first VAZ-2101 cost - 5500 Soviet rubles

But in the name of the car - "Zhiguli" there was nothing political. This is the name of the mountains near Togliatti. It was proposed by a designer named Cherny. In order for this native name for many motorists to appear, written in the original font on the stern of the car (by the way, the Italians also came up with the font), the Za Rulem magazine announced a reader competition. About 55 thousand proposals were submitted, among which the new model was even proposed to be called "Violet", "Memorial", "Pervorozhets" and "Directive". Among the proposals was the name "Lada", which subsequently saved Soviet exports. Foreigners not only could not pronounce the word "Zhiguli" correctly, but it also had indecent consonances in several languages ​​at once. For example, in Arab countries it was consonant with the word "thief", and in Spain - "gigolo".

Already on April 19, 1970, the first VAZ-2101 rolled off the VAZ assembly line. The first car was driven by Italian designer Benito Guido Savoini, but it was not a Fiat 124 in its purest form, although there are still tales among VAZ owners that it was a "real Fiat". In fact, a real Fiat 124 on Soviet roads would have fallen apart fairly quickly. Tests of the Fiat 124, which were carried out in 1966 at the Dmitrovsky training ground near Moscow, showed that the Italians began to concretely crumble just after 5,000 km of Soviet off-road

Outwardly, the VAZ-2101 differed from FIAT only in more massive bumper fangs, recessed door handles and, of course, emblems. But in terms of filling, the Soviet car was in many ways different.

The figure shows FIAT-124 and VAZ-2101. As they say find 10 differences

That is why, at the request of the Soviet engineers, Italian engineers made about eight hundred changes to the VAZ-2101. And from 1966 to 1970, 9 series and 35 samples of the future VAZ-2101 passed comprehensive tests at NAMI and more than 2.5 million kilometers of tests. According to their results, the body became much stronger, the suspension design changed and the ground clearance increased to 170 mm (in fact, the "bad roads" package), instead of disc brakes, drum brakes were installed at the rear, an external rear-view mirror appeared, and the front seat backs began to unfold. The engine from the lower became the upper

VAZ-2101 has become a European-level car. This is also evidenced by the fact that this model was exported not only to the socialist countries: Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and the GDR. Export versions of "Kopeyka" were sold in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, Great Britain, Egypt and Nigeria. These export copies were the dream of many Soviet motorists. After all, in addition to a richer configuration, export VAZs were more reliable and better. They passed 39 stages of additional intermediate check in the Import Center. And then - more checks at local dealers abroad. It is no coincidence that VAZ-2101 clubs are still functioning in Western Europe.

The export version of the VAZ-2101 was called the Lada 1200 and, for example, for the UK they produced cars with a tuning roof, a 1.3-liter engine, decorative stripes on the sides, the body was made of thickened metal with antistatic and anti-corrosion treatment, the transmission was reinforced, the starter was ultra-reliable, battery - high capacity

Soviet motorists were able to realize their dream of export VAZs only after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 90s of the last century. From the former socialist countries, used VAZs were distilled in a stream. In Europe, they were already considered "mammoths" and it was said that "mammoths go home to die"

Production of the VAZ-2101 (modifications of the VAZ-21011) was discontinued in 1982. During this time, 2,700,000 copies of this model were produced. In total, according to AvtoVAZ, 4.8 million different modifications of "kopecks" were produced. And there were many very interesting ones among them. And sometimes unique

"Kopeyka" was a massive, popular car, but some modifications of the VAZ-2101 were still not advertised. Moreover, many of them were protected by state secrets.
For example, for the police they made a VAZ-2101-94 with a 1.5-liter engine

At the beginning of 1971, for advertising and sports purposes, the VAZ-2101 racing series was released, which participated in the Tour of Europe-71 and even won silver. And in the "Tour of Europe-73" VAZ won gold and silver. The availability of the car in Europe made it possible to use it in local sports competitions. In England, they even organized the Lada Challenge. True, the vast majority of sports versions of VAZs were tuned with expensive imported parts, which were sometimes semi-legally imported into the USSR from abroad.

For factory needs, pickup trucks with a carrying capacity of 200-300 kg were traditionally made from defective bodies. They shuttled between the shops of a huge factory in Togliatti

In Cuba, limousines were made from the VAZ-2101 on a semi-industrial basis, and they were used there as fixed-route taxis

VAZ-2101 for many became the first car, the memory of which they carried through the years. 2101 is also called the golden penny of the Soviet automobile industry. This car gave a powerful impetus to the entire industry for many decades. In fact, the 70s, 80s and 90s and 2000s AvtoVAZ reaped the benefits of a successful design and only in 2012 discontinued the last "classic" VAZ-2107, which had many parts marked 2101. The era of the "penny "is over, but this car is still in demand in the secondary market and can be found daily in city traffic. And it's been 45 years already!

Sources

www.zr.ru/content/articles/484752-istori ja_zhigulej_ochevidnyje_i_neverojatnyje/
www.zr.ru/content/articles/356531-istori ja_zhigulej_simvol_minuvshego_veka/
www.autoconsulting.com.ua/article.php?si d=33254
www.ria.ru/photolents/20150907/1180000623_1179995653.html
www.drive2.ru/b/288230376151808281/

See also posts from the series

Everyone knows that the VAZ 2101, or in the common people "Kopeyka", copied the external features and technical features from the Italian Fiat-124 model of 1966. Of course, only Soviet materials were used for production.

The first phase of the plant was taken into operation on March 24, 1971 and was expected to produce 220,000 vehicles per year. The following year, AvtoVAZ doubled its production capacity.

VAZ-2101 was created as a low-power car (the volume of the four-cylinder engine was 1.2 liters; power - 62 hp at 600 rpm; maximum speed - 140 km / h) and with a relatively low price, so that everyone could afford to buy a legendary car.

Compared to the Italian prototype, the VAZ-2101 acquired rear drum brakes (instead of disc brakes), which were more durable and resistant to dirt. According to the peculiarities of our roads, the ground clearance was also increased, the body and suspension were strengthened. All subsequent years, the VAZ model was refined and modified. But even in this (original) form, the VAZ-2101 was produced until 1982 and became a truly "people's" car.

Characteristic VAZ 2101

Domestic auto designers paid special attention to the modifications of the VAZ 2101 for more comfortable operating conditions in our country. As you know, the road surface in Russia is significantly different from Italy, so the body and suspension were significantly strengthened, which made it possible to improve the technical characteristics of the VAZ 2101. The rear disc brakes from Fiat were replaced with drum ones. This was due to their durability and resistance to dust and dirt, which were famous for the Soviet roadways.

Changes affected almost everything, and most importantly - the design of the engine. Automotive designers increased the distance between the cylinders (this made it possible to bore the diameter of the cylinders), moved the camshaft to the cylinder head. The changes also affected the clutch, gearbox, rear suspension. As a result, the weight of the car increased by 90 kg. In total, there were more than 800 changes and differences in the design of the VAZ 2101.

From 1970 to 1986, the plant produced almost three million VAZ 2101 cars. When 19 years have passed since the release of the car, the AvtoVAZ museum was replenished with a new attraction - the VAZ-2101.

Technical parameters VAZ 2101

Engine
Length, mm
Width, mm
Height, mm
Wheel base, mm
Front track, mm
Rear track, mm
Clearance, mm
Trunk volume minimum, l
Body type / number of doors
Engine location	front, lengthwise
Engine volume, cm3
Cylinder type
Number of cylinders
Piston stroke, mm
Cylinder diameter, mm
Compression ratio
Number of valves per cylinder
Supply system	Carburetor
Power, hp / rev. min.
Torque
Fuel type
Type of gearbox / number of gears
Gear ratio of the main pair
Front suspension type	double wishbone
Rear suspension type	helical spring
steering type	Worm gear
Fuel tank volume, l
Maximum speed, km/h
Curb weight of the car, kg
Permissible gross weight, kg
Acceleration time (0-100 km/h), s
Fuel consumption in the urban cycle, l
Fuel consumption in extra-urban cycle, l
Fuel consumption in the combined cycle, l

Modifications of the VAZ-2101

Mass production of VAZ-2101:

VAZ-2101 Zhiguli - initial version, 1.2 liter engine. (1970-1983);

VAZ-21011 "Zhiguli-1300" - the so-called "zero eleventh" - the main changes occurred in the modification of the body. This car was equipped with an excellent radiator grill with more frequent vertical bars, four additional slots appeared in the lower part of the front panel for better air flow to the cooling system radiator. The bumpers lost their “fangs” and received rubber pads around the perimeter in return. On the pillars of the body of the VAZ-21011, holes for special exhaust ventilation of the passenger compartment began to be located at the rear, which were covered with original grilles, brake lights and direction indicators received reflectors. A reversing lamp was installed on the car (1974-1983). The interior has also undergone changes, which has become more comfortable, as well as ashtrays, for which they found a new place on the door panels. Corrugated silver inserts on the dashboard gave way to woodgrain inserts, and the steering wheel lost its chrome ring. In addition to this, the modification received a more powerful 69-horsepower engine with a displacement of 1.3 liters.

VAZ-21013 "Lada-1200s" - differs from the VAZ-21011 with a lower power VAZ-2101 engine (1.2 l working volume) (1977-1988);

Right-hand drive VAZ-2101:

For export to countries with left-hand traffic, the Volga Automobile Plant mastered the production of two versions of the Zhiguli - VAZ-21012 and VAZ-21014 (based on VAZ-2101 and VAZ-21011). They were distinguished by a reinforced spring suspension of the right front wheel, since when the controls were transferred to the right side, the distribution of the mass of the machine turned out to be uneven. The car was produced during 1974-1982.

Small-scale VAZ-2101:

VAZ-21015 "Karat" - modification for special services, equipped with an engine.

VAZ-2106, an additional gas tank, rear suspension springs from VAZ-2102, points for installing special equipment.

VAZ-21018 - rotary engine VAZ-311 (single section), 70 hp With.;

VAZ-21019 - rotary engine VAZ-411 (two-section), 120 hp With.;

VAZ-2101 pickup - a variant with a pickup body, which had a load capacity of 250-300 kg.

Special VAZ-2101:

VAZ-2101-94 - this modification was a VAZ-2101, equipped with a 1.5-liter engine from the VAZ-2103. The car was primarily intended for the police and special services.

VAZ-21016 - VAZ-2101 body with 1.3 liter VAZ-21011 engine.

The export version of the car was called Lada 1200. More than 57,000 cars were sent to the countries of the Socialist Commonwealth. The production of VAZ-2101 and VAZ-21011 cars was discontinued in 1983, due to an increase in the production of the new VAZ-2105 model. Then they began to produce only a modification of the VAZ-21013, the production of which was completed only in 1988.

The rear-wheel drive sedan of a small class and, concurrently, the "first-born" of the Volga Automobile Plant - VAZ-2101 - "came into the world" on April 19, 1970 - it was then that the first six copies of the newly made model rolled off the assembly line of the Togliatti enterprise ...

But its history began much earlier - back in 1966, the Ministry of the Automobile Industry of the USSR signed a general agreement with Fiat, borrowing a four-door Fiat 124 from them for its "penny". True, having reincarnated in the VAZ-2101, the Italian “donor” underwent significant changes: the exterior and interior were finalized, new engines were separated, the ground clearance was increased, the suspension and body were strengthened, and a lot of other “edits” were made.

In 1974, the VAZ-21011 model debuted, which (compared to the base "brother") received a tweaked appearance, a more comfortable interior and an engine with an increased (up to 1.3 liters) volume.

The "life" cycle of the three-volume vehicle continued until 1988, and during this period it sold over 2.7 million units.

Outside, the VAZ-2101 has a very nice, concise and balanced, but outdated (by modern standards) appearance, in which there are no memorable design moves.

A friendly front end with round headlights-eyes, between which the radiator grille “registered”, and a chrome-plated bumper “beam”, a classic three-volume silhouette with a high roof line, flat sides and a long “process” of the trunk, unpretentious feed with narrow lamps and a neat bumper - exterior car is simple and unremarkable.

According to its dimensions, the “penny” belongs to the “B-class” (according to the European classification): it is elongated by 4043 mm in length, reaches 1611 mm in width, and does not exceed 1440 mm in height. The wheelbase is 2424 mm from the four-door, and its ground clearance is 170 mm.

In running order, the machine weighs at least 955 kg, and its gross weight is 1355 kg.

The interior of the VAZ-2101 is designed in full accordance with the appearance - it looks modest on all fronts, but at the same time it has well-thought-out ergonomics. A large two-spoke steering wheel with a thin rim, an extremely simple instrument cluster that provides only the necessary minimum of information, an extremely discreet front panel with round ventilation vents, two “sliders” of the heating system, an ashtray and a radio receiver - by modern standards, the interior of the sedan is outdated completely and completely.

Formally, the “penny” salon has a five-seater layout, but only two people can sit on the second row, and they will not feel an excess of free space. Both front and rear, the car is equipped with amorphous seats without headrests, which have a flat profile (not even a hint of lateral support) and soft filler.

The trunk of the VAZ-2101 is ascetic: it has an intricate shape, and bare metal is observed almost everywhere. The volume of the cargo compartment of the four-door is 325 liters, but this is taking into account the full-size spare wheel, which is fixed inside on the port side.

The Soviet sedan is offered with two four-cylinder gasoline "aspirated" with a vertical layout, an overhead camshaft, carburetor fuel injection and an 8-valve timing structure:

• VAZ- 2101 (Lada-1200) is equipped with a 1.2-liter engine that generates 64 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 89 Nm of torque at 3400 rpm.
• VAZ- 21011 (Lada-1300) is driven by a 1.3-liter engine developing 69 hp. at 5600 rpm and 96 Nm of torque at 3400 rpm.

By default, the three-volume vehicle is equipped with a 4-speed "manual" gearbox and rear axle drive wheels.

From standstill to 100 km / h, the car accelerates after 18-22 seconds, and its maximum capabilities “rest” at 140-145 km / h.

In the combined driving mode, the four-door consumes from 8.2 to 9.2 liters of fuel for every "hundred", depending on the modification.

At the heart of the VAZ-2101 is a rear-wheel drive “bogie”, borrowed from the Fiat 124 model, which implies a longitudinal arrangement of the power plant in the front and the presence of a load-bearing steel body.

At the front, the sedan is equipped with an independent suspension on double wishbones with telescopic shock absorbers, coil springs and an anti-roll bar, and at the rear - a dependent structure with a rigid beam attached to the frame with one transverse and four longitudinal rods. The car is equipped with a steering mechanism with a double-ridged roller and a globoid “worm”, as well as a brake system with front disc and rear drum devices.

In the secondary market of Russia in 2018, the VAZ-2101 can be purchased at a price of ~ 15 thousand rubles, but the cost of some copies (close to the original state) can reach up to a million rubles.

Among the advantages of a sedan, owners usually distinguish: a simple and reliable design, high maintainability, affordable maintenance, moderately high-torque engines, high ground clearance, a good build level, unpretentiousness to fuel quality, and much more.

The car also lacks shortcomings: outdated technical “stuffing”, low dynamic and speed characteristics, low level of security and other points.

You can write a lot about this car, but at the same time ... everyone already knows about it. No wonder, because at one time the “penny” was a car - a dream for tens of millions of Soviet car owners, both those who had already driven other cars, primarily old Muscovites, Cossacks, Pobedakhs, and those who dreamed of driving for the first time new "Soviet foreign car", because the "penny" at one time, as a descendant of the Italian Fiat, brought many innovations to the Soviet auto industry.

Years passed, one era replaced another, the “Kopeyka” ceased to be a dream car, but for many people of my age, who are 30 to 40 years old now, it became the first car, the first own car with which many memories are associated, but to find a person, who would never drive this car, I'm sure in our country, it's simply impossible. If the Moskvich 412 and its numerous restylings can be called a people's car in the USSR, then the Kopeyka, without any doubt, is a car of an era, because a giant car plant had to be built to produce it.

Interesting fact. There were several cities - applicants for the construction of a car factory - Yaroslavl, Gorky, Belgorod, Minsk, and even a satellite city of Kyiv - Brovary. Cities were determined by meeting a number of requirements - a well-developed transport infrastructure, proximity to sources of a large amount of building materials, and the presence of existing machine-building plants in the region, in such cities the level of people's awareness of technology is higher, therefore, it is easier to conduct personnel training. But the winner of the competition for the construction of the auto giant was Stavropol-on-Volga, later renamed Togliatti, in honor of the then General Secretary of the Italian Communist Party, Palmiro Togliatti. In many ways, the appearance of the VAZ is due precisely to the good friendly relations of the Soviet party elite with the Italian communists.

The choice in favor of Fiat occurred for a number of many reasons, and the friendship of the Soviet communists with the Italians is just one of them. Fiat offered more favorable conditions compared to the French, and the predecessor of the Kopeika, the FIAT-124, became the car of the year in Europe in 1966. The construction of the automobile plant began in 1967 and proceeded at an accelerated pace; instead of the planned six years, the plant was built in three years.

For the late 60s, the FIAT-124 was a completely modern car, and in some ways even advanced. That's just rear-wheel drive, in those days when the front-wheel drive was considered advanced in Europe, and the engine with the lower camshaft position gave out the good old classics in the car. But in its original form, FIAT at the Volga Automobile Plant did not go into production, despite the strong external similarity of the cars, the Zhiguli have many differences from its Italian predecessor.

While the plant was being built, Italian cars were tested for endurance in the USSR, in different road conditions, in different climatic zones from the Crimea to Vorkuta, however, they traveled such a distance not on their own, but by train. The Italian cars could not stand the test, they fell apart after 5 thousand kilometers of our roads and directions, and according to the test results, many changes were made to the design of the Kopeika. A significant number of changes were made to the body structure, it had to be strengthened in many places, because initially the FIAT-124 was developed with the expectation of European roads, and not our realities.

The changes affected the suspension, on the back of the Fiat the shock absorbers were inside the springs, the ball joints were strengthened, the diameter of the clutch disc was increased from 182 to 220 mm, unfortunately, the rear disc brakes gave way to simpler and more unpretentious drum brakes in our conditions. It should be noted, however, that Fiat was also in a hurry with rear disc brakes, although they were more efficient than drum brakes, they required more attention and frequent maintenance, and for some time subsequent Fiat models rolled off the assembly line with rear drum brakes. The rear axle reducer and gearbox have also undergone changes. The engine underwent major changes, the camshaft moved to the head of the block, the lubrication system and cooling system were changed. In total, about 800 changes were made to the design of the FIAT-124 before it became our usual car, the Zhiguli, the penny. Italian engineers worked on making changes to the design.

From 1966 to 1970, 35 different car samples were collected for extensive testing. While the plant was being built, pre-production samples of the “penny” wound 2.5 million kilometers on Soviet roads and off-roads.

Serial production of the penny began on April 19, 1970. Coming out of the gates of the new car factory, the new car made a splash in the Soviet car market. The car was dynamic, despite the relatively low power of the 1.2 liter engine of 62 hp. The car was elegant, aroused interest even among the fair half, motivating its representatives to go to a driving school, unless, of course, the family had the opportunity to purchase this car, which became instantly popular and in short supply. The car gave Soviet car owners a hitherto unprecedented convenience - in winter it was not necessary to drain water from the cooling system when the car was idle, the cooling system contained antifreeze, known to us under the Tosol trademark. And yet, the “penny” gave the Soviet motorist a car service. The creation of a network of service stations for car maintenance was one of the main requirements of the Italians, according to the contract. In general, without any exaggeration, with the advent of the "penny" for Soviet car owners, a new era began ...

Technical characteristics and device VAZ-2101, I think, it makes no sense to describe. We learned many of their bonds from our own experience, with wrenches in our hands, learning the intricacies of auto mechanics. The steering causes a lot of criticism, it is very simple - a worm-roller gearbox, devoid of any amplifiers, and turning the steering wheel on a VAZ classic requires considerable effort. But the reason for the tight steering lies not only in the design of the gearbox.

From the factory, the "penny" was on narrow tires 155 R13, these are regular, native wheels for the "Lada". And at the same time, the diameter of the steering wheel was rather big. Now everything is exactly the opposite, 175 R13 is considered standard for the VAZ classics, and the steering wheel is set to “sporty”, small diameter. That's why it's hard to steer, especially when the car is stationary. The inclusion of gears of a four-speed manual gearbox is clear even after many years and tens of thousands of kilometers, which, alas, cannot be said about the Moskvich.

According to the passport, the acceleration of the car from zero to hundred takes 22 seconds, which is true on a good flat track, a well-adjusted carburetor, a lively, peppy engine and the absence of a strong headwind. The maximum speed is 140 km / h. Fuel consumption according to the passport in the urban cycle is about 9.5 liters per 100 km, plus or minus a liter, this is also true.

The salon can be called concise, the front seats could be decomposed, forming sleeping places, they cannot be called comfortable, like the seats themselves. In general, in terms of ergonomics of the driver's seat, the "penny" lagged behind the Moskvich 412, but this is a topic for a separate article.

During the production of the VAZ-2101 and its modification VAZ-21011 with a 1.3-liter engine, from 1970 to 1988, 2.7 million cars were produced. "Kopeyka" was popular not only within the country but also abroad, where it was exported under the beautiful name "LADA", and not only to the countries of the socialist camp, but also to France, Britain, Sweden, Austria, delivered to Africa and Cuba, where " pennies" are still running.

With us, a “penny” can be found now, probably, in any corner of the country, for the most part, of course, in the outback, where not simplicity of design, unpretentiousness and availability of spare parts in the nearest rural store are valued more than the top equipment of various new European and Korean representatives of the automotive mass market. At the same time, despite the prevalence of Zhiguli, it is very difficult to find a worthy copy of the VAZ-2101, in the original, with a body that has not been overcooked and repainted for the 10th time. Well-preserved VAZ 2101 are full-fledged youngtimers, which are already a collection value, and already cost money corresponding to such a value, and an ordinary “penny” can be bought for 10-25 thousand rubles.

Photos and illustrations are taken from open sources and belong to their authors.

If you have something to tell about an old car - write.

or simply "Zhiguli" - this is one of the most famous Soviet-made cars, the descendants of which were produced right up to 2012. During its existence, it has undergone quite serious changes and received several awards and prizes, so let's talk about what the life path of this car was like.

Where does the VAZ 2101 take its roots from?

The very first VAZ 2101 was produced at the Volga Automobile Plant in 1970. This happened due to the signing in 1966 of an agreement between the Italian company Fiat and the Soviet "Foreign Trade" on cooperation in the development of passenger cars. It was within the framework of this agreement that the project for the construction of a plant for cars on the territory of the USSR was adopted. According to preliminary agreements, several cars were to be produced at this plant at once. It was supposed to be 2 cars with a sedan body in the standard configuration, and one station wagon in the luxury configuration. If we talk about where the concept of norm class cars came from, then the Fiat 124 was defined as a prototype, which literally next year received the title of "Car of the Year"

What did not suit FIAT 124 Russian engineers

When Soviet scientists and specialists took up the study and testing of a car taken as the basis for the development of their own car, several shortcomings were identified at once that needed to be eliminated when developing a car that would be called in the future only VAZ-2101. First of all, experts noticed that the Fiat 124 is not suitable for our roads due to the extremely low ground clearance and the complete absence of towing eyes, without which the car would be difficult to use off-road. In addition, the car body itself was not sufficiently reliable and strong and could hardly withstand the intensity of operation that was expected for a Soviet car.

After deep modernization

Italian engineers took into account all the wishes of Soviet researchers and the future Zhiguli acquired drum brakes on the rear axle, improved front and fundamentally new suspension on the rear axle and an improved gearbox. This is not a complete list of improvements that were made to the Fiat124R, a Russified model of the Italian Fiat. In total, there were more than 800 changes, and some of these comments were subsequently used personally by Fiat in the development of new cars in their series. These requirements of Soviet engineers and researchers helped Fiat to collect unique information about the reliability and off-road capability of its brand vehicles.

The first cars off the assembly line

The very first six cars left the assembly line on April 19, 1970, so this particular day can be called the birthday of the Zhiguli. It is worth noting that the first cars were only in two colors and 2 blue and 4 red cars were produced. These first 6 prototypes showed excellent results in tests and improvements were minimal, so that already in August 1970 the plant was operating at full capacity. And the capacity of the plant was really impressive. By the end of the year, 21,530 vehicles had been produced at the newly built plant in Togliatti. The plant gradually increased its turnover and by 1973 had managed to produce 379,007 Zhiguli in a year.

Where does the name "Zhguli" come from?

In fact, the name of the VAZ-2101 could be completely different. According to one version, the name was born at the plant, and was approved back in 1976, and according to another, it was invented on a competitive basis. About the intermediate result of the competition in 1970, the magazine "Behind the wheel" wrote. There was also published a list of 1812 titles that were selected by the commission for consideration. In total, about 55,000 titles were sent, some of which were funny, some funny, and some just ridiculous.

What could the VAZ-2101 be called:

• Violet
• Falcon
• Firstborn
• Memorial
• Youth
• Dream
• Directive
• Falcon

One way or another, it was the Zhiguli that became the final name, and a little later the people called this car none other than the “Penny” for the unit at the end of the model number.

Classifications and numbering

It is worth mentioning that, in addition to significant improvements compared to the Italian prototype, the domestic Zhiguli became the first car produced in the USSR, which received such a document as the normal OH 025370-66. This document regulated the classification and designation system of rolling stock. Now, each new car of the series or trailer was assigned a four-digit number, the first two digits of which indicated the class of the car or trailer, and the last two - its model. Sometimes the fifth digit was also used, which indicated that this car was a modification of a certain model and it was possible to immediately understand what changes were made to this particular car. Also, sometimes additional numbers in the number were used. The sixth digit could show what climate the car was intended for and whether it was intended for import. In rare cases, additional numbers were added through a hyphen, which showed that this car was an intermediate modification of the car.

Existing modifications of the penny

It is thanks to this that, looking at the inscription VAZ-21011, you can immediately understand that this car was manufactured at the Volga Automobile Plant (VAZ), belongs to a small class of cars with an engine from 1200 to 1800 cubic centimeters (21) and is the first model of this car in this class (01) with the first version of the modification, which differs from the original by installing an engine of 1300 cubic centimeters.

VAZ-2101 . This is the very first version of the Kopeika, which was very popular among both motorists and the developers themselves. It is not surprising that this car became the basis for future modifications, because it was extremely successful. It is worth noting that the VAZ-2101 was equipped with a 1.2 liter engine.

VAZ-21011. The first modification, which we mentioned above. The main difference from the traditional "Kopeyka" in this model is the engine. It was much more powerful than the previous version of the car, and its volume was increased to 1.3 liters. The car has also undergone quite a lot of changes in terms of design. Basically, these changes concerned improving the ventilation of the cooling radiator - four additional slots appeared in front and the shape of the radiator grille was changed. Also, reversing lights were installed on this modification from 1974 to 1983 inclusive.

VAZ-21013. The main difference between this modification and the VAZ-21011 is a less powerful engine, identical to that installed on the original "Kopeyka" (1.2 liters), otherwise, the changes made in 21011 were preserved in version 21013. Zhiguli were also produced for export and these cars known under the name Lada 1200 in almost all countries of the Socialist Commonwealth. First of all, they appeared in Czechoslovakia, the GDR, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Hungary, and the total number of such cars totaled more than 57 thousand cars. Over time, Lada 1200 earned respect among foreign motorists and very soon these cars could be seen on the roads of Germany, Austria, France and even Nigeria.

VAZ-21012 and VAZ-21014. The glory of the Zhiguli was not limited to the Soviet Union. Especially for countries with left-hand traffic, two modifications of the Zhiguli were released at once. First of all, they differed in the right-hand drive and reinforced spring suspension of the right front wheel. The fact is that when the controls were transferred to the other side, the mass of the car began to be distributed unevenly and such a compensation system had to be organized. In total, these cars were produced from 1974 to 1982.

VAZ-2101 pickup. Nothing in the Soviet Union was wasted, and even defective Zhiguli. Instead of being written off due to body defects, they were converted into pickup trucks and later used for the needs of the factory. The entire back of the roof was simply cut off just behind the front seats and a new cabin wall was installed. The rear doors were welded to increase the rigidity of the structure and as a result, the carrying capacity of such pickups could be 300 kg. Of course, such cars did not go into the series, but some amateurs even independently carried out such improvements on their Kopeykas.

"Limousine" VAZ 2101. No matter how comical it sounds, but cars of this modification not only existed, but were also very popular in Cuba. Here they were used as fixed-route taxis and coped with this task quite easily.

Facts about the VAZ-2101

There are many interesting stories about this car, which managed to fall in love with domestic motorists, but the most unusual of these facts should be described separately, because Kopek, although it has already been discontinued, is still often found on our roads. Starter and crank The Soviet automobile industry cannot be reproached for hindsight. In the bag of repair tools that came with the car, you could find a starting handle. Of course, this could terrify foreigners, but the instructions said that it was intended solely for starting the car in very cold winters or after a long parking. According to the compilers of the instructions, it was necessary to turn the handle several times with the neutral gear and the ignition off, after which it was possible to carry out a normal start using the starter.

Starter and crank penny

The Soviet auto industry cannot be blamed for hindsight. In the bag of repair tools that came with the car, you could find a starting handle. Of course, this could terrify foreigners, but the instructions said that it was intended solely for starting the car in very cold winters or after a long parking. According to the compilers of the instructions, it was necessary to turn the handle several times with the neutral gear and the ignition off, after which it was possible to carry out a normal start using the starter.

Foreign spare parts in VAZ-2101

Naturally, not all parts used to produce the first Zhiguli were domestic. Under the hoods of some Kopecks, one could find Weber carburetors, some cars were equipped with foreign-made non-separable shock absorbers, which were much more reliable and durable than domestic ones. The same situation happened with spark plugs.

Not without curiosities

In total there were three types of emblems for Zhiguli. The most famous of them was a silver rook on a ruby ​​background, which flaunted on all VAZ-2101s since 1971. But the fact is that on the cars of 1970, the badge produced was also supplemented with the inscription “Togliatti”. Very few such emblems were issued, since a year later it was ordered to remove the inscription unmasking the location of the automobile plant, which at that time was considered an extremely important strategic object. A car with this logo is a real rarity. However, an even rarer logo is an erroneously made logo with the Cyrillic letter “Ya” replaced with the Latin “R”. This happened due to the fact that the first batch of emblems was ordered at the Fiat plant in Turin, and there the Italians, through an oversight, simply mixed up the letters. All the emblems, and there were about 30 of them, were simply taken apart by VAZ employees for souvenirs, and now this emblem is very much appreciated, but it is almost impossible to get it.