ZAZ 965, better known to most motorists as "Humpbacked", became the most anecdotal car of the former USSR. Jokes about how a Zaporozhets crashes into a Mercedes were very popular in the 90s, when such cars were actually sold for a pittance. When, in 1961, this car was sold new, it was necessary to pay 1,800 rubles for it, and this is more than a year's salary of an ordinary Soviet person. Of course, most people like to go to the dacha in their own car more than to stand at a bus stop and wait for a bus and the appearance of such a car in the family was a great joy. Work on the development of a mass small car in the USSR began back in 1955, the Humpbacked Zaporozhets went into series in November 1960 and to a new one, 1961- In the first year, 1,500 machines were built. Despite the fact that specialists from AZLK were engaged in the development of the small car, the assembly of the new car was established in Zaporozhye, at the Kommunar plant, which previously produced combines and tractors. In just 9 years of production, 322,000,965s were created. When developing a Soviet small car, the basis was taken FIAT 600. The great advantage of the Italian car was its simplicity, so in Italy, in just a year, 500,000 of these cars were produced. From these numbers, you can understand how strong the Fiat industry was in those years. Initially, it was planned to equip the domestic car with a two-cylinder engine from a Ural motorcycle, but it was difficult for a motorcycle engine to pull out a loaded car, because even an empty car was twice as heavy as the Urals. More details will discuss the engine topic below - in the 965 specs paragraph.

External review of ZAZ 965

The humpbacked Zaporozhets is distinguished by its compact dimensions, as the length of this car is 3350mm, width - 1395mm, height - 1450mm. It is worth saying that Humpback is well adapted for off-road driving, with a wheelbase of 2023mm, ground clearance(clearance) of the Soviet small car - 175mm, from these data we can conclude that it will be very difficult to put ZAZik on the "Puzo". The entrance angle at Gorbaty is 35 degrees, the exit angle is 29 degrees. The curb weight of the Zaporozhets is only 660kg. Geometric passability soviet car better than many crossovers and even SUVs. In addition, thanks to the narrow track, ZAZik can drive between the truck tracks, which also contributes to good cross-country ability. In 1962, two years after the start of production, Humpback was modified, the updated car can be recognized by the size indicators that moved from the upper part of the wings, under the wings and by the presence of chrome molding on the side of the body. Restyled Humpback received the index 965A. When inspecting Zaporozhets, you can see that the rear wheels of an empty car are, as it were, skewed to the inside - this is caused by the features of the torsion bar suspension and negatively affects the stability of the car.

Overview of ZAZ 965 in the salon

Sitting in ZAZik it is impossible not to notice that the doors do not open as in ordinary cars in the direction of travel, but in the opposite direction. According to 965 owners, it happens that such doors open on the go. The front panel is metal, the plastic cover plate is only on the devices. It is interesting that the turn signals are turned on not by the steering column lever as on most modern cars, but by a special a toggle switch, which is certainly not convenient with heavy traffic, but in the 60s there were not many cars in the USSR. Unlike FIAT 500, glass in ZAZIK goes down in the door, and does not move to the side. In the trunk, which is located in the front of Gorbatom, there is a spare wheel and a fuel tank.

Specifications ZAZ 965

The Gorbaty Zaporozhets has a four-cylinder engine with V- shaped cylinder cooling and air cooling. Air cooling itself has a number of disadvantages over liquid cooling, but given the fact that in those days,all mass passenger cars in the USSR were cooled with water, not antifreeze, or antifreeze - it had to be drained before every winter parking, and started before starting the engine. Since Zaporozhets did not have liquid cooling, there was no need to drain the water - this simplified the operation of the machine. With a diameter of each of the four cylinders of 66 mm and a piston stroke of 54.5 mm, before the restyling of 1962, the MeMZ engine had a volume of 746 cubic centimeters and developed a power of 23 horsepower. After modernization, the bore was increased to 72mm, which increased the engine displacement to 887 cc and gave an additional 4 horsepower. Fuel tank Zaporozhets holds 24 liters of gasoline. Such engines, due to thin cylinder walls and high thermal loads, do not have a long resource, especially for old engines, the engine of which is stained with oil and dust, which prevent heat from evaporating from the engine.

Zaporozhets is equipped with a four-speed manual transmission, in which the second and fourth gears are synchronized. Drum brakes are installed on both axles.

Price ZAZ 965

Today you can buy ZAZ 965 for 500$. The price of 965 in excellent condition can reach 10,000$.

It is hard to imagine that today someone would buy such a car for their family. But such a car always enjoys attention on the road no less than , and today no one will look at ZAZik with disdain. A well-groomed Soviet car gives joy to people, and people who put their strength, and sometimes even their soul into the restoration of such cars, have a craving for beauty and are highly respected by neighbors in the traffic stream.

It is surprising that in the worst times for private motoring in the USSR, a car appeared, aimed at selling to private traders. As it turns out, I.V. Stalin had nothing against private cars. Thanks to the Stalinist order, a CMM was specially designed for private owners. War intervened in his fate, but as soon as it ended, in May 1947, the People's Commissar of the Automotive Industry of the USSR S.A. Akopov issued a decree allowing the sale of new "Muscovites" and "Victories" to private individuals.

And under Khrushchev, prejudices raised their heads that a private car was "an alien phenomenon." The chief designer of the MZMA AF Andronov was forced to hide behind statements that "the plant makes cars for export." In 1962, at the Italian exhibition in Moscow, FIAT showed a model of an automobile plant proposed for construction in the USSR and similar to the future VAZ. But only when Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev came to power, such a project became a reality, like the other two - the reconstruction of the MZMA and the duplication of the production of "Muscovites" in Izhevsk.

How did it happen that in those years Zaporozhets saw the light? Very simple. It is still unknown who came up with the idea to replenish the type of Soviet cars with a small-sized vehicle for the front line, whose task on the way "there" is to bring weapons and ammunition to the battlefield, and on the way back to take out the wounded. The problem is that this machine was required in small quantities, and its production would become unprofitable. But before my eyes was the experience of Volkswagen and DKW, which produced small military and civilian vehicles on the same base.

From the side of the NAMI institute, which was entrusted with the project, a counter-offer came - to execute several machines on the same units:

1. A passenger car for general use, suitable for export.
2. A car for the disabled, superior to the Serpukhov motorized carriage.
3. Small-scale pickup, van, and miniature bus in unified bodies.
4. Light all-terrain vehicle for the village.
5. A staff vehicle with a simple body for the army.
6. The front end conveyor itself in wheeled and tracked versions.

Characters and performers

Boris Mikhailovich Fitterman, who headed the Laboratory in the 50-60s passenger cars NAMI, in the late 80s "attributed" the development of the first Zaporozhets to himself, and now many sites thoughtlessly call him "the chief designer of ZAZ-965". But that was not the case. Fitterman really headed research work on the study of European minicars and sidecars, supervised tests of purchased foreign cars, among which were products with 1-2-cylinder motorcycle engines, which were barely suitable for public roads, and simple bodies for 2 people. But there were also full-fledged cars, albeit the cheapest ones: FIAT-600, DAF, Citroen 2CV and, of course, the famous Volkswagen Beetle. Fitterman developed a front edge conveyor NAMI-032 and a double invalid NAMI-031 unified with it. And the civilian car was not engaged in NAMI, but OGK MZMA.

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How it actually happened, Alexander Fedorovich Andronov described in his memoirs. He was summoned by the Minister of the Automotive Industry (in the recent past, the chief engineer of GAZ) Nikolai Ivanovich Strokin and instructed to develop a minicar. Andronov refused - OGK MZMA was engaged in modifications of Moskvich, jeeps of the 415/416 series, a promising model was already conceived. Andronov himself offered to pass this on to US. Strokin replied that such work requires a team that is not in NAMI, so the institute will not cope with the task, and no one in the country knows small cars better than Andronov and his subordinates. Strokin also added that he liked the FIAT-600, which should be taken as a model.

The minister knew very well how Andronov hated copying foreign cars and had just completely independently developed the original Soviet Moskvich-402 family with modifications. Therefore, he made a reservation that "ripping off FIAT" is not necessary, but the division of body units, which is most important for automotive production, will have to be repeated in Italy. The external form (i.e. design) Andronov can change as he wants.

We add that Fitterman described in detail the device of the FIAT-600 body units, arguing that this is a good modern car convenient for mass production. But he was engaged in pure theory, and all the rough practical work fell on the shoulders of Andronov and the designers of the OGK MZMA. There was practically no experience in the design of rear-engined cars with independent suspension of all wheels in the USSR. Two "avant-garde" projects by Yuri Dolmatovsky showed how difficult it is to make such a machine.

The first development of NAMI-013 was hardly "taught to ride". The second, "Squirrel", turned out to be uncomfortable for the driver (owner of the car) and the passenger (a member of his family), who were seated directly on the front axle, and even under the cap of the end door leaking in the rain. On the move, the "Belka" showed handling, which is dangerous for an inexperienced driver. NAMI-013 and "Belka" came out unrepairable and incompatible with the technology of mass production.

Andronov had to mobilize all WGCs, repair and technological workshops of the plant. Designers and production workers worked in two shifts, did not sleep at night. Andronov also wrote to Strokin in the Moscow Economic Council: we are “stitching ourselves up,” provide additional people, allocate space, and finally write off money. They did not answer him. But the platoon perfectly fulfilled the order - in three years, the designers of OGK MZMA developed the body and undercarriage... The gearbox of the design bureau of the MZMA chassis under the leadership of K.I. Faibisovich made not only for her car, but also for NAMI-031 and NAMI-032. The production of a minicar at MZMA was out of the question. The tight "old territory" of the plant excluded the simultaneous release of Moskvich and rear-engined novelties. The Moskvich-444 index was used temporarily for drawing up drawings and specifications, and in Zaporozhye, documentation and modernized prototypes were already transferred as Moskvich-965.

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Meanwhile, at NAMI, Alexander Semyonovich Aizenberg, who had designed the 8-cylinder overhead valve "king-engine" for the ZIS-101 before the war, was conjuring over the engine. I rejected one option, the second, the third. As with FIAT, it is impossible - a customer in uniform needs air cooling for the TPK so that the radiator is not shot through in battle. The "air" motor had to be designed as many as 6 times. A system error was found by Andronov's team. Almost instantly they rejected the "opposed" from the "Ural" motorcycle, unsuitable for a 4-seater car. Tests have shown that the car is not capable of driving on two cylinders - it is necessary, without options, four. For comparison, Eisenberg's group presented boxer or V-shaped 4-cylinder options. The first barely fit in the small engine bay, guaranteeing cooling and maintenance problems. The second turned out to be so compact that there was room on the left in the engine compartment for an autonomous gasoline heater, and on the right there was free space.

Moskvich-965 with boxer engine

The design service of ZAZ was recruited from the most experienced gas workers. Muscovites from MZMA and from NAMI did not want to go to Zaporozhye, losing their Moscow registration. The documentation from the MZMA was handed over to the Gorky designers Grigory Moiseevich Wasserman, Yuri Naumovich Sorochkin, Ivan Alekseevich Sandalov. They successfully brought Zaporozhets to the conveyor. The production of engines was mastered by the diesel plant in Melitopol, 112 km away. from Zaporozhye, included in one production association with ZAZ.

FIAT, Moskvich and Zaporozhets

The ZAZ-965 adopted for production differed from the Moskvich-444 not only in the engine. In Moscow, they held on to the Fiat front suspension with a transverse floating spring. The testers have proven that it is not suitable for off-road conditions. The chief designer of NAMI, the famous A.A. Lipgart ordered a copy of Volkswagen's torsion bar suspension. It is interesting that such a suspension has already been tested on NAMI-031, and not just anyone, but the designers of the MZMA OGK considered it “impossible” to install it on the Moskvich-444. Rear suspension practically remained from FIAT-600 and the same Volkswagen with the same form of levers. Therefore, the rear wheels of the ZAZ-965 were at an angle to the vertical, and ridicule sounded about its "clubfoot".

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Not quite ordinary wheels went from MZMA. Firstly, 13-inch tires were used for the first time in the USSR at Zaporozhets. But for FIAT they were generally 12-inch! Secondly, the Zaporozhets was distinguished by light "donut"-shaped discs with a large hole. This is a legacy of the first samples of the Moskvich-444, in which, in order to somehow insert a motorcycle motor into the car, it was necessary to equip the rear wheels with final drives that protruded outward. In the doors of the first samples there were "beggarly" sliding windows, but normal vents and power windows were introduced in the design bureau of the bodies of the MZMA.

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Andronov just then attracted professional designers with art education to the body design bureau. They corrected the external shape as much as possible. Unlike the FIAT-600, the ZAZ-965 has a "stepped" but not a "sloping" tailgate. At FIAT, the line of the front fenders "goes" into the stamping on the door and breaks off like a "path to nowhere." Below the arch rear wheel there is also an edge, which also breaks off. There is nothing terrible in this, only the MZMA artists Boris Ivanov and Efim Mastbaum did much better. The sidewall of the Moskvich-444 gained integrity when a flat horizontal line appeared, running from nose to tail, and connecting the front fenders with the rear fenders.

The sidewall of the Zaporozhets resembles the Victory of the M-20, which is not surprising. The people who created it, every day saw the Victory going in a continuous stream on the street. When preparing for production, unnecessary decorations were “gone”: a “comb” on the rear fender, a horizontal rib on the door, which made the look solid and laconic. Only the original front fenders did not take root - the Fiat fenders were easier to produce in large quantities.

The rearward-opening doors with external hinges seemed like an atavism of the pre-war bodies. But in OGK MZMA they were left from FIAT intentionally. Andronov came up with a sensible idea. A disabled car should not be made as an original model, which requires separate preparation of production, like NAMI-031, but as a modification unified with a public car. The experience of developing disabled versions of Muscovites at the plant was accumulated by the designer B.V. Efremov, who walked on prostheses of his own design. The wide "Fiat" door opening against the move was perfect for disabled people. In terms of ease of use and driving performance, the Zaporozhets could not be compared with the Serpukhov motorized carriages.

Growth Disorders

The rebuilt farm machinery factory had difficulty in mastering the car. According to the plan, ZAZ counted on 150 thousand cars a year. Documentation for model 965 MZMA transferred to ZAZ from December 1958 to March 1959. In the fourth quarter of 1960, the first 537 commodity Zaporozhians passed through the sales department, and in 1961, only 8297 cars went into the distribution network. Over the next two years, production gradually revived, approaching 20 thousand cars a year. But one could only dream about the design capacity of the plant, so in 1966 about 45 thousand Zaporozhians were released. Several thousand were disabled cars, a little more than a thousand a year - a modification for medical care. Exotic postal ZAZ-965S with right-hand drive was built for two years: 200 cars in 1962 and 450 in 1963.

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The Cossacks dispersed throughout the country, but no one thought about pre-sale preparation or service maintenance. Private traders unofficially repaired the Volga in taxi fleets, and Muscovites - in communication and medical service car depots. Nobody knew what to do with Zaporozhets, especially in the outback.

There were complaints about breakdowns, lack of spare parts and questions about where to repair such a car in general. Growing pains were inevitable. But who overcame the difficulties, he appreciated that Zaporozhets can turn around "on a patch" in a cramped city courtyard, in terms of cross-country ability it is not inferior to all-wheel drive vehicles (it is light and with heavily loaded driving wheels), that it is not difficult to start it in frost, having previously "fired up" heater. True, the flammable stove did not forgive mistakes and required a careful study of the instructions.

The "cramped" salon turned out to be not so cramped, and many owners of the Zaporozhtsev traveled to Moskvich in the "420th body". And then a small 4-seater closed car on four wheels - this is a fundamentally different level of convenience compared to a motorcycle. Let me remind you that there were a lot of private motorcycles in the USSR even before the war, and by the 60s they became widespread.

New Zaporozhets, cargo Zaporozhets, military Zaporozhets

From 1961 to 1966, ZAZ OGK developed Zaporozhets of a new generation ZAZ-966 with more spacious salon and a better suspension. All speculation that he was "copied from NSU Prinz" turned out to be untrue. Neither ZAZ nor NAMI had such machines purchased as analogues, the creators of ZAZ-966 did not know anything about this NSU model at all, and under the imaginary similarity of the external shape, there is a completely different division and design of body units. In December 1966, ZAZ barely mastered two (!) Commercial copies of the "new Zaporozhets", and for the whole of 1967 put on sale only 933 cars.

ZAZ-965 and ZAZ-966 could well coexist in the USSR - they belonged to different groups especially small class, differed in capacity, consumer qualities and price. The hasty withdrawal from production of the ZAZ-965 in May 1969 was unanimously condemned by car owners - the cheapest car left the market. Outraged voices sounded until the 80s when Oki's upcoming release was announced. Despite frankly borrowed from FIAT and Volkswagen technical solutions, ZAZ-965 sold well in Europe, which cannot be said about ZAZ-966. Where it was possible to sell hundreds of "old" Zaporozhians, a few tens of "new" ones could hardly find buyers.

As for the family of cars for various purposes, the role of a public car was played by Zaporozhets himself, the role of a disabled person, as already mentioned above, was its modification. A car for agriculture with the same power unit was released in the late 60s, like the LuAZ-969 in different versions.

ZAZ-970 wagon layout in the form of a van, pickup and mini-bus, was designed, tested and abandoned halfway. I also did not see the mass production of ZAZ-971D with the simplest open body and rear engine. And the conveyor of the front edge, for the sake of which the whole project was started, got to the Lutsk conveyor for a long time. The first commercial batch of LuAZ-967 was manufactured only in 1975.

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Exactly 55 years ago, in November 1960, at the Kommunar plant in Zaporozhye, the serial production of the minicar ZAZ-965 was launched - the famous "hunchback", which became the hero of many films and anecdotes in the USSR

The history of the creation of this model began in the mid-50s. Then the USSR was restoring the national economy after the Great Patriotic War, which left the country not only devastation, but also hundreds of thousands of disabled people who became such during the hostilities. Many of them needed vehicles because they could not move independently. True, since 1952 at the motorcycle plant in Serpukhov for the disabled, the production of sidecars has been established, but they differed in an extremely unaesthetic design, low level comfort and were rightfully considered a parody of a car and a mockery of disabled war veterans.

At the same time, Soviet leaders, including Nikita Khrushchev, understood that people who gave their health for victory should drive good cars. And in general, such a car would not hurt Soviet citizens, because the level of their well-being was growing. What was needed was a small, reliable, easy-to-operate, cheap-to-manufacture, affordable and eye-pleasing vehicle. And soon it was decided to release such a minicar.

Undercover passions

The development was entrusted to specialists from the Moscow Small Car Plant (MZMA, later AZLK), the chief designer of which at that time was Alexander Fedorovich Andronov. Here is what he wrote about it in his memoirs: “A call from the Deputy Chairman of the USSR State Planning Committee N.I. Strokin:

Call me today at seven o'clock, I need to talk about a task.

Appeared. I'm listening.

I here endorsed the Decree on the Zaporozhye plant. It entrusts you with the design of the car. The deadlines are short, so keep that in mind. Make a characteristic yourself, agree with US and give it to me for approval. I have to say that I like FIAT-600. It is technologically advanced, so a prerequisite in the task should be exactly the same division of the body and the methods of connecting its panels. But we must not “rip off” FIAT, this is a prerequisite ...

Nikolay Ivanovich! But we started designing model 408, there are not enough people, there are no premises, no one wants to develop the engineering service - neither the plant, nor SOVNARKHOZ. Let someone else design. Here at least US!

Well, here's another! I said that I endorsed the Resolution. This is just right for you, and your people know small cars ... This issue is resolved, proceed to implementation. In US, I instructed Lipgart to prepare the task and characteristics with you. So hurry up in this matter ...

But here, too, difficulties arose. Lipgart, represented by NAMI, rested on a desire to copy the front suspension of a Volkswagen car. It’s high time not to “rip off”. We argued ... But when approving the terms of reference and characteristics, Strokin adopted the wording of NAMI. The question remained with the engine. First was recorded a two-cylinder, V-shaped, air cooling... And I must say that the design of the entire rear-engine unit, including the transmission and suspension, depends on the design of the engine, and, in addition, the design of the power unit largely affects the design of the entire rear of the car.

By designing a car, body and good engine air cooling, we already foresaw the imminent completion of the work, but then changes in the engine assignment rained down, and everything was approved by Strokin. Lipgart proposed a two-cylinder boxer engine firm BMW with the subsequent purchase of a license. And this was also approved. We have redesigned the entire rear of the vehicle. And after a while, another engine was proposed. The next option is a four-cylinder, V-shaped, air-cooled. NAMI took over its design ... For the sixth time, the rear of the car was altered ... Finally, the project was ready. The body shape was based on a sculpted model, and the principle applied on the FIAT-600 car was laid in the scheme of dividing and connecting the body panels. For the first time, front and rear windows of the same size and shape were used in the body of a passenger car. Front suspension - torsion bar, similar to that of Volkswagen. The layout of the car is vitally strong, the parameters of both suspensions are selected successfully for all types of roads. Large ground clearance provided driving on country roads. Low weight with relatively high strength and reasonable detailed unification with the "Moskvich" distinguished this car. "

Go!

The novelty was to be produced at the Kommunar plant in Zaporozhye, and the engines were supplied from the Melitopol Motor Plant. Actually, the plant became "Kommunar" under the Soviet regime, and it was founded back in 1863 by the Dutch businessman Abraham Koop.

The main product at all times is agricultural machinery. It is not surprising, therefore, that there was no equipment or specialists for auto production in Zaporozhye. Everything had to be organized from scratch. Much credit for this belongs to the then director of the enterprise, Yevgeny Gobelko, who personally visited all the car factories of the Soviet Union and got acquainted with the experience accumulated there.

Gobelko first of all set about creating design and technological services, which, in addition to the main responsibilities, took upon themselves the training of workers, debugging of technology, production of pilot batches of parts, experimental assembly of machines ... They also helped to establish quality control.

When the plant was able to produce cars, Gobelko was transferred to another place of work, and the ZAZ-965 model - the famous "hunchback" "Zaporozhets" - at the end of 1960 went into production. At the same time, the designers altered it for a long time, without ceasing to fight the usual "childhood diseases" in such cases, so the car was slightly different from the one developed at the MZMA.

The Zaporozhets cost 1,800 rubles - only 20 average monthly salaries of an ordinary Soviet citizen, which was much less than the price of cars of other car factories. This ensured his success. Although, to buy a minicar, it was required not only to save up money, but also to stand in line for several years. For disabled people, cars were provided according to special lists, but even here the queue could not be avoided. Nevertheless, people received a four-seater car that could travel at speeds of up to 80 km / h, consuming only 5.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers in the most economical mode. And nothing that this mode was at a speed of 40 km per hour!

There was also export

The plant simultaneously produced cars for general use and modifications for people with disabilities - ZAZ 965B; 965AB; 965AP. In addition, pickups - 965P were assembled for in-plant use. There was also a 965C version with a right-hand drive and plugs instead of rear windows.

A special case- export modification 965E / 965AE, aka "Yalta". It differed from cars intended for operation in the USSR with improved interior trim, enhanced noise insulation, an ashtray and an outside mirror on the driver's side, and side moldings. Such cars were shipped through the Finnish company Konela and the Belgian Scaldia. Some of their dealers even installed a receiver in their car.

True, in Europe, even in an improved version, "Zaporozhets" did not come to court. But in the USSR, "965th" sold out with a bang and became not just an integral part of Soviet reality, the cheapest car of domestic production, but also what is now commonly called a cult car. “Humpbacked” was loved, he was forgiven for constructive flaws, lack of comfort, and disgusting dynamics even at that time.

A few years after its appearance, the car became a "movie star". Henrikh Hovhannisyan was one of the first to film it in the comedy Three Plus Two, which was released in 1963. But people's love sometimes took very unexpected forms. So, hardly any of domestic cars can compete with the "hunchback" in terms of jokes, the hero of which he managed to become.

In 1963, the model was modernized, and a few years later it was discontinued. It was replaced by a more modern ZAZ-966.

Author Edition Auto Panorama No. 11 2015 Photo

1965 ZAZ 965 "Zaporozhets"

ZAZ-965 "Zaporozhets"- Soviet minicar, produced from 1960 to 1963.

ZAZ-965A "Zaporozhets"- modification with a 27 hp engine, produced from November 1962 to 1969.

A total of 322,166 cars of all modifications were produced.

PRICE

At the time of its appearance in 1960, "Zaporozhets" cost 18,000 pre-reform rubles - however, in reality, only a small batch of cars was produced that year, mainly sold to allied factories of ZAZ, the very first commercial vehicles went on sale after the monetary reform, at the price of 1 800 rubles. According to legend, the price was determined as the total cost of 1,000 bottles of vodka (1.80 rubles each).

With the average wage in the USSR in the early 1960s, this value was approximately 20: 1, that is, "Zaporozhets" could be bought for about 20 average wages in the country.

The current cost of ZAZ-965 for secondary market varies greatly depending on the seller and the safety of the car, ranging from several thousand rubles to several thousand dollars.

MODIFICATIONS

• 965 / 965А - standard modification

• 965E / 965AE "Yalta" - export modification, featured side sloping moldings, improved interior trim, enhanced noise insulation, as well as an ashtray and an outside rear-view mirror on the left side. Dealers also installed a radio receiver on 965E / 965AE Yalta cars. The import was carried out through the Finnish company Konela (under the name "Jalta") and the Belgian company Scaldia (under the name "Yalta").

• 965B / 965AB is a modification designed for disabled people with damaged legs and healthy hands.

• 965Р / 965АР - modification designed for disabled people who have one healthy arm and one healthy leg.

• 965С / 965АС - postal van for collecting letters with a right-hand drive. The car had modified air intakes of the cooling system. The rear side windows have been replaced with metal panels.

• The pickup for in-plant use did not have its own index. They were made from defective bodies of serial cars.

ZAZ-965 IN THE PEOPLE

An early version of the ZAZ-965 can be seen in the movie "The Queen of the Gas Station".

Also, the car appears in the cartoon "Winter in Prostokvashino" -

... and bought the old "Zaporozhets", collapsed ...

"ZAZ-965" is shown briefly in the Soviet cartoon "Well, Wait!" in the fifth issue, when the Wolf tries to force the Hare to leave the phone booth. When he lights up a lot of cigarettes, he starts pumping and he goes out onto the road, where a green Zaporozhets almost knocks him down. A car similar to the ZAZ-965 can be seen in the 20th series "Well, wait!"

"ZAZ-965" also starred in the films "Three plus two" (1962), "Until the thunder breaks out" (1967), "Once upon a time twenty years later", "Detective" (1979), "Casket of Maria Medici" (1980) , "Golden Eye" (1995), "Patriotic Comedy" (1992), "LAPTURES. Episode 1 "(2009); Georgian short films "Saturday evening" (1975) and "Three rubles" (1976). The export version of the ZAZ-965AE can be seen in the movie "Acceleratka" (1987), and a homemade convertible based on the ZAZ-965 - in the movie "Be my husband" (1981). In the "Adult" series of the animated series "Barboskins" a scale model "ZAZ-965" with a convertible body is present as a Druzhka machine.

Also ZAZ-965 is one of the heroes of the video for the song "Hey Guy" by Chris Kelmi and the Rock-Atelier group.

• Popular nicknames: "Zhuzhik", "Constipation", "ZAZik", "Kid", etc. But despite the ridicule and anecdotalism, the car was a popular favorite, until the 80s of the last century, while in the XXI century there are lovers of this model.

• Air intake louvers, the so-called "Gills", have another name, which has an interesting history. During the development process, one of the main problems of the car was overheating of the engine. The solution was found by one of the designers of the Kommunar plant (ZAZ), by the name of Wasserman. After testing, the idea was approved and after that, this detail was given the nickname "Wasserman grater".
• Since, thanks to the design, the car was distinguished by high cross-country ability, the people joked: "Where a foreign car slows down," constipation "on the belly will creep in!"

• Among the modifications of the "zhuzhik" there was also a model for disabled people with one arm and one leg ZAZ-965AR. The main feature was an automatic electromagnetic clutch - only two pedals and a gear lever were used to drive the car. Subsequently, it was recognized as insufficiently reliable - the ferromagnetic powder lost its properties over time, in addition, due to the increased moment of inertia of the armature, the fast gear shifting required for intensive acceleration of the car was not provided, and the gearbox synchronizers were significantly overloaded and worn out more. Therefore, over time (already on models based on ZAZ-968), a vacuum-driven clutch was introduced instead.

• The ZAZ-965 became the last Soviet car with a turn signal toggle switch (in fact, the early ZAZ-966 also had a turn signal toggle switch in the middle of the dashboard) and with doors opening against the car's movement.

2008, Reykjavik, the annual Retro Car Auto Show. To the surprise of the automobile public, the Soviet car ZAZ-9B5 "Zaporozheio of Kiev resident Alexei Martynenko became the master of the auto show in the ultra-retro-compact class". Without taking the car off the podium, he immediately set another Allin record by selling it to a certain American millionaire for 365 thousand euros!
The history of ZAZ-965, the first domestic mini-car, or, as they say now, a car of an especially small class, dates back to the mid-1950s, when the Moscow Small Car Plant (MZMA) stopped production of the 401st, the cheapest at that time. "Moskvich" and switched to the production of 402 - more expensive, albeit more modern.
I must say that in the post-war years, the automotive industry of European countries, taking into account the extremely low paying capacity of the population, relied on compact and inexpensive minicar cars - in Germany, these were the Messerschmitt three-wheeled scooter, four-wheeled microcars BMW-lzetta, Zundapp-Janus and Heinkel-Kabine, in Italy - FIAT-500 and FIAT-600, in France - Citroen 2CV, Mochet and Coggomobil. Well, before the Soviet auto industry, the task of mass motorization of the population was not posed - the ideologists of that time proclaimed the priority development for our country public transport- tram, trolleybus, bus and, in extreme cases, a taxi.
For the first time in our country, the initiative to create an inexpensive mass-produced car was shown by the leadership of the Irbit Motorcycle Plant (IMZ), which at that time was producing a heavy M-72 motorcycle with a sidecar. The plant workers proposed to organize the production of an especially small class car at the IMZ on the basis of the main components of the motorcycle. The development of his project was entrusted to the Scientific Automotive Institute (NAMI), while as a result it was supposed to obtain a promising design, quite comfortable, as well as unpretentious in operation and unpretentious to the quality of roads to the same extent as a motorcycle with a sidecar.
One of the main creators of the minicar was the famous auto constructor and designer, Candidate of Technical Sciences Yu.A. Dolmatovsky. I will add - for many years he was a permanent member of the editorial board of the "Modelist-Constructor" magazine and its regular author. In the early 1950s, Yu.A. Dolmatovsky, in collaboration with the designer V.I. Aryamov, worked on the concept of a rear-wheel drive car with a wagon layout, which provided compactness, increased capacity, comfort, and also a lower drag coefficient. It was this layout that was chosen for the future mini-car.
The creation of two prototypes of the car, dubbed the "Belka", took less than a year. The accelerated work on this car was facilitated by the "Kremlin" show in the summer of 1955 of European minicars to the leaders of the state headed by NS Khrushchev - shortly before this event, a batch of such cars was purchased by the Ministry of the Automotive Industry.
It was assumed that at an impromptu meeting, the First Secretary of the Central Committee would give valuable instructions to Soviet auto designers and tell which of the mini-foreign cars could become the prototype of the first Soviet compact car. During the conversation, Nikita Sergeevich was shown photographs of the "Squirrel" - he became interested in domestic development and ordered to urgently make prototypes of the unusual car.
Five prototypes of the car were built in a short time. Unfortunately, it did not come to their testing - by order from above, the engines were removed from them and installed on the prototypes of the future "Zaporozhets" developed in the design bureau of the MZMA, called "Moskvich-444". As a prototype for the car, the Minister of the Automotive Industry N.I. Strokin approved the Italian car of an especially small class FIAT-600. The design of the minicar was supervised by the chief designer of the MZMA A.F. Andronov.

It should be noted that the compact FIAT-600 was not chosen as a model by chance - this car, launched in series in 1955, was the last word of the Italian automotive industry, which had vast experience in creating such cars. This gave hope that a car made in his image and likeness could be produced for a long time.
The first sample of the Soviet compact car "based on" the FIAT-600 was built in October 1957. The car did not become an absolute copy of the "six hundred" - with the external similarity, the landing diameter of its tires increased from 12 to 13 inches to increase ground clearance and, as a result, cross-country ability. In turn, the large wheels required changes in the suspension kinematics, an increase in wheel arches and, accordingly, an adjustment to the interior layout.
Another important difference from the "six hundredth" was the engine - the Italian car was equipped with a 4-cylinder "four" liquid-cooled, and the future "Zaporozhets" was equipped at first with a motorcycle 2-cylinder OP-positive air-cooled engine MD-65 produced by IMZ. True, due to the developed crankcase, the prototype had to be equipped with wheel gears - this was the only way to provide the car with an acceptable ground clearance.
Tests of the car showed that a motorcycle engine was completely unsuitable for it. The engine developed 17.5 hp at the stand, which did not provide the car with the necessary dynamics. And the maximum speed of 80 km / h was significantly lower than the design one - 95 km / h. The Fie stood up to criticism and the reliability of the engine - the mileage of the car before it overhaul was only 30 thousand kilometers.
The designers of MZMA and FIAMH had to undertake the design of a new motor. Power units from Citroen 2CV, BMV-600 and VW Kafer ("Zhuk") cars were used as samples. The most acceptable from the point of view of the designers of the 444th turned out to be the NAMI-V boxer engine, modeled on the VW engine. With such a power unit, it was quite possible to launch the car in a series.
The production of a new minicar, in accordance with the decision of the State Planning Committee, was decided not to be located at the MZMA (it was fully occupied with the production of "Muscovites"), but to be created under new car a new car plant based on the former Kommunar combine plant in the city of Zaporozhye. For reference, this enterprise was founded in the city of Aleksandrov (as the city of Zaporozhye was called until 1921) in 1863 for the manufacture of agricultural implements. In the Soviet years, the plant was reconstructed and expanded, after which an enterprise called Kommunar began to produce harvesters.
The production of engines for minicars was planned to be deployed at the former light plant marine diesels in the city of Melitopol. At the same time, however, it was proposed to use a non-boxer for the car. motor NAMI-V, and NAMI-G, which, according to experts from the State Planning Commission, was designed at a higher technical level. He, however, had a drawback - the designers designed the motor in such a way that it could be installed only in front of the car! But the State Planning Commission had at the same time a weighty argument - NAMI-G, created by specialists of the military-industrial complex as a power unit for a light amphibious landing, was almost ready for serial production.
Despite the strong objections of the car developers, the 23-horsepower engine, which received the name MeMZ-965 in the series, was approved for installation on a minicar. True, its dimensions differed in a larger direction from the sizes of those engines that were installed on the 444th earlier, so the rear of the car had to be urgently redone - to change the rear fenders, and make the smooth hood convex. At the same time, the layout of the engine had to be adjusted - in particular, that of its block, which consisted of a gearbox, a clutch housing, a differential and a transfer case.
The finished minicar was named ZAZ-965 "Zaporozhets". On July 18, 1960, the car was taken to the Kremlin for approval.
Test driver A.V.Skidaenko drove N.S. Khrushchev along the building of the Council of Ministers of the USSR to Ivanovskaya Square and back. Nikita Sergeevich approved the car, advising the financiers to set a not too high price for it, which was done - the cost of "Zaporozhets" was 12,000 rubles (after the 1961 denomination - 1200 rubles).
The serial production of the minicar began on October 25, 1960; by the end of the year, the plant assembled about one and a half thousand cars.
In 1966, the car was modernized - it was equipped with a more powerful 27-horsepower engine with a working volume of 0.887 liters, a steering wheel with a recessed hub, sidelights under the headlights (and not on the fenders, like in cars of the first releases), moldings along the sidewalls of the body and a decorative grille on the front panel.
965 turned out to be the long-awaited and therefore beloved brainchild of the Soviet people. This was facilitated by its relative affordability, and excellent maintainability (they claim that almost any more or less competent driver could disassemble and reassemble a miniature passenger car), and fantastic cross-country ability due to the smooth bottom and competent weight distribution along the axes (even 650 -kilogram "Zaporozhets" easily pulled out the minicar crew), and excellent economy (the car consumed only 6.5 liters of 76th gasoline per hundred kilometers) and, in the end, the high strength and rigidity of the two-door body.
The serial production of the "hunchback" continued for nine years, during this time the Zaporozhye automobile plant produced 302,166 cars, after which it happened what often happens to many of our automobile plants, sometimes forgetting that consumer sympathies created and cultivated for many years manufactured goods, which are now called the capacious term "brand", are as invaluable as the design and engineering solutions incorporated into the product. The car, which was loved by Soviet motorists, was discontinued and instead of it, the production of a completely inexpressive ZAZ-966 began, which differed slightly from the "Muscovites" and "Zhiguli" in size and price, and very radically in terms of consumer properties.

Airframe ZAZ-965A

ZAZ-965A "Zaporozhets" is a frameless minicar four-seater two-door car of an especially small class with a monocoque closed body. The engine is a carburetor, 4-cylinder V-shaped upper clan, its power is 27 hp, it is located together with the transmission units in the rear part of the body. Fuel - gasoline A-76, control fuel consumption - 5.9 l / 100 km; the highest speed is 90 km / h.
ZAZ-965A had a modernized power unit MeMZ-966 models produced by the Melitopol Motor Plant, which included the actual engine, clutch and gearbox with main gear. All engine components are mounted on a common crankcase, cast from a magnesium alloy. On top of the crankcase, there are separate cast iron cylinders arranged in two rows at an angle of 90 degrees. Cooling ribs are cast on the outer surface of each cylinder. Above, on each pair of cylinders, a common ribbed head made of light alloy is fixed through a gasket.
The pistons were cast from an aluminum alloy. Crankshaft, which had four cranks, located in pairs in mutually perpendicular planes, was installed on three main bearings in the front and rear walls of the crankcase and in its middle bulkhead.
The latest ZAZ-965A cars were equipped with an upgraded 30-horsepower MeMZ-966A engine.
The drive mechanisms of the driving wheels of the car, including the main gear and the differential with semi-axles, are installed in a common crankcase with the gearbox, which is connected to the engine crankcase.
The car is equipped with a dry single-plate clutch with peripherally located springs and a mechanical pedal release drive. A stamped steel clutch cover containing a pressure plate with six pressure springs is bolted to the engine flywheel. Between the flywheel and the pressure plate there is a clutch disc with friction linings.

The ZAZ-965A has a two-shaft four-speed gearbox with synchronizers for engaging the second, third and fourth gears. All gearbox mechanisms are mounted in a crankcase, cast from light alloy together with the final drive housing and attached to the clutch housing.

The rear drive wheels have independent suspension. The drive shaft bracket for each of the drive wheels is attached to a swinging angled two-arm suspension arm. Coil springs are used in the wheel suspension, inside of which are telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers.

The wheels of the car are disc, lightweight, with a deep symmetrical rim; wheel tires are tubeless. A characteristic feature of the Zaporozhets is a rather large camber of the rear wheels, which, however, under normal load, became almost invisible.
The front wheels also have independent suspension. The elastic element of the front suspension is a pair of rectangular torsion bars assembled from steel plates and installed in tubular casings. The latter are rigidly fixed across the vehicle at the front of the base of the body.

Front suspension shock absorbers are hydraulic, telescopic type. The steering gear of the ZAZ-965A car is a pair of a globoid worm and a two-ridge roller. The latter is fixed on the shaft axis of the steering arm on ball bearings. The worm, mounted in the crankcase on two tapered roller bearings, is fixed to the lower end of the steering shaft. The steering box is secured to the body base bracket and the steering column is secured to the bracket on the body shield. The two-spoke steering wheel is mounted on the upper end of the steering shaft. The signal button is located in the center of the steering wheel.
The ZAZ-965 brake system includes shoe (drum) brakes with hydraulic drive from the foot pedal. Rear brakes they also perform the function of parking and have a cable drive from a lever located between the front seats of the machine.

The "humpback" still has a lot of fans, confirmed by numerous rallies and shows vintage cars as well as clubs and communities of fans of 965 Zaporozhians. Many amateur autobuilding historians and amateur mechanics scrupulously restore retro cars to the last detail, many enthusiasts consider these minicars as an object for tuning, creating magnificent examples of automotive design on the basis of the 965s. Well, the smallest part continues to drive "humpbacks", causing a kind smile from the drivers of oncoming and passing cars.

Driver's workplace:

1 - gas pedal; 2 - gear shift lever; 3 - brake pedal; 4 - clutch pedal; 5 - handle of the trunk hood lock; 6 - beep button; 7 - windscreen washer pump switch; 8 - instrument panel; 9 steering wheel; 10- sun visor;
11 - rearview mirror; 12 warning light for emergency oil pressure; 13-toggle switch for turning on the wiper blades; 14 - central light switch; 15 - ignition lock key; 16 - toggle switch for turning on direction indicators; 17 - a control lamp of the generator; 18 - heater switch; 19-signal lamp for normal operation of the heater; 20-handle for heater flaps; 21 - button for controlling the air damper of the carburetor ("suction"); 22-lever hand (parking) brake
The dashboard of the ZAZ-965 car had the required minimum of indicators: a speedometer with a distance meter, fuel level and oil temperature indicators, a repeater of turn signals and a warning lamp for headlights

Technical characteristics of the car ZAZ-965A "Zaporozhets"
Number of places, people
Curb weight, kg
Full weight, kg
Length, mm	3330
Width, mm	1395
Height, mm
Front track, mm
Rear track, mm
Ground clearance, mm:
under the front axle under the rear axle
Maximum speed, km / h
Control fuel consumption, l / 100 km ...	5,5
Maximum engine power, h.p.