Zaporozhets

Context

There are times when I watch Youtube videos about adult children (mostly sons) giving their father (never their mother) a car from his youth. Sometimes, it is the exact car. At other times it is just something similar. Often it is a perceived upgrade to an early Chevrolet Corvette or even a Ford Mustang. For me, the closest vehicle would be a Hillman Minx convertible. Despite this being a very unreliable car.

These days, my favourite Hillman is a Husky. One of our neighbours, Alf Fenton (1902 – 1995) owned one. I don’t need a Hillman, or a more upscale Sunbeam Rapier, or the sporty Sunbeam Alpine. The V-8 Sunbeam Tiger has never held any appeal. In terms of American cars, I found the Nash Rambler and Nash Metropolitan close to my taste, although I admit being seduced by the Willys Jeep Utility Wagon, from the late 1940s, early 1950s. In addition, I have always admired the Chevrolet Corvair, despite Ralph Nadar’s (1934 – ) criticism of it, in Unsafe at Any Speed (1965). However, I have no need to own any of these. Indeed, I have no need to own any internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. The world needs a transition to renewable energy, most often battery electric, vehicles. If I need nostalgia, Trish has already bought a VW Buzz, our first EV. If I behave myself, I am allowed to drive it.

In more recent years, I have had a theoretical interest in converting dead ICE vehicles into EV = (Battery) electric vehicles. I refer to this as fuprobve = future-proofing obsolete vehicles. Yes, for me, that vehicle should be something working class. Originally, I thought it could be something made by Renault, but then I wondered if a Ukrainian Zaporozhets could be converted. I have written about this process previously. in a post titled Transition One. The main reason for wanting to reconstruct an EV from an ICE vehicle, is to gain insights into the process, that would result in the production of educational materials.

Zaporozhets

Roughly translated Zaporozhets refers to а man/ person (I hope) from Zaporizhzhia or the Zaporozhzia Oblast = region or province.

Zaporozhets (Ukranian: Запорожець) the car, were mainly produced from 1960 to 1994. After that they became clones of something else. These vehicles are legendary for their quirky, hyper-utilitarian design. Quirkiness suits my personality. I am uncertain if I could successfully combine it with utilitarianism. Often referred to as the Soviet Volkswagen Beetle, these small cars were engineered to be the most affordable vehicles in the Soviet Union. They were a series of air-cooled V4 engined, rear-wheel-drive small cars, some designed, but all were built at the ZAZ factory in Zaporizhzhia, a city of over 700 000, in southeast Ukraine, on the banks of the Dnieper River. Different Zaporozhets models were produced. Chronologically, the 965 was produced from 1960 – 1970 = 10 years. Those are the years when I transitioned from teenager to something resembling an adult. The 965, was designed in Moscow at NAMI (Науковий автомоторний інститут, in Ukrainian, since we no longer use Russian) the Soviet central scientific research automobile and automotive engines institute. While many of Russia’s early post-WW2 cars were based on appropriated western designs, NAMI centralized the planning and design of new vehicles. It was Russian Soviet minister Nikolay Strokin who had NAMI’s engineers essentially copy the Fiat 600. Some sources claim that the design was inspired by the Chevrolet Corvair.

The 966 was made from 1967 to 1972 = 5 years . The 968 was made from 1972 to 1994 = 22 years. The final rear-wheel-drive series, ZAZ-968M, was also available in an export version, ZAZ-968E and ZAZ-968AE. These offered improved features compared to vehicles made for the domestic = Soviet market, such as soundproofing. Depending on target markets, the model names Jalta or Eliette were used for these cars.

The V4 configuration was chosen over a boxer layout specifically to make valve adjustments easier for owners who had to work on their cars at home without a professional garage. Filterless Sustainability: The engine was designed with an oil bath air filter and an oil centrifuge rather than disposable filters. Maintenance simply required cleaning and washing the components rather than buying replacement parts. Gas-Powered Cabin Heater: Because the engine was air-cooled and mounted in the back, it couldn’t easily transfer heat to the cabin. ZAZ installed an independent, gasoline-fueled heater in the front trunk. While it heated the car quickly in brutal winters, it was notoriously loud and had a reputation for being finicky.

Bodywork used a flat underbody. Because the engine and transmission were combined in the rear, the car had no driveshaft tunnel running through the floor. The completely smooth, flat underbody allowed it to slide over obstacles like mud and deep snow without getting caught. Rugged Suspension: Equipped with a heavy-duty independent torsion-bar front suspension and trailing-arm rear suspension, the car offered high ground clearance and significant wheel travel, allowing it to navigate broken countryside roads and dirt paths with ease. Personal note: Finding a car with sufficient ground clearance has always been a challenge for people choosing to live in Rural Norway.

Beginning in the late 1980s, ZAZ transitioned to water-cooled, front-mounted engines with front-wheel drive. Models included: 1102 Tavria Hatchback made from 1987–2007. The 1105 Dana was made from 1994 to 2011 = 17 years. It was a five-door station wagon. The L1300 Sens was made from 2004 to 2017 = 13 years. The car was based directly on the Daewoo Lanos platform, which is where the L in the model name comes from.

The most appropriate model for someone like me would probably be an early station wagon or a van. Later models seem a little too muddle-class, for my tastes. Unfortunately, the classic, rear-engined Zaporozhets series, like the ZAZ-965 or ZAZ-968, were never mass-produced as factory station wagons, though prototypes and van variants (such as the ZAZ-965S post office van) existed. The problem with the ZAZ-965S is that it is right-hand drive.

Would I buy a Zaporozhets? Yes, if I could find a suitable model. My first consideration is to avoid causing hardships in the Ukraine. I do not want to take a functioning car from someone who needs it. However, I could accept a car with a non-functioning engine. Hopefully, it would still come with most of the other components, allowing it to be transformed it into an EV.

Zaporozhets, the vehicle, is still well known in many former Soviet states. Like the Fiat 500, the Hillman Imp, NSU Prinz, Renault Dauphine, the Trabant, the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Zastava 750, the Zaporozhets was an affordable people’s car, not just for Ukraine, but the entire Soviet Union. It was sturdy and suited to driving on poor roads. It was also easy to repair. There were other rear drive cars, made elsewhere, that were less basic transport, these include the Chevrolet Corvair, the Karmann-Ghia, the Hino Contessa and assorted Porsche models.

The Zaz’s appearance gave birth to several nicknames: horbatyi = hunchback (owing to ZAZ-965’s insect-like form); malysh = kiddy; maanteemuhk = (Estonian: Roadbump), ushastyi = big-eared”, due to the ZAZ-966 and ZAZ-968’s round air intakes on each side of the car), zapor = constipation: mylnitsa = soap-box, for the ZAZ-968M’s lack of ears, producing a box-like appearance. Other vehicles in this class also had nicknames, such as the Beetle for the Volkswagen type 1, and variants of Fico for the Serbian Zastava, named after a comic book character shown below. He was regarded as dimwitted.

Mobility versions of the Zaporozhets were produced, equipped with controls that allowed operation by disable people. These were given away free or with considerable discounts. These were similar to the SMZ series of microcars. These mobility cars would at times take up to 25% of ZAZ factory output.

One of the reasons I am mentally attracted to working-class cars like the Zaporozhets, is their use of colour. The last time I was out driving I encountered nine cars in a row that were all painted in variations of gray. Most were German models, or Volvos. Dullist colourless vehicles have never attracted me. Zaporizhets are famous for their distinctive, bright, and often pastel factory color palettes. Unlike the more conservative shades found on luxury Soviet vehicles, these people’s cars were painted in vivid hues to appeal to non-elite citizens and stand out on the road.

Notable colours include: Corrida Orange: A very common, highly recognizable bright orange shade often seen on the late-70s and 80s ZAZ-968M models; Adria Blue & Pastel Light Blue: A classic, sky-like shade popularized early on by the rounded ZAZ-965 (Humpback); Ochre Golden & Safari Yellow: Deep mustard and vibrant yellow respectively that became a defining look for the car series; Pale Green / Mint Green: Soft, retro pastel greens that were heavily produced during the 1970s; White & Off-White: The standard baseline colors, highly favored for export variants sold under the name Yalta; Deep Red & Purple: Darker tones like deep red and rare, authentic dark purples were also produced for specific model rollouts and festivals. Two-Tone Schemes: Export versions (like the Yalta) sometimes offered striking two-tone color blocks. A highly famous variation paired pale yellow and pale blue, intentionally mirroring the Ukrainian national flag.

Western exports of the Zaporozhets were primarily directed toward a limited number of European countries that included Finland, France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. In some of these markets, the original air-cooled V4 engine was replaced with a water-cooled Renault engine to make it more appealing to Western owners.

While other Soviet-era car brands like Lada, Moskvitch, and Volga found official distributors and a steady market in Norway during the Cold War, the Zaporozhets did not.

So which model would I want? Perhaps a Y/Jalta. Something that begins with 9 in its model designation. I do not have to own the vehicle. At my age, gaining skills, or at least experience, is more important.