Image of Zaporozhets ZAZ-966

Zaporozhets ZAZ-966 specs

Car type Compact
Curb weight 720 kg (1587 lbs)
Introduced 1966
Origin country Ukraine
Views 5.1k
Submitted by Iggz

Powertrain specs

Engine type V4 aircooled
Displacement 1.0 l (61 ci)
Power 42 ps (41 bhp / 31 kw)
Power / liter 42 ps (41 hp)
Power / weight 58 ps (57 bhp) / t
Transmission 4 manual
Layout rear engine, rear wheel drive
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Iggz  12y ago

@ Mental
Spasibo Bratan !


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Mental  12y ago

@Iggz
I guess you understand Russian, so you won't be confused here:
http://www.autowp.ru/zaz/zaporozhets/966/

;)


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Iggz  12y ago

@ Mental
We not only feel similar about this thing, we ae also from a similar background ! Reminds me how small the World is in fact.
Well i got this picture from Wiki who claims this is a 966 but they could be wrong of course. You have any pictures that show your version of a 966 ?


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Mental  12y ago

"The car has that Corvair like, un-grilled front end, the back end kind of reminds me of that Opel Richard Hammond drove in Botswana,"

So right. Opel Kadett A (or 'Oliver') always reminded me Zapor 966. And this similar to the Corvair front end. IMO, this car is very stylish. In aspect of style, it clearly is nicer than most 90-ties Japanese people's car.

BTW, actually, isn't it '74-'79 968 ZAZ at the picture? As I can remember, 966 had a grille at the front?


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Mental  12y ago

Zapor!!! Oooh, old-good memories... Yeah, such a nostalgia...

..Me too, also being a kid, I played with guys in another such abandoned ZAZ, imagining ourselves as racing drivers... :)

..My granddad used to own ZAZ 965. It had a nickname "Hunchback" because of its shape. Basically it was close to the Fiat 500, and was a predecessor to this 966. The top speed of that thing was no more than 90 kph, and it sounded like a hell at above 3000 rpm. Even when I was a child, I felt uncomfortable at the back seats... I didn't inherit that car, because it broke down way long before grand's death... Anyway, I got dad's Lada "Copeck", it felt luxurious... :D

Ah, those ZAZes were soo unique. Even it was so clumsy, unpractical, unreliable and underpowered, it still.. that was something... Nostalgia...


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Iggz  12y ago

@Shaggy
Most luxurious Soviet car was a copy of a Cadillac - Tchaika. Only chosen goverment officials such as ministers and presidents and obviusly state heros such as astronauts received one :

http://encarsglobe.com/photo/md/tchaika-tchaika/03/


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Shaggy  12y ago

@ Iggz: I'm not much for commie cars, but I do admit, they are unique, the manufacturers were definitely thinking outside the box. This Zhaporozhets ZAZ-966 is interesting.


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Iggz  12y ago

@ Shaggy
If you like this, I have more many more commie cars to come ) habe you heard about the Polish Fiat ? Looks like another version of the legendary Fiat 500. Im still seeing plenty of them around in Western Europe.


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Shaggy  12y ago

@ Iggz: Thanks for the compliment. The car has that Corvair like, un-grilled front end, the back end kind of reminds me of that Opel Richard Hammond drove in Botswana, those air inlets look cool, looks pleasing to drive, I wouldn't use it for my commute to work, but it would make a nice city car.


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Iggz  12y ago

@ Shaggy
You have a good eye for details dude:

Quote from Wiki:
'ZAZ-966 Zaporozhets model was made from late 1966 to 1972, although the prototype was ready in 1961. It had a completely restyled bodywork, no longer resembling the Fiat 600, but now resembling Chevrolet Corvair or the German NSU Prinz.'


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Shaggy  12y ago

@ Iggz: The front end reminds me of a Chevrolet Corvair. It looks like a pleasurable little car to drive, slow, but pleasurable.


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FastestLaps  12y ago

Well, the ZAZ was of course the "poor man's car". Everyone in former soviet union territory knows "the ZAZ jokes". ZAZ represented the absolute cheapest and ****iest car while Mercedes (at that time it was the iconic Mercedes 500 W140) represented the rich and absolute best.

But it's not about how good or bad this car was. As you know, it's about nostalgia. And some aspects of it were good - it had an unusual, great sounding engine in unusual place, and it had rear wheel drive, so kids who got one could do some drifting exercises on snow or gravel.

So it was a fun car and a very nostalgic one for someone like me.


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Iggz  12y ago

@FastestLaps
I didn't expect such a positive reaction to a ZAZ. Even in CSU countries these cars are often Mocked for being poor people's vehicles. I was born in the same country those cars were built so for me as well there is plenty of Nostalgia associated with a Zaporozhets.


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FastestLaps  12y ago

I absolutely love these ZAZes.

I used to play in few abandoned ones when I was a child.

And I will never forget that V4 sound!

If I could afford to have many cars and a garage large enough to fit them, I would definitely include a ZAZ 9XX in my collection.

It's a sentimental treasure for me :D


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Iggz  12y ago

Please also note those super cool air intakes on the side )


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Iggz  12y ago

This Ukrainian babe has a rear mounted engine with a rear wheel drive setup similar to Porsche ). A legend says that same aircooled partial aluminium V4 engine was used as start-up motor in Russian tanks. The engine looks a bit like the VW aircooled boxer four, except that the two cylinder banks are at a 90 degree angle..