One of the reasons for the current deplorable state of the automotive industry in Russia is the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was in the 1980s that the automotive industry of the state could give odds to anyone. And with the proper continuation of development, companies could today demonstrate much more than well-known German or Japanese concerns. By the time the great country collapsed, many concepts had been developed, which were subsequently frozen. Interestingly, some of them still look attractive to this day. Many unusual and beautiful concepts were already after the collapse of the Union, but for one reason or another, the cars did not go into series. Today we offer to look at the power domestic auto industry, which did not enter mass production and did not become a cult product in sales, as was previously expected.
It turns out that the VAZ, UAZ, Moskvich and GAZ concerns had an incredible amount of such new products. And today the lineup the same UAZ is definitely not the best of all the proposed options. You might not even hear about the new products that were previously offered by company engineers, tested and produced in the form of prototypes. But these cars could well become iconic and sell hundreds of thousands of copies. Today, the history of cars that did not go into mass production turns out to be amazing. It is difficult to imagine how much the climate of domestic transport manufacturers would change if all the successful concepts were implemented. Let's look at some of them.
ZIL 4102 - a prototype of a cool sedan in 1989
The time was hard, but the ZIL corporation worked at full capacity, producing cars for commercial purposes, as well as updating the line of so-called "member carriers". The term, although not unambiguous, but it comes from the title "member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union", and not from other variations of this word.
ZIL 4102 was conceived as such a "member carrier", but in fact the car would have turned out to be an excellent Mercedes competitor of those times. And if the corporation had taken up production in a series, then in the 1990s, new Russians would not have bought Mercedes, chasing this representative of the domestic auto industry. But on the project, everything died out.
Volga - GAZ 3111 with an attempt to improve the situation
Another failed project was the renewal of the Volga, which in the 1990s was already experiencing incredible sales difficulties. GAZ Corporation was actively working and had several prototypes to replace old model auto. GAZ 3111 is the most real contender for the production of a car in a series. This car offered the following features:
- a significantly modified body, the design of the car received major changes that could lead the machine to success;
- the new ZMZ direct injection engine was also to develop into a diesel project for a passenger car;
- also promised the production of cars with front and all-wheel drive, which would become even more popular in Russia;
- little has changed drastically in the cabin, so talking about a potential huge success was too different.
In 1998, the project even went into series, starting into production in small quantities. The trial batch started selling at a huge price, and the reputation of GAZ at that time was not too predictable. Like these ones unusual features could be seen in the GAZ prototype, which was ruined by excessive cost and lack of popular interest.
Moskvich 2141 - the end of the life of the Moscow car brand
In the late 1990s, the Moscow Automobile Plant had to either make a revolution or simply leave the market forever. It happened, as we understand it, the second, but this was preceded by a good attempt to create a more presentable car than you might imagine. This is Moskvich 2141.
The corporation has created a very decent technique with good features and a good idea. In the long version, the machine even got a version with all-wheel drive. But the problem is that the prototypes were assembled from defective parts, and the quality of production has already suffered greatly. It was the last thing the legendary Muscovite was capable of.
GAZ 3106 - crossover or SUV?
In 2004, the release of a large GAZ 3106 crossover with excellent design and good units under the hood seemed more than real. The company worked on the machine in 1999, invested very serious money in it, but did not get the desired exhaust. The problem turned out to be simple - the lack of normal mathematics at the plant.
5 years of exhibitions and improvements led to the fact that in 2004 the corporation announced the release and sale of the GAZ 3106 at a price of $12,000. And in 2005, after the presentation of a couple of prototypes in car dealerships, the project was covered up. However, with more corporate pressure, this project could achieve some success.
UAZ Simba (3165) - a project for every Russian
If at one time Simba had been on the conveyor instead of the Patriot, the financial problems of the UAZ plant would have been resolved for many years. Not only experts think so, but also Russian motorists. Simba is a beautiful concept that comes in the form of a van, truck and van. The machine had the following features:
- injection engines already in 1999, a modern technical base with a certain degree of reliability and endurance;
- just a unique and versatile body shape with huge practical advantages over rivals;
- quite up-to-date design, as for those times, a very well-made interior with a well-thought-out layout;
- the cargo capabilities of the van were simply incredible, it is universal and very necessary on Russian market machine even today.
But the problem turned out to be tritely simple - the plant with its minimum turnover simply did not pull the project. For 4 years, the company took prototypes to exhibitions, talked about promises and certain modifications, and then in 2003 the project was closed until better times. It seems that even today a slightly turned Simba would be in place in the market.
Lada GTi 2.0 - a revolution at AvtoVAZ
We need crossovers, and Russian factories produce only dubious quality sedans. AvtoVAZ boldly answered this statement in 2000, making an almost real SUV out of the VAZ 2111. Lada GTi 2.0, as the name implies, had a 2-liter power unit from Opel and an excellent gearbox, as well as a number of other design changes.
In the cabin, almost nothing was touched, but a lot has changed in the running parts. Because of this, the course of the car has improved, the clearance has risen. There was a plastic protection, standard for an urban crossover. Alloy wheels looked very confident. But the project turned out to be too expensive and was forced to go down in history without becoming a series.
VAZ 2151 - another failed Zhigul
Another extremely exciting project- station wagon VAZ 2151. It was supposed to replace the "Four" and become a new cult embodiment of the classics. Attractive appearance was established in 2002 without selling most of the plant's shares to foreign investors. And this demonstrates the ability of the corporation to make certain bold decisions.
The machine was much more modern than Classics, became the hope of the company, but already a year after the start active work with the car, the plant experienced the largest crisis in history, and the issue of the production of VAZ 2151 remained unresolved. To this day, the concept remains a rather attractive continuation of the VAZ line.
Oka-2 - planned for release in 2003
Already a decade and a half ago, the same AvtoVAZ developed a wonderful continuation of the very popular city baby Oka. Then the car received not only fruitless plans on paper, but a real concept that had a great ride on exhibitions. On the new generation of the Eye, one could find the following features:
- the 0.75 liter engine had 33 forces, but this was quite enough for urban movement;
- fuel consumption was incredibly pleasing, it is practically a motorcycle with the ability to hide from rain and snow;
- the appearance of the machine was fine-tuned, the car received a beautiful interior, suitable for the time;
- nice machine has found a decent suspension, which stopped rolling the driver and passengers as if on a heater.
But the problem is that this concept also came at a time of crisis. At first, the Oka-2 was postponed for a year or two, and then simply put in the archive, where the model is to this day. However, the machine quite possibly became one of the prototypes of the design of the Kalina family.
GAZ 3115 - one of the last experiments of Gorky
In the period from the early 1990s to the early 2000s, the Gorky Plant spent more money on projects and concepts than on real release cars. GAZ 3115 is another replacement for the outdated 3110, which was similar in appearance to Chrysler, and also received many new technical details.
For example, the concept used fully independent suspension, disc brakes, copyright alloy wheels. Many details have received a real improvement, including a significantly improved interior. But the model was too expensive, so the company put into production a slightly redesigned Chrysler and cost little.
UAZ 3170 - a promising SUV without a future
Automobiles of the UAZ corporation received simply incredible opportunities to develop in the late 1980s. Then there was funding, sorted out models and options for using funds. But today, unfortunately, we only have to remember the past glory. UAZ 3170 in the form of a prototype of the late 80s resembles the Pajero from Mitsubishi, which appeared a little later.
From this we can conclude that Russian engineers and designers had a chance to anticipate the development of SUVs in Russia and get a real increase in production capacity and sales. But the well-known event of the early 1990s killed this prospect.
We offer you to watch fragments of tests of this line on the following video:
Summing up
There are thousands of beautiful concept cars around the world that seem like the perfect fit for the buyer. But in fact, many external factors affect the release and serial production of the vehicle. There are dozens of features that should be considered in this sense. Each plant has its own difficulties in manufacturing Vehicle. Production budgets are huge, so each model goes through many stages of testing and planning. Otherwise, the economic existence of the company will be impossible by definition.
Therefore, many visually beautiful concepts do not find their potential buyer. Sometimes corporations do not dare to launch bold projects, the potential sale of which is very difficult to determine. Only today, AvtoVAZ is starting to actively launch new cars in series, and other concerns have become assembly lines for many European, Japanese and Korean companies. Such a fate is clearly not conducive to the development of domestic car production. And what cars that have not been sent to the series seem to you the most promising?
In the “Andersson era”, which was headed by AvtoVAZ on January 13, 2014, the Togliatti auto giant managed to launch a bunch of new models and modifications into the series, and some of them went to concepts until recently. We immediately counted seven models: Lada Granta Liftback, 4x4 Urban, Kalina Sport, Kalina Cross, Largus Cross and, of course, fundamentally new for the Vesta and Xray plant. Plus the first serial "robot" in the history of the enterprise. And the previously promised Lada Vesta Cross and Xray Cross. And all this - in less than 2.5 years and against the backdrop of a flaring crisis!
It must be said that not all of AvtoVAZ's undertakings are so fortunate. To paraphrase an old KVN joke about football, there were many moments, but the implementation was chronically lame. After all, the plant was "creative" before Andersson's arrival. But over the years of his predecessors' reign at the plant, out of many interesting projects, only a few survived to small-scale production, and most remained in several experimental samples. We have selected the brightest of them.
Project Lada C
"Project C" can be safely called one of the most famous, large-scale and ambitious plans of AvtoVAZ. It started in 2006, was made jointly with the Canadian company Magna International and assumed the creation of a whole series of cars in the C segment. And everything was not created from scratch, the VAZ workers already had a backlog.
Introduced in 2007, the prototype VAZ "Project C" (pictured) was a serious evolution and continuation of the concept of the early "Silhouette". According to the project, it was supposed to release both a sedan and models in hatchback and station wagon bodies.
So, at the Moscow Motor Show in 2004, they presented a model of the VAZ-2116 "Silhouette" sedan (top photo) - the first brick of the future project. Moreover, a new platform with an independent rear suspension was designed for Lada C, and the range of units should have included gasoline engines 1.6, 1.8 and 2 liters, diesels, automatic and all-wheel drive!
After the "Silhouette", a sports three-door hatchback appeared as part of the project - its prototype under the name C Concept was presented at Geneva Motor Show 2007. It was reported that the concept of "charged" Lada C is equipped with a 2-liter engine, and the maximum speed is 210 km/h. There was even talk about the estimated price - about 450,000 rubles of that time!
Well, in 2008, the conceptual urban crossover Lada C-Cross (index 2119) debuted at the Moscow Motor Show. For him, they planned to install engines with a volume of 1.6 to 2 liters, which, with a curb weight of about 1.4 tons, provided a "maximum speed" of up to 190 km / h.
Alas, none of these developments was destined to become serial! In 2008, the crisis was already raging in full swing in the world and there was no time for ambitions. And then a future VAZ partner appeared on the horizon in the face of the Renault-Nissan alliance. In short, in 2009, cooperation with Magna and the Lada C project itself were frozen, and the presented prototypes ended up in the plant's museum.
Lada 111 GTI 2.0 4x4
Several prototypes released
As long as Niva exists, so many signals from the people have been sent to AvtoVAZ that it would be nice to attach all-wheel drive to passenger models factory. And in Tolyatti they honestly tried to do it, more than once! Probably the brightest attempt is the experimental Lada 111 GTI 2.0 4x4 (21116-04) of the 2001 model. A sort of our answer if not Audi Allroad, then at least Subaru with its "cars" Legasy and Impreza! Created on the basis of the serial station wagon VAZ-21113, the car outwardly differed in ground clearance increased to 185 mm, larger wheels and overlays on the body. Inside - a 150-horsepower 2-liter Opel engine paired with a 5-speed manual transmission of the same company, plus a rear axle drive through a GKN viscous coupling.
Lada 111 GTI 2.0 4x4
IN all-wheel drive transmission enough original parts(like an angular power take-off gearbox and aluminum universal joints), and the rear independent (!) suspension on double levers was drawn by the VAZ team from scratch and rested on its own subframe! Alas, the approximate price of $14,000-16,000 made this development too expensive for a poor Russian client. The replacement of the Opel engine with a VAZ would not help much either. As a result, the project was closed.
Another attempt was the prototype of the all-wheel drive "Kalina" named Lada 1117 4WD (top photo), presented in 2007. The rear drive axle was also connected with a viscous coupling, and the standard engine was replaced with a more powerful 100-horsepower 1.8-liter VAZ unit paired with a reinforced manual transmission. Moreover, instead of the rear twisted beam, the prototype was made independent suspension McPherson! But this time, the matter did not reach the serial production of an almost finished car. Maybe, at least with a raised station wagon, everything will finally work out?
VAZ-2106 "Tourist"
Several prototypes released
At AvtoVAZ, they experimented not only with concepts, but also with models closer to real life. For example, with pickups. One of the little-known and unexpected options is the prototype VAZ-2106 "Tourist" (top photo). This pickup truck with a tent built into the body was created by order of the technical directorate of the plant, but the head office rejected the idea. existed in single copy the car will then be repainted in a red color scheme and will be used as a factory technical service for a long time.
Did you know that everyone knows Chevrolet Niva once existed in the back of a pickup truck and a van? After all, Shniva was originally created at AvtoVAZ, where it bore the name VAZ-2123 and was produced in small series from 1998 to 2002. It was later that the license for it was sold joint venture GM-AvtoVAZ, which turned it into Chevrolet Niva.
But up to this point, AvtoVAZ managed to create several samples of the VAZ-2323 pickup truck, which was presented at the Moscow Motor Show in 1999. The rear overhang of the car was lengthened under the cargo platform 1.6 meters long, and the reinforced rear suspension provided a load capacity of up to 475 kg. Moreover, the motor of the experimental pickup was diesel, Russian-made. In the same year, a test van VAZ-2723 was made on the basis of a pickup truck. How did it all end? Guess three times! That's right, both promising car and remained at the stage of prototypes.
Created in a single copy
Yes, yes, this is Lada! An incredible electric concept car named "Rapan" was presented by AvtoVAZ in Paris in 1998, where this device made a lot of noise. Still, everyone is used to the fact that such curiosities are drawn by the French or crazy Swiss from some Sbarro - and here the Russians decided to show off with Colani-style biodesign.
The concept had sliding doors, a transparent bubble roof, rotating front seats and sliding rear seats, a flat floor ... When the driver exited, the steering wheel stood up vertically, while AvtoVAZ designers put not only control buttons on the steering wheel itself onboard functions but also the instruments themselves!
The drive and transmission of the Rapan were taken from the experimental electric Oka, and the batteries were hidden under the floor, which gave a low center of gravity and ideal weight distribution along the axes. True, weighing one and a half tons, the electric car accelerated to a maximum of 90 km / h. And he did not go far: it was expected that he would attract energy giants like RAO "UES of Russia" to the development of electric vehicles, but this did not seem interesting to them at all. Well, at least the only copy of "Rapan" was not put under pressure, but kept for history.
Lada Peter Turbo
Created two layouts
As history has shown, the bold experiments of VAZ designers were not limited to Rapan. And already in 2000, at the Moscow Motor Show, a new Peter Turbo concept car gathered crowds around itself - in it, the designers of the AvtoVAZ scientific and technical center showed their view of the minivan of the near future. And although it was just a model without a salon and even without doors, he managed to attract attention to himself.
Lada Peter Turbo
By the Paris Motor Show, Peter Turbo had both windows and an interior with a steering column, which, together with the instruments, moved out from under the body cross member. The concept was then appreciated not only by the visitors of the salon, but also by many world designers. The project had enough worthy ideas for design and aerodynamics (coefficient drag was only 0.2), but in serial production none of these developments were implemented - and Peter Turbo remained a mock-up.
"Tarzan 1" and "Tarzan 2"
Made to order in small batches
Tarzan is not only a half-naked man from the jungle and the husband of Natasha Koroleva. There was also such a small-scale attempt by AvtoVAZ to cross the all-wheel drive Niva with a more comfortable passenger body from front wheel drive models!
"Tarzan" was created by the joint efforts of the pilot production of the plant, the company "Lada-Consul" and the design studio Decon. For the car of the first generation, serial Samara bodies were used (3- and 5-door hatches and a 4-door sedan), which were placed on the frame. And on it, in turn, serial units from the Niva were screwed - an engine, a gearbox, a transfer case, a suspension, steering... The frame itself, extended universal joints, springs and shock absorbers were original. By the way, the rear brakes were disc, and the rear suspension was independent, assembled from parts of the front suspension of the same "Niva"! The gap between the frame and the body was masked by overlays, and wheel arch extensions and developed bumpers made Tarzan-1 look like a Dakar prototype. Moreover, for public utilities, the no less original-looking Tarzan-UTS model was also produced. Lada Revolution
Lada Revolution 3
Released several dozen racing Revolution
The Lada Revolution project is definitely one of AvtoVAZ's most famous undertakings of the first 10th anniversary of this century. Vigorously red single-seater sports prototype Revolution made a loud debut in 2003 at motor shows in Moscow and Frankfurt. Essentially, it was racing car, who competed in the monocup of the same name, which was held by the AvtoVAZ National Racing Series from 2004 to 2008. A road version was also planned.
Completely designed and built by the well-known Togliatti company Torgmash, the Lada Revolution sports prototype weighed only 670 kg and was equipped with a VAZ 1.6-liter naturally aspirated engine, first boosted to 165, and later to 215 hp. The motor was aggregated with a 5-speed cam box"Torgmash", and the most powerful Lada Revolution spent only about 6.5 seconds to accelerate to 100 km / h. But in 2008, a crisis broke out, cheaper ring cars became more relevant, and after several dozen cars released, the Lada Revolution racing project quietly came to naught.
Lada Revolution 3
But at parting, Lada still shied away with another small revolution! So, in 2008, at the Paris Motor Show, the concept of a “civilian” mid-engined sports car Lada Revolution 3 was shown, made by the VAZ branch of Lada Sport based on a ring prototype. The Revolution 3 was based on a steel space frame, on which light and inexpensive plastic panels were placed. The car weighed just over 1 ton. For the rear-wheel drive version, a Renault 2-liter turbo engine with a return of (245 hp, 310 Nm) was planned, with which acceleration to 100 km / h was supposed to take only 5.9 seconds. An all-wheel drive version with a 3.7-liter Nissan engine 350 hp For the price it could turn out, if not budget, then clearly cheaper than analogues. But, alas, the VAZ sports car also remained only at the project stage.
We all love our auto industry very much, we don’t have a soul in it. But at the same time, many of us are not aware of the opportunities that Soviet engineers and designers were endowed with. And the possibilities were almost limitless.
Here I have compiled a list of rare, unique and simply unusual Soviet cars that you will never see with your own eyes.
I am proud of the Soviet engineers and resent the Soviet officials, who spoiled a lot of promising developments.
And what technological backlog was lost as a result of Perestroika is simply incomprehensible to the mind.
I promise it will be interesting.
Let's start with government projects in the automotive industry.
PROTOTYPES
GAZ-62 - our answer to the Americans
GAZ-62 (1952) - a prototype of an army off-road vehicle, created to replace the Dodge 3/4, which had proven itself in the army during the war (which was supplied to the USSR under lend-lease).
The car had overall dimensions of 5000x2100x1800 mm and wheelbase size 2850 mm, was designed to carry 12 people or 1200 kg of cargo, the maximum speed of the all-terrain vehicle was 85 km / h. A 6-cylinder 76-horsepower engine was used as a power unit.
A number of progressive solutions for that time were used in the design of this car: to prevent the ingress of water, dirt and sand, the drum wheel brakes were sealed, rubber pads in the seals of the springs reduced the amount of maintenance. The all-terrain vehicle was comfortable: there was a powerful heater with airflow windshield, and the rear springs had variable stiffness providing a high level of smoothness.
In addition to the main passenger version, it was also developed cargo modification cars - GAZ-62A with an enlarged body and a horizontal spare wheel.
GAZ-62 passed all the necessary tests and in 1958 was demonstrated as perspective model Gorky Automobile Plant at the All-Union Industrial Exhibition in Moscow (later - VDNH), but for unknown reasons it was not put into production.
ZIS-E134 layout No. 1
In the summer of 1954, the newly formed VMS ZIS, which initially numbered only 20 people, was given the task of creating a fundamentally new medium multi-purpose four-axle (8 × 8) ultra-high cross-country vehicle (aka high-speed artillery tractor ATK-6) with a carrying capacity of 5-6 tons.
Since there was no experience in developing such machines, to study the issues of increasing cross-country ability wheeled vehicles, as well as to assess the influence of individual design parameters on the patency during July-August 1955, an experimental four-axle (8 × 8) was built freight car ZIS-E134 model number 1.
Experienced ZIL-E134 proved its worth. Practically not inferior to the caterpillar tractor in terms of cross-country ability and traction, it had a number of significant advantages - higher speed on the highway and a running gear resource, cheaper operation. The tests carried out made it possible to identify the directions further research. Both the developer and the customer wanted to see a more advanced machine. According to the requirements of the military, its carrying capacity was to be at least 6 tons, the weight of the towed gun doubled. Nevertheless, the invaluable experience gained in the design, construction and testing of the ZIL-E134 layout No. 1 gave confidence in the successful completion of the new task at a high technical level.
ZIS-E134 layout No. 2
In order to determine the parameters and design solutions for a floating vehicle, on April 9, 1956, a prototype 8 × 8 ZIS-E134 layout No. 2 was built. It differed from its predecessor in a displacement hull, lack of elastic suspension wheels (based on the experience of testing the ZIS-E134 model No. 1), the presence of a water jet (not installed immediately) with a rotary nozzle that performs the functions of a water rudder. Working wheel the water cannon was borrowed from the PT-76 tank. In terms of the power plant, transmission, propulsion and control system, the new machine did not differ from the ZIS-E134 layout No. 1.
MAZ-505
MAZ-505 (1962) - experienced four wheel drive truck with an onboard platform, created for the army. This model did not go into mass production, most likely giving way to another novelty of those years - the GAZ-66.
ZIL-132R - super truck for the agricultural industry
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The machine, created under the leadership of the lead designer A. I. Filippov in the department of the chief designer of the ZIL, headed by V. A. Grachev, had a number of interesting features. The chassis had a uniform placement of three (2100 + 2100 mm) axles along the base, power unit(ZIL-130 engine, boosted to 165 hp) with a clutch and gearbox was placed between the first and second axles, and a fiberglass cabin with steel doors was placed in front of the engine. The transmission was made according to the n-shaped scheme, that is, with on-board distribution of the power flow so that the wheels of each side had a rigid (non-differential) kinematic connection between them. Double disc clutch supplied hydraulic drive, and a manual 5-speed gearbox - remote control. The cylindrical differential of the inter-board transfer case was equipped with a locking mechanism. A power take-off mechanism with a hydraulic pump was mounted on the gearbox to drive a tipper body or fertilizer application equipment.
The change in direction of movement was provided by turning the front and rear steered wheels due to hydraulic system without a rigid connection between the front and rear steered axles. Tires 16.00–20 with a diameter of about 1400 mm were installed on the car, which, in combination with an independent suspension, provided ground clearance from 480 to 590 mm, centralized system air pressure control in tires and ventilated disc brakes with dual-circuit hydraulic drive, which were not located in the wheel hubs, but on the final drives of the front and rear steered wheels. Among the serial trucks ZIL-132 R at that time there was no equal. Moreover, the cross-country performance of the car was so high that it freely competed, and in many cases surpassed caterpillar tractors used in the countryside.
But the car was built in a single copy.
ZIL-E167 - cross-country snowmobile
ZIL-E167 (1963) - experimental wheeled all-terrain vehicle terrain, designed for use in conditions complete off-road under adverse climatic conditions. The machine was created using components and assemblies from the 135L chassis, which was practically ready by that time, the frame of which was additionally reinforced.
The super all-terrain vehicle was driven by two ZIL-375 engines of 118 hp each. each, the power was transmitted according to the onboard circuit. The engines were located at the rear, for better cooling air intakes were provided on the sides of the body. Huge wheels, shod in tires with a dimension of 21.00-28 and a diameter of 1790 mm on unique fiberglass (!) Prefabricated disks with metal elements, weighed almost three times less than their metal counterparts. The ground clearance of the car with these wheels was 852 mm, the bottom was covered with steel sheets to protect the units and better glide through snow and mud.
The cabin of the driver and passengers was also made of fiberglass; longitudinal seats were installed in the cabin. The cabin, borrowed from the ZIL-135L, and the interior were heated by independent heaters. Among other things, a winch was installed on the machine with tractive effort in 7 tons.
Suspension corresponded to that of 135L, drum brakes were actuated by a hydropneumatic system. During the tests, the car proved to be excellent, the maximum speed in winter on the highway was 75 km / h, on virgin snow 10 km / h. However, the all-terrain vehicle did not go into series, because due to the complexity of the transmission design, it was inferior in terms of maintainability to the GT-1 tracked tractor.
ZIL-49061
ZIL-49061 is a three-axle all-wheel drive floating vehicle based on the ZIL-4906 all-terrain vehicle. It is part of the search and rescue complex "Blue Bird".
These amphibians were equipped with ZIL-131 engines with mechanical gearboxes; used independent suspension of all wheels, two propellers; front and rear wheels made controllable, and the connection between the two was provided by a hydrostatic servo drive, due to which the rotation rear wheels begins after turning the front ones at an angle greater than 6 °. The solution for the brake mechanisms was very non-standard: they were disc brakes, but they were not located in the wheels, but in the body of the car.
The machines of the 490 complex have successfully passed the tests and have been mass-produced for many years. These "Blue Birds" are still serving in the Military Space Forces. There is no replacement for them. Two 4906s were sent to Germany during the floods that swept over it in the summer of 2002, where they were used very effectively to evacuate residents from flooded areas. In Europe, there was nothing like it, which caused the Germans a feeling of admiration and outright envy.
In addition, the Blue Bird complex included ZIL-2906.
ZIL-2906 is a rotary auger snow and swamp vehicle carried on a cargo ZIL-4906. After the improvement, he received the index 29061.
The swamp vehicle was equipped with two VAZ rotary piston engines with an onboard transmission scheme, the body and augers were made of aluminum alloy, and the cabin was made of fiberglass.
To this day, no other country in the world has such a unique complex, which, thanks to the ZIL-29061, has almost absolute all-terrain capability.
ZIL-4904
The auger snow and swamp all-terrain vehicle ZIL-4904 was built in 1972 and is the largest in the world. Payload- 2.5 tons. However, he developed a very low speed - 10.1 km / h on the water, 7.3 km / h in the swamp, 4.45 km / h on the rafting, 10.5 km / h on the snow.
Lightweight hollow or filled with a polymer (for example, foam) augers allow the machine to float on water, cross such dead places where any wheel and tracked vehicles. However, since the augers are made of a hard material, usually non-ferrous metals, an auger-rotary all-terrain vehicle is completely unsuitable for paved roads. On asphalt, concrete and even rubble, such a car will have to be transported on a tow truck.
VAZ-E2121 "Crocodile" - an early prototype the legendary Niva
VAZ-E2121 "Crocodile" (1971) - an early prototype of the experimental VAZ-2121, with a frame and an open body, switchable front and rear axles. IN further construction The car was almost completely changed, only two prototypes of this model were produced.
AZLK-2150 - a prototype of the off-road Moskvich
AZLK-2150 is a light SUV from AZLK, created in the USSR in 1973, as part of a project to create a compact comfortable SUV. The aggregate part of the prototype was unified with the M-2140 model, which was planned for production at that time. In total, two prototypes of the M-2150 were created with canvas and hard tops.
The Moscow SUV turned out to be different in concept from the Niva, closer to the "classic" SUVs - with a separate spar frame, continuous axles and stiff springs. In the competition of three plants (at AvtoVAZ - the future VAZ-2121 Niva, and at IZH-mash - Izh-14), AvtoVAZ won, having managed to create the most comfortable and competitive on the world market, although less "off-road" design.
The military department became interested in the M-2150 prototype, formally an order was received from the Ministry of Defense for the production of 60 thousand vehicles per year at a plant in the city of Kineshma, but the matter never came to production.
VAZ-E2122 - an army SUV from Togliatti
VAZ-E2122 (1976) - the first version of an experimental, floating off-road vehicle, developed by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense (initially, the project was created on the plant's own initiative). The car was designed using components and assemblies of the civilian VAZ-2121 Niva car, which was being prepared for production at the same time.
The E2122 differed from its counterparts primarily in its original design, which did not give out an amphibian in it, small size and maneuverability (for example, the turning radius on water and land was practically the same). The sealed body allowed the car to move through the water at a speed of 4.5 km / h by rotating the wheels. The 1.6-liter engine, permanent all-wheel drive, contributed to the good maneuverability of the car (on land and on water), which was not inferior to the “old man” UAZ-469 at all. From UAZ (for the purpose of unification), the prototype got a winch and a towbar, at the request of the military, the bumpers were made as flat as possible, with lights recessed into them so that a car stuck in front could be pushed, the windshield and side door frames folded. In addition, the "jeep" was equipped with two gas tanks, and the body structure provided for the installation of a stretcher.
On the first version of the car, the awning did not have side windows, but during the tests it became clear that rear visibility was sorely lacking and they were included in the design. However, the tightness of the body was badly affected by the temperature regime of the "Nivovsky" units, as a result of which they quickly failed, the light body could not withstand serious loads. But the customers still liked the prototype, it was decided to continue work and design the second version of the jeep.
VAZ-2E2122 - the second version of the floating jeep
VAZ-2E2122 (1977) - the second version of the floating SUV for the army, created on the basis of the E2122 prototype. On this prototype, VAZ designers tried to take into account all the wishes of the military department and get rid of the shortcomings of the first version: overheating of the engine and transmission, breakdowns in exhaust system, poor visibility, and work out several other important points, like the ability to start at low temperatures.
UAZ-452K - triaxial loaf
UAZ-452K (1973) - an experimental sixteen-seater bus with a 6x4 wheel arrangement. Based on this bus, Medea resuscitation vehicles were developed for the needs of Georgian mine rescuers. There was also a variant with a 6x6 wheel formula, later in Georgia a small-scale production of reanimobiles was established from 1989 to 1994, approximately 50 units per year.
But this project was not buried - the car was produced from 1989 to 1994 by the Vezdekhod cooperative from the Georgian city of Bolnisi.
ZIL-4102 - the prototype of the last "membership"
ZIL-4102 is a promising limousine that was supposed to replace the outdated five-seater ZIL-41041 sedan. In 1988, the sixth ZIL workshop produced two prototypes of the car. Fundamental difference new model from others Soviet limousines was the lack of a frame, in connection with this, the designers of ZIL had to do a lot of work to reduce vibration load-bearing body. New sedan was half a meter longer than the Volga, and weighed half a ton less than the ZIL-41041. Roof and floor panels, trunk lid, hood and bumpers were made of fiberglass.
NAMI-0284 "Debut" (1987)
A car - a concept car, as they wrote then, "of an especially small class", was built with the prospect of using some solutions for a serial ZAZ car.
The original body was good aerodynamics(drag coefficient Cx - 0.23). The Oka engines (VAZ-1111 and VAZ-11113) were installed on the car, and the MeMZ-245 was installed on a later version with a slightly modified finish ("Debut-II"). They also planned to test a car with turbocharged VAZ-11113 and MeMZ engines with a 16-valve block head. "Debut" was equipped with an electrovacuum clutch, a cruise control system.
AZLK 2142 "Moskvich" - an experienced sedan
AZLK 2142 "Moskvich" (1990-96) is an experimental sedan created on the basis of AZLK-2141 and presented to the general public in 1990. The car was fully tested and almost ready for production, it was planned to send the car to the conveyor already in 1992, equipping it with a new Moskvich-414 engine.
After the collapse of the USSR, the death of the then general director of AZLK V.P. Kolomnikov, these plans were not destined to come true, however, with various engines the prototype was assembled for several more years. Moreover, a car that did not actually exist later served as the basis for the small-scale models "Prince Vladimir" and "Ivan Kalita" produced in small batches.
Project "Istra"
AZLK-2144, "Istra" - an experimental car of the AZLK plant, created in the mid-late 1980s. It was made in a single copy around 1985-88, never mass-produced.
Notable for a number of unique solutions, including - duralumin body without a central pillar; two wide side doors opening vertically upwards; diesel, rapeseed oil powered; night vision device and indication of instrument readings on the windshield; unique automatic transmission.
Istra was ahead of its time in many ways. At that time, this machine was much superior to its predecessors.
The only model sample, previously kept in the AZLK museum, is now in the museum on Rogozhsky Val in Moscow.
UAZ-3170 Simbir
In 1975, at UAZ, under the chief designer Startsev, development began, and in 1980 a demonstration model of a "car general purpose off-road" UAZ-3170 "Simbir". The car had a ground clearance of 325 mm and a height of 1960 mm - both parameters differed from the "469th" (215 and 2050 mm). The suspension was dependent spring.
Alexander Sergeevich Shabanov was the lead designer of the GAK theme and the head of the test group. Military samples of the machine were tested and protected by the project in the Moscow Region in 1982-1983.
Subsequently, according to the results, the second version of Simbir was born - UAZ-3171 (1985-1987).
Simbir 1990 army
Simbir 1990 civil
NAMI-LuAZ "Proto" - the ghost of a Russian country road
NAMI-LuAZ "Proto" (1989) - a prototype created in the Leningrad branch of NAMI as part of a competition announced by the Ministry of Autoselkhozmash, a team of designers and designers led by G. Khainov. The body was a metal frame, on which plastic panels were hung, which simplified repairs, improved the performance of the car.
The MeMZ-245 engine from Tavria was used as a power plant, the transmission was developed almost anew: a non-switchable cardan gear, a gearbox that drives and a plug-in front axle (without a transfer case). Gearbox, front-wheel drive power take-off, front final drive were assembled in one block. Front suspension independent (McPherson), rear dependent (De Dion). The motor, along with the front suspension and radiator, was mounted on a removable subframe, which facilitated the repair and assembly of the car.
Salon "Proto" is designed for four passengers, the seats have been transformed, forming a single sleeping area. Rear end the roof was removed, it was possible to install an awning.
In parallel with Proto, LuAZ developed its own version as part of the competition future car which had significant differences.
LuAZ 1301 (1984/88/94) is a prototype of a light SUV, which was supposed to replace the outdated 969M model on the conveyor. The first version of the car was designed back in 1984 and was the same 969M with a new body. The 1988 prototype was different frame-panel body(steel frame and plastic panels), pneumatic elements in independent spring suspension, allowing you to change the ground clearance. The upgraded MeMZ-245 engine from Tavria was used as a power plant.
The drive of all wheels is permanent, the transmission had a lockable center differential. The roof and sidewalls were removed, making it easy to convert a jeep into a pickup truck, and a soft top version was also planned. The rear door of the car was made of two sections - upper and lower, a spare wheel and a set of tools were placed in niches under the front seats, thus completely freeing the luggage compartment.
But for unknown reasons, not a single version of the machine was chosen, and a year later it was completely out of time for prototypes.
MAZ 2000 "Perestroika"
Brilliant name. Well, it just delivers wildly.
MAZ 2000 "Perestroika" (1988) - a prototype of the main truck, which was distinguished by its original modular design: most of the units were located in front - the engine, gearbox, drive axle and steering. If necessary, any of the "passive" bogies was replaced by a similar set of units, allowing you to build road trains of any length and carrying capacity.
It was the first Soviet car designed specifically for truckers. In the autumn of 1988, at the Paris Motor Show, this design was highly appreciated, but the prototype never got into production, for obvious reasons.
The wrong country was called Honduras.
Of course, this is not the whole list. There were still a lot of interesting projects that remained in single copies. And even in the form of drawings.
Why were these projects not implemented? There are reasons for that. Soviet system again was imperfect, often it gave rise to brilliant projects and revolutionary ideas but immediately killed them.
What happened in our time with many of these exhibits?
HOME-MADE CARS
Why not? If you have a technical education, cooks a bowler hat, and claws do not grow from your ass - so why not build your own car?
In the USSR it was quite possible.
In the 1960s, the well-known magazine Tekhnika-molodezhi led the movement of amateur automotive industry in the USSR. For 20 years, on the pages of the magazine, on TV screens, during many car runs around the country, the eyes of millions of readers and viewers have appeared dozens self-made cars. A huge thing in the popularization of the amateur car industry in the 80s was the transfer "You Can Do It" (computer), which enjoyed popular attention. For each 45-minute broadcast, television received up to half a million letters (!!!).
Of all the projects of that time, I selected the most interesting ones.
"Pangolina"
Like the first products of Ford and Benz, the legend of the Soviet author's automotive industry - "Pangolina", was designed and built by almost one person. Alexander Kulygin. Unlike the amusing "Shelf" or "Ant", Kulygin's "Pangolin" was a full-fledged car created by an experienced and talented designer.
The main structural material of the body was fiberglass. Work on the creation of the Pangolin body began with the formation of a master model - a plywood base for fiberglass. The main operations were carried out in Moscow. After Kulygin left for Ukhta, the master model was destroyed. The process of adapting the body to the chassis of the VAZ penny took place in the city of Ukhta. The original engine from the VAZ 2101 was used as the engine - a forced alternative to the planned boxer engine, which never appeared in final version"Pangolins".
Experts claimed that Kulygin was inspired by the Lamborghini Countach sports car. This is indicated by the shape of the body and the original design of the mechanism for opening and closing doors - implemented in the form of a movable cap that captures part of the roof. A periscope prism was used as a rear-view mirror.
Here are cars produced in Russia in one copy or in small quantities.
(15 photos).
The Russian government still allowed the French automaker Renault to buy out 50% +1 share of AvtoVAZ. Now many fellow citizens hope that the quality domestic cars rise, and price range Will not change.
But for now, the point is, we offer you to get acquainted with those rare VAZ cars, which, unfortunately, will never be put into mass production. For some of the models presented in this selection, Nissan computer diagnostics were used, which in turn influenced the launch of mass production. Now these "dinosaurs" of the domestic auto industry are stored in the garages of collectors.
1. VAZ 1152 "Elf" Electro, 1995.
Also, there was a VAZ 1151 "Gnome" in 1992. These were only export options.
2. Amadeo-500, 1994
Amadeo-500 is the first Russian limousine, the second was made from a dozen.
3. VAZ Lada Roadster Concept, 2000.
4. VAZ 1101 Experienced, 1970.
5. VAZ "X" Experienced, 1990.
Experimental sample of a 7-seater minivan
6. VAZ Lada C Concept, 2007.
7. VAZ 210934 "Tarzan-1", 1997.
8. VAZ 2151 Classic, 2002. There is a similarity with Ford Fusion.
9. VAZ 2107 Modernized Experimental, 1982.
10. VAZ 1801 "Pony" Experienced, 1979.
11. Lada Samara Baltic (Eurosamara 21093-22), 1996-1998.
But the desire of engineers and designers to do something different from a “penny” was too often broken into a reinforced concrete need to “give the country coal” - read, fulfill the plan for the production of what is already on the conveyor. We look at successful examples of domestic engineering work which failed in implementation, and we think about the meaning of the original Russian expressions “the initiative is punishable” and “if only, if only”.
In general, the expression "if" could be limited to the text part of this publication, because in many cases the photos speak for themselves. We will supplement them with only a brief description, so that it is clear what project and what time it is.
Deep modernization of the "penny"
It seems almost unbelievable, but the first attempts to jump out of the framework proposed by the Italians from Fiat and set by the production of the VAZ-2101 were made in the first half of the 70s. In 1975, designer Vladislav Pashko creates a design project for the VAZ-2101-80 car, where 80 is the year when the model is supposed to go into production. Then in the USSR it was with the number "1980" that they contacted big hopes common people - this year communism was supposed to come in the country.
Two- and four-door modifications were conceived. The existing VAZ-2101 platform could well serve as the elemental base of such a car. For 1980, the car looked very nice, a good silhouette made further restyling possible. But this car never went, it didn’t go beyond full-size plasticine mock-ups. Pashko created many more projects at AvtoVAZ, but not all of them, and far from the brightest ones, were launched into the series. And in 1980, instead of the onset of communism, the Olympics were held in the USSR
First front wheel drive
Work on a compact front wheel drive car began at VAZ long before the general director of the plant, V.N. Polyakov, signed the corresponding order - in 1968, immediately after the “penny” got on the conveyor, the first sketches had already been made! Of course, the VAZ designers (V. Pashko, Yu. Danilov) looked back at the experience of foreign colleagues: the initial source of inspiration was the Mini, but another car produced under the Fiat subsidiary brand - Autobianchi A112 - became a real "starting point"
From a design point of view, the project was completed, as they say, on a turnkey basis: our own power unit with a transverse arrangement was developed, the layout of the cabin and the engine compartment was completed, a stylish look and interior were invented ... For Soviet designers who are used to working in the dimensions of Moskviches and "Volg", it was a serious challenge. The car was nicknamed "Cheburashka" - for the 13-inch wheels that seemed large for such dimensions. The project "1101" had several incarnations in real running prototypes, after which in 1977, on instructions from above, it was transferred to ZAZ under the name "Ladoga". And only after almost a decade it turned into a stock car"Tavria".
Floating "Niva"
After the appearance of the serial Niva, the military highly appreciated its off-road capabilities and in 1976 ordered an army amphibious off-road vehicle based on it from VAZ. The authors of the project began by studying all possible options for amphibians, abandoned propeller and a streamlined "boat" body and decided to create a car that outwardly would not give the impression of a floating. And so it happened: the VAZ-2122 car looked like an ordinary army jeep, but it had a sealed body and could move through the water due to the rotation of the wheels at a speed of about 5 km / h. The project was called "River", was secret, and to divert eyes was referred to as "a car for fishermen and hunters."
In 1986, after ten years of improving the design, working out all the details (including specific ones, such as landing a car from an airplane), several series of experimental samples, testing in all climatic zones and obtaining great results in the form of a product ready for production, it turned out that the customer, the USSR Ministry of Defense, had no money to launch this car into production. According to some reports, the Ministry of Defense is still indebted to the plant, and for a rather large amount. The project has been closed. It is known about two surviving copies: one of them is in the VAZ Museum, and the second was used until the middle of the 2000s as personal car Valery Domansky, lead designer of that project. After it became clear that there would be no communism, the next milestone of the future was the year 2000. Many automakers in the 1980s thought about the "car of the year 2000", and a group of VAZ designers (A. Patrushev, S. Chagin, V. Yartsev) did not stand aside. A single-volume body was supposed to have two versions: a five-door (X-1) and a shortened three-door (X-2). Visually, the car looks large, but in fact, the five-door version is close in size to the VAZ “eight” (by the way, all known photos show only 1:5 scale models, deftly “tied” to the terrain). From the VAZ-2108, the car was supposed to inherit the power unit, and the cabin provided for very wide possibilities for transformation.
VAZ had the opportunity to gain a foothold in the nascent segment of minivans, but this project left behind only the everyday nickname "VAZ bananas", a life-size plasticine mock-up and a pair of glazed mock-ups on a 1:5 scale. But the “bananas” still served well for the VAZ people: they say that one of the decisive factors in deciding whether to create a VAZ Scientific and technical center During Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to Tolyatti in 1986, his wife Raisa Maksimovna exclaimed, looking at an album with mockups of "bananas" where they looked like real cars: "Misha, we don't have such a car!"
City-cars "Gnome" and "Elf"
When looking at the "Gnome" and its beach version "Elf", one gets the impression that one fine day the bosses did not follow the young VAZ designers and they misbehaved a little. In part, it was. The lead designer of the project was Nikolai Tazdinov, and the author of the exterior was Yevgeny Lobanov, who later held the post of chief designer of AVTOVAZ. These two, with the participation of other young specialists (V. Kovtun, A. Krylov, Yu. Larionov), in 1988 issued a series of first sketches and a model of a city car.
It took quite a long time to create the first prototypes - 1992 and 1993 are called in different sources, although it took only three months to manufacture the first absolutely original body. Even today, the "Gnome" corresponds to the concept of a modern city car: the length is only 2.5 meters (!), the turning radius is less than 3.5 meters, the landing pattern is "2 + 2". The serial version with an engine from the Oka was supposed to weigh only 500 kg and be able to accelerate to 140 km / h. In addition, an environmentally friendly modification, an electric car, was also conceived. The project made its way with difficulty and, unfortunately, did not break through - no one understood why this country needed such cars.
The second generation of "Oka"
Much closer to reality was the continuation of the development of the idea of \u200b\u200bOka as a city car, but nothing came of it. The first attempt was made in the late 1990s, but then the case was limited to a life-size plastic model (the so-called VAZ-1901), which was, so to speak, “too designer”. But the later version of the Oka-2, the VAZ-1121, which originated already in the new millennium, had excellent chances for implementation. As conceived by the authors (all with the same Tazdinov at the head), "Oka" was supposed to, as they say, grow - due to an increase in size and the use of the VAZ-21083 element base (power unit, suspension, steering, brakes), and subsequently the base " Kalina. At the same time, the price of the car was supposed to be an unprecedentedly low 60,000 rubles.
The appearance of a series of several samples of the VAZ-1121, which looked like they were ready for production, dates back to 2003-2004, after which the project was frozen. Coincidentally, in 2004, Viktor Polyakov, the first general director of VAZ, who initiated the launch of the first Oka and the ideological inspirer of the second, died in 2004 ... In 2009, Kalina became the “echo” of Oka-2, which was simply shortened , depriving the rear doors, but no one seemed to take this project seriously.
sports roadster
Another case of untimely stifled enthusiasm of the young designer shoots. Probably one of the brightest. The author of this project is the VAZ designer Nikolai Nuzhny, who in the late 1990s completed an internship at the famous Italian bodywork studio Sbarro and fully realized his skills and potential in the development of the Lada Roadster. A car that slightly resembled an Audi TT (pay attention to the photo below, both cars are in the frame) and looked simply unrealistically cool for a VAZ was shown at the Moscow Motor Show in 2000
The highlight of the project was the principle of folding the roof. It was original, rational and easy to learn: the top made of transparent plastic, having an L-shaped profile, completely fit with the help of servos on the trunk lid, while maintaining its volume. It was planned to use the Kalina as a roadster platform, before the appearance of which in mass production at that time there were still 4 years. The silver copy is most widely known from publications, but there are also photographs of another Lada Roadster, blue (presumably this is the same car, but repainted). Alas, this bright machine has become another "promising novelty of AVTOVAZ", devoid of all sorts of prospects - after several car dealerships and exhibitions, they forgot about it.
New "classic"
The idea to build something new on the platform donated by cooperation with Fiat arose at VAZ more than once or twice. They returned to it again and again: from the modernization of the 2103 model together with Porsche in 1975 and to their own VAZ 2107M in 2002. Why, the first versions of the "dozens", created in the mid-80s, were also rear-wheel drive - and this was already after the VAZ-2108 was put into production! For all its obsession, which sometimes interfered with the normal development of the engineering center, this idea could have quite worthy embodiments.
The most successful example of using a rear-wheel drive VAZ platform is the 2151 project, aka New Classic. The running layout of the station wagon with this name was presented at the Moscow Motor Show in 2002. The author of the design is Mikhail Zubkov, who cleverly played with the proportions and style of the "old classics", station wagons VAZ-2102 and -2104. The prototype used the old rear-wheel drive platform, but with a number of new elements - rack and pinion steering, McPherson front suspension, a 1.7-liter engine complying with Euro 3 standards. The body, which has grown in all dimensions, was designed on a computer and calculated for safety. It was supposed to be completely new interior, airbags, ABS and air conditioning. Things did not move beyond that running layout. Interestingly, in the same 2002, Ford Fusion entered the market with very similar headlights.
VAZ S-class
Project "C", aka "Silhouette", aka "2116" - this is probably the strongest heartache of engineers and designers of AvtoVAZ. The idea of jumping out of the "pants" and finally building a class-above car has been revived and died countless times, beginning with the Class D car project, the 3116. The active phase of the project began in 2005, when a new Moscow management from Russian Technologies came to the plant. It was planned, neither more nor less, to create new platform(for the first time since the VAZ-2108!), on the basis of which to make a sedan, hatchback, station wagon, crossover, sports version ...
1.8-liter engines with a capacity of 116 and 122 hp were developed, a new gearbox, a front suspension with L-shaped levers, a double-lever rear ... The body of the 2116 sedan turned out to be one of the most torsionally rigid among its analogues in the world! stand apart sports coupe and a crossover based on the “Project C” (it was they, due to the brightness of their appearance, that caused, perhaps, the greatest resonance), and the sedan promised to become a real breakthrough for AvtoVAZ into the C-class ... But such a car under the Lada brand was absolutely not for partners from Renault-Nissan needed. Now on the main conveyor in Togliatti is produced Nissan Almera on the stretched Logan platform, and the only surviving copy of the Lada-2116 sedan is used as a company car by Evgeny Shmelev, Vice President for technical development AVTOVAZ...
Everything listed in the article (as well as many other things) could get into production and become a mass product. There are several reasons why this did not happen: this is the initial absence of a normal design center at VAZ, and the disunity of production workers with engineers, and the change of power in the country that arrived in time, and then at AvtoVAZ itself ... Be that as it may, there are too many good ideas are still good ideas.
The material was prepared on the basis of information and images from the book "High Thought Flame", the magazine "Autoreview", free Internet sources, as well as the author's own information.
