September 28 is the day of the machine builder in Russia. The closest and most understandable machine builders for us work at AvtoVAZ. On the occasion of the holiday, “Another City” will tell about their wildest fantasies.
Text: Andrey Kochetkov
For almost half a century of its existence, AvtoVAZ has developed a lot of prototypes, concept cars and cars that simply did not reach serial production. Some of them can now be seen at the AvtoVAZ Technical Museum in Togliatti. Some now exist only in photographs. When you admire some of them, it becomes a pity that they did not go into the series. And they will not be able to be examined in more detail somewhere in a traffic jam on the Moscow Highway. Some of the models are inspiring. After contemplating some of them, one wants to forget oneself in the fumes of revelry at the Bottom. Some ideas were rather straightforwardly borrowed from foreign colleagues. Some were the fruits of their own Togliatti fantasy. In a word, this not the most famous part of AvtoVAZ's developments looks as contradictory and ambiguous as the lineup, gone into the series.
Representatives of which can be found on the roads of almost the entire planet. In honor of the Machine Builder's Day, we have selected the 10 most curious AvtoVAZ developments that you will never accidentally catch your eye.
VAZ-E1101
This cute dwarf, Tyrion Lannister from the "Game of Thrones" from the car industry, was born in late 1972. In an era when the "troika" was the latest innovative development of "VAZ", put into production. And the production of the Soviet tetralogy of cartoons about Cheburashka has not yet crossed the equator.
Actually, the name of the new at that time cartoon hero was called the alternative experimental version of the "penny" at the factory. compact front wheel drive car started thinking back in 1968. How own development, which is an alternative to the Fiat twins, the serial production of which lasted at VAZ for another four decades. "Another penny", made from scratch by semi-handicraft methods, has forever remained a prototype. She could not compete with Fiat's developments and did not go to the assembly line. For example, a cute dwarf let gases into the cabin.
Nevertheless, it was with Cheburashka that a long thorny path"AvtoVAZ" to develop their own models of cars, not borrowed from abroad.
VAZ-2122 "River"
The most famous Soviet jeep "Niva" this moment considered in the world almost the main achievement domestic auto prom. It is not for nothing that for almost three decades it has been produced and sold by the plant. It is time to consider the word "Niva" as a synonym for "stability". And it looks like domestic jeep still dance a jig on our graves.
Not surprisingly, there are several variations on the theme of the Soviet SUV. Some of them are quite exotic. VAZ-2122, nicknamed the "River", is the first and last amphibian at the moment, created in Togliatti. A car that moves due to the rotation of its own wheels both on land and on water has never been mass-produced.
It's a pity... Shoals of "Rivers", plowing the Volga gave with a background of the Zhiguli mountains, excite the imagination.
VAZ-1801 "Pony"
Like many Soviet technical developments, the VAZ-1801 is a fantasy about the products of the capitalist world. In 1969, the British Mini Moke got to the VAZ, on which the chief designer drove around the plant with a breeze.
After about 10 years, the factory developed its own likeness of the British. It was an electric car with two batteries, the charge of which was enough for 110-120 kilometers. Design appearance the model, code-named "Pony", was handled by the creator of the exterior, "Okie".
The Soviet electric car was supposed to be launched for the Moscow Olympics. But they did not manage to bring it to mind by the deadline. And then he was forgotten, previously lit up on several car exhibitions. Which is no wonder... Why did the USSR need a golf cart? The country at that moment wanted more cars, which were convenient to carry a pumpkin from the dacha.
VAZ-21073
One of the modifications of the "seven", created in the year of the 400th anniversary of Kuibyshev. Crazy fantasy on the theme of "Volvo" design. In fact, this is an attempt to cross the “seven” and the details of the upcoming “eight”. Now the words "seven" and "eight" are more associated with Californian Windows and iOS. And then it was more about ours, the Volga ...
VAZ-21073, according to by and large, was a design overindulgence. Because best forces the plant at that moment had already been thrown into the serial launch of the Lada Sputnik.
LADA RAPAN
This miracle came to earth as if from a dream of Luc Besson, who had gone overboard. The car is named after a predatory mollusk, brought from the Far East to the Black Sea and at the moment gobbled up almost all the small fauna there. "Rapan" is an electric car shown in 1998 after a long 12 years of development. The car, whose controls are hidden in the steering wheel, was greeted with great curiosity at the Paris Motor Show. But it was just a case of "seeing Paris and dying."
AvtoVAZ wanted to involve RAO UES of Russia in order for the holding to equip the existing conventional filling stations with Rapanov recharging devices. But in the diocese of Anatolia Chubais, the idea did not arouse enthusiasm. And the world's only Rapan now stands in the AvtoVAZ control room, and Tesla electric cars from Silicon Valley drive on the world's roads.
LADA OKA-2
Small new generation car domestic production, which is so lacking on our congested roads, was even produced at AvtoVAZ. But they made "Oku-2" in the middle of the 2000s in total in the amount of 10 pieces. And something went wrong...
The new Oka was interested in KamAZ and SeAZ. Yuri Luzhkov wanted to launch its production at the idle facilities of ZIL. But all these plans turned into ashes. And now "Oka-2" like "Yo-mobile" has become a beautiful but sad page in the history of our automotive industry.
VAZ-2120 "Hope"
The first minivan of domestic production was made at the pilot production of AvtoVAZ from 1998 to 2006. "Hopes" managed to make as many as 8,000. But domestic consumers did not experience much faith and love for them. They were called obsolete and unreasonably expensive.
The quote "makes the impression of a car assembled from spare parts from different models Says almost everything about Nadezhda.
However, the “twenties” also have their fans. As with everything that is made on the basis of the Niva.
LADA CARAT
Another concept car is an Oki-themed fantasy. Shown in 2002 and turned into an exhibit of the AvtoVAZ Technical Museum.
LADA-2151
A concept also shown at the Moscow Motor Show in 2002. Such cars, according to the ideas of their creators, were supposed to replace the VAZ "classics".
First, plan to call the car "Strezhen". But this name was hacked to death because of the Russian letter “Zh”, which is inconvenient for promotion on the world market. As a result, the 51st "Lada" was called "Neoclassic". But the "ecological niche" of "Neoclassics" in model line the plant was occupied by Kalina. And the 51st remained just a rather successful fantasy of factory designers and constructors.
LADA C
Volzhan joint project with the Canadian "Magna International". What you see in the photo is "Kalina 4x4". No matter how wild it sounds.
In 2006, Togliatti with a company from Ontario decided to launch the production of 10 new models at once. In 2009 Canadians were smoked out of Togliatti Alliance Renault Nissan. And everything that was invented during the development of the Lada C series, it seems, is planned to be invested in Lada Vesta. But we will not see such a "Kalina 4x4" on the streets of cities. You can stop being afraid.
Enthusiasm about the fact that the domestic engineering industry in the face of the legendary Russian concern Auto VAZ will provide an opportunity for every citizen to have a high-quality modern car. Our contemporaries today get what more than one generation of motorists expected. Judging by the photos available on the network, consumers are offered a fairly large range of models. domestic cars- modern, reliable, functional and, most expected, inexpensive.
The management of AvtoVAZ announced new developments, which confirm that today qualitatively different models are coming off the assembly lines, quite seriously competing with imported ones. cars various categories. Particularly successful was the cooperation of the Volga Automobile Plant with the Renault-Nissan consortium, thanks to which such a significant product range, which is presented to us in the season 2017 - 2018. There are a lot of new products beyond expectations, all their features can be clarified on the video. A few words should be said about each of the seven new products, their exterior, interior and technical features.
New Lada Priora
Despite the fact that in the near future the management of the concern planned to reduce the production of this model, every season it undergoes all sorts of improvements and improvements. Sufficiently reliable, adapted to the peculiarities of the domestic climate and roads, Lada Priora has always represented budget categories cars. In the current season, the buyer received a comprehensive quality restyling where the engineers made the most of the car's potential features.
Outwardly, it differs from what was previously presented to the consumer for several years. Exterior updates have touched on the grille, the geometry of the body outlines, the shape and design of the bumper, which has become much more attractive, modern and aggressive. The car is equipped with a system of innovative chrome fog lights. The rear light is also decorated with LED elements. The salon has not undergone major changes. The maximum that the design team managed to achieve is maximum equipment interior and features of the Priora front panel, which look quite aesthetically pleasing. Power system It is represented by two engines of 1.6 and 1.8 liters, with a capacity of 106 liters, respectively. With. and 123 l. With. On Russian market the model is extremely popular due to the good suspension configuration and its height.
Lada XRAY Cross
This model can rightly be called one of the most popular in the segment. modern cars off-road. Crossovers of the Cross series as the only worthy domestic version. The exterior of the car provides significant improvements compared to basic option. The novelty is installed on Renault platform Duster, which made it possible not only to increase the dimensions, but to make significant changes in the exterior, which is very important in Russia due to the peculiarities of the climate and topography.
Changed the shape of the headlights rear light, they harmoniously fit into the format of interesting modern body architecture. front light received additions as head LED headlights, which significantly increased the safety performance of the driver and passengers. The salon is equipped with comfortable anatomical chairs, the design is modern decorative elements in body color tone. Control options are displayed on the surface of the steering wheel, as well as on the multimedia system monitor. Power units represented by engines with a volume of 1.6 liters, 114 liters. With. and 1.8 l, 123 l. With.
Lada 4X4
SUVs are the best to meet the needs domestic consumer and objective features of the market. It was in accordance with this that in the 2017-2018 season, AvtoVAZ, forty years later, presented a worthy successor to the first " Soviet jeep»sample 1977 - the legendary Niva. Last news greatly delight our countrymen. The novelty called Lada 4X4 confidently stood on the platform Renault Duster.
Appearance new Lada is distinguished by its inherent conciseness, modesty and a certain simplicity. The car acquired five doors, which in the new concept should look organically in conjunction with the new base. Nevertheless, the main trend of the famous brand's exterior is preserved in the look. Despite the fact that the interior design features remain a surprise for buyers and car dealers, all the best practices of the design team are implemented in this model. Under the hood, two engine options - 1.7 liters with a capacity of 105 liters. With. and volume 1.8 l. The cost starts from 700 thousand rubles.
The Russian auto industry is confidently increasing quality and reliability. In addition, numerous novelties of VAZ-made cars are represented by several more models that require special attention.
Fired up with the idea of all-wheel drive, Togliatti engineers began to sculpt Frankensteins.
VAZ-210834 "Tarzan". The creation of the Togliatti auto giant of the late 90s. and that's just the "face". The back of the miracle car looks even more impressive.
There were VAZ-210834 with the body of the "eight", VAZ-210934 with the body of the "nine" and VAZ-210994 with the body of the "ninety-ninth". One more example:
To scare enemies is the most it. Moreover, the bandits who divided AvtoVAZ in the 1990s would have looked extremely convincing on just such cars. The price lists of those years report that the cost of the Tarzan, made to order, was 180 thousand rubles. For comparison - the usual "nine" then cost 90 thousand rubles. One "Tarzan" at AvtoVAZ seemed not enough and already at the "Autosalon'99" visitors were able to admire the new masterpiece - VAZ-21113 "Tarzan-2".
And here's what it looked like from the front.
For some time there was a joke at the VAZ:
Where did Tarzan go?
Lost in the jungle!
But the minivan "Nadezhda" turned out to be very good. For example, here is this original base model
who for her "bespectacled muzzle" received the nickname "Konstantinovna" (this she owes to Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya).
There were other variations that looked quite European:
VAZ 2120 "Hope" was released in 2004. This model was even adopted by collectors
The armor is strong and our tanks are fast. Yes, and roomy - a seven-seat car! What logically interested taxi drivers:
Where did such extraordinary creations in every sense go? domestic auto industry? The number of Tarzans produced in total did not exceed several hundred - SUVs turned out to be too expensive. "Hopes" riveted much more - about 8,000 cars in 8 years. But the car was expensive, and the build quality caused a lot of complaints. However, now we can wait for new revelations. Having pulled the Togliatti auto giant out of the crisis, Rostekhnologii transferred a block of shares to the French concern Renault-Nissan. So such shocks, as well as the examples given above, the Russian car enthusiast may no longer be afraid. To date, the French have already launched a modernized conveyor for the release of a new joint development LADA Largus on the Bi-zero platform (tank volume: 1.6 l; power: 90 hp; fuel consumption: in mixed mode 7.5 l / 100 km) Lada Largus - station wagon:
Lada Largus - cargo equipment:
On new model orders are already being received from taxi companies and from small businesses. To develop the design of new models, AvtoVAZ invited chief designer Volvo Steve Mattin. In August 2011, sales of the top version of the Priora model, called the Special Edition (SE), began. The car is a version of "Lux +" supplemented with a new bumper from the South Korean company LG, which meets European safety standards, the radiator grille has also changed. The rear-view mirrors are equipped with turn signal repeaters, and on the wings, the holes from the moved “turn signals” were covered by the SE nameplates.
Also of great interest among motorists was the Priora model in the coupe configuration.
By 2015 Avtovaz will launch 10 new models. And so that the quality issue was resolved once and for all, its control was transferred to the French and Japanese. They will also monitor the modernization of production. Especially for this, Japanese cars will soon appear at AvtoVAZ The educational center and the Plastic Academy. Serial production of a joint project of AvtoVAZ and Renault-Nissan called Lada C-cross will start by 2015. Already now design and intended specifications domestic auto caused a storm positive feedback among specialists.
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 is also on the way 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, it was designed for Lada C new platform with an independent rear suspension, and the range of units should have included gasoline engines 1.6, 1.8 and 2 liters, diesels, automatic and four-wheel drive!
After the "Silhouette", a sports three-door hatchback- 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 maximum speed is equal to 210 km/h. There was even talk about the estimated price - about 450,000 rubles of that time!
Well, in 2008, a conceptual urban crossover debuted at the Moscow Motor Show Lada C-Cross(index 2119). 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 the world and there was no time for ambition. And then a future VAZ partner appeared on the horizon in the face of 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 - 150-strong Opel engine volume of 2 liters paired with a 5-speed manual transmission of the same company, plus a drive rear axle through a GKN viscous coupling.
Lada 111 GTI 2.0 4x4
IN all-wheel drive transmission enough original parts(like angular gear power take-off 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 stock engine replaced with a more powerful 100-horsepower VAZ unit a volume of 1.8 liters paired with a reinforced manual transmission. Moreover, instead of the rear twisted beam, the prototype was made independent suspension McPherson! But this time, before serial production, it is almost finished car the matter never came to fruition. 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. The car that existed in a single copy will then be repainted in red and will be used as a factory technical 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 car had a lengthened rear overhang under cargo platform 1.6 meters long, and reinforced rear suspension provided a load capacity of up to 475 kg. Moreover, the motor of the experimental pickup truck was diesel, Russian production. 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 didn’t go far: it was expected that he would attract energy giants like RAO UES of Russia to the development of electric vehicles, but they didn’t seem interested at all. Well at least single copy"Rapan" VAZ did not let under the press, 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, the new Peter Turbo concept car gathered crowds around it - designers scientific and technical center"AvtoVAZ" showed their view on 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
TO 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 none of these developments were implemented in mass production - and Peter Turbo remained a mockup.
"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 this small-scale attempt"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, rear brakes were disc, and the rear suspension was independent, assembled from parts of the front suspension of the same "Niva"! The opening between the frame and the body was masked by overlays, and the expanders wheel arches 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, made by the VAZ department, was shown. Lada Sport based on a ring prototype. Revolution 3 was based on steel space frame, on which light and inexpensive plastic panels. 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.
