ЗАЗ-1102 «Таврия»
ZAZ-1102 “Tavria” is a Soviet and Ukrainian small car with a hatchback body. It was the first front-wheel drive passenger car produced at the Zaporizhia Automobile Plant.
“Tavria” replaced the ZAZ-968 model. Its serial production began at the Zaporizhia Automobile Plant on November 18, 1987 and continued until 2007. Models on the Tavria platform were produced until the beginning of 2011.
The ZAZ-1102 “Tavria” car became the basis for the creation of various models. Among them were both modifications of the basic model (more than 40 variants), and individual models created on its basis. For example, the “five-door liftback” ZAZ-1103 “Slavuta”, the “five-door station wagon” ZAZ-1105 “Dana” and the commercial pickup ZAZ-11055.
History
In the late 1960s, the design bureau of the Kommunar plant began developing a front-wheel drive small car. The project was called “Perspektiva” and was intended to replace the outdated ZAZ-968A. The work used the experimental developments of NAMI-0132 and VAZ-3E1101 “Ladoga”.
In the 1970s, several experimental models with hatchback and two-door sedan bodies were created. However, the official technical specifications for the development of cars with such bodies were received from the MinAvtoProm (Ministry of Automotive Industry of the USSR) only in 1978.
After the first prototype was created and the process of its refinement began, the head of the Ministry of Automotive Industry V.N. Polyakov changed the specifications. The plant’s design bureau had to redesign the car taking into account the popular European model Ford Fiesta of 1976, despite the fact that the plant’s staff gave this model an extremely negative assessment.
At the same time, the designers were given the goal of surpassing the Fiesta in terms of characteristics. Approximately the same thing happened in those same years with AZLK, which, under pressure from Polyakov’s department, was forced to design a fundamentally new front-wheel drive platform from scratch – the future Moskvitch-2141, despite the presence of a completely modern rear-wheel drive prototype S-3, which was already in the pre-production stage.
The development assignment continued to change – the Ministry of Automotive Industry put forward more and more new requirements to exceed the parameters of various foreign “small cars” of those years: Fiat Uno, Austin Metro and others. This, coupled with the lack of funding, which until the mid-1980s was spent mainly on developing new front-wheel drive models of the Volga plant (VAZ), led to an extreme delay in introducing the car into production.
The first serial Tavria cars rolled off the assembly line on November 18, 1987. The cost of the car was 5,100 rubles. Simultaneously with the standard version, the ZAZ-1102 model in the Norma trim level began to be produced.
At that time, the Tavria was perceived as an exceptionally economical car. In 1989, the USSR Ministry of Automobile Industry released an advertising video intended for the Western market. In this video, the driver refueled the Tavria from a gasoline lighter. This video was awarded the Bronze Lion in Cannes in the Trade Advertising category.
In the summer of 1992, the plant began producing the ZAZ-11024 model, which had a station wagon body type.
In the same year, an experimental electric car was created based on the ZAZ-1102. However, the cost of this car was several times higher than the cost of the base model with a gasoline engine.
In 1994, production of the ZAZ-1105 “Dana” began – a car with a “station wagon” body.
In 1998, a new model appeared on the conveyor – “Tavria-Nova“. It became an improved version of the “Tavria” car and was created jointly with the Daewoo company. In total, more than 700 of these cars were produced.
“Tavria-Nova” had some changes compared to the previous model. For example, the radiator grille, headlights and taillights were improved. Also, new decorative caps on the wheel rims were installed on the car. The size of the disks was 4.5J, and the tires were tubeless.
In addition, the supporting and technological elements of the body were reinforced, which improved the reliability of the car and increased the level of passive safety. This also helped to reduce the noise level in the cabin.
In 1999, serial production of the ZAZ-1103 Slavuta model with a liftback body began.
The successor of the Slavuta on the conveyor was the ZAZ Forza.
Export
Despite the fact that in terms of its design and construction, the Tavria was an outdated model, it was also unknown to foreign buyers. However, small deliveries were made to Eastern European countries, Greece, France and England.
In some countries, the Tavria was sold as the Lada Tavria (VAZ 1102)
Model range
- ZAZ-110216 — differs from ZAZ-110206 by a modified instrument panel, a four-spoke steering wheel, a two-lever switch under the steering wheel and additional equipment that increases the comfort and safety of the car.
- ZAZ-11022 — the gear ratio of the main gear has been increased, the design of the fuel tank filler neck has been changed.
- ZAZ-11024 — a cargo-passenger version of a passenger car with a glazed station wagon body.
- ZAZ-11026 — a commercial version of a passenger car with an unglazed van body based on a station wagon.
- ZAZ-1122 — a modification of the car by installing a 1.3-liter engine from a VAZ-2108 — instead of the MeMZ-245.
- ZAZ-1140 is a modification of the basic model ZAZ-110206 with an installed Fiat-903 engine.
- ZAZ-110240 “Tavria” is a cargo-passenger modification of the basic ZAZ-1102 car. Its small-scale production began in 1991.
- ZAZ-110260 “Tavria” is a cargo modification of the basic ZAZ-1102 vehicle. Unlike the similarly designed cargo-passenger ZAZ-110240, this model had sealed side windows behind the first row of seats, seats were located only in the front.
Manufacturer: Запорожский автомобилестроительный завод (ZAZ)
Assembly: Zaporozhye (USSR/Ukraine)
Years of production: 1987—2007
Length: 3708 mm
Width: 1554 mm
Height: 1410 mm
Engine: 4 cylinders; 1197 cc
Power: 58 HP
Max speed: 151 km/h
Fuel consumption: 6 l/100 km
Weight: 709 kg
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