Station wagon Lada Vesta I was a little late with entering the market - the car was expected last year, but because of the losses of the car plant and a change in management, it only came to mass production now. Nevertheless, in Togliatti they fulfilled their promise and nevertheless presented a car that.
However, this was not always the case. Over the years, the plant gave birth to the most interesting concepts and projects, most of which were not destined to reach the conveyor due to financial or bureaucratic delays.
"Pony" (1984)
At the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, there was a surge in interest in electric cars. There were no mass technologies at that moment, but the designers of AvtoVAZ were happy to deal with this topic. The Pony project involved the creation of a whole family of specialized electric cars, and the first was a compact four-seater golf cart with an index of 1801, which was proposed to be used in parks and resort areas. Next appeared flatbed truck with a single VAZ 2802-01 cab and a pretty van VAZ-2802-02, which were assigned the role of delivery vehicles of the regional consumer service. To lighten the cars, their bodies were built from aluminum and plastic.
VAZ-1801 "Pony"
Project "X" (1986)
A little-known project was a reflection on the 2000 car. As such, the VAZ employees saw a family seven-seater one-volume vehicle of a relatively compact size with an aerodynamic body and original front optics under the windshield. In addition to the five-door, a shortened three-door version was also planned. And these cars were supposed to be built on the basis of the serial VAZ-2108 with its units. However, not even a concept was built - only one life-size model and two in a 1: 5 scale were created. According to rumors, the wife of Mikhail Gorbachev was keenly interested in the car, but in the early 1990s, the plant was no longer up to experiments.
"Gnome" and "Elf" (1990-1994)
Experiments with the project of an ultra-compact car in Togliatti began in the late eighties. The four-seater "Gnome" with the factory index VAZ-1151 was built on the "Oka" units. The length of the machine with the 2 + 2 landing formula did not exceed 2.5 m, and the turning radius was only 3.5 meters. The mass did not exceed 500 kg, and maximum speed with the engine from the "Oka" reached 140 km per hour. Evgeny Lobanov worked on the exterior of the car, who later became the chief designer of AvtoVAZ. It was supposed to produce 10 thousand cars a year, but the project stalled. In 1994, it was reborn as a two-seat fan-car "Elf" (VAZ-1152) with an awning instead of a roof and off-road wheels, which was planned to be used in parks and recreation areas, but the beach car could not be made either.
VAZ-1151 "Gnome"
Bora (1995)
Another beach car, but not this time on the aggregates of the Niva off-road vehicle - still old, before the start of modernization. The basis of the body, chassis, transmission and power unit "Bora" received unchanged, but the angular body of authorship of the designer "eight" Vladislav Pashko in the car is original. ABS-plastic panels were hung on the spatial aluminum frame, which opened up ample opportunities for customization. They say that farmers in Latin America and Arab sheikhs were interested in the car, but the project was closed in Togliatti, having built only two prototypes.
Rapan (1998)
In the late nineties, the fashion for biodesign was already starting to fade, but the VAZ concept still made a splash at the Paris Motor Show. The design in the style of the famous Kolani, the glass cockpit and the sliding doors were truly amazing. The car had a flat floor, the seats rotated, and the steering wheel with a fixed central part and built-in devices automatically rose when exiting. Finally, Rapan was an electric car. The units and batteries were borrowed from the electric "Oka", which itself was not serial. An option with the usual internal combustion engine was also envisaged, but there were no investors for either one or the other. The only prototype remained in the museum of the plant.
Roadster (2000)
The stylish roadster in Togliatti was made as if in spite of the then financial problems. Designer Nikolai Nuzhny, who was an intern at the Italian Sbarro atelier, invented a car in audi style TT with a retractable roof, which was controlled by an electric drive and when folded did not take away the useful volume of the trunk. The car was based on a shortened Kalina chassis, and a two-liter engine was promised. The estimated maximum speed reached 200 km / h, and the "hundred" Lada Roadster had to gain in 9 seconds. Despite the detailed study of the body and interior, the car remained in a single copy.
"Peter Turbo" (2000)
Another example of biodesign, which was first shown in Moscow, and then - in a modified form - in Paris. This is how the minivan of the future was seen in Togliatti during the millennium, following the global trend for monocabs. From an aerodynamic point of view, the Peter Turbo concept turned out to be a breakthrough, since its drag coefficient did not exceed 0.2. And the stylists were especially proud of the sill line, which merges into the rear spoiler. The word "Turbo" in the name of the concept did not confirm anything - the VAZ employees did not give any information about the filling. The stylish body quickly became outdated, and the car remained an experiment.
New "Zhiguli" (2002)
The VAZ-2151 project, also known as the Lada Classic Concept, a station wagon on a VAZ-2015 chassis with a station wagon and a transformable salon, could extend the conveyor life of the classic family. The station wagon received a 500-liter trunk and folding rear seats, and the classic chassis was modernized using a rack-and-pinion steering mechanism, MacPherson strut front suspension and a 1.7-liter engine from Niva. And outwardly, the car at the same time resembled a Fiat Stilo and Ford fusion those years. Another variation on the same theme is a VAZ-2107M sedan project named Classic-2. The matter was limited to exhibition copies, since already in those years in Togliatti the classic platform was considered unpromising.
Project "C" (2005)
Project "C" became the most important and long-lasting development of AVTOVAZ in the 2000s. In 2005, after managers from Russian Technologies came to the plant in Togliatti, they decided to create a completely new platform for a whole family of cars, including a sedan, hatchback, station wagon, crossover and even a sports car. The first was shown the sedan "Silhouette" (VAZ-2116), which demonstrated not only a new style, but also the platform itself with 1.8 liter engines (116 and 122 hp), a new gearbox and a completely different suspension.
In 2007, a sports three-door Lada C Concept was built on a new platform - so stylish that VAZ employees brought it to the Geneva Motor Show. It was assumed that the car will receive a 2.0-liter engine and will accelerate to 210 km per hour. And a year later, a prototype of the urban crossover Lada C-Cross with the VAZ-2119 index was presented in Moscow. Due to the crisis and the new format of relations within the framework of partnership with the Renault-Nissan alliance, the project had to be curtailed, but the existing developments were subsequently used in the project of the Vesta family.
But the desire of engineers and designers to do something other than a "penny" was too often crushed by the reinforced concrete need to "give the country coal" - read, to fulfill the plan for the production of what is already on the conveyor belt. We look at successful examples of domestic engineering work that failed in implementation, and think about the meaning of the primordially Russian expressions "initiative is punishable" and "if only if only."
In general, the expression “if only” could be used to limit the text part of this publication, because in many cases the photographs speak for themselves. We will supplement them with only a brief description, so that it is clear what project and what time is in question.
Deep modernization of the "penny"
It seems almost unbelievable, but the first attempts to jump out of the frame 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 series. Then in the USSR the great hopes of the common people were associated with the figure “1980” - this year communism was to come in the country.
Two and four-door modifications were conceived. The existing VAZ-2101 platform could well serve as the element base of such a car. For 1980, the car looked very nice, a well-fitting silhouette made possible further restyling. But this car never drove; it did not go further than full-size plasticine models. Pashko created many more projects at Avtovaz, but not all were launched into the series and far from the brightest. And in 1980, instead of the onset of communism, the USSR hosted the Olympics
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" was put on the conveyor, the first sketches were already made! Of course, VAZ designers (V. Pashko, Y. Danilov) looked back at the experience of their foreign colleagues: the original source of inspiration was Mini, but the real "starting point" was another car produced under Fiat's subsidiary brand - Autobianchi A112
From a design point of view, the project was completed, which is called "turnkey": a proprietary power unit with a transverse arrangement was developed, the layout of the cabin and engine compartment was made, a stylish look and interior were invented ... “Volg”, it was a serious challenge. The car received the nickname "Cheburashka" - for the 13-inch wheels that seemed large for such dimensions at that time. Project "1101" had several incarnations in real running prototypes, after which in 1977, on orders from above, it was transferred to ZAZ under the name "Ladoga". And only almost another decade later it turned into a serial car "Tavria" there.
Floating "Niva"
After the appearance of the serial "Niva", the military highly appreciated its off-road capabilities and in 1976 ordered VAZ an army off-road amphibious vehicle based on it. The authors of the project began by examining everything possible options amphibians, abandoned the propeller and streamlined "boat" body and decided to create a car that outwardly would not give the impression of floating. And so it happened: the VAZ-2122 car looked like an ordinary army jeep, but at the same time 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 attention 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 dropping a car from an airplane), several series of experimental samples, tests in all climatic zones and obtaining excellent results in the form of a ready-to-manufacture product, it turned out that the customer , Ministry of Defense of the USSR, there is no money to launch this car into production. According to some reports, the Ministry of Defense also owes the plant a lot, and for a rather large amount. The project was closed. It is known about two surviving copies: one of them is in the VAZ Museum, and the second was used until the mid-2000s as personal car Valery Domansky, the lead designer of that project. After it became clear that there would be no communism, the next milestone in the future was 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. The 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, in fact, the five-door version is close in size to the VAZ "eight" (by the way, all the famous photos feature only models on a 1: 5 scale, cleverly "tied" to the terrain). The car was supposed to inherit the power unit from the VAZ-2108, and the cabin provided for very wide transformation possibilities.
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 model and a couple of glazed models on a 1: 5 scale. But the "bananas" nevertheless served the VAZ employees a good service: they say that one of the decisive factors when deciding to create a Scientific and Technical Center at the VAZ during Mikhail Gorbachev's visit in 1986 to Togliatti was the exclamation of his wife Raisa Maksimovna, who was looking at the album with layouts "Bananas", where they looked like real cars: "Misha, we don't have such a machine!"
City cars "Gnome" and "Elf"
When looking at the "Gnome" and its beach version "Elf", one gets the impression that one fine day the young VAZ designers were not followed by their bosses and they made a little mischief. In part, it was so. The leading designer of the project was Nikolai Tazdinov, and the author of the exterior was Yevgeny Lobanov, who later served as the chief designer of AVTOVAZ. These two, with the participation of other young specialists (V. Kovtun, A. Krylov, Y. Larionov), in 1988 issued a series of first sketches and a model of a city car.
To create the first prototypes it took quite a long time - in different sources 1992 and 1993 are called, although it took only three months to make the first completely original body. Even today "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". Serial version with an Oka engine 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 conceived. The project made its way with difficulty and, unfortunately, did not work it through - no one understood why this country needed such cars.
Second generation "Oka"
The continuation of the development of the Oka idea as a city car seemed much closer to reality, but nothing came of it. The first attempt was made in the late 1990s, but then it 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 "Oki-2", VAZ-1121, which was born in the new millennium, had excellent chances of being realized. As conceived by the authors (all with the same Tazdinov at the head), "Oka" was supposed to grow, as they say, by increasing the size and using the VAZ-21083 element base (power unit, suspension, steering, brakes), and subsequently the base " Kalina ". At the same time, the price of the car should have been an unprecedentedly low 60,000 rubles.
The appearance of a series of several VAZ-1121 samples, which looked like they were ready for production, dates back to 2003-2004, after which the project was frozen. It so happened that in 2004, Viktor Polyakov, the first general director VAZ, which was the initiator of the launch of the first "Oka" and the ideological inspirer of the second ... In 2009, the "echo" of Oka-2 was "Kalina", which was simply shortened, depriving the rear doors, but no one seemed to take this project seriously.
Sports roadster
Another case of a young designer's enthusiasm, which was not stifled in time. Probably one of the brightest. The author of this project is the VAZ designer Nikolay Nuzhny, who at the end of the 1990s underwent an internship at the famous Italian bodywork studio Sbarro and fully realized his skills and potential in the development of Lada Roadster. A car that slightly resembled an Audi TT (note the photo below, there are both cars 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 folding roof principle. It was original, rational and easy to learn: the top made of transparent plastic, which had an L-shaped profile, was completely seated with the help of servos on the trunk lid, keeping its volume. It was planned to use Kalina as a roadster platform, before the appearance of which in mass production at that time there was another 4 years. The silver copy is most widely known from publications, but there are also photos of another Lada Roadster, of blue color (presumably this is the same car, but repainted). Alas, this bright car has become another "promising new product of AVTOVAZ", devoid of any 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 appeared at VAZ more than once or twice. They came back to it again and again: from the modernization of the 2103 model together with Porsche in 1975 and to its own VAZ 2107M in 2002. Why, the first variants of the "dozen", created in the mid-80s, were also rear-wheel drive - and this was after the VAZ-2108 was launched into production! For all its obsession, which sometimes interfered with the normal development of the engineering center, this idea could have been quite worthy of implementation.
The most successful example of using a rear-wheel drive VAZ platform is the project "2151", 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 wittily played up the proportions and style of the "old classics", the 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, 1.7-liter engine for Euro 3. The body, which had grown in all dimensions, was designed on a computer and calculated for safety. There was a completely new interior, airbags, ABS and air conditioning. The matter did not progress further than that running layout. Interestingly, in the same 2002, the Ford Fusion entered the market with very similar headlights.
Vazovsky S-class
Project "C", aka "Silhouette", aka "2116" - this is, probably, the strongest emotional pain of engineers and designers of AVTOVAZ. The idea of \u200b\u200bjumping out of the "short pants" and finally creating a car of a class higher, has revived and died countless times, once starting with the project of a class D car, "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, no less, to create a 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 ...
Engines were developed with a volume of 1.8 liters and a capacity of 116 and 122 hp, new box gears, front suspension with L-shaped levers, double wishbone rear ... The body of the sedan 2116 turned out to be one of the most torsionally rigid among the world's analogues! Stand apart sports coupe and a crossover based on "Project C" (it was they who, due to the brightness of the appearance, caused, perhaps, the greatest resonance), and the sedan promised to become a real breakthrough of AVTOVAZ in the C-class ... But the partners from Renault-Nissan did not have such a car under the Lada brand needed. Now on the main conveyor in Togliatti, a Nissan Almera is produced on an extended Logan platform, and the only surviving copy of the Lada-2116 sedan is used by Evgeny Shmelev, vice president for technical development of AVTOVAZ, as an official car ...
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 lack of a normal design center at VAZ, and the disunity between production workers and engineers, and the change of power that has arrived in time in the country, and then at AVTOVAZ itself ... Be that as it may, but too many good ideas and remained good ideas.
The material was prepared on the basis of information and images from the book "Flame of High Thought", the magazine "Auto Review", free Internet sources, as well as the author's own information.
Lada Roadster (Lada Roadster) - the concern of the car plant VAZ, not allowed for production. The Roadster was first spotted at the MIMS 2000 car show in 2000. The Roadster's founding idea was the ability to retract the roof into the trunk.
Unfortunately, the demand for cars like the Lada Roadster is not great. But car manufacturers have always sought to have (9 photos in total) in the concern stylish car with increased dynamic characteristics. AvtoVAZ wanted to implement a similar model on the basis of the 2108 car, which could be called the Lada Studio. The car had a separate trunk and a removable roof. As a result, the car was completely redesigned, and about 500 cars were produced, which were supplied only to Europe and were sold only there. Because of this unsuccessful model, a new one appeared - to release a quality car of the same class that the Roadster was supposed to be.
Lada Siluet, Lada-Siluet, VAZ-2116 - a concept car of a front-wheel drive sedan on the Project C platform, first demonstrated at the Moscow Motor Show in 2005. A completely new front-wheel drive platform and two-liter engine are being developed specifically for the project. In the future, diesel and automatic transmission options are planned for production. It is claimed that this oversized family car will feature an interesting exterior and interior design, high comfort, high-quality materials, neat assembly, enhanced safety and that it is planned to launch the VAZ-2116 into series in 2015. At present, crash tests of the prototype have been carried out, showing 13 points out of 16 possible according to the EuroNCAP system. In the Silhouette family, in addition to the VAZ-2116 sedan, the VAZ-2117 station wagon and the VAZ-2118 hatchback are being created.
The new modification of the base model VAZ-2110 is a 4-seater limousine with a characteristic for cars of this type a fairly high level of comfort.
VAZ 2110 "Consul" car interior configuration and trim options make it possible to use it for long tourist and business trips, as an executive car, as a taxi, it is possible to create a modification of the car for celebrations, as well as a variant of the vehicle with increased security.
In the design of the car interior, a lot is provided for the comfortable accommodation of the driver and passengers.
The soundproof baffle allows for a self-contained compartment in the rear with a wide range of additional equipment and services. By increasing the length of the rear doors, free entry and exit of passengers is provided.
The aeroclimatic installation maintains a comfortable temperature regime in the cabin with significant fluctuations in ambient temperature.
Fatigue from prolonged static posture is reduced by adjusting the position of the rear seats.
LADA C project - A joint project of JSC AVTOVAZ and the Canadian company "Magna International", providing for the creation of a series of C class cars. Existed in Russia from 2006 to 2009.
"Project Lada C" provided for the existing facilities of AVTOVAZ, the joint creation of ten series of car models for brand Lada... The launch of new models into serial production was scheduled for 2009. The creation of a joint venture was supposed to be headed by one of the Vice-Presidents of Russian Technologies, Maxim Nagaytsev.
On December 22, 2006, the state corporation Russian Technologies and the Canadian company Magna International signed a framework agreement on cooperation in the production of auto components for the new project C.
In 2009, cooperation with the Canadian company Magna International was frozen, in favor of the Franco-Japanese Alliance Renault Nissan, French renault acquired 25% of AvtoVAZ shares. The Alliance provided its B platforms, which for 2012 were installed on the first line of the AVTOVAZ main conveyor. The head of the Russian Technologies company Sergey Chemezov said that the developments with Magna International remain in force and will be used to create new cars.
Since 2009, due to the difficult economic situation of AvtoVAZ, Project C has been suspended.
Lada Karat is a Russian concept from AvtoVAZ. Introduced in 2002. The first development of Lada Karat began in 2001. The dimensions of the "Karat" do not differ much from the "Oka". Its length is 300 mm longer, it is slightly higher than the Oka.
The prototype VAZ-2151 (aka "Lada-Classic") was presented at the Moscow 2002. It was an attempt to modernize the classic "Zhiguli": on the old rear-wheel drive chassis was completely new body, the front suspension scheme was changed, and a 1.7-liter engine with fuel injection was placed under the hood. Another was the rack-and-pinion steering.
Initially external appearance the car was supposed to overlap with the old models VAZ-2101 and 2102, but in the end it was decided to abandon round headlights and a recognizable silhouette.
It was assumed that the VAZ-2151 would not be a replacement, but an addition to the "classic" and would help AvtoVAZ to increase production volumes. The start of production of sedans and station wagons was scheduled for 2006 ... As a result, the project did not receive further development, as it was recognized as unprofitable.
In the "era of Andersson", 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, some of which have recently been used in concepts. 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 on the way, 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!
I must say that not all of AvtoVAZ's ventures are so lucky. To paraphrase the old KVN joke about football, there were many moments, and the implementation was chronically lame. After all, the factory was "creative" even before Andersson came. But over the years of the management of the plant of his predecessors, 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.
Lada C project
"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 of the C segment. And everything was not created from scratch, the VAZ workers already had a backlog.
The prototype VAZ "Project S" presented in 2007 (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 2004 Moscow Motor Show, a model of the VAZ-2116 "Silhouette" sedan (top photo) was presented - 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 was to include 1.6, 1.8 and 2 liter gasoline engines, diesels, automatic and four-wheel drive!
After the "Silhouette" in the framework of the project, a sports three-door hatchback appeared - its prototype under the name C Concept was presented at Geneva Motor Show 2007 year. It was reported that the concept "charged" Lada C is equipped with a 2-liter engine, and the maximum speed is 210 km / h. There was even talk about the approximate price - about 450,000 rubles of that time!
Well, in 2008 at the Moscow Motor Show debuted a conceptual urban crossover Lada C-Cross (index 2119). For him, it was 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 were destined to become serial! In 2008, a crisis was already raging in the world and there was no time for ambitions. And then the future VAZ partner appeared on the horizon, represented by renault-Nissan alliance... In short, in 2009, cooperation with Magna and the Lada C project itself were frozen, and the prototypes presented ended their journey in the museum of the plant.
Lada 111 GTI 2.0 4x4
Several prototypes were released
As long as Niva has existed, so many signals have been sent to AvtoVAZ from the people that it would be nice to attach four-wheel drive and passenger cars factory. And in Togliatti they honestly tried to do it, and more than once! Probably the brightest attempt is the experimental Lada 111 GTI 2.0 4x4 (21116-04) of the 2001 model. This is 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 externally differed in the ground clearance increased to 185 mm, larger wheels and body linings. Inside - a 150-horsepower Opel engine with a volume of 2 liters paired with a 5-speed manual transmission from the same company, plus a rear axle drive through a viscous coupling from the GKN company.
Lada 111 GTI 2.0 4x4
The all-wheel drive transmission had enough original parts (like a power take-off bevel gear and aluminum cardan shafts), and the rear independent (!) Suspension on double levers was drawn by VAZ from scratch and rested on its own stretcher! Alas, the approximate price of $ 14,000-16,000 made this development too expensive for a poor Russian client. Replacing the Opel motor with a VAZ one would not help much either. As a result, the project was closed.
Another attempt was the prototype of the four-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 VAZ unit with a volume of 1.8 liters paired with a reinforced manual transmission. And instead of the rear twisted beam, the prototype was made with an independent McPherson suspension! But this time, too, it never came to 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 were released
AvtoVAZ 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 management 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 for a long time as a factory technical equipment.
Did you know that the well-known Chevrolet Niva once existed in the back of a pickup truck and a van? After all, initially "Shniva" was created at AvtoVAZ, where it bore the name VAZ-2123 and was produced in small series from 1998 to 2002. It was only later that the license for it was sold to the joint venture GM-AvtoVAZ, which turned it into a 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 for a cargo platform 1.6 meters long, and a reinforced rear suspension provided a carrying capacity of up to 475 kg. Moreover, the experimental pickup had a diesel engine of Russian production. In the same year, a VAZ-2723 test van was made on the basis of the pickup truck. How did it end? Guess three times! That's right, both promising car and remained at the stage of prototypes.
Created in a single copy
Yes, this is Lada! An incredible electric concept car called Rapan was unveiled by AvtoVAZ in Paris in 1998, where it caused quite a stir. Still, everyone is accustomed to the fact that such curiosities are drawn by the French or the crazy Swiss from some Sbarro - and here the Russians decided to show off their biodesign in the Kolani style.
The concept had sliding doors, a transparent bubble roof, revolving front seats and sliding rear seats, a flat floor ... When the driver exited, the steering wheel stood up vertically, while the AvtoVAZ designers carried not only the buttons for controlling the onboard functions, but also the devices themselves!
The Rapan's drive and transmission were taken from the experimental Oka electric, and the batteries were hidden under the floor for a low center of gravity and perfect axle weight distribution. True, the electric car weighing one and a half tons 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 they did not find it interesting at all. Well at least the only copy of "Rapan" was not allowed under pressure by the VAZ workers, but kept for history.
Lada peter turbo
Two layouts created
As history has shown, the daring experiments of VAZ designers were not limited to Rapan. And already in 2000, at the Moscow Motor Show, he gathered crowds around him new concept car Peter Turbo - in it, the designers of the AvtoVAZ scientific and technical center showed their views on a 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
For the Paris Motor Show, Peter Turbo had both windows and a salon with a steering column, which, together with the instruments, went out from under the cross member of the body. The concept was then appreciated not only by visitors to the salon, but also by many world designers. The project had enough worthy ideas for design and aerodynamics (the drag coefficient was only 0.2), but none of these developments were implemented in mass production - and Peter Turbo remained a model.
"Tarzan-1" and "Tarzan-2"
Produced 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 car body from front-wheel drive models!
"Tarzana" was created by joint efforts of the experimental-industrial production of the plant, the "Lada-Consul" company and the Decon design studio. For the first generation car, serial Samara bodies (3- and 5-door hatches and a 4-door sedan) were used, which were placed on the frame. And on it, in turn, they screwed serial units from "Niva" - the engine, gearbox, razdatka, suspension, steering ... The frame itself, elongated cardan shafts, springs and shock absorbers were original. By the way, rear brakes were disc, and the rear suspension - independent, assembled from the front suspension parts of the same "Niva"! The opening between the frame and the body was masked by linings, and the expanders wheel arches and advanced bumpers made Tarzan-1 look like a Dakar prototype. Moreover, for public utilities, a no less original looking model "Tarzan-UTS" was still produced. Lada Revolution
Lada revolution 3
Several dozen racing Revolutions released
The Lada Revolution project is definitely one of the most famous ventures of AvtoVAZ of the first 10th anniversary of this century. The fiery red single-seater Revolution sports prototype made a loud debut in 2003 at the Moscow and Frankfurt motor shows. In fact, it was a racing car that took part in the mono-cup of the same name, which the AvtoVAZ National Racing Series held from 2004 to 2008. The release of the road version was also planned.
Fully designed and built by the famous Togliatti firm Torgmash, the Lada Revolution sports prototype weighed only 670 kg and was equipped with a VAZ 1.6-liter "aspirated" engine, first forced up to 165, and later - up 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 produced, the Lada Revolution racing project quietly faded away.
Lada revolution 3
But goodbye, Lada still shied away with one more small revolution! So, in 2008, at the Paris Motor Show, the concept of a "civil" mid-engined sports car Lada Revolution 3, made by the VAZ department, was shown Lada sport based on a circular prototype. At the heart of the Revolution 3 was a steel spaceframe on which lightweight, inexpensive plastic panels were placed. The car weighed just a little more than 1 ton. For the rear-wheel drive version, a 2-liter Renault turbo engine was planned with an output of (245 hp, 310 Nm), with which acceleration to 100 km / h was to take only 5.9 seconds. An all-wheel drive version with a 3.7-liter engine Nissan with a capacity of 350 hp The price could be, if not budget, then clearly cheaper than analogues. But, alas, the VAZ sports car also remained only at the project stage.
On automobile exhibitions there are always a lot of prototypes presented. It takes a lot of time to create a new car, and even more to eliminate errors and inaccuracies. Only a small fraction of new creations reach the conveyor belt. Most of the cars remain only in the drawings or are produced in the amount of one unit. the USSR
Many cars with familiar contours still travel on the roads of Russia and many countries. These were serial models... And VAZ, after its creation, prepared a number of new models.
VAZ E1101 Experienced "1970 
Who knows what it could be - an alternative to "Niva" or a parallel model that you could buy?
Or VAZ 2103 "Universal" Experienced "1976 
Well, it happened, there were "Lada VAZ2102 and VAZ2104". The serial three failed to be a "universal".
VAZ 2105 "Zhiguli" Experienced "1976 
VAZ 2107 Modernized Experienced "1986 
VAZ E2122 "1976 
VAZ-Porsche 2103 Prototype "1976 
VAZ 2802-01 "Pony" Experienced "1980 
But as you know, the Zhiguli family was serially small in terms of the nomenclature for many years. And if such models would have gone on the conveyor in 70-80?
AZLK also tried to expand its nomenclature. And many designs were created that did not reach the series.
MZMA 401E-424E "Moskvich" Experienced "1949 
MZMA "Moskvich" A9 Prototype 1957. 
Minibus "Moskvich".
A nine-seater minibus designed by I. A. Gladilin and V. I. Evlampov, according to the modern classification, would be considered a category B car, that is, a passenger car.
The experimental car was equipped with a non-serial Moskvich-407 engine and an experimental four-speed gearbox. Used nodes and parts, in particular rear axle from "Moskvich-410". They also made two cargo van bodies, but these Moskvich-FVG cars were never assembled. Work on the minibus was stopped due to the lack of space at the plant for its production.
MZMA 444 "Moskvich" Prototype "1958. 
In the future, all the design and technological documentation for the Soviet Fiat was transferred to the Kommunar plant ZAZ.
AZLK "Moskvich 408 Tourist" 1964 
AZLK 2150 "Moskvich" Experienced "1972. 
AZLK 3-5-5 Experienced 1972 
In this "Moskvich", the shape of the BMW-3 series is guessed at the rear.
Nice and modern model for those times. As usual with us, production is delayed, then it freezes, and such beautiful models become the property of history and gather dust in the auto museums of factories.
AZLK Moskvich-C1 Prototype "1974 
It looks very dynamic and cheerful. Especially for 1974.
AZLK 3-5-6 Experienced 1975 
AZLK Moskvich S-3 Prototype 1976. 
This could have been "Moskvich -2141" if not copying "Simca" went.
And this is a long-cherished idea of \u200b\u200ba city taxi by designer Yuri Aharonovich Dolmatovsky. For a long time, nothing was known about the fate of the prototype itself: after it was forgotten, it was included in the historical exposition of the 19th Moscow taxi park, where only the leaders of production, delegations from other cities looked at it. It is now on display in the museum. Its bulky steel frame is clad with fiberglass panels. There are four seats... Entrance and exit through one side sliding door on the right side.
Experimental taxi VNIITE-PT. 1964 g. 
IMZ-NAMI-450 Squirrel 1956 
In 1956, NAMI, together with the Irbit Motorcycle Plant, developed the IMZ-NAMI-A50 Belka minicar. The rear-engined car with a length of only 3.3 meters was distinguished by an unusual "carriage" layout for that time.
For access to the driver's and front passenger's seat, the front part of the body was folded forward, and for landing on backseat served as a large side door on the starboard side. Among other features - independent suspension miniature 10-inch wheels, hydraulic drives brakes and clutches, two-cylinder motorcycle engine air cooling IMZ-M-72 Belka never went into production, and the prototypes were destroyed.
ZIL E169A 1964. 
Experienced cabover vehicle, conceived as an alternative to the ZIL 130.
GAZ 18. Produced 2 units. 
GAZ M-73 Experienced 1955 
GAZ 56 Prototype 1st series 1956 
GAZ 53A Experienced 1972 
GAZ 3101 "Volga" Experienced 1975. 
The contours of the car are reminiscent of "Mercedes - 200 series".
But the Volga had a special destiny. The shape of the trunk, the contours of the front end changed, but the basis - the cabin in all models was the same.
GAZ 3105 "Volga" Experienced "1987–92 
USA
Building a car is difficult. But what attracts in the first place potential buyer? Especially in countries with a well-developed automotive industry. For example the USA. The car cannot be on the conveyor for a long time. We need a rotation of models. And what will be produced tomorrow? What will attract the consumer?
Designers and designers have worked on this, trying to "look" a little ahead. That is, to create well, if not the car of the future, then at least tomorrow.
A large number of manufacturers in the United States created favorable conditions for healthy competition in the creativity of designers.
Cars of the next period seemed to them as unusual with rocket-aircraft forms (this aero style in the USA and in many countries lasted a very long time).
And its origins appeared in the late 40s. The fashion for victorious bodies with heavy lines and massive decor was already coming to an end.
Tucker Torpedo 1948 
The impetus for the development of new lines and shapes was the approach of the 60s. The age of jet technology, the beginning of space exploration. A leap in technology. It seemed the future was already near. And everyone wanted to get into this future.
New cars acquired swiftness, thrust for speed and futurism.
Many developments were created in a single copy. But this is the fate of prototypes, concept cars. Many of these cars were later used to varying degrees, in the units of other cars, in their design.
1953 Cadillac LeMans 
Oldsmobile 
1953 GM Futureliner 
1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special Motorama 
1954 GM XP 21 Firebird I with a gas turbine engine. 
1954 GM XP 21 passenger version of the Firebird II based on the Firebird I 
1954 Oldsmobile F88 
1955 Chevrolet Biscayne 
1955 Ford Mystere 
1955 Cadillac LaSalle II coupe 
1962 Ford Seattle 
1969 Buick Century Cruiser 
1963 Ford Allegro Coupe Concept 
1968 Dodge Charger III 
1962 Corvair Monza GT 
1956 Pontiac Club de Mer 
1965 Cadillac 840 Eldorado 
