Cars that could change our auto industry

Now the Russian car industry is trying with all its might to get back on its feet, reviving the Volga, Pobeda and Moskvich. And no matter how they were scolded, these cars have become part of our history. However, there were a lot of models that tried very hard, but never received universal recognition or remained at the sketch stage. We chose luxurious and conceptual, dubious and ridiculous, but nonetheless noteworthy, developments of the domestic auto industry.

GAZ 3111, Volga 1998

A fresh look at the Volga gave all hope for a bright future for the domestic auto industry. The car had an original design on the outside and a completely new interior on the inside. The front suspension and steering also received an update. In the future, GAZ 3111 was even planned to be switched to diesel fuel, but this never happened. “Volga” has always been a car for people of the “higher” class. The model tried to push itself into the garages of officials, but by the end of the 90s, everyone had long been looking towards foreign cars. And ordinary motorists simply did not pull such a price tag.

“Bear”

Trying to push the “Oka”, which at that moment was not available, “Mishka” tried to occupy an empty niche among small cars. However, the crisis of the 90s made itself felt and the project sank more often than it surfaced. Changing both the ideological creators and car factories, “Mishka” nevertheless hobbled to the beginning of the 10s. But by that time, the attention of Russian drivers was taken away by Lada Grana, and abroad the car was considered too unsafe.

VAZ 1121, “Oka-2” 2003

On the wave of popularity, the “people’s” car began to be modernized almost before its release. The creators were thrown from side to side. Plans varied from an improved two-cylinder engine and a mild redesign, to car concepts of the future. As a result, everything ended with a 33-horsepower 0.75-liter engine and a more familiar appearance. Small edition even passed the test. That, in fact, is all.

Gas 3105, Volga 1990

Volga was released in a small circulation. The car was supposed to be a replacement for the “Seagull” GAZ-14. Equipped with a V8 engine, 170 horsepower, ABS brakes and independent suspensions, the car rolled off the assembly line in the amount of 55 copies. Having not received enough attention, the legend of the domestic auto industry has remained a page in the history of the post-Soviet space.

Minivan 2000

Already in the 80s, VAZ was thinking about the car of the future. The starting point of that very future was considered the year 2000, and everyone tried in every possible way to tie the date to the name of the model. The minivan was considered in two versions: a five-door X-1 and a three-door X-2. The dimensions and filling of the car were planned to be transferred from the VAZ-2108. As a result, the idea left behind a full-size plasticine model, 1:5 scale models and the nickname “VAZ bananas”.

“Gnome” and “Elf”

Looking at these models, you might think that someone “very conceptual” slipped their sketches into a folder with already selected material. In general, this is exactly what happened. During the period of changing the places of designers and constructors of AvtoVAZ, young specialists proposed the concept of a city car for consideration. And off we go. More precisely, no, it didn’t really go. “Gnome” and his beach friend “Elf” appeared in 1993, five years later. The fabulous idea was planned to come out with an engine from the Oka with a weight of 500 kg and accelerate to 140 km / h. There were also thoughts to turn the car into an electric car. However, why all this is needed, no one really appreciated it.

ZIL-4102, 1989

One for the General Secretary – Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, the second for his wife Raisa Maksimovna. So they joked at the ZILovsky plant, when the solid model 4102 was presented in only two copies. Actually, that’s how they were nicknamed “Misha” and “Raisa”. In addition to the new body and suspension, ZIL was no different from model 41047. Perhaps the car was not planned to go into mass circulation and was created specifically to surprise the members of the party conference. One way or another, the car did not go to the people.

Roadster VAZ-2108 “Targa”, 1988

The first and only copy with a very interesting body appeared in 1988. The Vosmerka, dreaming of becoming a kind of convertible, linked the front and rear windows with the central pillar. Part of the roof was removable and with a flick of the wrist the Targa turned into an elegant roadster. Sadly, things didn’t go beyond the demonstration and all the developments that made the car special went to waste.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, these models can now only be seen in pictures on the Internet or in a collector’s garage. Perhaps someone will take a closer look and want to implement the idea of ​​u200bu200b”Targa” or give a second chance to “Mishka”. Let not in their original form, but preserving the idea, which was once tried by the employees of the largest factories in the country.