The rear-wheel drive sedan of a small class and, concurrently, the "first-born" of the Volga Automobile Plant - VAZ-2101 - "was born" on April 19, 1970 - it was then that the first six copies of the newly-made model came off the assembly line of the Togliatti enterprise ...
But its history began much earlier - back in 1966, the USSR Ministry of Automotive Industry signed a general agreement with Fiat, borrowing a four-door Fiat 124 from them for its “penny”. True, having reincarnated in the VAZ-2101, the Italian "donor" underwent significant changes: the exterior and interior were modified, new engines were separated, the ground clearance was increased, the suspension and body were strengthened, and a lot of other "changes" were made.
In 1974, the VAZ-21011 model debuted, which (in comparison with the base "brother") received a revised appearance, a more comfortable interior and an engine of increased (up to 1.3 liters) volume.
The "life" cycle of the three-volume lasted until 1988, and during this period it sold over 2.7 million units.
Outside, the VAZ-2101 has a very nice, laconic and balanced, but outdated (by modern standards) look, which lacks any memorable design moves.
A friendly front end with round headlights-eyes, between which a radiator grille is "registered", and a chrome "beam" of a bumper, a classic three-volume silhouette with a high roof line, flat sides and a long "branch" of the trunk, an unpretentious stern with narrow lanterns and a neat bumper - exterior the car is simple and unremarkable.
In terms of its dimensions, the “penny” belongs to the “B-class” (according to the European classification): it is 4043 mm long, reaches 1611 mm in width, and does not exceed 1440 mm in height. The wheelbase is 2424 mm at the four-door, and its ground clearance is 170 mm.
When equipped, the car weighs at least 955 kg, and its gross weight is 1355 kg.
The interior of the VAZ-2101 is designed in full accordance with the appearance - it looks modest on all fronts, but at the same time it is distinguished by well-thought-out ergonomics. A large two-spoke steering wheel with a thin rim, an extremely simple instrument cluster that provides only the necessary minimum of information, an extremely discreet front panel with round ventilation deflectors, two "sliders" of the heating system, an ashtray and a radio receiver - by modern standards, the decoration of the sedan is completely outdated.
Formally, the "kopeck" salon has a five-seat layout, but only two people can sit on the second row, and they will not feel an excess of free space. Both front and rear, the car is equipped with amorphous seats without head restraints, which have a flat profile (even without a hint of lateral support) and soft padding.
The trunk of the VAZ-2101 is ascetic: it has an intricate shape, and bare metal is almost everywhere. The cargo compartment of the four-door is 325 liters, but this is taking into account the full-size spare wheel, which is fixed inside on the left side.
The Soviet sedan is offered with two four-cylinder gasoline "aspirated" with a vertical layout, an overhead camshaft, carburetor fuel injection and an 8-valve timing structure:
- VAZ-2101 (Lada-1200) is equipped with a 1.2-liter engine that generates 64 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 89 Nm of rotational potential at 3400 rpm.
- VAZ-21011 (Lada-1300) is powered by a 1.3-liter engine developing 69 hp. at 5600 rpm and 96 Nm of torque at 3400 rpm.
By default, the three-box is equipped with a 4-speed "manual" gearbox and drive wheels of the rear axle.
From a standstill to 100 km / h, the car accelerates after 18-22 seconds, and its maximum capabilities "rest" at 140-145 km / h.
In the combined driving mode, the four-door consumes from 8.2 to 9.2 liters of fuel for each "hundred", depending on the modification.
At the heart of the VAZ-2101 is a rear-wheel drive "bogie" borrowed from the Fiat 124 model, which implies a longitudinal arrangement of the power plant in the front end and the presence of a supporting steel body.
At the front, the sedan is equipped with an independent suspension on double wishbones with telescopic shock absorbers, coil springs and an anti-roll bar, and at the rear - a dependent structure with a rigid beam attached to the frame of one transverse and four longitudinal rods. The car is equipped with a steering mechanism with a two-ridge roller and a globoid "worm", as well as a brake system with disc front and drum rear devices.
In the secondary market of Russia in 2018, the VAZ-2101 can be purchased at a price of ~ 15 thousand rubles, but the cost of some copies (close to the original state) can go up to a million rubles.
Among the advantages of a sedan, the owners usually distinguish: a simple and reliable design, high maintainability, affordable maintenance, moderately high-torque engines, high ground clearance, a good level of assembly, unpretentiousness to fuel quality and much more.
The car also lacks its drawbacks: an outdated technical "filling", low dynamic and speed characteristics, a low level of safety and other points.
