by Strangely enough, Zaporozhets participated in car races. Moreover, among them were sometimes very interesting specimens.
The photo of this rally ZAZ-968M was published in the public group ‘Ukrainian Cars’. The car is notable for the use of titanium in its construction.
The Zaporozhets sports car was built by the racer Oleksandr Los for himself in 1983 after he crashed a racing Zhiguli. He assembled the racing car with his own hands.
Titanium parts were ordered at the plant in Zaporizhzhia. It is known that some components of the engine, brake pads and drums, the driver’s seatback, and the gear lever handle were made of lightweight metal.
As a result of modifications, the weight of the ZAZ-968M decreased from 800 to 540 kg.
The car also received a new leaf spring suspension and off-road tires, and its clearance was increased.
The Zaporozhets raced in rallies for a whole season and performed quite well, although it was not able to compete with more powerful VAZ cars. By the way, ZAZ sports cars were even built in Germany, and one of them has survived to this day.
