by Minivan ZAZ? Yes, it turns out that back in the first half of the 1960s, work was underway in Zaporizhzhia to create a “Zaporozhets” for the whole family. In particular, it concerns a minivan capable of accommodating 6 people. It is believed that only one experimental prototype was produced, and whether it has survived to this day is unknown.
The experimental minivan was made based on the ordinary ZAZ-965. Like the passenger Zaporozhets models, the minivan received an air-cooled gasoline engine with only 27 horsepower (the unit is located at the rear under the floor).
An interesting feature is the organization of the passenger space – in the rear, the seat arrangement is like in a limousine (passengers sit facing each other). Despite the engine’s very modest power, the minivan was designed for a payload of 350 kg. This was achieved thanks to the low mass of the car itself (only 700 kg!). However, the maximum speed of the Zaporozhets minivan is, to put it mildly, unimpressive – only 70 km/h. The declared fuel consumption is 7.5 liters per 100 km.
And although the project could have become very popular, and the car extremely affordable (for this class), the government at the time did not give it the green light due to a lack of “free” funds for its implementation. The minivan was supposed to be part of the 970/971 family, which also included the compact ZAZ truck, the ZAZ-970B van with a load-bearing body, the ZAZ-970G cargo platform, and the ZAZ-971D all-wheel-drive SUV.
