10 domestic cars that you didn't even know existed

We all love our domestic automotive industry very much, we just don't have a soul in it. However, today I really want to tell not about what he is now, but about what he could be.

Now we will show rare, unique and simply unusual domestic cars that you will never see with your own eyes. Oh, what a technological reserve was lost as a result of Perestroika!

1. AZLK-2144 "Istra" (1988).

The prototype car of the AZLK plant, made in a single copy. It has never been mass-produced. It was distinguished by a number of unique solutions, including a duralumin body without a central pillar; two wide side doors opening vertically upwards; a diesel engine running on rapeseed oil; a night vision device and an indication of instrument readings on the windshield; a unique automatic transmission. "Istra" was ahead of its time in many ways. At that time, this car was much superior to its predecessors.

2. VAZ-2106 "Tourist" (1976).

A prototype pickup truck based on the "six" was to be equipped with a built-in tent in the back. In the future, it was supposed to put a four-wheel drive system with a plug-in front axle and differential lock on this car, since its main purpose was precisely tourist. However, the trial single copy did not even have time to equip a tent — the head directorate of the plant completely rejected the model.

3. MAZ 2000 "Perestroika" (1988).

A prototype of a trunk truck, distinguished by an original modular design: most of the units were located in front — the engine, gearbox, drive axle and steering. If necessary, any of the "passive" bogies were replaced with a similar set of units, allowing the construction of road trains of any length and carrying capacity. It was the first Soviet car designed specifically for truckers. In the autumn of 1988, at the Paris Motor Show, this design was highly appreciated, but the prototype never got into production, for obvious reasons.

4. VAZ-2103 "Universal" (1976).

A variant of the VAZ-2103 car with a station wagon body, assembled in an amount of three copies by order of the technical directorate of the plant. The purpose was to check these cars for compliance with European requirements, and in the future, delivery abroad. Of the three assembled cars, one was transferred to AvtoVAZtehobluzhivanie, the second was given to the Dmitrov avtopoligon, and the third sample turned out to be in the Center of the UGK VAZ style. This model never went into mass production.

5. ZIS-Sport (1939).

A sports car produced in one copy at the ZIS plant in Moscow. Created on the ZIS-101 chassis. The sports version of the ZIS-101 model was designed by a group of young engineers from the Experimental Design Bureau of the ZIS workshop on their own initiative. The prototype appeared due to the fact that young engineers in 1938 managed to add the car to the list of "gifts to Mother Motherland" for the 20th anniversary of the Komsomol. At the XVII Moscow Party Conference in 1939, the car was presented by the People's Commissar of Medium Engineering I. A. Likhachev and received the approval of Stalin and Kaganovich.

6. Lada 21109 "Consul" (1996).

The premiere of the car took place at the Moscow Automobile Exhibition in 1996. In fact, Lada 21109 is an elongated 650mm "ten", that is, it is an even longer car than Lada Premier. "Consuls" were produced piece by piece and only to order. However, we can say that they have not found their client. The main reason is that the car is designed for only two passengers.

7. Lada Samara «San Remo» (1990).

In the late 1980s - early 90s, in the wake of the fashion for convertibles in Western Europe, there was a surge of interest in Soviet cars with this type of body. First of all, thanks to their devastatingly low price compared to competitors. Lada Samara "San Remo" is one of the best examples of the late Soviet automotive industry created on this wave.

8. VAZ "X" (1990).

Perhaps the most mysterious of the VAZ concepts, it was not for nothing that he was assigned the index "X". The only information about the car shown in the photo is that in such a futuristic body, even for our time, designers wanted to embody a 7–seater minivan, and it was in 1990.

9. Moskvich-G-2-405 (1956).

The Moskvich-G2-405 racing car was created in 1956 by I. A. Gladilin. The car had an open aluminum body with wheel fairings, and the rear wheels were additionally covered with side shields. For this body, a cockpit fairing with a windscreen and two side windows was made, which completely covered the rider and significantly improved the aerodynamics of the car. The chassis of this model was a copy of the chassis of the Moskvich-G-1-405 racing car. In the 1956 sports season , the factory racer Yu . Chvirov set three All-Union speed records. The highest speed is 223 km/h (with a fairing over the rider's seat).

10. Lada C Concept (2007).

One of the joint developments of AvtoVAZ and the Canadian company Magna International. In the manufacture of the concept, brakes from BMW, seats and a multimedia system from Volkswagen, steering wheel from Audi were used, but the design is its own. In 2009, due to the economic crisis, Project C was frozen and has not been unfrozen until now.