Avtovaz · 1970–1988

VAZ-2102

The VAZ-2101 "Zhiguli", commonly nicknamed "Kopeyka" (for the smallest Soviet coin, 1/100 of the Russian ruble), is a compact 4-door saloon or wagon, called small class, passenger car, model 1 in Soviet classification, and produced by the Soviet manufacturer AvtoVAZ, introduced in 1970 as the company's first product. The car is a licence-built version of the Fiat 124, that was heavily modified and tailored for the rough climate and road conditions across the Soviet Union and much of the Eastern Bloc countries. Subsequently, it was widely, and successfully exported to the West under the Lada brand, for over two decades. The station wagon version (correspondingly based on the Fiat 124 Familiare) was known as the VAZ-2102.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Successor: Lada Riva

All Avtovaz VAZ-2102 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Development

The lightweight Italian Fiat 124, which had won the 1967 European Car of the Year, was adapted in order to survive treacherous Russian driving conditions. Among many changes, aluminium brake drums were added to the rear, and the original Fiat engine was dropped in favour of a newer design made by NAMI. This new engine had a modern overhead camshaft design but was never used in Fiat cars. The suspension was raised to clear rough Russian roads and the bodyshell was made from thicker, heavier steel with reinforcement in key chassis areas after cracking was discovered during durability testing. The first Lada models were equipped with a starting handle in case the battery went flat in Siberian conditions, though this was later dropped. Another feature specifically intended to help out in cold conditions was a manual auxiliary fuel pump. Some of the improvements developed by VAZ engineers in collaboration with their Italian counterparts were also applied by Fiat to the 124 in its final years of production - for example the chassis strengthening. Internally within Fiat, the car developed for VAZ was denoted "124R", the "R" standing for 'Russian'. Engines fitted to the original Lada 2101 start with the 1.2l. The drivetrain is a simple rear-wheel drive setup with a live rear axle. The engine is an inline four with two valves per cylinder and a single overhead camshaft. A special anti-freeze coolant fluid (Tosol A40) was developed, Russia's first, and Fiat had stipulated as part of the agreement with the Russians that a nationwide network of service stations would be established.

History

The 2101 is a re-engineered version of the Fiat 124 produced under licence from Fiat and tailored for the nations of the Eastern Bloc, but was widely exported to the West as an economy car. Although the facelifted and modernised VAZ-2105, 2104 & 2107 versions largely replaced it in the West in the early 1980s, it was still produced for the domestic market as late as 1988. Known as the Zhiguli (for the hills found near the plant) within the Soviet Union, the main differences between the VAZ-2101 and the Fiat 124 are the use of thicker gauge steel for the bodyshell, drum brakes on the rear wheels in place of disc brakes, and a bespoke engine. Early versions of the car featured a starting handle for cranking the engine manually should the battery go flat in Siberian winter conditions, and an auxiliary fuel pump. Under the licensing agreement with Fiat, VAZ were forbidden from selling the car in Italy in order to protect Fiat's lucrative home market, nor was it permitted to sell it in any export market in competition with the 124; however, exports to Western Europe began as early as autumn 1971. The 2101 was exported under the Lada 1200, Lada 1300, Lada 1200S and Lada 2101 until 1989 and was positioned as a budget "no frills" offering; it was sold in the United Kingdom from May 1974, until the arrival of the Riva in 1983. It was the first Lada to be sold in the United Kingdom. The first year, 22,000 were produced, and capacity reached 660,000 by 1973. Sales reached one million on 21 December 1973, and one and a half million in 1974. In May 1974, it went on sale in Britain, priced at £979. A flaw of the differently designed engine was that the crankshaft would wear too fast. Due to this, around 1980, this part was out of stock for quite a while. Only after two years the sit

Models

=== VAZ-2101 === VAZ-2101 (1970–1982) — first variant was equipped with a 1,198 cc (73.1 cu in) engine (an overhead camshaft design, never used in a Fiat) producing 60 PS (44 kW; 59 hp) and offering a 140 km/h (87 mph) top speed and 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in about 20 seconds. Compared to the Fiat 124, 800 modifications were made in all, including to rear brakes (discs to drums), suspension (for higher ground clearance), carburettor, and some other parts in order to satisfy a wide range of Russian climate conditions, as well as thicker-gauge steel (so the 2101 weighed 945 kg (2,083 lb), 90 kg (200 lb) more than the Fiat). All these models had soft suspension adapted to the local roads that provided a more comfortable ride on rough gravel roads. Early models included a crank, in case the battery went flat (an item later dropped) and an auxiliary fuel pump. In a short time, Lada became a real hit in Soviet Union. The 2101 (and its first modifications) opened a new era in Russian motoring. However, the Togliatti plant could not supply the consumer demand, and people had to wait for years to get a chance to buy the car. Exports began 21 February 1971, to Yugoslavia, with 32 cars sent to Finland, Holland, and Belgium on 30 July. After a competition in the Soviet automotive magazine Za Rulyom (At the Wheel), which drew 1,812 entries, in September 1971 the name Lada (Russian for "harmony") was chosen, and the export models would be called Lada 1200s. Production was always behind demand, and price crept up, but by 1980, the wait for a new 2101 was down to a year. The 2102 estate version started production 27 April 1972. Sales to Cuba began in 1971 (and until 2006, Raúl Castro drove to work in his own saloon) and Canada in 1978, but none were exported to the U.S. Angola received

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: VAZ-2101
aka: Lada 1200/1200S, Lada 1300, Lada 2101, VAZ-2101
Manufacturer: VAZ/AvtoVAZ
Assembly: Soviet Union: Tolyatti, Samara Oblast
Production: 1970–1988
Successor: VAZ-2105, VAZ-2104
Class: Compact car
Body style: 4-door saloon, 5-door estate
Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Engine: petrol:, 1.2 L VAZ-2101 I4, 1.3 L VAZ-21011 I4, 1.5 L VAZ-2103 I4
Transmission: 4-speed Manual, 3-speed Automatic
Wheelbase: 2424 mm
Length: 4075 mm (sedan), 4060 mm (estate)
Width: 1610 mm
Height: 1382 mm
Kerb weight: 955 kg
Related: Fiat 124, SEAT 124, Murat 124, Premier 118NE, VAZ-2103, VAZ-2106, VAZ-2107

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2997152CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VAZ-2101CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1373626939 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lada_2102_en_Tjumeno_03.jpgCC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: RG72 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.