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"Penny" for forty years
April 19, 1970 the assembly line of the Volga Automobile Plant went first car "VAZ-2101", called by the people "penny."
VAZ 2101 - he was proudly christened "Zhiguli" and popularly nicknamed "Kopeika". However, from the standpoint of promoting the name of the border car "Zhiguli" was unsuccessful. For a number of languages it was cacophonous. For example, the name "Zhiguli" was consonant with the Arab "Dzhigul" - a thief ... on this as an export name was chosen pleasing rumor "Lada».
This car was a small masterpiece: either before or after the "penny" pickers have not been able to create such durable cars. The prototype of the "penny" was "FIAT-124." "Kopeika" soon became a real national car.
At the beginning of production of VAZ-2101 was the most comfortable in its class, one of the most advanced and reliable domestic cars, which made possession sign of wealth and prosperity.
"VAZ-2101", according to the testing needs major repairs only after the vehicle travels a distance of 10-minute journey from Moscow to Vladivostok. But there are cases when the "penny" managed without major repairs and 20, and 25 and 30 years!
For the release of this model in May 1972 VAZ was awarded the International Prize "Golden Mercury" - a kind of "Oscar" of European trade.
Throughout the short but heroic story of "penny" from 1970 to 1983 it was produced 2,702,657 cars VAZ 2101.
VAZ-2101 served as the base model for all subsequent scale models - cars classic layout: VAZ-2102, -2103, -2104, -2105, -2106, -2107. It has been 40 years since the release of the first VAZ-2101, but now, in his old age, "penny" of the first lot of wheels on the roads, it is still the admiration of his ruggedness, reliability and endurance. Find the same in Europe, the "live" FIAT 124 -problem almost unsolvable.
