VAZ-2101

The VAZ-2101, nicknamed Kopeyka and sold in the Soviet Union as the Zhiguli, was the first product of the AvtoVAZ factory and was introduced in 1970. It is a compact four-door saloon, with an estate version known as the VAZ-2102, and it is a licence-built version of the Fiat 124 that was heavily reworked for the climate and roads of the Soviet Union. Changes included thicker steel in the bodyshell, drum brakes at the rear, a higher ride height, a starting handle for cold-weather emergencies and an engine designed in the Soviet Union with a single overhead camshaft. Under the Lada brand it was exported widely to the West for more than two decades before the facelifted VAZ-2105 family took over.