The LuAZ-1302, formerly called ZAZ-969 (1966-1971), LuAZ-969 (1971-1979) and LuAZ-969M (1979-1992), is a Soviet and Ukrainian four-wheel drive automobile built by the ZAZ and LuAZ. The first Soviet vehicle with front wheel drive, it was based on the LuAZ-967.
Development
Developing ideas from the unbuilt Moskvitch 415 prototype, designers used the LuAZ-967 as a basis for a four-wheel drive. vehicle They added a body to the LuAZ's bare form, and fitted a 30 hp 887 cc MeMZ-966 air-cooled four-cylinder engine. No other mechanical changes were made.
Its pioneering (for a Soviet car) front wheel drive was due to a lack of drivable rear axles from the supplier, which was giving priority to the LuAZ-967. Nevertheless, the ZAZ-969 performed well, with a weight of only 1,340 kg (thanks in part to a soft top) and an 1,800 mm wheelbase. The transmission was a four-speed.
Production
A pre-production batch of fifty was created in 1965, dubbed ZAZ-969, and production was authorized in 1966 as the ZAZ-969V. It was built by ZAZ until 1971, when