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My first experience driving a Soviet car. by mattsbeamer

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· @mattsbeamer · (edited)
$8.04
My first experience driving a Soviet car.
As you know, I am from England, and I moved to Russia many years ago.  

I have been fortunate enough to have experienced driving many different types of cars, from many different backgrounds. I have driven cars from the small European hatchbacks to Big Luxury German cars. I have even driven a few Big american cars, but nothing prepared me for the experience of driving a small Soviet car.


![zaz.jpeg](https://images.hive.blog/DQmeVqpDF1fkyWU5C1JjVHnXnCoci4snXVoWjJcoxfTy7Mj/zaz.jpeg)


It was May 2018 (just before my little angel was born), and I was going to change the rear brakes on my BMW 1 Series, when I saw my friend in her garage. She was working on her 1985 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon. It was a big old bus, and she said she will let me film it when this virus is over.

Anyway, outside of the garage, next to her partners Chevy Caprice was her Classic Zaporozhets 968M, or ZAZ 968M for short.

Its such a beautiful, cute little car with lots of character. The owner changed the colour from a dull beige to a lovely orangery, yellow colour, but calls it her little tomato.

When she saw me looking lovingly at her car, she said jump inside. I was very excited, but I thought how can I fit in it, its tiny. Her partner jumped inside, and he was the size of a Russian bear, and believe it or not, he still had plenty of room.

With this I jumped inside, It was quite comfortable, for a very very basic car. I loved it!!

Then she threw me the key and said drive it up and down this private land, and see how you do.....

I adjusted the choke, pressed a bit on the accelerator, and turn the tiny key, which looked like it was from a padlock, off some bike.

The little 1.2litre V4 Engine jumped into life. I had to keep adjusting the revs and choke to stop it stalling.

The time came to drive it. I put her into first, which was a task in itself. Its much harder than a very old Land Rover....

I found the biting point, added a bit of gas, and went to pull away, when pft, she stalled.


![zaz1.jpeg](https://images.hive.blog/DQmc5NYWrDLjF9Tr4aNuTTRy7rh3TUzfimoSxUUmpYKjo37/zaz1.jpeg)


Her partner said give it more gas, so I did. Its so odd having to rev a car hard.

Finally, I went down the track, bouncing away, moving the wheel drastically to drive in a straight line. It was like wrestling with a little  pig. But I loved it.

What is the most unusual car you have driven??
👍  , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and 431 others
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vote details (495)
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@j85063 ·
Probably my Rover P6 V8 I used to have.
👍  
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@mattsbeamer ·
Oh wow, lovely cars those. My friends dad has one, with the spare wheel on top of the boot. Apparently hes owned it for years :)


![roverp6.jpg](https://images.hive.blog/DQmaY2fTFDfRZDASgqcDLBV8quhNEHHQHFpR3zmE1z99h3P/roverp6.jpg)
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@j85063 ·
Yes very similar to that one.👍
👍  
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vote details (1)
@natubat ·
"Like wrestling with a little pig" haha! Not something I've ever done. It's a lovely car. Maybe it's the yellow colour.

My first ever car was very unusual - a Fiat 500cc. It was like a motorbike with a roof. If a large person was sitting in the back, the chassis would clunk on the ground intermittently. One day the car just ground to a halt, and it turned out there was a hole in the engine. And that was the end of my first car!
👍  
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@mattsbeamer ·
Thank you, I will let the girl know, who owns it :) she will be delighted.

Oh lovely, I really like the 500. Was it the classic shape, or the more up to date version?  It seemed like the classic, until I saw you said cc. :) 
 I had a friend who owned a classic one, years ago, she described it as her friend, full of character and temperamental. That car died a rusty death.

Many of my friends own the newer version,  including a edition Abarth esseesse. It was a crazy little hot hatch. 

Thanks for the comment :)
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@natubat ·
Sadly not - it was a weird red boxy thing from 1980. I think all the Fiat 500s were super-cute and stylish, except for that model 😂
👍  
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