In 1970, the pioneer of an entire dynasty of VAZ automobiles rolled off the assembly line of the Volga Automobile Plant in Togliatti. It was a small car 2101, or, as it is popularly called, "penny." Licensed copy of one of the Italian Fiat models. The first swallow immediately fell to the taste of the army of many thousands of Soviet motorists. The car was expensive, but the lucky ones who got it did not notice the costs. After the Muscovites with the Cossacks, the “penny” was the light in the window. Spacious interior, quick throttle engine, silent on the go, the car has become the dream of many.
A year later, VAZ released another model, it was already a station wagon with a reinforced chassis. From VAZ 2102, the technical characteristics of which were repeated model 2101, were rural residents delighted. Almost half a ton of cargo could be put in the cargo compartment, the reinforced rear suspension springs easily withstood the load. With the rear door open, the floor level was higher than the
doorway, so any load could be loaded and unloaded by sliding, which is of no small importance. For example, at the next VAZ 2104 station wagon, the opening of the back door was already raised above the floor, and this created huge difficulties when loading.
So, the new VAZ 2102 car was built on already tested 2101 units and assemblies. The engine is longitudinal placement, four-cylinder, in-line, carburetor. Very neat, compact cylinder block with pressed-in liners, made of quality gray cast iron. The gas distribution is upper, valve. Rotation was transmitted to the camshaft from the
crankshaft by a double chain, through a peripheral sprocket with a tensioner shoe. There was also a double gear at the front end of the camshaft. The engine worked in a four-stroke mode, the valves were driven by levers based on special bearings. The valves were equipped with two return springs.
All engines of VAZ automobiles were high-speed; it was this mode of operation that was the key to the durability of the resource of the
piston group and crankshaft. At insufficiently high speeds, the engine oil supply system lost pressure, the moving parts did not receive sufficient lubrication. The ignition was normal, the electrical circuit of the car did not differ from the standard.
The VAZ 2102
engine cooling system was a closed bypass. Coolant was continuously circulated, driven by a
centrifugal pump with a plastic impeller. The temperature regime was maintained by a thermostat and a fan, the inclusion of which depended on the heating of the sensor in the lower radiator chamber.
The rotation of the engine crankshaft was transmitted through the gearbox to the driveshaft with two needle spacers, then to the rear axle hypoid mechanism. The VAZ 2102 brake system was dual-circuit, the front wheels were equipped with disc brakes, and the rear ones had drum brakes.
The car was structurally rational. The exterior was quite modern, although it did not differ in any special frills. It was quite possible a certain tuning of the VAZ 2102, for example, some owners added another one to the standard rear bumper - it turned out to have a dual rear bumper, and it was very impressive. The roof of the VAZ 2102, especially if the car was white, was glued with black thin artificial leather, while the car was just becoming beautiful. For a long time, the VAZ 2102 was produced in its basic version and was discontinued only in 1985.