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The spotted specimen

Last week in this column you saw a beautiful Lincoln. Back then we mentioned that we had come across a particularly large number of spots in the town of Elburg. One of those other spots is this VAZ-2103 Zhiguli. The car is on license plates from Latvia. That’s a long drive for such a little car. As far as we know you can’t check Latvian license plates, so we don’t know what year this car is from.

The VAZ-2103 Zhiguli

The VAZ-2103 Zhiguli, or the VAZ-2103 for short, is one of many Russian variants made over the years based on the Fiat 124. The 2103 entered the market in 1972 and was a joint development of Fiat and VAZ. VAZ also sold the car outside the Soviet Union, as the Lada 1500. With its square front, it looked a lot more modern than predecessor 2101 (which, incidentally, remained in production as a more economical alternative). The 1.5-liter four-cylinder with 55 kW (75 hp) was also a step forward.

Within the context of the Soviet market, the VAZ-2103 was a fairly luxurious car, especially compared to the previous model. It had a new dashboard and steering wheel, certain interior parts were covered with fabric (at least on the export version), and the dashboard even had imitation wood inlays. Things like a tachometer, oil pressure gauge and a clock in the dashboard were also not commonplace in the Soviet Union at that time.

VAZ-2103 versus Fiat 124

Although the VAZ-2103 was closely related to the Fiat 124, there were also several differences. Mainly to ensure that the VAZ could better withstand harsher conditions, such as the Siberian cold. Thus, the VAZ could still be started with an old-fashioned crank should the battery fail. Also included were an extra fuel pump, reinforced suspension and better insulation. Finally, the body of the VAZ was even made of thicker steel.

VAZ was allowed to use Fiat technology under license. One of the conditions was that the VAZ would not be sold in countries where Fiat supplied the 124. When that production ended in 1974, the VAZ was also supplied here in the West under the Lada brand name.

Variants and follow-up of the VAZ-2103

Unlike the more economical VAZ-2101, the VAZ-2103 was available only as a four-door sedan. Already in 1973 the range was extended with a 1.2-liter engine (export version: Lada 1200) and in 1977 the range was extended with a 1.3-liter (export version: Lada 1300). Production of the VAZ-2103 continued through 1984, but already in 1980 a successor was ready in the form of the VAZ-2105. We know it as Lada 2105, although in Western Europe it was also delivered under the names Riva and Nova.