Lot number	162
Hammer value	£440
Description	ZAZ 965A
Registration	N/A
Year	1969
Colour	Blue
Engine size	887 cc
Chassis No.	312335
Engine No.	N/A
Documents	Lithuanian paperwork; various manuals; parts list; articles and correspondence.

It’s a funny old world – you don’t see a ZAZ for years and then three turn up at once. Thinking about it, when did you last see a ZAZ?

Based in the Soviet Ukraine, ZAZ Zaporozhets produced a range of air-cooled, rear-engined, rear-wheel drive city cars from 1958 until 1994. The ZAZ 965 ran from 1960 to 1969 and was famed not just for its robustness and ease of maintenance, but also for being the cheapest Soviet-made car available, costing just 1,800 roubles. That's just a few sacks of potatoes. Probably.

With interchangeable windscreens front and rear, a basic interior and a 28bhp V4 887cc engine slung out the back, it had independent suspension all round, decent ground clearance and could go just about anywhere you cared to point it. In truth, cornering was not its strong suit (look at that swing-axle!) but if it did end up in a ditch, at least Boris could fix it with little more than a hammer and sickle.

This 1969 ZAZ 965A was imported by Andrew Bremner from Lithuania in 2016. It is, by and large, complete but in need of some attention. Fortunately the car does come with a photocopied parts catalogue (in Russian and English), a workshop manual (in German), and an owner’s manual (in English). Get your hammer out and you'll have it back on the road in no time.

The car is not UK-registered but does have Lithuanian paperwork which should help in the quest for recognition from the DVLA. Nostrovia! as they say in Russia...