ვაზ-2103

VAZ launched the 2103 in 1972, the same year that Fiat unveiled the 124 Special; both projects emerged from the joint Soviet-Italian development programme that had birthed the preceding 2101. Production continued at the Tolyatti plant until 1984, after which its basic architecture lived on through the much simpler Lada Riva that would dominate exports for another two decades.

Externally, the 2103 traded the 2101’s twin headlamps for four round lamps framed by a slimmer chrome grille, plus wider tail-lights and body-side chrome moldings. Inside, the dashboard switched to an instrument binnacle inspired by the Fiat 125, housing a tachometer, oil-pressure gauge and a petite analogue clock, while upholstery upgraded to cloth on export cars.

A bored-out 1 452 cc four-cylinder delivering 75 hp (55 kW) gave the car a useful power bump over its predecessor. Brake feel improved through a vacuum booster, and self-adjusting rear drums maintained pedal height without regular intervention, both uncommon features for the domestic market in the 1970s.

Domestically nicknamed "Troika", the 2103 was marketed as the Lada 1500 outside the USSR and filled the upper tier until the arrival of the facelifted Riva line in 1984.