Home » Let’s Look At Some Weird Stuff: 1990 ZAZ-968 vs 1956 Citroën 11

Let’s Look At Some Weird Stuff: 1990 ZAZ-968 vs 1956 Citroën 11

Sbsd 9 20 2024
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Good morning, and happy Friday! We’re going to end the week on a seriously weird note. I was alerted to the fact that a car I have seen before in person is now up for sale, back in Portland, so I wanted to see if I could find something equally oddball on this coast. I do believe I have succeeded.

The Buicks we looked at yesterday were anything but weird, and they were so similar I thought it might be a case of “six of one, half a dozen of the other.” And in fact, the voting was very close: as of this writing, the Regal is ahead by a single-digit number of votes.

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I think the Regal would be my choice as well, especially if they include the service records. Knowing the history of a car is helpful, and having been owned by the same family is a good sign. You don’t sell a car to a family member unless it’s a good car, otherwise Thanksgiving dinner gets even more awkward than it already is. Besides, I prefer the driving feel of the W-body to the H-body.

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Yesterday, Opposite-Lock member HFV_Junkyardin posted a weird little Soviet car for sale, and I recognized it immediadely. I know exactly where it is – less than a mile from my old house in Portland. I’ve seen it parked there, along with a couple old Ladas, Russian military trucks, and various pieces of heavy equipment, in a dirt yard full of shipping containers. Just another of Portland’s quirky denizens, in a town where you have to be really weird to stand out.

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I kind of miss that weirdness; Maryland is pretty tame by comparison. But I figured there had to be some oddball cars for sale somewhere nearby, right? Like, say, a front-wheel-drive French sedan from the 1950s with a body design dating back to the 1930s? Yeah, that’ll do. Let’s look at some weird stuff.

1990 Zaphrozhets ZAZ-968M – $6,000

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Engine/drivetrain: 1.2-liter air-cooled overhead valve V4, four-speed manual, RWD

Location: Portland, OR

Odometer reading: Ad says 10,000 miles, probably not accurate

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Operational status: Runs and drives… once you get it down off that big tire

As soon as I saw the post about this car, I thought, “Holy crap, it’s the guy with the Ladas!” I’m sure everyone who spends any time in southeast Portland has seen this guy’s Lada sedans puttering around, but unless you’re a car person, they’re just old square sedans, barely worth a second look. This car, which I have seen on the road as well, probably gets more attention, but I bet some people think it’s a Corvair.

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It’s not a Corvair. Neither is it a Hillman Imp or an NSU Prinz, two cars it also closely resembles. This is a ZAZ-968M, the pride of the Ukraine in the Soviet era, a car whose design dates back to 1966 and was produced all the way up until 1994. It’s rear-engined and air-cooled like a Corvair, but it sports a tiny little 1.2 liter V4 engine making about 40 horsepower. Like most typical Soviet cars, it’s dead simple, built sloppily, and designed to be repaired with a screwdriver and some baling wire. I don’t know why the seller decided to perch it atop that giant tire, but I imagine for a serious buyer he’d get it down and let you test drive it.

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It’s actually in pretty good condition, it looks like, though it needs a good cleaning. The interior is intact, and there isn’t much to go wrong with it, so I would imagine everything works. Completeness is important when you’re buying a car like this; if a piece of trim is missing, it will remain missing the entire time you own the car. You won’t find one of these at the local Pick-N-Pull. The seller might have some parts in one of those shipping containers, though, if you ask nicely.

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It sure is a cute little thing, even painted in this bleak industrial peanut butter beige. There’s something very charming and affable about it, with its little dog-dish hubcaps and happy face.

1956 Citroën 11N Traction Avant with parts car – $3,000

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Engine/drivetrain: 1.9-liter overhead valve inline 4, three-speed manual, FWD

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Location: Downingtown, PA

Odometer reading: 102,000 miles

Operational status: Does not run, but includes rebuilt engine ready to install

Unibody cars with front-wheel-drive are the standard nowadays, but in 1934 they were unheard of.  Citroën wasn’t the first to build a FWD car, nor a unibody car, but they were the first to combine the two into one design and mass-produce it. The Traction Avant (literally “front drive”) set the stage for everything to come after it, though it took most of the industry decades to catch up. The Traction Avant series stayed in production all the way up until 1957, when it was replaced by something even weirder, cooler, and more advanced – the Citroën DS. The automotive world still hasn’t caught up to that one.

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This is the 11N model, 11 for its taxable horsepower under the French system, and N for “Normale,” or the standard-body Avant. There were a few variations, including the “Commerciale,” the world’s first hatchback. This car is obviously not in a running state; the radiator is out, and the engine is a big hunk of rust. But it does include a complete rebuilt engine and gearbox, just waiting to be dropped in, as well as several boxes of parts, and a non-titled parts car to pull from.

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It’s not like this car has been sitting and rotting, either: someone has done some work on it. The seats have been reupholstered, so it looks halfway decent inside. Gotta love those “suicide” front doors, and in true Citroën fashion, it has a weird gearshift: an H-pattern shifter sticking out of the dash next to the steering column. Call it “three-in-the-air,” I guess.

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This is, obviously, one hell of a project, but it’s such a unique and historically important car that I think it’s a worthwhile one for the right person. And with the rebuilt engine and the interior work, it’s maybe a little less daunting than some projects that need everything and you have no idea where to start.

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Yeah, you’re right. Tracking down parts for either of these is going to be a real pain in the ass. But look at it this way: If no one took the time and effort to fix up obscure cars, eventually we’d be left with nothing but Mustangs, Beetles, and ’57 Chevys at car shows. It would be like those awful “Classic Rock” radio stations that only play the same two hundred songs over and over again. If you want to hear “Hotel California” again, they’ve got you covered. But personally, I’d rather hear some deep side-two track off an old Procol Harum record. I like the oddballs and misfits, and these two definitely qualify. And with that, I will leave you to your choice.

(Image credits: sellers)

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Jon S
Jon S
13 days ago

$6k for the Zaz? I get that it’s uncommon but it seems far too expensive. I’d go for the Citroën parts.

Brandon Forbes
Brandon Forbes
13 days ago

Not gonna lie, I expected to be going for a big neither today but I’m actually now thinking it needs to be a both! Seriously though how is that a car from 1990 and how is that a car from 1956?! Both look at last 2 decades older than that, and truthfully they are but still. Love both but went with the Soviet just because it’s slightly weirder I think.

Brandon Forbes
Brandon Forbes
13 days ago
Reply to  Brandon Forbes

Slightly weirder and also easier to fly under the radar.

Goblin
Goblin
13 days ago

That anyone can ask four digit prices for a Zaz and not have a crew with straight jackets ready surround their house is the final proof of how fancifully oblivious people are nowadays and how blessed we are as a society.

Just for reference, when the xyz version of the Zaz’ engine was updated, part of the official advertisement was that “The new engine can now last 45000 miles between rebuilds, as opposed to 30000 miles on the previous version“.

This thing was attrocious from day one, straight out of the factory. The urban legend still goes that the V4 was initially a tank starter engine, and never meant to work for more than a minute or two at the time.

The last ZAZ made, the Tavria, was actually an interesting car and a valliant effort, as it was almost on par with Western equivalents.
Autopian, find us that one. Or an OKA (Vaz 1111).

Last edited 13 days ago by Goblin
Timothy Swanson
Timothy Swanson
14 days ago

V4 wins this one, even if it is Soviet.

Freelivin2713
Freelivin2713
14 days ago

I’ll take the ZAZ…it’s in better shape and looks like fun. They are both interesting though. That ZAZ is making me TIRED…ha ha

Cerberus
Cerberus
14 days ago

Zap. I imagine I can get parts from Ukraine. They’ll just send them back here in the empty containers they used to import the wrecks our insurance companies don’t want to repair. Just hope the ship doesn’t get struck by what’s left of Russia’s navy (can three drunks in a skiff with a donated Chinese outboard trolling motor and a machine gun take out a cargo ship?).

James Carson
James Carson
14 days ago

Zapz for me. Only rhing missing from your toolkit is the manditory hammer and bottle of vodka. Wrenched on a Lada Niva we used as a rally support car for our 510 rally pig. Easy to work on them Sov machines.
One could easily drop 10K fixing and getting parts for the body on that Citroen. I imagine the suspension and steering are a mess roo. The Zaz is a comparative deal at 6k.

Last edited 14 days ago by James Carson
Along with Martin, Dutch Gunderson, Lana and Sally Decker
Along with Martin, Dutch Gunderson, Lana and Sally Decker
14 days ago

I’ve always wanted a Traction Avant. Even in this condition, this is a no-brainer for me.

Rob Schneider
Rob Schneider
15 days ago

I’ll take the ZAZ at the Citroen’s price.

Anything advertised “with parts car” just scares me away.

Hugh Crawford
Hugh Crawford
15 days ago

Does the Zaphrozhets come with that nifty display stand?

Andy Individual
Andy Individual
15 days ago
Reply to  Hugh Crawford

It’s an anti-theft device. Ensuring that you need at least two people to steal it.

Sergey Pan
Sergey Pan
15 days ago

$6k for ZAZ…. who would have known….

Cyko9
Cyko9
15 days ago

The ZAZ is interesting, and seems a decent price for its rarity and condition. But my vote went to the Citroën; you’ll have something flashier when you’re done with it.

ChefCJ
ChefCJ
15 days ago

Me: That Citroen is awesome!

Also Me: Dude, it’s a rusted out shitbox

Me: With a complete engine!

Also Me: Yeah, now if it only had a complete car to go in to

Me: But once I got the engine it, I could drive it and work on it on the weekends!

Also Me: Have you met you?

Me: But…

Also Me: Dude….

Now I just need to figure out which one of these jerks on my shoulder is the angel and which one is the devil

Andy Individual
Andy Individual
15 days ago
Reply to  ChefCJ

I know someone who had a Traction Avant. That car was a dream. It’s worth the considerable pain to put back together. Just get your tetanus shot before you start.

BoatyMcBeerFace
BoatyMcBeerFace
15 days ago

I’m a little disappointed that both the author and one commentator referred to Ukraine as “the Ukraine”. It isn’t “the Ukraine” any more than it is “the America”. “The Ukraine” is basically a transliteration of a Russian way of speaking of it as an area rather than an independent country. Putin has made it clear that he does not believe it should exist as a separate independent country; we should not follow his linguistic lead.

JDE
JDE
15 days ago

ZAZ in this case. Gotta wonder if the Prinz 4 2 cylinder is bettter or worse than the Russia V4 though.

Argentine Utop
Argentine Utop
15 days ago

For instant dopamine, get the ZAZ and drag around a puppet with the face of Putler.
If I’d have time and space, I’d get the Citroën and blast Procol Harum while I restore it.

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