A Pair Of Cool Soviet Homebuilt Cars

"Jonee" (Jonee) 01/02/2015 at 15:06 • Filed to: Soviet Russia

9

44

That pretty th ing is the Babich Leningrad built by Arkadij Dmitrievich Babich. It took 3 years to build in the mid-50's and was apparently Babich's third homemade car. Pretty impressive work. It was powered by a 3.5 liter GAZ-12 engine out of a limousine that made 90hp and could get it up to 80mph, which is mighty impressive for a Soviet car. Here's some footage of it driving around. Looks spirited.

Babich went on to design a light tubular sub-frame for the KVN 2500S race car which was one of the most successful cars on the Iron Curtain circuit which is why most of us have never heard of it.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention the Leningrad still exists and will apparently be restored some day.

Next we have the Hadi EP-900 which was based on the Zaz 966. It was built in the 70's and I can't find too much info about it in English, but it's rad. Maybe someone who speaks Russian can tell me what this guy's going on about.

UPDATE : From commenter Mjag comes this:

about yellow car, it was experimental car made by HADI - KhNADU - ( Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University is a Ukrainian university in Kharkiv on the base of Zaz 966 with mix of parts from VAZ and Moskvich with tubed body-on-frame and fiberglass body shell so its not quite Homebuilt car.

Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 15:26

19

How can I build a decadent sports car without upsetting the KGB?

...I'll call it the Leningrad!

KatzManDu > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 01/02/2015 at 15:28

4

That's kind of what I was thinking; the USSR was a pretty bleak place, from what I learned in school and what I learned from those who fled the country over the years. For someone to be able to "squander" resources to build their own car like that is amazing. Either he was a higher-up doing something somewhere (high-level engineer, professor or party official) or something or had dirt on someone.

Jonee > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 01/02/2015 at 16:01

3

I guess he was from Leningrad. But, I'm sure the name didn't hurt. They actually passed regulations restricting how much power homebuilt cars could have not long after that car was built.

Dr. Strangegun > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 16:20

2

Going purely on looks, the bottom car looks like it was intended to be amphibious...

K5ING > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 16:28

5

I call shenanigans. I don't see a dashcam in any of them.

My British German car wasn't that reliable, is now dead > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 16:32

0

I'll take a stab at translating the video when I get home tonight, if no one else beats me to it.

STRumpetrider > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 16:33

0

Is there a single road in Russia where 90 mph isn't asking for a torn off wheel or two? There are pot holes with their own zip codes everywhere.

mosambro > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 16:51

2

Seems quite triumph-esque to me...

Chaparral2F > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 16:59

0

I think I am amazed that this was done during the Cold part of the Cold War as much as I am regarding the beautiful lines of the car for something designed in the mid 1950s!

Uak42 > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 17:12

0

Properly gorgeous car!

Mjag > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 17:33

2

about yellow car, it was experimental car made by HADI - KhNADU - ( Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University is a Ukrainian university in Kharkiv on the base of Zaz 966 with mix of parts from VAZ and Moskvich with tubed body-on-frame and fiberglass body shell so its not quite Homebuilt car. HADI by the way had some interesting projects heres few photos from their museum

https://plus.google.com/photos/1117245…

Jonee > Mjag 01/02/2015 at 17:38

0

Ah, very interesting. Thank you. I had never heard of HADI before. So, was it built by students at the University?

plonko > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 17:38

1

That "Leningrad" could be based on a BMW(EMW) 340/1. These car were lost after the war.

Jonee > plonko 01/02/2015 at 17:41

0

It does look similar. Could have been a source of inspiration.

Mjag > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 17:49

0

yes, some of them and some were made by employees of university. At university there was so-called HSCL (Laboratory of high-speed cars) of the car created there set some records of speed of the USSR, UkrainianSSR and the world.

Jonee > Mjag 01/02/2015 at 17:55

1

How fascinating. Thanks for the info.

Mjag > plonko 01/02/2015 at 17:58

1

yes look close, many Soviet cars took ideas from German automotive industry after war. some engineers from Auto-union worked after war in the USSR (I don't think that voluntarily of course) plus some racing and record cars of Auto - union were taken out from Germany and transferred for studying to the largest universities of the country.

Sanettika > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 18:01

0

I want a Leningrad. I don't remember ever seeing one in all my time behind the old Iron Curtain, but it looks like a ton of fun. Absolutely gorgeous.

Mjag > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 18:06

1

if you interested in soviet era homebuild cars you can find some interesting stuff in 80-90. Such cars like pangolina, youna, laura. i think they looks much better and use some interesting ideas in construction

Jonee > Sanettika 01/02/2015 at 18:07

0

It is quite beautiful. It was a one-off, so you would have had to have been lucky enough to be in Leningrad when he was driving it although he did take it on a 2,000 mile trip at one point around Russia.

Wolc *grammar nazis go f*** yourselves* > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 18:09

1

About the yellow thing: Pretty much rebodied Zaporozhets Rear engine, rwd, 900cc, 32hp, air cooled. Fiberglass on steel frame, power nothing. "Trunk" is that little space before large fuel tank under the hood. the yellow box on the back wall is "electronic ignition block Iskra-2M".

Also it has parts from almost anything built in USSR. And despite the looks, it is not amphibian.

Jonee > Mjag 01/02/2015 at 18:14

1

Homemade Soviet cars is a really interesting subject I'm just learning. I was vaguely aware they existed, but now I'm fascinated. They were quite creative. The Pangolina is awesome. It sure beats driving a boring old Lada around.

Chuckanut > Mjag 01/02/2015 at 18:14

2

Reminds me of my time at the Vehicle Research Institute @ Western Washington University. We had a blast building mid-engined sports cars and driving them across the country and at Bonneville ('aerodynamic research').

http://www.wwu.edu/vri/

Jonee > Wolc *grammar nazis go f*** yourselves* 01/02/2015 at 18:15

0

Thanks! It's a wild little machine.

DCV > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 18:16

1

rustyshackleford > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 18:16

0

as an asshole american, i didnt even consider the possibility that russia made cars. i understand there are a lot of imports on the roads but you never hear about russian cars.

ranwhenparked > KatzManDu 01/02/2015 at 18:26

0

Had he built it in the '70s or '80s, or maybe even the '60s, it probably wouldn't have caused that much fuss, but to drive that around town in the mid 1950s had to take some balls. That was just out of the Stalin era and things were still very tense, and standing out from the crowd in a flashy, unique sports car that reeked of consumerism and decadence and created the impression that you wanted to set yourself apart from everyone else probably wouldn't have sat well with the powers that be.

Unspiek Baron Bodissey > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 18:37

0

I always thought "Cool" and "Soviet" are mutually exclusive terms.

saabstory | fixes bikes, breaks cars > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 19:23

0

I would daily drive the shit out of the Leningrad. Like seriously actually, I don't care if it breaks down four times each way.

Redd, the RX-7 that could > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 20:47

1

That's the most perfect car I've ever seen. How can I obtain this?

Vic788 > Jonee 01/02/2015 at 21:10

2

Mr Joshua > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 01/03/2015 at 04:51

1

Have you seen the North Korean Kim Jong Un MK I yet. In North Korea, all cars MUST be named after the short fat leader with no eyelashes.

Daniel Krná > Jonee 01/03/2015 at 07:49

3

My 2 cents (top to bottom):

Avtokad Laura (Kaliakra), Avtokad Laura 2, Avtokad Laura 3 (Plazma kit)

Azzy > Jonee 01/03/2015 at 08:09

0

The Buran still exists, and will someday be restored too... right?

ccc40821 > Mjag 01/03/2015 at 11:59

0

DKW-derived cars were all over the place, particularly the three cylinder ones. Even Saab used it, as well as the two.clynder engine, that kept on powering the Trabant long after Saab went V4.

Copying the DKW 125 cc motorcycle was even more popular: BSA, Yamaha, MZ, Harley-Davidson, Minsk, IZH, Gazela (Polish), Pannonia (Hungary) and likely others had a go at that one.

Mjag > Daniel Krná 01/03/2015 at 16:08

0

never heard about laura 2. but saw laura 3 in metal (sorry for poor quality it was long time ago and made by cell phone camera )

Mjag > Daniel Krná 01/03/2015 at 16:12

0

wait, the last picture if to look at license plate is made not in Russia, pretty interesting)

Rick > Jonee 01/03/2015 at 16:32

0

Fenderaddict2 > Jonee 01/03/2015 at 22:28

1

Only really beautiful cars work in brown. I like it, a lot actually!

Jonee > Fenderaddict2 01/03/2015 at 22:41

0

Agreed

F Slayer > KatzManDu 01/04/2015 at 12:00

0

Actually the Soviets did build and race their own cars so they could keep up with the west. Some were experiments from Universities and Government high tech companies, and others were just hobbyists putting together junk from other old cars. They had stock car racing, ice racing, rallying and went for speed records too, just like we did. Our magazine's like "Speed" carried articles on the Soviet racing scene in the 1950's and early 1960's. Even Jalopnik had articles of Soviet hot rods awhile back. So is this really something new?

Jobjoris > Jonee 01/06/2015 at 03:44

1

That Leningrad looks amazing! Not sure how it would drive as the engine from the GAZ-12 'ZIM' was derived from a truck engine but hey: it's the 50s!

That B/W footage is awesome! Shake, rattle & roll! Sure hope that Leningrad gets it's restoration done properly.

Jonee > Jobjoris 01/06/2015 at 04:03

0

It is a weird engine to put in a sporty coupe, but I guess you took what you could get. Looks fun in the film. It really does deserve to go back to that sexy brown and cream two-tone. I hope they have all the pieces.

Jobjoris > Jonee 01/06/2015 at 05:08

0

Ha, I've driven a Big Healy quite some times: not much refinement in that as well ;-)

I think this Leningrad really deserves more of your researching skills!