Soviet «Abarth»,
By the middle of 70-s the managers of Soviet rally team decided to prepare Zhiguli for the highest European level by a foreign firm. In cooperation with Polish affiliate of Castrol they contracted Italian studio Abarth. Since 50’s this famous company had been preparing Fiats (including 124 series) for rally. Why Abarth, where Fiats-124 were known in details, can’t be asked to prepare Zhiguly for rally? In result the car and two engines went in Turin. However the company didn’t meet the deadline, and the deal delayed for long months, the car was finally made and returned in the USSR. Test drives on Dmitrovsky practice ground and then in Tolyatti showed that the car had 140 horse power and kept steadily 175 km/h.
The car, prepared by Abarth, was taken by Brundza as a sample, when he began to prepare his first LADA for rally «Akropolis» in Greece 1976. He worked in one of the boxes of sport-technical club of Force and Navy Volunteer Society in Lithuania. It was approved by its chief S. Ramoshko. In Greece Brundza managed to take the second place in class up to 2000cc, and the sixth in the absolute qualification.
Akropolis race. The next car, in which all good findings, mistakes and experience from competitions were taken into account, Stasys Brundza was making in a new workshop
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