History Apr 20 2020 Nikolay Shevchenko

Dmitri Donskoy/Sputnik Italians helped the Soviets build a car that would become an icon for drivers around the world.

Yuri Abramochkin/Sputnik

On April 19, 1970, a brand new factory in Tolyatti, Russia, released the very first six automobiles of a new brand that would later earn an iconic status, not only in the Soviet Union but also in many other countries. The first model was called 'VAZ 2101' and would soon become widely loved and known as a "kopeika" - a copeck, a monetary subunit of the ruble.

Fiat 124.

Mr.choppers (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Soviets chose the Italian 'Fiat-124' model as a prototype for their own car made in the USSR. In August 1966, the Soviet government signed a partnership agreement with Fiat. The agreement would soon result in mass production of one of the most popular car models in the history of the Soviet Union.

Russian and Italian engineers talk to each other at the new factory in Tolyatti, Russia.

Lev Porter/TASS

At first, however, the Italian prototype had to be adapted for the Russian roads. During the course of trials of the Fiat-124 in the field in the USSR, Soviet engineers discovered that the car had to be reworked significantly and asked the Italian carmakers to do so.