NAMI-049A ‘CELINA’

Did you know that in the 60’s in the USSR there was an attempt to create a truck, based on the ZAZ-965 ‘Zaporozhets’? The experimental vehicle is known as NAMI-049A ‘Celina’. The only prototype was made in 1961.

According to the plan the ‘Celina’ truck was supposed to be an agricultural modification of ‘Zaporozhets’, but there were a lot of differencies.

If  ‘Zaporozhets’ had an engine in the back and rotated the rear wheels, the ‘Celina’ had it in front, and had FWD. But that is not all: the manual transmission had a traction output to the rear axle, which made the truck four-wheel drive. Interestingly, the rear drive could be disengaged depending on the situation.

It used a 0.9 liter engine, which developed 26 hp. Fuel consumption was 8-9 liters/100 km. The truck had independent torsion suspension with a travel of about 200 mm. Clearance is 300 mm.

The cabin was designed for two people. Length of the ‘Celina’ was 3.6 m, width – 1.54 m, weight – 725 kg, payload – 300 kg. The design allowed to connect all kinds of equipment – welding machine, compressor, circular saw or milking machine.

Unfortunately, the truck did not become a mass production vehicle. But the experience of all-wheel drive transmission and layout became the basis for off-road vehicles LuAZ-969 and military TPK.