Zastava Yugo Koral - Tempo is recognized as one of the 50 worst cars of all time
In the middle of the seventies, Zastava management decided to develop a new model, based on FIAT engine. It was styled by Zastava, with help of engineers of the FIAT. It was supposed to be called Zastava 102, but later on in 1981 it was presented as Yugo 45.
Yugo: Worst Car in World History???
What do you call a Yugo with a flat tire? Totaled. What's included in
every Yugo owner's manual? A bus schedule. What do you call a Yugo that
breaks down after 100 miles? An overachiever.
Americans love to hate the Yugo. It has been included on — and topped — many worst-car lists, including TIME's 50 worst cars of all time. In The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History,
Jason Vuic details why — despite the book's clever title — the Yugo
isn't the worst car ever. Vuic explores how this little East European
car that couldn't quickly fell from "Yugomania" glory to being one of
the most loathed cars of all time.
The Yugo has been called a hopelessly degenerate hunk of trash and
a vile little car. Critics have said it's hard to view on a full
stomach. It's easy to start feeling bad for the little guy.
Oh, sure. I had these memories as a kid in the 1980s of the car being panned by everyone, but I didn't approach this book just to make fun of the car. I like little cars. I really didn't pan the car. I've read a couple reviews that say, "Vuic doesn't lay off the Yugo." But I'm not really calling it anything. I'm trying to examine why Americans have made it such an icon for failure. I wanted to understand why we hate this car so much, even though most Americans have never seen a Yugo, let alone driven one.
Oh, sure. I had these memories as a kid in the 1980s of the car being panned by everyone, but I didn't approach this book just to make fun of the car. I like little cars. I really didn't pan the car. I've read a couple reviews that say, "Vuic doesn't lay off the Yugo." But I'm not really calling it anything. I'm trying to examine why Americans have made it such an icon for failure. I wanted to understand why we hate this car so much, even though most Americans have never seen a Yugo, let alone driven one.
But you deem it the "worst car in history" in the title of your book.
Absolutely. That is what it is known as to anyone over 35 who has heard of the Yugo. But I actually believe it is not the worst car in history. If a car is marketed in the United States and sold in the United States, that means it passed certain presale standards. [The Yugo] had to pass a safety test, a crash test. It had to pass an emissions test.
Absolutely. That is what it is known as to anyone over 35 who has heard of the Yugo. But I actually believe it is not the worst car in history. If a car is marketed in the United States and sold in the United States, that means it passed certain presale standards. [The Yugo] had to pass a safety test, a crash test. It had to pass an emissions test.
So it is one of the worst cars in American history, but not necessarily in the world's history?
Americans tend to see America as the world. The Yugo was a bad car in America in the 1980s, but we don't realize that there are many, many cars that never dreamed of coming to America. The Russian Ladas and the Czech Skodas of the world. Just the fact that the Yugo came here meant it was far and away better than many other cars in many other countries.
Americans tend to see America as the world. The Yugo was a bad car in America in the 1980s, but we don't realize that there are many, many cars that never dreamed of coming to America. The Russian Ladas and the Czech Skodas of the world. Just the fact that the Yugo came here meant it was far and away better than many other cars in many other countries.
But it was very popular in the beginning, right? You reference "Yugomania."
The summer before it came, you had all this media attention: a $3,995 car? What's going to happen? It's a communist car — will Americans buy it? The press was just nonstop, and it created a consumer fad. Then there's that segment of American car buyers who truly do want an appliance. They don't want their cars to be status symbols; they just want to drive from point A to point B. And there's always going to be a slice of Americans who want a bargain. So in the fall of 1985, people flocked to buy them.
The summer before it came, you had all this media attention: a $3,995 car? What's going to happen? It's a communist car — will Americans buy it? The press was just nonstop, and it created a consumer fad. Then there's that segment of American car buyers who truly do want an appliance. They don't want their cars to be status symbols; they just want to drive from point A to point B. And there's always going to be a slice of Americans who want a bargain. So in the fall of 1985, people flocked to buy them.
How did the hype ultimately contribute to the Yugo's downfall?
The Yugo was in part a victim of its own success — what goes up must come down. When everyone lined up to buy the car, Consumer Reports reviewed it, and when they panned it, the same press that had created the hype jumped on the bandwagon to say, Look how bad it is.
The Yugo was in part a victim of its own success — what goes up must come down. When everyone lined up to buy the car, Consumer Reports reviewed it, and when they panned it, the same press that had created the hype jumped on the bandwagon to say, Look how bad it is.
And from that negative press sprang numerous bad-car jokes, many of which you feature in your book. Do you have a favorite?
I like the one that goes: Why does the Yugo have a rear-window defroster? So you can keep your hands warm while you push it. These aren't jokes I had a hard time collecting. They're everywhere. But with a lot of these jokes, you could simply [substitute] Pinto or Fiat. There's something about cars that we love to goof on. People love driving high-status cars and love goofing on low-status cars. It shows you the centrality of the automobile in our culture. It is a powerful, powerful object.
I like the one that goes: Why does the Yugo have a rear-window defroster? So you can keep your hands warm while you push it. These aren't jokes I had a hard time collecting. They're everywhere. But with a lot of these jokes, you could simply [substitute] Pinto or Fiat. There's something about cars that we love to goof on. People love driving high-status cars and love goofing on low-status cars. It shows you the centrality of the automobile in our culture. It is a powerful, powerful object.
Are there any takeaways from the Yugo story? What do you expect when the Tata Nano hits the U.S. next year?
I'm not bashing Tata; I hope a little car like that goes. But the Nano does have many similarities. One is that they are creating premarket press — it's everywhere. They are creating the preconditions for a mania, and I don't think you should do that — it's not a pair of jeans or an album. They're going to create a mania and then invariably, the press will jump on board. The Nano will shoot up briefly, people will be in line, and then Consumer Reports will review it. And it's going to get the reviews you'd expect: it has one windshield wiper, its door panels are glued on from what I've read, it has tires the size of pizzas, its seats are bolted to the floor, O.K.? You're looking at a car that costs $2,500 and uses dated technology.
I'm not bashing Tata; I hope a little car like that goes. But the Nano does have many similarities. One is that they are creating premarket press — it's everywhere. They are creating the preconditions for a mania, and I don't think you should do that — it's not a pair of jeans or an album. They're going to create a mania and then invariably, the press will jump on board. The Nano will shoot up briefly, people will be in line, and then Consumer Reports will review it. And it's going to get the reviews you'd expect: it has one windshield wiper, its door panels are glued on from what I've read, it has tires the size of pizzas, its seats are bolted to the floor, O.K.? You're looking at a car that costs $2,500 and uses dated technology.
It's interesting that you can almost foretell its future.
I want the Nano to succeed. I hope they read my book, because I see so many things happening already that look like it's going to be a disaster. It's going to pass its safety and emissions tests, but it's still going to be dangerous if an SUV hits it. It's going to get walloped in a crash test. And invariably, like what happened with the Yugo, someone is going to die in a crash. The Nano will be in some wreck, and it will turn out that quality was the cause. The press will jump on it, and the whole cycle will start again. But as I said, I'd love to be wrong.
I want the Nano to succeed. I hope they read my book, because I see so many things happening already that look like it's going to be a disaster. It's going to pass its safety and emissions tests, but it's still going to be dangerous if an SUV hits it. It's going to get walloped in a crash test. And invariably, like what happened with the Yugo, someone is going to die in a crash. The Nano will be in some wreck, and it will turn out that quality was the cause. The press will jump on it, and the whole cycle will start again. But as I said, I'd love to be wrong.
Technical datas:
Body: 3 door hatchback, 5 seats
Engine: 4 cylinder, serial, water-cooled, front, crosswise
Fuel: Super, unleaded
Tyres: 165 / 70 Rx13
Length: 3490 mm
Width: 1542 mm
Height: 1335 mm
Wheelbase: 2150 mm
Gauge front/rear: 1308/1312 mm
Boot capacity: 170/450 dm3
Fuel tank capacity: 34 l
Max. load: 400 kg
Towing with braked trailer: 800 kg
Towing with non braked trailer: 500 kg
Transmission: Front wheel drive; one plate, dry clutch; Porsche and Borg Wargner 5+R speed gearbox.
(4+R speed gearbox at Koral 45)
Steering wheel: rack and pinion
Turning circle: 9,5 m
Suspension front: independent; double action shock absorbers
Suspension rear: independent; cross leaf spring functioning as stabilizer
Brake system: 2 circle hydraulic, servo assisted
(Koral 55, 60, 65 i 65 EFI)
Front brake (d): disk, 227 mm
Rear brake (d): drum, 186 mm
Engine Oil: 4 litres 20w50 oil
Cooling system liquid: 7 litres antifreeze
Firing order: 1-3-4-2
Battery: 34 Ah (55 Ah Koral EFI)
Alternator with electronic regulator: 45 A (55 A Koral EFI)
Electric starter: 800 W
Ignition system: electronic, BOSH system (contact at Koral 45)
Distribution system: OHC (BC at Koral 45)
Legendary Cars: Fiat 1300 - Milletrecento - Zastava 1300 - Tristać
Legendary Cars: Fićo - Zastava 750 - Fiat 600 - Zastava 850
| Models |
Koral 45
|
Koral 55
|
Koral 60
|
Koral 65
|
Koral 65 EFI
|
| Engine capacity |
903
|
1116
|
1116
|
1299
|
1299
|
| Bore x stroke mm |
65 x 68
|
80 x 55,55
|
80 x 55,55
|
86,4 x 55,5
|
86,4 x 55,5
|
| Compression ratio |
9
|
9,2
|
9,2
|
9,2
|
9,2
|
| Max. Power KW(HP)@rpm |
33/6000
|
40,5/6000
|
45/5800
|
48/6000
|
50/5500
|
| Max. torque Nm@rpm |
62,8/3300
|
77,5/3000
|
80/3600
|
98/3000
|
99/3000
|
| Distribution system |
Single-neck carburator IPM 32 MGV 33
|
Single-neck carburator IPM 32 MGV 12
|
Double-neck carburator WEBER 7Y 2M-RA
|
Double-neck carburator WEBER 7Y 2M-RA
|
EFI, BOSH MOTRONIC
|
| Kerb weight |
750 kg
|
790 kg
|
790 kg
|
840 kg
|
850 kg
|
| Max. velocity |
135 km/h
|
145 km/h
|
150 km/h
|
155 km/h
|
160 km/h
|
| Acceleration 0-100km/h |
20 sec
|
17 sec
|
15 sec
|
14 sec
|
14 sec
|
| Tyres |
135 Rx13
|
145 SR 13
|
145 Rx13
|
155/70 Rx13
|
155/70 Rx13
|
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