About the difficult fate of IZH-2126, known by the names Orbit, Oda, Fabula and Nika, the columnist of “Behind the wheel” Sergey Kanunnikov said.
The prototype IZH-13 was made in 1972 in Izhevsk. It was a five-door hatchback with front-wheel drive, but in terms of components and assemblies the most united with the Moskvich-412 series.
Initially, the car had front-wheel drive, but in 1974 the government finally closed the subject of front-wheel drive on IZH. All efforts of the plant were directed to a modernized car, which was to be based on Moskvich-412 units.
Therefore, in 1975, the IZH-19 appeared – a classic hatchback with a bold design for the time. Well, why not the future VAZ “nine”? And in 1977 the prototype IZH-2126E appeared – a five-door hatchback with a new McPherson front suspension for the factory. The power unit remained the same: a decent UMZ-412 engine with a power of 75 hp at the time, which was aggregated with a not very successful Omsk four-speed gearbox.
In 1984, IZH-2126 was subjected to state testing. They compared the car, no more, no less, with the rear-wheel drive Ford Sierra hatchback (which won second place in the 1983 Car of the Year competition) and with the new front-wheel drive Toyota Corolla. In the conclusions of the commission, recommending the novelty of Izhevsk for mass production, it sounded: “In terms of technical and operational indicators, IZH-2126 is at the level of foreign analogues.”
Structurally, IZH was really modern. The McPherson front suspension was combined with a rear dependent, but spring. IZH-2126 had rack and pinion steering and front disc brakes. The box was also upgraded – the unit was made with five speeds. Spacious interior and trunk, thoughtful ergonomics. Well, why not a foreign car? Of course, that time.
However, there was also a big minus in the car – IL began to rust as soon as it left the car dealership, so cars of this model were quickly “washed out” from the roads.
Our author Sergey Kanunnikov told in more detail in the material: “This Soviet car was compared with foreign cars. And that’s why”.