The Yugo is a pretty cool car -- but you're right to blame Malcom
Bricklin, at least a little. The Yugo was introduced in the late
1980s, and used the same drivetrain as a Fiat X1/9.
By that time, the X had a 1500 CC motor, fuel injection, and a 5-
speed. Instead of taking that fairly modern drivetrain, though, the
Yugo used essentially an early-70s spec version: 1100cc, 4-speed, and
a carb/emissions setup from the absolutely awful Ford Escort (not the
British Escort)
Why? Blame Bricklin.
A Yugo with a 1500 and injection could be a pretty nice car; with
1100ccs, a lousy carb, an air pump, and a cat, it can be slow.
By the way, I have a theory that my Yugo and my MGB are cousins. The
MG1100 and the Autobianchi Primula were both FWD 4-seaters, slightly
larger than a Mini. Both were designed by Pininfarina, and are
pretty similar looking. The Primula was the Fiat Group's first FWD
car; the next was the 127, which was european car of the year in the
early 70s, and which was licensed to Zastava to make the Yugo.
Matt
On 3 Apr, 2008, at 2:31 PM, Dan DiBiase wrote:
> Yugoslavia was certainly within the USSR sphere of influence - and
> behind the 'Iron Curtain' - but it wasn't part of the USSR.
>
> I always thought the Yugo was just another Malcolm Bricklin scam. ;-)
>
> Dan D
> Central NJ USA
> '76 MGB Tourer - Driver - Engine Surgery In Progress...
> '65 MGB Tourer Project - Yep, Still Is....
> NAMGBR #5-2328
> http://dans65b.blogspot.com/
> http://dansautoblog.blogspot.com/
> http://mywebpages.comcast.net/dibiase/Working_MG_Gallery.html
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Charles & Peggy Robinson <ccrobins@ktc.com>
> To: Richard Gosling <rbgosling@googlemail.com>; MG Mailing List
> <mgs@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Thursday, April 3, 2008 2:18:12 PM
> Subject: Re: [Mgs] MG sighting - the octagon
>
> I don't know about when the Yugo - called Zastava in Yugoslavia -
> started production. Could have been before the fall of the iron
> curtain. Marshal Tito did things his way, even though his country was
> part of the USSR. Either way, the Yugo was a pretty good little car.
> It was a Fiat, built under license in what's now Serbia. We had an
> '88
> Yugo that took us 130K miles before Peg ran it out of oil and blew it
> up. We towed it with all four down behind our motorhome too.
> There are
> still Yugos on the road in this country today.
>
> I sure would like to know more about that octogon sign.
>
> CR
> You are subscribed as d_dibiase@yahoo.com
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