MeMZ
Template:Wikify-date MeMZ is short for "Melitopol Engine Factory" (Ukrainian: "Мелітопольський моторний завод"). The factory was founded in 1908 by a Ukrainian entrepreneur by the name of Zaferman. Until 1925 the factory focused mainly on diesel engines specifically for applications in agricultural machinery and fishing ships. In the maelstrom of events occurring in Russia and the world, the small factory was forced to slow down production, until completely evacuating the plant in 1941.
The large industrial city of Melitopol was freed from Nazi occupation in 1944, at which time the National Committee of USSR ordered the factory to resume operations. The new setting in history favored change; in 1960 MeMZ released the first gasoline powered engine - the MeMZ-965. This was the first attempt by a Soviet manufacturer to create a mass produced engine, and it lacked in many areas. The original engine had a peak power output of only 23 horsepower, roughly 17.2 kilowatts. Despite being underpowered, the engine produced a great-deal of heat, all of which could not be effectively dissipated by an air-cooling system. In 1963 the initial design saw some improvements and the new MeMZ-966 model was released into mass production.
The MeMZ-966 was an economy model; underpowered, but quite cheap to produce. As a result it was implemented in what the Soviet government hoped to be the first "National" vehicle; the ZAZ (often referred to as Zaporozhets) - short for Zaporozhia Automotive Factory. The ZAZ model-line cars were intended to be affordable, therefore they were neither safe nor reliable; nevertheless they were a success since people would rather have some means of transportation as opposed to none at all. MeMZ continued to upgrade its engines, which eventually found uses in other vehicles.
In 1999 MeMZ merged with the Korean automotive maker Daewoo, becoming AutoZAZ-Daewoo. This joint partnership enabled the creation of modern engines that are superior to their predecessors in power and reliability. In 2002 the company was incorporated into ZAZ and has since released new and modern versions of the original Zaporoshets cars.
Engine Models
| Model | MeMZ965 | 965A/966 | 968 | 245/2451/2457 | 301/3011 | 307/3071 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | OHV V4 | OHV V4 | OHV V4 | I4 | I4 | I4 |
| Volume | 887 cc | 887 cc | 1.2L | 1.1-1.2L | 1.299L | 1.299L |
| Power | 23 hp (17.2 kW) | 27 hp (20.1 kW) | 50 hp (37.3 kW) | 68-78 hp (51-58 kW) | 84 hp (63 kW) | 94 hp (70 kW) |
| Cooling | Air | Air | Air | Water | Water | Water |