As is known, the ZAZ-965 was produced from 1960 to 1969, but its debut on the Danish market came much later – in 1966. The import of the car was organized by the Soviet association Autoexport (which was responsible for car trade abroad) together with the local dealer Darlov Motor Co.
The appearance of the famous Ukrainian car (in the export version it was called not Zaporozhets but Jalta) was even accompanied by press coverage: in particular, the newspaper Berlingske Tidende published an article with the following headline: “Fascinating Russian car arrives in Denmark.” However, for those Danes who bought a ZAZ, the ownership experience turned out to be not as fascinating as they had expected.
Already in early 1967, the sold cars had so many problems (mostly related to driving performance) that the number of dissatisfied customers amounted to about 60. In response to the “offensive,” Darlov Motor Co. and Autoexport held a conference in April 1967, at which they tried to justify the ZAZ-965. Present at this meeting were representatives of the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant, the Autoexport association from Moscow, and the Soviet trade delegation in Copenhagen (the capital of Denmark).
“Ukrainian Cars” also provides several quotes that shed light on the events of those days:
“And although Jalta is accused of dangerous behavior while driving, no changes will be made to the rear suspension. Any car can roll over if you brake sharply at high speed.” Importer Bryde Darlov added: “Jalta is not a car for speed enthusiasts, but a cheap vehicle. Soon we will have something from the Soviet Union for those buyers who prefer high speed.”
According to the minutes of that conference, the Soviet delegation announced that a new improved model would soon appear. Obviously, the USSR representatives meant the new ZAZ-966, which received the nickname “eared” among the people – it just went into production in 1967 (and remained there until 1971).
