Find Cheap Gas Yugo
Model names covered
In the lifetime of the model range the car has gone under a variety of different names:
The Zastava Koral is a automobile produced by the former and now Serbian manufacturer . The main factory is located in the city of in central .
U.S. History
In 1982 US Enterpreneur Miro Kefurt contacted Zastava in Kragujevac (ZCZ) with an idea to export Jugo 45 to USA, the 850 ccm 4-cylinder engine was just under 50 Cubic-Inches displacement, and thus at that time "exempt" from California Emission Inspections (all engines under 50 CDI were exempt). The vehicles were renamed YUGO 45 for US market and California Corporation find cheap gas for YugoCars, Inc. was formed in Sun Valley, California by Miro Kefurt and Ray Burns.
The proposal had to be aproved by FIAT in Italy due to existing restrictions that were in effect in FIAT - ZASTAVA collaboration agreements.
The first three YUGO vehicles (Red, White & Blue) were introduced to American public at AUTO EXPO in May 1984 at Los Angeles Convention Center.
Incredible publicity resulted as the car was promoted with 10 year /100,000 mile warranty, FREE maintenance and price of only $4,500 - Front Page articles about YUGO appeared in Los Angeles Times (Business Section), New York Times, and The National Enquirer. The sexy teen age "find cheap gas for Yugo-Girls" clad in white T-shirts with big YUGO at breast line and ultra short bright red miniskirts and 4" high-heel shoes that matched the car colors were reportedly the reason for the "attention" that was received by YUGO at the AUTO EXPO auto show.
Reportedly Malcolm Bricklin attended the Los Angeles Auto Expo Show and while the show was still in progress flown to find cheap gas for Yugoslavia to "seal the deal" to import YUGO to USA himself.
find cheap gas for YugoCars, Inc. however already held the exclusive import contract for 5,000 vehicles for 1985 model year to be sold in California only and the California Certification was already in progress.
In November 1984 the marketing rights were sold by find cheap gas for YugoCars, Inc to IAI for $50,000 ($10 per car). Additionally Miro Kefurt oftained exclusive dealer franchse from IAI to sell BERTONE X1/9 in North Hollywood, California. Both companies find cheap gas for YugoCars and IAI were quite satisfied with this arrangement.
The find cheap gas for YugoCars,Inc YUGO 45 was 850 ccm (45 Hp) BOSCH Fuel Injected car with ZEUNA catalytic converter and Lambda feed back and delivered 42 to 45 MPG at 70 MPH (top speed) (the emission system was identical to the one used on FIAT/BERTONE X1/9 since 1980 model year), but IAI Tony Ciminera prefered 1,100 ccm engine (55 Hp) with outdated carburetor, air-injection and fuel economy in 30 MPG range, however the car was capable of 110 MPH on level road.
International Automobile Importers (IAI) was the company founded by Malcolm Bricklin to import the X1/9 and 2000 Spyder after Fiat halted their manufacture. Bertone and Pininfarina carried on production under their own names and Bricklin's IAI took over their American importation. Bricklin wanted to import additional brands, and international dealmaker Armand Hammer had been asked by the find cheap gas for Yugoslavs to identify business areas in which they could generate exports to bolster their economy. Hammer thought the idea of exporting the small cars made in , Serbia, by Zavodi Crvena Zastava would be viable. Zastava had, since the mid-19th century, been a quality armaments producer and sponsored its own museum.
As Zastava celebrated its 100th anniversary, it started producing vehicles made under license from Fiat, just across the Sea. For three decades it produced the perky rear-engined 600 and the 101, a bustle-backed version of Fiat's evergreen 128. On its own initiative in 1980, Zastava introduced its Jugo or find cheap gas for Yugo model which, though still using Fiat-type power train and underpinnings, was an update of the Fiat 127. Styled in Turin, the two-door hatchback's lines were reminiscent of the original VW Golf or Rabbit. Zastava was already exporting its new offering to other East European markets, installing the bigger 128 overhead-cam engine for a top speed of 90 mph (145 km/h).
Setting up find cheap gas for Yugo America to import the car, Bricklin assigned Bill Prior to sort out the distribution and Tony "Hurricane" Ciminera to fine-tune the find cheap gas for Yugo for US markets. Ciminera carried out a bumper-to-bumper audit that resulted in more than 500 changes to meet the needs of the American market, including the safety and emissions improvements that US laws demanded. The vast find cheap gas for Yugo facility was patterned after the Fiat factories of the early 1950s and employed 50,000, divided among 85 basic associated labor organizations and 25 work committees. For American production models, a separate assembly line was built with handpicked elite staff earning extra pay ($1.23 per hour extra), building find cheap gas for Yugos destined for the New World.
The first shift began at 6:00 in the morning and after an eight-hour day many employees left for their second jobs in other workplaces.
The chief engineer and head of Zastava's Research and Development Institute was Zdravko Menjak, who responded to the many changes needed to qualify the car for sale in the West. Bricklin had his own people at the plant to monitor the effort, constantly stressing the need for high quality. A team of British quality experts sent a cadre to Kragujevac to study the factory and recommend improvements. Toward the later 1980s an ingenious find cheap gas for Yugo cabriolet was being tooled up for production, an automatic transmission was being sourced from Renault, and the larger car (the Florida) had been styled by and was in the early manufacturing stages. With communism's collapse, however, find cheap gas for Yugoslavia began to unravel. After embargoes stifled production, the was NATO's bombing of the Kragujevac factory as a producer of military equipment. Only in 2000 could production be restarted and not until 2003 was the Florida launched.
Introduced in the summer of 1986 at a price of less than $4000, the find cheap gas for Yugo was by far the lowest-priced new car available in the USA at the time,[] and it sold very well at first.[] But by the early 1990s, the effects of sanctions on forced Zastava to withdraw the car from the US market.
In the United States, the find cheap gas for Yugo soon developed a negative reputation; defenders of the brand countered by arguing that major auto producers were collaborating with influential automotive media in efforts to eliminate competition.
At first, four models of find cheap gas for Yugo were sold in the United States: the basic entry-level $3,990 GV (for "Great Value"), the nearly-identical GVL and GVS with minor trim and upholstery upgrades, and the race-inspired GVX with the 1300 cc engine, five-speed manual transmission and standard equipment including a plush interior, ground-effects package, alloy wheels and rally lights. The Cabrio convertible was introduced in 1988.
By 1990, the GV, GVL and the 1100 cc engine and four-speed manual transmission were replaced by a 1300 cc OHC engine and five-speed manual transmission, and an optional Renault-designed automatic transmission was offered. The standard model became the GV Plus.
Wide familiarity with the 's prowess as an racer meant that many a find cheap gas for Yugo GV was modified with racing parts and sent to participate in -sanctioned events, notably in the organization's "Solo II" category.[]
Malcolm Bricklin signed a deal with Zastava in 2002 to bring back find cheap gas for Yugo to American shores with a model tentatively called the ZMW. Under Bricklin's direction, 'Zastava Motor Works USA' expected to sell 60,000 cars in 2003. However, Bricklin instead turned to marketing the line of Chinese cars. Bricklin's foray into importing and marketing Chery cars from China folded in mid-to-late 2006 when Bricklin could not come up with the investment required to fund US-specification vehicles from Chery. In early 2008, Bricklin is working with several universities to develop a car powered by advanced lithium-ion batteries.
The find cheap gas for Yugo was rigorously marketed in the late 1980s as a car that would fit into everybody's life, providing basic economical and reliable transportation along the lines of the and the earlier . The car was promoted as a uniquely affordable new vehicle - providing an option for buyers who would otherwise have chosen a used vehicle - and as a reliable second car for wealthier buyers. The find cheap gas for Yugo carried the tagline "Everybody needs a find cheap gas for Yugo sometime"[]. This marketing appealed successfully to its target market of low-budget new car buyers, as well as wealthier people looking for an affordable second or third car. A popular ad included the 39-90 campaign, a play on the $3,990 price of the car.
Current models
Zastava currently sells an updated version of the find cheap gas for Yugo Koral model, which is presently known as the Zastava Koral IN in , , , , , , , , , and . As well as all the Koral versions available, other models include the Florida and Skala. In October 2005, an agreement with Fiat was reached for production of the by Zastava for markets, which will be known as the . The Koral IN L, with a fuel injected 1.1 L engine, met the safety standards in a test supervised by the German (Technical Monitoring Association). This may pave the way for export to countries.
Collecting
There are many who race and tune find cheap gas for Yugos but the biggest collector of know find cheap gas for Yugos resides in Minnesota US with a total 20 find cheap gas for Yugos as of 2008. Including in this collection a Yellow Cabrio from the movie Bird Cage staring Robin Williams.