The car is a licence-built version of the Fiat 124, that was heavily modified and tailored for the rough climate and road conditions across the Soviet Union and much of the Eastern Bloc countries.

The lightweight Italian Fiat 124, which had won the 1967 European Car of the Year,[2] was adapted in order to survive treacherous Russian driving conditions.

Among many changes, aluminium brake drums were added to the rear, and the original Fiat engine was dropped in favour of a newer design made by NAMI.

The suspension was raised to clear rough Russian roads and the bodyshell was made from thicker, heavier steel with reinforcement in key chassis areas after cracking was discovered during durability testing.

Although the facelifted and modernised VAZ-2105, 2104 & 2107 versions largely replaced it in the West in the early 1980s, it was still produced for the domestic market as late as 1988.

Early versions of the car featured a starting handle for cranking the engine manually should the battery go flat in Siberian winter conditions, and an auxiliary fuel pump.