LAZ-699

LAZ
A LAZ-699, photographed in 2008 in Tomsk , Russia
LAZ-699
Manufacturer	Lvovsky Avtobuzny Zavod
design type	Coach
Production period	1964-2002
axes	2
engine	Eight-cylinder gasoline engine
power	175 hp (129 kW)
length	10.54 m
width	2.50 m
height	2.98 m
Wheelbase	5545 mm
Turning circle	24 m
Seats	41
Standing room	0
Empty weight	8829 kg
Perm. total weight	12,931 kg
Previous model	none
successor	various
Similar models	LAZ-695

The LAZ-699 (Ukrainian and Russian ЛАЗ-699) is a Soviet and later Ukrainian coach , who from 1960 in Lwowski Awtobusny Zavod ( Russian Львовский автобусный завод , Ukrainian Львівський автобусний завод , short or ЛАЗ LAZ) was built. Series production began in 1964. The vehicle is an extended version of the widely used LAZ-695 with a more powerful engine. Production was not discontinued until 2002.

With the LAZ-697 there is another coach that builds on the LAZ-695. However, this vehicle has not been extended and can therefore transport fewer people.

Vehicle history

A LAZ-699 in Ukraine (2013)

LAZ-699R in Kansk , Russia (2013)

A LAZ-699R, retrofitted for operation with natural gas . The gas tanks are mounted on the roof (Tomsk, 2007)

LAZ-699R in Ukraine (2010)

LAZ-699R from Ukraine (2011)

LAZ-699R in Ukraine (2011)

The first prototype of a comfortable coach was developed in Lwowski Avtobusny Sawod as early as 1960 under the name LAZ-699. It was a LAZ-695, the body of which was lengthened by 1345 mm. The vehicle also got a more powerful engine. The eight-cylinder ZIL-375 gasoline engine came from the Ural-375 military truck and was used throughout the production period.

The first prototype was even presented to Nikita Khrushchev in 1961 and was, after the ZIS-127, the second bus that was specially developed for long-distance transport in the Soviet Union. The vehicle was equipped with a toilet, large ventilation flaps, comfortable upholstered seats with headrests and a refrigerator.

Up to the start of series production, four more prototype versions were created, with several vehicles of one variant sometimes being built. They often only differed in details, but the number of seats was also increased from 34 to 41. Like the first series version, all vehicles have already been built under the name LAZ-699A.

Series production began in 1964 under the name LAZ-699A. The vehicles rolled off the production line until 1967, after which there was a production stop. Series production of the LAZ-699N, which had been developed in the meantime, began in 1973. Larger quantities did not roll off the production line until 1976, and in 1978 production was switched to the LAZ-699R. This was built until 2002.

Model variants

In the course of the long construction period of almost 40 years, various variants of the vehicle were built, not all of which were ultimately ready for series production.

LAZ-699A

As early as December 1960, two prototypes of the later serial bus were built under the designation LAZ-699A " Karpaty " (ЛАЗ-699А "Карпати"). Various fixtures such as cupboards and the toilet were dispensed with, but the number of seats increased to 41. Later, two additional folding seats were added in the first row. The vehicle lighting with four headlights was also noticeable.

In the course of 1961, various other prototypes with the same designation were built, including a pneumatic steering aid. The start of series production was scheduled for 1962, but after extensive tests in the Crimea, various defects on the vehicles had to be corrected, which led to delays. In particular, the buses had defects in the built-in rear axle.

In 1963 a new version was presented under the name LAZ-699A "Karpaty-1", which in particular corrected the shortcomings that the state authorities had previously discovered. The rear axle now came from the Belarusian MAZ-500 truck . This vehicle was also equipped with four headlights, but was the last type with this feature.

Series production began in 1964 under the name LAZ-699A "Tourist", but only lasted until 1966. Problems with the body in particular meant that the vehicle was taken out of production very quickly and only a few were made. Even in the production vehicles, no toilet and no additional cupboards were accommodated as storage space, and the number of seats did not change. As in the prototypes, the ZIL-375 engine was used, but now with an output of 180 hp (132 kW). In 1967 another 15 buses were built, which were manufactured under the name “Ukraina-67” (“Украина-67”) for a tender in France. They differed in details from the previously built models, but there were no fundamental changes. The vehicles received various awards from the French Ministry of Tourism, but there was no major order.

LAZ-699N

After a two-year break, a prototype of a new LAZ-699 was manufactured again in 1969. A vehicle with a reinforced body was built under the name LAZ-699N, which dispensed with some glass surfaces in the roof area and thus became more torsion-resistant. At the same time, a second door was installed in the rear area as an emergency exit, which all subsequent model variants of the vehicle also have. In addition, some changes have been adopted that were carried out at the same time on the LAZ-695 city bus series. The air inlet on the roof disappeared and the side windows as well as the windshield were changed.

Another prototype appeared in 1972 as the LAZ-699N “Tourist”. The sliding windows and the ventilation flaps on the roof were omitted, instead an air conditioning system was installed. Series production did not begin until 1975, and the quantities built remained small, as was the case with the LAZ-699A. In 1978 the model was discontinued in favor of the LAZ-699R.

There were various modifications of the LAZ-699N, despite the short construction time. Already in 1971, before the completion of the first LAZ-699N, the prototype “Ukraina-71” (“Украина-71”) was produced, which had a particularly luxurious interior. Two televisions were installed, as well as a tape recorder , a refrigerator, a bar with a coffee machine and a toilet. In addition, the vehicle received improved shock absorbers, air suspension and a pneumatically controlled clutch. Each passenger had his own reading lamp and adjustable air nozzles above his head. There was no series production.

In 1973 the "Ukraina-73" was manufactured. The bus was just as luxurious as the model from 1971, but also had automatically opening doors. The plan was to install an eight-cylinder JaMZ-740 diesel engine . The engine itself was a prototype and was intended for engine production at the truck manufacturer KamAZ , which started a few years later . In the end, however, a ZIL-375 engine was installed again. This vehicle did not get beyond a prototype either.

Also in 1973 a special version was made under the designation LAZ-699P, which was intended for the transport of Soviet cosmonauts in the Baikonur spaceport . The bus met special safety regulations and was equipped with an air conditioning system that is able to maintain a precisely defined temperature inside the vehicle. Complete double glazing was also necessary for this. In addition, the doors were widened so that the space travelers could fit through with their spacesuits on . The equipment was just as luxurious as the previous prototypes, and also contained a system for generating hot water and a video recorder . Due to the fact that the vehicles were often seen on television broadcasts, they gained a certain prominence within the Soviet Union. Only a few copies were built in two different versions, in one of them with an air lock including dust extraction.

In 1974, with the LAZ-699D, the project was implemented to install the prototype diesel engine of the JaMZ-740 type. The vehicle was presented at an exhibition on the subject of "50 years of the automotive industry" in the Soviet Union, and a start date for series production was even given. From 1979 the buses should be built in series, the plan was ultimately abandoned. Later this model version was also called LAZ-699ND.

A single prototype for city traffic was produced under the name LAZ-699B. A wide additional passenger door was installed in the middle of the vehicle, as was also used in the LiAZ-677 city bus . Series production did not take place, and similar, unsuccessful experiments were also carried out with the LAZ-695.

LAZ-699R

As a replacement for the LAZ-699N, smaller quantities of the new LAZ-699R were manufactured from 1978 onwards. In particular, small things were changed in the headlight arrangement, there was another change in ongoing production in 1981. In the first half of the 1980s, a small series of luxuriously equipped vehicles was also launched, which the name LAZ-699 "Ljuks" (ЛАЗ-699 "Люкс") wore. They are particularly recognizable from the outside by various additional plastic cladding and were built for state institutions. The vehicles also had fog lights built into the bumper.

Towards the end of the 1980s, the buses were also given a separate door for the driver. From the 1990s onwards, Trilex rims were no longer used; instead, conventional rims made of sheet steel were used. In 2002 production was finally stopped.

Unlike the LAZ-695, there were no buses ex works that were equipped as natural gas vehicles . However, appropriate systems were partially retrofitted.

The vehicles were often overhauled and adapted to the technical status of later models.