Sofia (car)

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Sofia was the name of two versions of two-passenger vehicles manufactured in Bulgaria in the 1980s and 1990s, from designer Velizar Andreev.

Bulgaria country in Southeast Europe

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. The capital and largest city is Sofia; other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), Bulgaria is Europe's 16th-largest country.

Contents

A restored Sofia-B example at a retro car meetup in Ruse, Bulgaria, 2019 Sofia B sports car in Ruse, Bulgaria.jpg
A restored Sofia-B example at a retro car meetup in Ruse, Bulgaria, 2019

History

Velizar Andreev attended MEI (Institute for Machinery and Electrical Engineering) in Sofia, graduating in 1962 with an engineering degree in design of vehicles (automobiles, tractors and lift cars). During his studies he built a fully functioning prototype automobile with modern lines (which unfortunately has not survived); his graduate project was a mockup of a passenger car. When the graduate project was demonstrated to the grading committee, its non-conservative styling did not sit well, and they gave only a passable grade to the avant-garde design with hidden headlamps.

Sofia Capital and largest city of Bulgaria

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. The city is at the foot of Vitosha Mountain in the western part of the country. Being in the centre of the Balkan peninsula, it is midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, and closest to the Aegean Sea.

Mockup scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes

In manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes. A mockup is a prototype if it provides at least part of the functionality of a system and enables testing of a design. Mock-ups are used by designers mainly to acquire feedback from users. Mock-ups address the idea captured in a popular engineering one-liner: You can fix it now on the drafting board with an eraser or you can fix it later on the construction site with a sledge hammer.

In 1979 Andreev established the Sofia Club, which served as a meeting ground where ideas regarding the design and manufacture of a Bulgarian-made sports car could be freely discussed. About the same time, Andreev collaborated with several auto mechanics students and engineers to build his first prototype sports car. The finished prototype was displayed to the public in October 1981 at the Plovdiv Fair. The attractive prototype was made of fiberglass and was entirely designed by Andreev, both mechanically and visually. The engine and some mechanical components were borrowed from the VAZ 2101 "Zhiguli", but as a whole, the prototype was similar to the future Sofia production car. The major differences between the prototype and the production car were the prototype's shorter wheelbase, lack of roof or doors (a roll bar mounted above the two passengers' heads was supposed to protect them in accidents), and larger tires.

Zhiguli (car brand)

Zhiguli was a brand of cars manufactured in Russia and the Soviet Union by AvtoVAZ during 1970-2012 and somewhat longer in some places abroad. The export variants were branded as Lada.

In fall 1985 the Plovdiv Fair showcased the prototype of the sports car Sofia, which Andreev and several collaborators had made in 1984. It was painted dark-red metallic color.

Production

In 1986 a small industrial cooperative called Avantgarde was formed to begin the production of the sports car Sofia B, whose annual production volume was initially planned at 200 cars.

In 1989 the Plovdiv Fair again showcased the final version of the Sofia B, painted in gray metallic color; the manufacture of the car was supported by the machine-building firm Balkankar and the Bulgarian Ministry of Machine-Building. The car's headlights were no longer of the flip-up type, instead becoming exposed and mounted on the front of the hood; the car's rear was also radically restyled. The gull-wing doors were abandoned as well, which did not detract from the design and made the car easier to produce and live with. The interior also received numerous improvements.

In 1990, after a three-month-long effort, Andreev completed the prototype of a light SUV named Sofia C, with an engine borrowed from a Lada passenger car. That same year also saw the start of serial production of both the Sofia B and the Sofia C, [1] made by Andreev's own private company Vilicar.

Lada is a brand of cars manufactured by AvtoVAZ, a Russian company owned by the French Groupe Renault. The first cars manufactured by AvtoVAZ, with technical assistance from Fiat, were marketed under the Zhiguli brand, allegedly chosen after it was suggested by the designer, A. M. Cherny. When the cars began to be exported on foreign markets, the Zhiguli brand was found to be inappropriate, as it was hard to pronounce for non-Russian speakers, and it was said to resemble the word gigolo too closely.

During the 1990s Andreev broadened the scope of his automotive-related activities by continuing to produce his own cars, and by tuning private passenger cars and converting passenger cars into commercial delivery vehicles. In 1997 Andreev also produced a prototype of a small passenger bus which was exhibited at the Plovdiv Fair. It was based on an Avia chassis.

Avia aircraft and automotive manufacturer

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End

Until his death in 2001, Velizar Andreev successfully defended and advanced an idea that seemed ludicrous to many others - the design and serial production of Bulgarian sports cars. His automotive workshop became the first and, until now, the only applied school for young Bulgarian car designers. After his death his son, Bozidar Andreev, became president of a company which continues providing parts and conversions for vehicles, including Sofias.

Production numbers

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