Zastava 101 / Skala History
Catalog record
Photography for this nameplate has not yet cleared the archive’s licensing and identity checks. The researched text below remains available while the page stays out of search and advertising inventory.
History
The Zastava 101 made its public debut in April 1971 in Belgrade, derived from the Fiat 128 under licence. Crucially, it arrived as a three-door hatchback — a body style Zastava's engineers developed — a full three years before Fiat launched its own 128 3P and around the same time as the Volkswagen Golf. It was among the earliest front-wheel-drive hatchbacks on the market.
Powered by Fiat's 1,116 cc OHC four-cylinder producing 55 hp and driving the front wheels, the 101 was simple, cheap to run, and readily serviceable, which made it the most popular car in Yugoslavia across much of the 1970s and 1980s. A five-door version broadened its appeal as family transport.
Later renamed the Skala (with variants named for their horsepower output: Skala 55, Skala 65), production continued with minor updates until the factory's final close on 20 November 2008 — an astonishing 37-year run, with 1,273,532 units built. The Skala 55 remained Serbia's most affordable new car until the end.
Generations
First generation · Zastava 101
Original Fiat 128-derived hatchback; three- and five-door bodies; 1,116 cc front-wheel-drive drivetrain.
Second generation · Skala (55 / 65)
Renamed Skala with revised trim levels and minor mechanical updates; built continuously until the final Zastava shutdown in November 2008.
Body styles
- 3-door hatchback
- 5-door hatchback
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Zastava 101 / Skala
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.