Russian Automobiles! Wow!

Danny · 10-05-2006, 05:57 PM

Was mucking around yesterday playing that "Name this car game, and came across this site. Check out all three passenger cars Including the Wagon.
http://www.gaz.ru/eng/avt/volga/3110/index.asp

Of even greater interest are the specifications pages outlining the 96kW "flagship" SOHC Four banger with distributor ignition (and the positively Victa spec 55kW Base engine!), Drum rears, and Solid Front Brakes!! Its unbeleivable! These are 2006 model cars!! It really goes to show the poverty and low prosperity Russia has faced for so long.

Gaz Volga (Gorki Automotive) has been Russia's leading carmaker for years and years, and now have to close the factory due to the fall of the Soviet Union, Communism etc. People now are looking to western model modern cars and Japanese offerings. The Gaz Volga, a Russian Icon simply doesn't cut it anymore. (Taken off an Autonews site).

Also here is an AvtoVaz Zhiguli: A Everyman model modt average Joe's had when they weren't rich enough to buy a GAZ Volga. Thats right, Gaz was Russias Mercedes Benz. New cars Based on Platforms from the 70's..... WOW!

Whaddya think?

BPXR6T · 10-05-2006, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danny

New cars Based on Platforms from the 70's..... WOW!

If only they would do that here...

WILDTRAKPX2 · 10-05-2006, 06:11 PM

I'm stunned!

Dave_au · 10-05-2006, 06:45 PM

They probably dont retail for that much.

Mexico & Brazil was still building the original VW Beetle design up until 1996.

Redrum · 10-05-2006, 07:27 PM

Beautiful Russian cars, you will yearn for them.

Fairlane · 10-05-2006, 07:34 PM

Well they still sell the morris minor in India, and Iran had Hillman Hunters (which is not too bad I suppose) until last year.

But yeah the ruskies are pretty bad, they can build a state of the art Jet Fighter, but not a half decent car

new2ford · 10-05-2006, 07:50 PM

I think this thing was made under licence from Fiat years ago. Like the Morris Oxford in India the licence must still be current (or like the Chinese they've simply walked off with the design in their pocket while no one was looking).

FPV329 · 10-05-2006, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by new2ford

I think this thing was made under licence from Fiat years ago. Like the Morris Oxford in India the licence must still be current (or like the Chinese they've simply walked off with the design in their pocket while no one was looking).

yeh it's a dead ringer for a FIAT 125, my dad was Fiat mad, had one of them ( a 125, not the russian thing ) and just about everything else they ever made!

petzke · 10-05-2006, 08:26 PM

my mate just got a "lada Neva" for his first car, it is a 1998 model and we all thought it was from early 80's.. but i dont think thier intentions were to base the car on earlier models i think they are genuinley behind the times, it is soo unreliable and doesnt even have power steering

the_scotsman · 10-05-2006, 08:29 PM

They exported them to the UK as the Lada Riva in the 80s and 90s....they were VERY cheap....and horrible!!
They were the brunt of SO many jokes...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lada

They along with SKoda were seen as terrible terrible cars....although Skoda have got their act together and make half decent cars now...

Danny · 11-05-2006, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FPV329

yeh it's a dead ringer for a FIAT 125, my dad was Fiat mad, had one of them ( a 125, not the russian thing ) and just about everything else they ever made!

Correct, They were based on the Fiat 125

MethodX · 11-05-2006, 12:42 AM

The Russians did have some cool cars such as the ZIL limo's, with big block V8's

The czhecs had TATRA, big stylish rear engined V8's.

find them here.
http://www.autosoviet.altervista.org/index2.htm

GEE 87 · 11-05-2006, 02:40 PM

damn russians...lol

LethalLeigh · 11-05-2006, 03:04 PM

The Russians got the blueprints to the Fiat in return for supplying the Italians with steel. The quality was awful which is why there isn't many 70s era Italian cars left.

As for Tatra, they did build some amazing cars in the 30s including big air cooled, rear engined V8s. Apparently the handling was that bad that when the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia (?) so many Party members were killed in them they were banned from going near a Tatra.

petzke · 11-05-2006, 06:45 PM

nah sorry i dont know if you read my thread wrong or you were just pointing out a lada lrva, but no my mate has a lada neva,, its a 4x4 and soo funnny we love going down chapel st in it, he brought it back from russia

Dodge · 11-05-2006, 06:48 PM

did they have UDL holders LOL (vodka drink) back in the old days

pandaman · 11-05-2006, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petzke

nah sorry i dont know if you read my thread wrong or you were just pointing out a lada lrva, but no my mate has a lada neva,, its a 4x4 and soo funnny we love going down chapel st in it, he brought it back from russia

Yeah one of my mates has a blue one, 1989 model I think. Theres another white one floating around Canberra as well, it has red stars on the doors, classy as, apparently he couldn't be stuffed making a pattern for a hammer and sickle. :evil_laug

Danny · 11-05-2006, 08:36 PM

Biiiiiig KGB Cruisers!

new2ford · 11-05-2006, 08:37 PM

Scotsman, Skoda don't just make half bad cars now, they're rated up at the top with Lexus by Powers and Top Gear. They also make the best VWs (see Dog&Lemon Guide). A lots been happening in the Czech Republic in the last decade - now one of Europe's 10 top carmakers with Toyota-Peugeot-Citroen also manufacturing there and Hyundai about to. The only European country to match Japanese quality.

LethalLeigh the VW Beetle was a plagiarised Tatra design. Tatra chased the Germans for compensation for years and VW eventually settled with them about 1960. Other German "borrowings" from the Czechs include the Tiger tank and a number of aircraft. Marvellous what you can get and claim in your own name when you invade and occupy a country! The Russians need to invade a good carmaker - maybe Japan?

Fairlane · 11-05-2006, 08:55 PM

Quote:

The only European country to match Japanese quality.

You mean eastern european right, because Germany is most definately part of Europe. But, yes Skoda build good cars now.

dave_vic_ozz · 11-05-2006, 09:32 PM

Guy pulls into a servo and asks for a petrol cap for one of those cars. The attendant thinks for a moment and says "Yeh, that's a fair swap"

Danny · 11-05-2006, 09:55 PM

Heard of the new 16 Valve Lada? 8 in the engine, and 8 in the Radio! lol

new2ford · 11-05-2006, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fairlane

You mean eastern european right, because Germany is most definately part of Europe. But, yes Skoda build good cars now.

No I mean European. You need to catch up on what's happened to German quality in recent years.

LethalLeigh · 12-05-2006, 12:29 AM

Yeah, I read about VW and Tatra. At least they're not something like the Trabant P601. It had cotton fibre/resin body panels!

DanielXR8 · 12-05-2006, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danny

Was mucking around yesterday playing that "Name this car game, and came across this site. Check out all three passenger cars Including the Wagon.
http://www.gaz.ru/eng/avt/volga/3110/index.asp

Of even greater interest are the specifications pages outlining the 96kW "flagship" SOHC Four banger with distributor ignition (and the positively Victa spec 55kW Base engine!), Drum rears, and Solid Front Brakes!! Its unbeleivable! These are 2006 model cars!! It really goes to show the poverty and low prosperity Russia has faced for so long.

Gaz Volga (Gorki Automotive) has been Russia's leading carmaker for years and years, and now have to close the factory due to the fall of the Soviet Union, Communism etc. People now are looking to western model modern cars and Japanese offerings. The Gaz Volga, a Russian Icon simply doesn't cut it anymore. (Taken off an Autonews site).

Also here is an AvtoVaz Zhiguli: A Everyman model modt average Joe's had when they weren't rich enough to buy a GAZ Volga. Thats right, Gaz was Russias Mercedes Benz. New cars Based on Platforms from the 70's..... WOW!

Whaddya think?

Just throw some bright colours on them and keep changing the colour palette every six months. Release an SR model if sales are slow. No need to do any engineering to fix anything.

Dan

EB-maen · 12-05-2006, 02:11 AM

In Soviet Russia, car drives you!

Fairlane · 12-05-2006, 05:41 PM

Quote:

In Soviet Russia, car drives you!

I was waiting for that one, lol.

Perun · 12-05-2006, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danny

We had one of these in 1987-1988. It wasn't a bad car but it started rusting in a few spots so we had it replaced, but the new one wasn't as good. It's a tractor by today's standards though!

The older Lada's were just indestrible though! They were made to survive a Russian winter so they were tough!

xd5.8l · 12-05-2006, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbo_nick

We had one of these in 1987-1988. It wasn't a bad car but it started rusting in a few spots so we had it replaced, but the new one wasn't as good. It's a tractor by today's standards though!

The older Lada's were just indestrible though! They were made to survive a Russian winter so they were tough!

We had a LADA 126 back in Norway back in the late 80's and all I can say is that they're as tough as a Hymelayen mountain goats. 1600cc's of pure unadulterated grunt. The russians build crap but boy do they build it strong!

Danny · 12-05-2006, 11:40 PM

Other thing too. Anyone noticed all russian cars door handles look like Aeroplane seatbelts? Aeroflot wrecking yard anyone? lol (I bet it wouldn't be too hard to find Plane wrecks over there)...