I haven’t posted a QOTD for a while, and looking at these pictures from the CC Cohort of a Zhiguli 2101, posted by kevin_xyxl, there seemed to more questions than answers.
Probably, we all know the Zhiguli or Lada– it is a derivative of the 1966 Fiat 124 saloon licence built by AvtoVAZ in Tolyatti in the Soviet Union with a Russian designed single OHC four cylinder 1.2 litre engine. 59 bhp, 87 mph and 0-60 in around 18 seconds, so not a pony car. The basic design endured until 2012 in Russia, with various changes and increases in engine size and power. The car was sold in western Europe, under the Lada brand, and some other markets as (usually) the cheapest mid size four door saloon, by a significant margin. Here was a Cortina size car for the price of a Fiesta. OK, the driving and passenger experiences were not great, but it was a significant amount of car for the money, and as tough as old boots.
But, seeing such a car in New York, with a New York registration in such condition, prompts many questions, such as
What’s its history? It’s bearing Russian market badging, not export badging.
How long has it been there?
Why bring it over?
How does the owner keep it looking smart?
Where does s/he get spares?
Is it a daily driver?
Whatever the background, I suspect there are not many Zhigulis in New York, or indeed the US.
I’d love to know the answers!
One thing Ive noticed about old Ladas is they dont seem to rust away like the Fiats they were cloned from, We only got the four headlight model as a swap for butter, Ladas and Belarus tractors, not sure who got the better end of that deal.
From a little research, these Russian 124s appear to have been built with thicker gauge steel to deal with the harsh weather.
Ladas might have survived in Russia without rusting away, but they couldn’t handle Newfoundland. The earliest ones sold on The Rock disintegrated in record time. Later models were better, but Lada’s reputation was beyond saving by then.
Foibles nothwithstanding, this is the kind of functional sensible car I so wish were still being made.. this, or better yet a Volvo 142!
Volvos were the automobiles of choice for the East German Communist elite. West German cars were obviously out of the question, but Swedish neutrality gave them enough cover to avoid buying Soviet limos.
North Korea also imported a shipment of Volvos and then stiffed the Swedes on the bill!
Interesting find for sure.
“What’s its history? It’s bearing Russian market badging, not export badging.”
I’d say it was imported under the 25 year rule and that is part of the reason it doesn’t have export badging, it was imported from Russia.
“How long has it been there?”
Based on the 25 year rule I’d say it has been here since it was slightly over that hump.
“Why bring it over?”
Because there is a sucker born every minute and a butt for every seat. There are lots of companies out there that import cars under the 25 year rule across the US. So why not if the price was right since it appears to be in very good condition.
I doubt it is a daily driver and is just someone’s toy that doesn’t matter if it takes weeks to get the needed parts shipped from Russia.
Here is an importer local to me, though they mainly deal in Japanese cars. http://sodo-moto.com/ I browse the site from time to time to see what interesting thing pops up next, what currently has my interest is the Corona Pickup.
The 25-year import rule doesn’t just apply to Skylines, you know 🙂
Probably a Russian ex-pat. I want to guess that photo was taken in Queens, and there are plenty of ex-pats living there.
We had a Fiat 126 when I was a kid, and I have toyed with the idea of sourcing a LHD one in Poland and shipping it to Minnesota.
The Lada seems less interesting, given its “Russian Crown Vic” status, but I see the appeal, especially if the owner has connections to Russia.
There was a Lada similar to this at the MN Cars & Coffee gathering in Shakopee when I was there back in October. As I recall it was a nice burgundy color and appeared to have been restored or really well-kept. Not sure what its story is, there was no sign and I couldn’t readily eavesdrop or butt into the conversations around me as I don’t speak Russian!
Ah! I’ve often heard Russian or Slavic accents or language around that neck of the woods.
The Russian crown vic (or Russian B-body) is definitely not the Lada but the Volga in its various highly related incarnations since the 24 model. They kept the basic hard points and even roof stamping from 1970 right through the final Chrysler-engined 31105!
Well this car was first made in 1970. It was not until the mid1980’s when the gray market import loop holes were closed up. It could have been imported before the tougher rules kicked in.
It also could have been bought recently. There seems to be a big market for the Trabant here in the USA(living in the MD/DC/VA area all my life, I have seem a good number of them around). Why not a market for other cold war cars?
It could also have been a USSR embassy car or a car in the USSR delegation motor pool. It would not surprise me at all given the “who makes better stuff” pissing contest between the USSR and the USA during that time. I could see the USSR having a few of these tooling around as cars in the embassy so as to not have to hear it from high up USSR party folks complaining that the USSR is using American cars instead of the “quality” made cars of the USSR .
This sounds like a very good idea. I can see USSR diplomats all being issued Soviet cars but, as to using them, they would park them and, instead, use much more comfortable domestic brougham products. So, the Soviet ex-diplomat cars would all be in extraordinarily good, unused shape.
Did Soviet diplomats in the US actually use Soviet cars? I know Gorbachev had his giant ZIL shipped over when he visited Washington, but I assumed their American embassies and consular staff used vehicles available for sale in America.
They didn’t rot as badly as the fiat 124, but still rusted around the front wings, sills and arches. Plus they are appalling to drive, almost exactly how you’d expect a car based on a 60s cheap family car to drive. Think of it in terms of a company still making 1960 Falcons in 2012 and how they’d compare to modern cars.
They aren’t tough, I don’t know why people think they are. They fold like cardboard in a crash and the gas tank sits inside the rear wing ready to burst in a rear end collision. What they are is basically engineered so they’re easily fixable, but the driving experience is laughably bad.
Russian speakers may be able to learn a little more about this specific car from this Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWh4lwUAkiI
…though it appears the man taking the video isn’t the owner. Definitely the same car, though.
This also appears to be the same car — looks like it dates from 1975:
http://classicvehicleslist.com/other-makes/207473-1975-lada-vaz-2101-zhiguli-30k-miles-great-condition-clean-ny-title.html
Fascinating find, here… I’m glad this was posted to the Cohort!
As a 1975 model year, it should even be legal in California, where 1976 and newer have to receive emissions tests (which include visual and functional equipment inspection as well as tailpipe test) regularly. One could buy it and badge it as a Fiat 🙂
They were sold in Canada for a few years when I was a kid. They were cheap, simple, unpretentious, basic transportation, for people who had no interest in luxury or good handling.
Their Soviet origins had a certain cachet among the anti-establishment crowd here. Back then, a few leftist, anti – capitalist sympathizers would flaunt their radicalism by driving a socialist-camp auto. And the Ladas, for all their faults were far better than the competing Skodas and Dacias occupying the absolute bottom- end of the new-car market.
Things got a bit ugly when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in late ’79. Ladas got pretty unpopular as a result. A couple of years later the ultra-cheap and primitive Hyundai Pony was introduced here. It was superior in every way and just buried the Lada.
I always thought Skodas were considered to be better than Ladas. The Rapid Coupe, in particular, was about as cool as an Eastern Bloc auto could get.
Dacias were bottom of the barrel, but they still sold a few of them in Canada. I even remember seeing the occasional ARO on the streets of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
This one was spotted in Toronto in 2018 – VAZ-2104
VAZ-2107 in Chicago
VAZ-21099 in Chicago
GAZ-21 in Chicago
None were my spots, just sharing
This was in 2016 Immortal Regiment Toronto, my spot of another GAZ-21
And UAZ-469 in 2018 Victory Day celebration in Toronto
Just leave a note on the windshield with your contact info. The owner might just be proud to have their car featured here .
Yes, they are pretty awful cars, but they’re really tough. My friend had one in the early 1990s and somehow managed to run the gearbox out of oil. After a fresh top-up of oil it just kept on going. And as an aside, they’re absolutely awesome at doing long, sideways slides on icy roads if you’re that way disposed!
I saw a Zhiguli on Seattle’s Capitol Hill a few years ago. I caught up with the owner the following April at the Italian car show (after all, the car had Italian roots) in Issaquah. He told me it was an ’86, which he had recently imported from Germany. I thought I took some photos of it, but I can’t seem to find them offhand
Speaking of importing cars per the 25 year old rule, a local importer of parts and cars is selling a Mitsuoka Le Seyde for $11,000. A. LE. SEYDE. I feel like I need to go and photograph it for CC.
The car in this picture, believe it or not, was displayed at last summer’s Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. I had a chance to talk to the owner, a young Russian fellow, who wanted an example of the cars he grew up with. A closer look would reveal a meticulous restoration with all-Soviet parts, including filters and batteries. I wonder if that guy knows anything about the subject car.
Greenwich is not just about exotics, it’s also about unique oddballs like this. Right next to it was a Saab 96 V4 wagon in which I bet my friend that we could both fit in the rear-facing third seat. We did. Probably one of the smallest seven-seat cars ever made. You had nearly every Cunningham ever made sharing space with this Zhiguli, the Saab, a Renault Caravelle, an Alpine A110 and much, much more.
Not too crazy… I saw a Volga in Brooklyn a few years back:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-capsule/curbside-capsule-black-russian/
I live in Forest Hills, Queens NYC and have seen this car buzzing around during morning commute on at least 2 occasions while waiting for my bus.
Lots of Russian / Bukharian expats in parts of this neighborhood. Most of the shop signs are in Cyrillic.
There are now several Russian cars in Brooklyn, owned by Russian-Americans with nostalgia and a sense of kitsch. Bringing one over is a hassle, but if you’re determined, it can be done. Maintenance is not much more difficult than owning any foreign vintage car in the US. There are many Russian mechanics in Brooklyn who remember working on these cars back in Russia, and parts can be found though the internet.
I have seen at least three Zhiguli (VAZ) in Brooklyn, a cople of Volgas, a ZIM limousine (now THAT is rare) and a Dnepr motorcycle with a sidecar. One Russian restaurant on Coney Island Avenue had a Zaporozhets car inside for interior décor.
Lada 2107 near Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, on Feb. 8, 2019