Truth be told, Ive never actually owned one, I would never admit it, but Ive been in quite a few.
This is the car made from scrap sardine cans, yet can run on Vodka, that is because, of course, it is Russian made! (In Russia, its called the Zhiguli)
In most former soviet countries, including the UK.... ur, sorry, slip of the tongue, we are of course still under a communist Dictatorship (I jest) you will find a Lada Riva, or its variant, or indeed, a Lada Riva Chasis, with things welded to it, driving around at full pelt.
The Engine Rev counter only needs 2 settings for display, Engine off, and Full Revs, as Ive certainly never seen a Lada of any description operating under differing circumstances.
Lada is the trademark of AvtoVAZ, a Russian car manufacturer.. It was chosen for exports over the domestic Zhiguli brand, but since the 1980s the name has been used in Soviet and later Russian market as well. Lada made its name in Western Europe selling the Lada Riva as an economy car in large quantities during the 1980s, but subsequent models have not enjoyed the same success as the Riva.
It was marketed as the Lada Nova in some (but not all) European countries, and as the Lada 1500 and Lada Signet in Canada. In Brazil it was sold as the Lada Laika. The Lada Riva is the second most built single vehicle design in the world, at 13,500,000+ units.
FUNNY LADA RIVA STORIES.
Well, I dont know if they are funny, but they are true.
My Brother My older brother had a Lada Riva in the early 1990\'s. fueling it with £1 worth of fuel each time he used it, no matter what distance was traveled (Figure that one out)
A true rust bucket it was, but with a can of WD40, all things are possible. If it failed to start, WD40 in the air intake, If its brakes squeeked, well, we wont go there, and best of all, if it juddered, WD40 down the fuel pipe.
My brother is a typical Bosnian driver, 50 MPH everywhere, only because its ideal for fuel economy. The car alas is no more.
My Friend Sergei Sergei is proud of his Lada Riva, Ok, so 3 wheels are bigger than the fourth, and they are all bald, 4th gear doesnt work, the boot is tied down with string, the passenger seat is missing, theres no windscreen wipers, the rear window is missing, the engine only has 3 spark plugs and the rocker cover is savagely cracked, oil leaks everywhere, it does 10 miles to the gallon, and smokes like Thomas the tank engine in Amsterdam, but it still goes forward. Yes, Sergei is proud of his Lada Riva!.
My borrowed Riva I once borrowed a Riva, well, stole it I suppose, and pushed it to the max. 60 MPH I got from it, consistently for about 20 mins until I came face to face with the UN. I hit every pothole going, yet, she saw me out of danger.
The Police The Police in Russia just love this wagon, they must have a supped up version, as they overtook my Landrover Freelander at 80 miles an hour on what they call a motorway, the driver was swetting profusely, probably from the difficulty he was having staying on the road!
All in all, its a basic car, that came to the rescue when money was tight here in the 80\'s.
Its like a lego car, if something drops off, simply stick it back on, and all is sorted!
Hmmm, I may just go and buy one for old times sake!
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I had one of these for a couple of years in the early 90s. it was named Uriah - as in "heap".
JeffFromPoole 20.11.2007 22:52
Reminds me of the day I took one of these for a test drive in Reading. what an experience. I hammered it and managed to get 70 out of it on a downhill road. when I got back to the Garage the bloke wouldn't believe
me.
The Term "Heap of Sh1t" was coined for this car.
larsbaby 20.11.2007 22:30
This reminds me of being driven round near St Petersburg in the mid 90s and looking at the cars - red lada, blue lada, green lada, police lada ...
Nov 20th, 2007
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