Russian cars
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- Rage_Racer_VOLK
- RageRacer48
Lada 2908 LSGA (1990).
Was powered by a 16-valve turbo engine, rated 220 hp. The claimed max speed was 260 km/h.
The car was designed for circuit racing, but it was raced in the Soviet Rally Championship instead.
Was powered by a 16-valve turbo engine, rated 220 hp. The claimed max speed was 260 km/h.
The car was designed for circuit racing, but it was raced in the Soviet Rally Championship instead.
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- Moscow
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GAZ 21 Volga (my favourite of Soviet cars) in the Rallye Monte-Carlo in 1964.
...and a replica 55 years later, in Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique 2019, ran by Gorkyclassic team.
It's not an exact replica, though - it had safety modifications (rollcage, seats, brakes, etc), different suspension and drivetrain, and a 3.0 L I4 engine from later GAZ models, tuned to ~200 hp.
For the 2020 rally, Gorkyclassic recieved support from GAZ and became a factory team. The engine of one of the two cars was replaced by a 5.5 L V8 from GAZ 13 Chaika (the same engine was used on the GAZ 23, the variant of the 21 Volga developed for KGB, so it didn't violate the rules), and the power output was 255 hp.
Both cars finished. The 1961 V8-powered car driven by Alexey Vasilyev (a well-known GT series driver) took 36th place overall and 5th in its group (1961 and earlier). The second 1962 Volga driven by a female crew (driver Ilona Nakutis) finished 82nd overall (7th in 1962-65 group), leaving behind many more powerful cars such as Walther Roerl's Porsche 911.
...and a replica 55 years later, in Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique 2019, ran by Gorkyclassic team.
It's not an exact replica, though - it had safety modifications (rollcage, seats, brakes, etc), different suspension and drivetrain, and a 3.0 L I4 engine from later GAZ models, tuned to ~200 hp.
For the 2020 rally, Gorkyclassic recieved support from GAZ and became a factory team. The engine of one of the two cars was replaced by a 5.5 L V8 from GAZ 13 Chaika (the same engine was used on the GAZ 23, the variant of the 21 Volga developed for KGB, so it didn't violate the rules), and the power output was 255 hp.
Both cars finished. The 1961 V8-powered car driven by Alexey Vasilyev (a well-known GT series driver) took 36th place overall and 5th in its group (1961 and earlier). The second 1962 Volga driven by a female crew (driver Ilona Nakutis) finished 82nd overall (7th in 1962-65 group), leaving behind many more powerful cars such as Walther Roerl's Porsche 911.
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A fun fact - it was Putin's first car.This my favorite Soviet car, the ZAZ-968 Zaporozhets. RR, 1200cc V-4, the preferred model of the Soviet Intelligenstia.
He drove a white 968 when he was a university student, after winning it in a lottery.
^Here, he introduces his car to George W. Bush in 2006.
The ZiS Sport was only a one-off prototype, but it was quite well known. Stalin personally clicked the "like" button on it. The original car was lost during the WW2 (it wasn't evacuated from Moscow along with ZiS), the one on the modern photo is a replica made in 2012 by Molotov Garage restoration workshop, using the original blueprints and photos.
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- Stawookie
You can definitely tell it’s a replica. Some of the proportions are mildly off from the original photographs.A fun fact - it was Putin's first car.
He drove a white 968 when he was a university student, after winning it in a lottery.
^Here, he introduces his car to George W. Bush in 2006.
The ZiS Sport was only a one-off prototype, but it was quite well known. Stalin personally clicked the "like" button on it. The original car was lost during the WW2 (it wasn't evacuated from Moscow along with ZiS), the one on the modern photo is a replica made in 2012 by Molotov Garage restoration workshop, using the original blueprints and photos.
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Shortcut 527.
A lightweight race car inspired by the famous Lotus Seven, procuced by a small company called DB 527 ("Design Bureau 527") since 2017.
Powered by an engine from Lada Granta, modified to produce 180+ horsepower. The transmission is taken from the rear-wheel drive Lada series (the Zhiguli) and the rear axle is from Lada Niva. Curb weight is 495 kg. More specs can be seen here.
There is a one-make racing series for the Shortcuts, called DK Racing Cup.
Currently, there's only a race version, but DB 527 also wants to make a road-legal one. However, it's not that simple to certify it in Russia.
Also, my photo taken in 2018:
A lightweight race car inspired by the famous Lotus Seven, procuced by a small company called DB 527 ("Design Bureau 527") since 2017.
Powered by an engine from Lada Granta, modified to produce 180+ horsepower. The transmission is taken from the rear-wheel drive Lada series (the Zhiguli) and the rear axle is from Lada Niva. Curb weight is 495 kg. More specs can be seen here.
There is a one-make racing series for the Shortcuts, called DK Racing Cup.
Currently, there's only a race version, but DB 527 also wants to make a road-legal one. However, it's not that simple to certify it in Russia.
Also, my photo taken in 2018:
- 13,145
- Seattle-ish
It's Marussia's entry for a new presidential limousine to be built by ZiL.
https://www.voanews.com/europe/competition-russias-next-presidential-limo-shifts-high-gear
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These are 3D models, nothing more.I have no idea what it is called but it is a Russian concept car.
This is A:Level Volga V12 Coupe, a custom car based on the 8 series BMW (E31).Based on a BMW 3-series
Another photo of a Niva in Japan.
:tup:Sadly, ZiL is de-facto dead already. They made their last truck in 2016 and shut down. Probably forever. Most of the plant's assets are dismantled. The last remaining workshop (where limousines were being made) is now rent by a separate company called "MSC6 AMO ZIL", which restores and maintains the old ZiL luxury cars. They also host a museum with historic ZiS/ZiL vehicles. I've been there, it's nice... and sad, because you know a marque with such great and dramatic history is now lost. I'll post my photos from there in the Communist cars thread (most of those cars are from the Soviet period).
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1896 Yakovlev & Freze motor carriage. The first Russian car.
Designed and built by Yevgeny Yakovlev and Pyotr Freze, it was launched into serial production (as the sources say, Yakovlev's plant was responsible for the engine and drivetrain, and Freze's factory made the chassis). It is unknown how many had been made, but after Yakovlev's death in 1898, his plant ceased the production of internal combustion engines so Freze had to buy them from abroad. In 1910, Freze sold his factory to Russo-Balt, another car manufacturer of the Russian Empire.
In 1996, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Russia's first car, AutoReview, a Russian car magazine, made a replica of it.
Specs:
Engine: 1-cylinder, 4-stroke, water-cooled, 1000 cc, 2 hp / 400 rpm
Transmission: 2-speed manual
Dimensions: 2450 x 1590 x 1500 (mm)
Curb weight: 300 kg
Max speed: 20 km/h
The fuel capacity allowed the car to run for 10 hours.
Designed and built by Yevgeny Yakovlev and Pyotr Freze, it was launched into serial production (as the sources say, Yakovlev's plant was responsible for the engine and drivetrain, and Freze's factory made the chassis). It is unknown how many had been made, but after Yakovlev's death in 1898, his plant ceased the production of internal combustion engines so Freze had to buy them from abroad. In 1910, Freze sold his factory to Russo-Balt, another car manufacturer of the Russian Empire.
In 1996, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Russia's first car, AutoReview, a Russian car magazine, made a replica of it.
Specs:
Engine: 1-cylinder, 4-stroke, water-cooled, 1000 cc, 2 hp / 400 rpm
Transmission: 2-speed manual
Dimensions: 2450 x 1590 x 1500 (mm)
Curb weight: 300 kg
Max speed: 20 km/h
The fuel capacity allowed the car to run for 10 hours.
- 13,145
- Seattle-ish
The GAZ Volga was always an attractive car that went on too long. But for some reason, I most like them after the Soviet Union collapsed and GAZ desperately tried to keep the Volga relevant in a much more competitive market.
GAZ-3110 Volga 1997-2004
GAZ-31105 Volga 2004-2009
GAZ-3110 Volga 1997-2004
GAZ-31105 Volga 2004-2009
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Another well-known car manufacturer of the Tsars' Russia was Russo-Balt.
Russo-Balt was founded in 1908 in Riga (the today's capital of Latvia) as an automobile division of the RBVZ (Russo-Baltic Wagon Factory), a railway car manufacturer. Some of the Russo-Balt cars were used by the garage of the Tsar's family.
Russo-Balt S24/40, the top model of the lineup:
Russo-Balt S-24/55 before the start of Rallye Monte-Carlo 1912.
A Soviet-made 1:43 scale model of a 1909 Russo-Balt S24/30 Double Phaeton that I bought for my collection today.
1911 Russo-Balt K12/20, the only known survived example of a Russo-Balt car. It was restored in 1967 and is now on display in the Polytechnic Museum in Moscow.
There's another Russo-Balt vehicle, a D24/40 fire engine stored in Riga, Latvia, but it's rather a replica with few original parts than a surviving example.
During the World War I, the Russo-Balt factory was evacuated from Riga to Moscow and started producing warplanes, including Sikorsky's Russkiy Vityaz and Ilya Muromets, the world's first four-engine bombers. In 1918, the communist goverment nationalized the factory that made its last cars in 1922 and switched entirely to aircraft production. In 1941, it was evacuated to Kazan to make military aircraft, again. Today, the "Khrunichev Machinery Plant" (as it's called since 1961) is working for the space rocket industry.
First Russian Revolution in 1905-07, World War I, two revolutions of 1917, collapse of the Russian Empire, Civil War, rise of communists into power, industrialization, Stalin's mass repressions, the German invasion during the WWII, the post-war recovery, the stagnation of the Soviet economy, Perestroika, collapse of the Soviet Union, economic crisis of the '90s...
Well, in 21st century, the Russian car industry is finally making something decent. Modern Lada cars (Vesta, X-Ray, Kalina II, etc) are somewhat competitive with foreign small budget cars on the Russian market. The others, such as Lada 4x4 (Niva), UAZ Hunter (469) and UAZ 2206 (452 family) are so outdated that it's too late to discontinue their production - they've become long-living classics already.
Russo-Balt was founded in 1908 in Riga (the today's capital of Latvia) as an automobile division of the RBVZ (Russo-Baltic Wagon Factory), a railway car manufacturer. Some of the Russo-Balt cars were used by the garage of the Tsar's family.
Russo-Balt S24/40, the top model of the lineup:
Russo-Balt S-24/55 before the start of Rallye Monte-Carlo 1912.
A Soviet-made 1:43 scale model of a 1909 Russo-Balt S24/30 Double Phaeton that I bought for my collection today.
1911 Russo-Balt K12/20, the only known survived example of a Russo-Balt car. It was restored in 1967 and is now on display in the Polytechnic Museum in Moscow.
There's another Russo-Balt vehicle, a D24/40 fire engine stored in Riga, Latvia, but it's rather a replica with few original parts than a surviving example.
During the World War I, the Russo-Balt factory was evacuated from Riga to Moscow and started producing warplanes, including Sikorsky's Russkiy Vityaz and Ilya Muromets, the world's first four-engine bombers. In 1918, the communist goverment nationalized the factory that made its last cars in 1922 and switched entirely to aircraft production. In 1941, it was evacuated to Kazan to make military aircraft, again. Today, the "Khrunichev Machinery Plant" (as it's called since 1961) is working for the space rocket industry.
A LOT happened.
First Russian Revolution in 1905-07, World War I, two revolutions of 1917, collapse of the Russian Empire, Civil War, rise of communists into power, industrialization, Stalin's mass repressions, the German invasion during the WWII, the post-war recovery, the stagnation of the Soviet economy, Perestroika, collapse of the Soviet Union, economic crisis of the '90s...
Well, in 21st century, the Russian car industry is finally making something decent. Modern Lada cars (Vesta, X-Ray, Kalina II, etc) are somewhat competitive with foreign small budget cars on the Russian market. The others, such as Lada 4x4 (Niva), UAZ Hunter (469) and UAZ 2206 (452 family) are so outdated that it's too late to discontinue their production - they've become long-living classics already.
