In addition to the shots of junkyard-loving ladies posing with these relics of the Soviet era, we get an added bonus: what appears to be a Moskvich veteran of the 1970 London To Mexico City World Cup Rally (or some Russian car freak's replica). These shots were on EnglishRussia a few years back, but this sort of thing never goes stale.
[netwind.ru]

JasonTorch, member of the Make:Way 24 Hours Of LeMons Ford Escort team, did a big double-take when he saw this mysterious sedan. It turned out to be a GAZ Volga 24-10, which was built during the final years of the Soviet Union. We can't tell you how its owner managed to get California registration for it, though we suspect the ordeal is Kafkaesque and ongoing. Here's what Jason has to say about his find:

So I was driving in an unfamiliar neighborhood late one night this week, and a glimpse of an unfamiliar taillight in my headlights caught my eye and grabbed it and stopped it like a bag of pudding thrown onto drywall. I'm sure all us car guys have that sense when they catch a glimpse of something that can't be individually ID'd— in this case it was firing the lights for British, Italian, and American all at once, but not falling into any. You know what I mean.

Anyway, I stopped in the middle of the dark street and pointed my headlights at the mystery car to find it was a GAZ! A GAZ Volga 24-10, to be exact, which would put it in the '77-'85 range— I think this one is somewhere on the later side.

It's a handsome, if a bit normal-looking for my tastes, car. It looks sort of like a late 60s Ford body with Fiat lights and detailing. This one even had curtains in the rear window, which for some reason feels very Soviet.

Anyway— sorry the photos are so bad— it was late and on a very dark street, and I just had my phone. I may go out and try to hunt it down in the day; I left a note with my name and number on the car, so if I can get ahold of the guy and get better pics, or, even better, a ride, I'll let you know.

As we know, you must listen to the Red Army Choir performing the Soviet National Anthem while reading about Racing Heroes Of The Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics. That's the law.


If only the Reds had been allowed to enter a few Pobedas and Volgas in early NASCAR events. Imagine the Cold War drama! Thanks to the many of you who sent in this tip!



[English Russia]

Well, you might keep shop manuals on your coffee table, but that would make you the kind of scarily focused gearhead who also keeps a couple of engine blocks in the kitchen. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, but Haynes also puts out this… this four-pound slab of concentrated essence of car pr0n, and- now that you're aware of its existence- your life without it will seem as grim and flavorless as the sawdust-enhanced sausage ration in Vladivostok, 1949. It sure as hell isn't cheap, so those of you with a birthday coming up are advised to start dropping some very strong gift-idea hints to your loved ones right now. The rest of you will have to cough up the rubles on your own, but it will be worth it.



From the Ford clones of the 1920s and 1930s (starting with a copy of the Model A and continuing with the modified-for-Soviet-conditions Model B-based M1 shown above), the USSR was making cars and trucks from its earliest days. While some were based on foreign designs (the Opel Kadett-based early Moskvich and Fiat-based Lada being a couple of famous examples), many were all-Soviet projects.


Thompson's book covers all the major lines of Soviet cars and light trucks, including the GAZ Pobedas and Volgas, the ZIL limousines, the beloved Zaporozhets, and a bunch of acronymic vehicles we decadent Westerners have never heard of.


Vehicles manufactured according to the demands of a planned economy (in a nation whose rough roads cover 11 time zones and every crazy weather condition imaginable) were designed with different priorities than those found in the capitalist automotive world, and this book does an excellent job describing how those priorities worked during the Soviet period.


Things really got interesting during the Brezhnev era, during which the USSR's need for hard currency, coupled with the rise of inflation in the West, led to large-scale exports of Soviet-made vehicles. In early-70s Britain, car buyers could pick up a brand-new Moskvich 412 sedan for £717, which was £22 cheaper than a Mini and only £3 less than the wretched Hillman Imp. Many did, though some scary crash-test results took a big bite out of UK Moskvich sales. And, as Teargas has proven with his LeMons car, plenty of Ladas made it to Canada a few years later.


Thompson pays attention to Soviet racing achievements, from the early rally days to late-Soviet Lada hoonage. The machines of UAZ, IZH, RAF, etc., are here as well, with the story continuing to the end of the Soviet Union and a little beyond.

This one earns a five-rod rating (five being the highest rating, in honor of the most reliable automobile engine ever made), plus Bonus Balalaika for sheer Hero Of The Soviet Union-grade awesomeness. Murilee says check it out!

[Motorbooks]

Photo credit: Aleksey Petrosian, via English Russia

1989 wasn't such a great year for Romanian strongman Nicolae Ceauşescu, but, even as the rabble beat down the jeweled doors to his palaces, he could console himself with the inspiring thought that the "Romanian Jeep," the ARO 244, was available for sale throughout the world. Even in the evil, decadent United States, a truck shopper could march right into a seedy office above a taxidermy shop in New Jersey an ARO dealership and obtain the product of the glorious workers of Câmpulung. Sadly, few did so, but don't fret about your ARO-less state; we've managed to find you not just one but three 1999 ARO 244s (go here if the ad disappears). You see, even after the fall of the Ceauşescu regime, the ARO-American dream was kept alive, and these trucks were brought over in order to try to get EPA certification for legal sale in the United States. One is equipped with '97 Mazda MPV running gear and allegedly runs (though it "needs some TLC work from bouncing NY roads"), and the other two seem to be parts trucks. You'll have one good one running fine in no time… at which point you'll discover little-known sections of your state's Vehicle Code, as you attempt to register it. Thanks to Aircooled_Poirot for the tip!

If you're going to buy a commie Jeep, you might as well buy a serious commie Jeep, from the home of the revolution itself: the USSR! Yes, the GAZ-69, which served as the main light off-road vehicle for the Red Army for decades. You've got to figure that anything built for the Red Army is going to be simple and sturdy, like a good pair of Russian winter boots, and that you'll be able to use tallow, mud, or even nothing at all as an engine lubricant in one. We'd all like such a hammer-simple machine to take off-roading, but where could you possibly find a GAZ-69 here in the home of retrograde imperialist capitalist warmongering? Why, Hemmings Motor News, of course, where this 1961 GAZ 69-M may be seen in all its glory and fame. Fame? That's right, the makers of the last Indiana Jones movie used this truck- which was allegedly driven by some famous actress or other in the film- and now it can be yours! The price tag is ridiculously somewhat steep, no doubt because the seller believes the aura of such a glamorous cinematic appearance multiplies the truck's value by a factor of three, but just let him or her sweat out a few more weeks of recession and you'll likely be able to score it for a far more reasonable sum. Supposedly it "RUNS AND DRIVES FANTASTIC" and there are probably other details in the description, but they've been rendered indecipherable by the CAPS LOCK FAIRY, who has sprinkled her headache dust all over the words. We're guessing that it ran and drove well enough for 17 seconds of filming, and that you'll be on the phone to Semyon, grumpy sales rep for a truck-parts house in Vladivostok as soon as you take delivery, calculating how many rubles you'll need to get this thing back to Red Army specs.

First, we need to get in the right mood to appreciate this fine automobile. A little music, comrades?

A while back, I was running errands in Toronto's west end. As I approached a stoplight, I swore I saw the distinct profile of a Russian limousine among the crossing traffic. It was long gone by the time I got there.

A week later, I saw it again and collected these shots.

OK, so I only have 5 photos. I was rushing, my camera battery was dying, but damn, just LOOK at this thing. How thoughtful of the owner to include a little background info via window sticker. Glasnost indeed! Photographed on Parkside Drive in Toronto.

Imagine, if you will, the conversations that once took place in the back seat.

Here's a link to where the car is for sale.

Hopefully you find this interesting

What do you think about that $27,500 (Canadian) price tag? Maybe we need a Down On The Crack Pipe Bonus poll!

Countries raking in huge oil profits are would be the most likely destination for Hummer. Markets in Russia and Latin America continue to demand large SUVs, while China and India are potential suitors as well. At least one analyst speculated about Hummer as a logical fit for Tata Motors. "It would be a great fit with Land Rover," said Rajesh Kothari, a partner with investment banker Seneca Partners LLC and Manchester Holdings. "Hummer is a similar product line; it has similar demographics but a different reach." While the combination of Tatas and a Hummer make perfect sense to us, a spokesperson from the Indian automaker declined to comment.
[Freep; Photo Credit: GraniteGrok.com]

Kombat T-98
What would you ever want with a stinky old Volvo XC90 when something like the Kombat T-98 exists? It's an armored luxury SUV available with either an 8.1-liter GM V8 or the Duramax 6.6-liter turbodiesel. The hardware is somewhat awesome, but the interior wins our hearts, featuring steel booze glasses in a chilled glovebox — perfect for keeping your vodka close at hand. [AllCarNews]

Vityaz Transporter
Russia is big, covering a sixth of the Earth and encompassing virtually every type of ecosystem. What better way to get absolutely anywhere under any circumstances than in the totally wicked Vityaz Transporter? Land, sea, arctic permafrost and bog, the Vityaz will get you there and back — the ultimate SUV. [Vityaz]

Porsche Touregenne

When great taste meets fabrication prowess and oil-baron money, the result is a thing like this VW/Porsche Touareg/Cayenne, whatever it is. We all marveled at its breathtaking coachwork and inspired styling updates. For the truly exclusive sets of Russian playboys, this baby is hot to trot. [Porsche Toureg]

GAZ Tiger-2
The GAZ Tiger-2 seems like the Russian version of a Chinese knock-off of the Humvee, but it's complete with space-age plastic hubcaps, multiple shift knobs and luxurious pleather seating surfaces. The Tiger built for the public is a definite choice for all but the most discerning customers. [Tiger 2]

GAZ 59037A
For so many Russians, the Vityaz is just too big to fit in the garage, so a compact, go-anywhere vehicle is definitely in order. The GAZ 59037 will go virtually anywhere the big Vit will, but also offers the convenience of tires and fits nicely into a standard heavy-lift military cargo plane. With convenience like that, its hard to believe the Volvo actually took home the prize. [GAZ 59037A]

Oh, and, if you are interested in the Volvo press release on the actual winner, check it out in all its glory below.

The Volvo XC90 - SUV of the Year in Russia for the third time

Volvo Cars received several prestigious awards in Russia in 2007 and to date in 2008. The most recent is for the Volvo XC90, which was crowned best crossover - "2008 SUV of the Year".

"There was immensely tough competition and we are very proud over this prestigious award," says Volvo Car Russia's PR director, Alexei Kozhukhov, who received the award at a ceremony in Moscow.

Russian car owners voted the Volvo XC90 the best choice on the market.

Motoring organisation Club 4x4 runs the competition, in which eight categories are featured.
Of 101 models in the competition, 16 went on to the finals. Car owners voted via a website or sent in SMS text messages with their votes and Volvo XC90 emerged the winner in the category "Full-size SUV".
That the Volvo XC90 came out on top is by now something of a tradition. The Volvo XC90 received awards in this contest in 2005 and 2006 too.

"Russia has been the European market N1 in the Volvo SUV sales in 2007, so the contest "SUV of the Year" is an important event in this country", says Volvo Car Russia's President, David Thomas. "Russians traditionally like big cars - this is the reason why Russia takes the second place right after the USA in the global sales chart of Volvo XC90. So, we are looking forward to the launch of our new crossover, the Volvo XC60", concludes David Thomas.

The actual hard news, of course, is that GAZ is most likely trying for a piece of the commercial vehicle market in auto-ascendant India, where Tata recently made headlines by unveiling the $2500 Nano and buying a couple venerable British marques off Ford. Unfortunately, it's unclear exactly which Indian firm would partner with Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, as while their name may be fun to say, they'd be up against current native truckmaker Mahindra, among others. What we can tell you as an absolute press-release certainty, though, is that

"success of cars launched by all global players in India is driving force behind Russia to think over entering Indian auto market."

"As auto is one of the key areas of the India-Russia Forum on Trade and Investment we are looking at business partnership in future."

Well, it won't — at least it shouldn't. It's already been stated that GLONASS and GPS can complement each other. GLONASS was originally designed for the armed forces, but even if GLONASS makes it globally as a consumer product, it would be quite the stretch to get GPS manufacturers like GARMIN or TomTom to essentially reinvent the wheel and confuse the hell out of consumers. By the end of 2009 or 2010, people should be familiar with GPS systems, and introducing another standard to the very-functional current system would just be ridiculous for GPS manufacturers or automakers to implement this standard. But, you never know what the zany guys at GAZ might do, right? [Reuters]

Vintage Automotive Advertising [Found in Mom's Basement]

Related:
In Soviet Russia, Volga

The Lost Arcade Games of the Soviet Union [wired.com]

Related:
In Soviet Russia, Pobeda Customizes You!; Rocket to Russia: Moskvitch 410H [Internal]

Here's a Turk who just loves his '69 Volga! So much so, in fact, that he's put together possibly the most cheezy car-love video ever made. It's got endless photos and videos of his beloved white GAZ, every transition effect his $9.99 video-editing software had to offer, and all set to a tear-jerking weepo-pop soundtrack. We're just disappointed by the lack of Volga Drifting, but hey, can't have everything. – Murilee Martin

Related:
Lump In Throat, Tear In Eye: Love Your Syrena [internal]