You've probably heard the Lada Niva is a pretty crafty off-roader, but in terms of handling and acceleration it leaves a bit to be desired. Lada still wanted to go racing though; that's where Ferrari and a crazy chain-drive transmission comes in.

First, there was the Lada Niva. Which was known as the Sport in Iceland, the Taiga in Western Europe and the Bushman in Australia. Then, the Russians renamed it simply to 4x4. Now, it's time for the Lada 4x4 Urban. Are you ready for so much excitement?

The communists had many issues. One of them was the bad road conditions. Of course the peasants in Siberia probably didn't care about that too much in 1938, but while everybody was equal, some were more equal than others, and therefore needed better transportation than what horses could offer. A few decades on the…

For various reasons, the automotive powers that be keep many of the world's best cars from the American car buying public. Even Detroit is stiffing us on some of these models, and they're supposed to be on our side!

We might be a little partial to that other British motoring show, but how could we resist a brand new Lada Niva test drive?

Everyone has a different take on the Lada Niva. To some they are outdated junk that is more fodder for comedy than anything else while others revel in their obscurity and love their unique design. One thing is certain about the Lada Niva—examples like this one currently on Ebay are exceptionally rare in the United…

In typical Russian automotive tradition, the Lada Niva that began production in 1977 is still being produced today using almost exactly the same design. This monotony may explain what inspired one Niva owner to cover their car in Astroturf.

When we had the 50 Cars Made For Over 20 Years list a few weeks back, we were deafened by the howls of outrage from those whose favorite cars didn't make the cut.

V8? Check. Turbocharger? Check. Air suspension? Check. The Probag Niva is Australia’s mad take on a Soviet classic.

The Lada Niva is the coolest Soviet-era vehicle still in production. Given that, it makes sense Russia's alpha-male "not-president" Vladimir Putin has purchased a totally awesome camouflaged and off-road-ready version.

Call it amusing, call it ridiculous, but whatever you call it, reader James has applied the classic Martini livery to his Lada Niva weekend toy, and we call it awesome. The little Ruskie brute wears the vinyl graphics with all the class and sophistication of the rally and race cars of yore. Check out the complete…

We're not so sure how we feel about grass-covered cars. Sure you can make the argument that they're eco-friendly or whatever, but it just seems like so much upkeep. We would much rather have to wash and wax our car than fertilize and mow it. But what if you covered your ride with grass-like astroturf? And what if your…