Filed under: Culture, Modern Cars | Tags: best car chase, Car chase, classic Russian cars, Russian car chase, Russian Cars, russian films, russian movies, Soviet Steel
This is how they do it: two wheeled cornering and machine-guns from WW1.
From the 2000 movie Brother 2 (Brat 2) by acclaimed Russian director Balabanov.
Filed under: Culture, Soviet Steel | Tags: cars, Jalopnik, Moskvich, Rally, Rally Cars, Russian Cars, Russian Rally Cars, Soviet cars, Soviet Steel
Moskvich Rally Racing Team Circa 1960
Jalopnik has done a couple of great posts about Russian cars lately. But the best, by far, has been this one: Moskvichs as great Soviet Rally cars. Turns out, they were huge on the Soviet rally circuit in the 60s and continue to generate enough nostalgia for a few diehards to stage historic rallies in the 90s.
The website is in Russian, but you don’t need to understand Russian to check out the awesome collection of vintage Soviet Rally pictures they’ve got: SOVIET RALLY
Filed under: Culture, Modern Cars | Tags: BBC, Russian Cars, snow and ice, stupid, winter
This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen on the BBC:
“Inside every Russian car is one of these: a big scraper and brush for the snow and ice!”
oh dear . . . .
I’m so glad these books exist. Click through for more books and descriptions: (more…)
Is that a Volga like the ones the KGB used to use? The car looks great . . . not so much the two dudes in it though. US-Russian leaders have a long history of vehicular diplomacy. That will have to wait for another post though.
Filed under: Culture, Soviet Steel | Tags: cars, communism, Lada, Niva, Russian Cars, top gear, Volga, Zapor
The men at BBC’s Top Gear have decided to find out if the commies ever managed to produce a “good” car. Of course, they rounded up a Niva, Zapor, Lada (Fiat 124), Volga, and some other over-steeled, underpowered cars. They did unfortunately miss the Kopeyka, which is a shame, and they didn’t give the Zapor enough time. second part of the video after the jump: (more…)
Ok, Porf. Leving, this one’s for you:
Analysis:
Everyone judges people based on what car they drive. It’s nothing personal, it’s just a habit; no different from judging people based on the way they talk, or what clothes they wear. The guy with the convertible Lamborghini who’s always parked outside Starbucks: douchebag. Young guy with the shiny new black VW: yuppie. Middle aged guy in a Porsche: middle-aged crisis in a Porsche. But it’s more than just stereotypes. (more…)
Volga; a marque fondly remembered by Putin, but less so by Russians old enough to know that when a black Volga was parked outside your house, it was too late to run. The famous Russian maker of luxury cars for the people, announced in 2006 that production would end in two years. They could not compete against BMW and Audi.
Volga became a symbol for both the best and worst of the USSR. (more…)
Bentley / Lambo showroom in Moscow
The great influx of british luxury cars to Russia has driven the venerable ZIL automaker into a ditch, according to a recent report by the Guardian newspaper,
Land Rover sold more than 12,000 vehicles in Russia last year. In the first quarter of 2008, the total has reached 4,690 vehicles and the company expects Russia will (more…)
The venerable Russian ZIL (Zavod imeni Likhacheva). The wheels of choice for every self respecting Russian leader from Stalin to Putin. Amazingly, the solid ZIL is still technically the “official Russian limousine,” although production has slowed to almost zilch. Putin’s imposing looking bullet-proof ZIL limo:
Check out this tour of the massive abandoned ZIL factory somewhere outside Moscow: (more…)
