From the 2000 movie Brother 2 (Brat 2) by acclaimed Russian director Balabanov.

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

More after the jump:

How Moscow copes with snow

“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:“This extraordinarily detailed study charts the history of Soviet cars from the birth of the Soviet Union in 1917 until its demise in 1990, with a conclusion about the post-Soviet era. It is the story of an insular, state-run car industry in which the carefully thought-out ideas of ministerial planners, rather than fickle customers in a free market, determined what cars were made in a country where the open road was often a 300-mile track across a windswept steppe. This is a fascinating book, full of rarely seen photographs and illustrations, largely in color, that will interest all car enthusiasts.”

and:

“The automobile and Soviet communism made an odd couple. The quintessential symbol of American economic might and consumerism never achieved iconic status as an engine of Communist progress, in part because it posed an awkward challenge to some basic assumptions of Soviet ideology and practice. In this rich and often witty book, Lewis H. Siegelbaum recounts the life of the Soviet automobile and in the process gives us a fresh perspective on the history and fate of the USSR itself.”

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.

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:

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. Cars identify how much money a person has, what sort of style they like, what type of work they do, even what sort of life they live. Messy people have messy cars.

By extension, cars can say a lot about culture too. Often they are representative of the times. In good times, cars get bigger and more luxurious. Case in point: the SUV craze of the early 2000s and in 2005, the first million-Euro car ever made rolled out of Bugatti’s factory. Now that the world is heading into what promises to be the biggest recession since the 1930s, we are likely to see major changes in the automotive industry. Cars will get smaller and more economical. Cars, and the automobile industry in general, are representative of how the economy is doing, how much money people have, how technologically advanced a society is, what sort of environmental conditions people face, and on and on. They are also a very public demonstration of these things. Cars are overtly visible in a way that other symbols of culture are not.

In the USSR, an entirely self-contained car culture flourished behind the iron curtain. Perhaps flourished is too strong of a word, but the USSR had its own automobile industry producing both original Russian cars and Russian interpretations of well-known western cars. The cars that were produced are immediately both familiar and foreign to Westerners. Their proportions are slightly different. These Soviet cars are a bit smaller, taller, boxier and higher than their western contemporaries. For Russians, these Soviet cars evoke strong feelings of nostalgia and disdain for the old days.

This essay is in no way a comprehensive survey of the Russian car industry. It is too huge and too complex to understand based on a few weeks research, let alone to explain in a single paper. This essay should be understood in context. I can only try to explain Russian car culture from the outside. Much to my disappointment, I have never driven a Russian car, nor have I experienced contemporary Russian car culture. However, this essay will try to expose some of the more interesting facts about Russian cars and car industry. As well, I hope to paint a broad picture of Russian car culture from the 60s to the present.

First, and introduction to Russian cars. Bear in mind, that my opinions are completely bias. I like Russian cars for their simplicity, cheapness, ruggedness, and even for their unique style. Someone who had to drive Soviet cars and repair them all the time might have thought differently. However, I’m not alone in my love of Russian cars. As I will talk about later, they have inspired a great and devoted following among both young and old, Western and Russian.

Two of the most iconic Russian cars are the Kopeyka and the Zaporozhets. [http://klassika.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/zaz-soviet-steel-pt2/#more-33] Both cars are unheard of in the west, except to those who care about such things. The Kopeyka, officially called the AutoVAZ 2101, was introduced in 1970. It was a localized version of the classic Fiat 124. In Europe, many would know it as the Lada 1200/1500. It is an amazing little car. It looks like a little like a mini-mercedes or BMW. If you took an old BMW 3-series and shrunk it in the wash, you’d get something like the Kopeyka. It featured specs that were typical of Russian cars at the time: thick steel construction, boxy styling, high ground clearance, and a tough, simple motor. It earned the nickname Kopeyka, “one cent,” in English, thanks to its perfectly round headlights which reminded Russians of a one-cent coin. (Thanks to Prof. Yuri Leving for the tip!). Like it’s ZAZ sibling, it was rear-wheel drive which provided endless fun for several generations of Russian motorists. Both cars were cars for the people, especially the Zaporozhets which was, at one point, the cheapest car you could buy in the USSR.

These cars opened up a world that was previously closed to the vast majority of Soviet citizens. Up to World War Two, most Russian people couldn’t afford a car. They were a luxury reserved only for the elites. The ZAZ especially was conceived and designed to counter this problem. It is a “people’s car” in the tradition of the VW beetle or the Ford Model T. “Born in the 1958 by a decision of the Government of the USSR (like all things…), the ZAZ was, in the intentions of the creators, the typical “people car.” [Source: http://www.autosoviet.altervista.org/main-english.htm] At a time when most Russians still used some form of public transportation, these little cars were a huge milestone. They represented freedom and adventure. Russian advertisements for these cars show men taking their family for a holiday in the new car, a couple happily driving off down the road, having fun. [Source: http://klassika.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/soviet-car-commercials/#more-36] In fact, this is very similar to the way cars were marketed in America. East or West, these early cars represented roughly the same things for people.

Put in context, these were very simple cars. They were rugged and built for Russia’s climate and road conditions. They were easy to fix and maintain. Above all they were practical, they were transportation for the masses.

Other Russian car makers, such as ZIL and GAZ/Volga, showed off luxury cars and limos. ZIL in particular is was associated with the Soviet Party leadership and remains, even to this day, the “Official Russian Limousine.” [Source: http://www.autosoviet.altervista.org/main-english.htm] Volga was a luxury brand, by Soviet standards, and one that “remained a dream for the 99% of Russians.” [Source: http://www.autosoviet.altervista.org/ENGLISH-automotorusse6(gaz-2).htm]

Within the USSR and its satellites, there was an entire hierarchy of auto makers. While the industry certainly had ties to some European manufacturers, the people of the USSR could only buy Soviet-made cars. There was no importing of German or American cars; it would have gone against everything the state stood for. Also, nobody would have been able to afford them. So Western car makers essentially stayed out of the USSR.

What emerges is a picture of two distinct car industries: One behind the iron curtain, and one in the rest of the world. While the lines between the two sometimes blurred (Russian marques often bought or borrowed designs from western marques.) But as far as the average citizen or comrade was concerned the two industries – and car cultures –  were completely separate.

What is amazing is the transformation of the Russian car industry after the fall of the Soviet Union. In the time since the fall of the USSR the market has gone from 100% Soviet to being almost completely integrated with the world market. It should be noted that the car industry is not unique in this. All sorts of Soviet industries became integrated with their European or Asian counterparts, but they are another story.  This also had a profound impact on car culture in Russia.

The scene on Russian roads today is very different from what it was just twenty years ago. In old movies and videos, the highways were a sea of boxy looking Kopeykas, Zapors, and the odd Volga. [Souce: http://klassika.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/soviet-car-commercials/#more-36] Today, there are still plenty of old Soviet cars running around – I’ll get to these later – but now they share the road with all of the most modern and luxurious western cars. BMWs, Mercedes, Ferrari and all the rest are the same symbols of wealth in Russia that they are in the rest of the world. “New Russians” have vast amounts of money and they like to spend it – who wouldn’t! It is a testament to the universality of cars and car culture that rich Russians spend their money on the same things that rich Americans and Europeans do: cars.

The numbers speak for themselves. RIA Novosti reported in 2006 that Russians spent $20 billion on foreign cars, and $10 billion on domestic ones. The same article stated that car sales had tripled since 2003 and that car sales in Russia now equaled the UK. Many major manufacturers set up plants and/or dealerships in Russia because – for some time now – it has been tipped to become the largest car market in Europe. [Source: http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=27470&highlight=car] “After China, Russia is one of the fastest-growing auto markets in the world,” according to one market survey. [Source: http://www.rolandberger.com/company/press/releases/515-press_archive2005_sc_content/Join_study_on_the_Russian_car_market.html] Western cars have even inspired popular Russian movies, like “Bumper.”

Bentley and Lambourghini both have showroom in Moscow, while Volga announced it was closing, and Zil only makes a handful of cars a year. This is indicative of the current car culture in Russia. “New Russians” spend their money on BMWs because they represent wealth and style. They don’t want an old GAZ/Volga when they can buy the best that the rest of the world has to offer. It’s fairly simple actually.

But the great influx of wealth and western cars into Russia has had a surprising effect on car culture. Many Russians, especially young people, have turned to older Soviet cars. They have become “cool” again. There is a huge number of modified Kopeykas and Zapors running around Russia. Their simplicity and ruggedness means that they are easy to look after, and easy to modify. They are extremely cheap where foreign cars not. Russia is now home to a “tuner” culture just the same as Europe, Japan, and the US. Young people turn these old Soviet cars into everything from drift and rally cars, to long distance racers. [For more on this, including videos and pictures, check out some of the other posts on this website]. Kopeykas even have an entire film that about them

These classic Soviet cars, or “Klassikas,” have inspired their own cult following. There are websites devoted to ZIL, ZAZ, GAZ, VAZ, and others all over the internet. The biggest one, AutoSoviet, is actually run by a guy who now lives in Italy!

I have not seen any explanations of this phenomenon, but I suspect it’s not just about price. There is a certain amount of nostalgia involved here too. It’s not nostalgia for the oppressive regime, but rather for the simpler time. People are nostalgic for the cars of their youth. There is certain retro coolness about these old cars that appeals to young and old. Modern car commercials for Lada, feature their older models quite prominantly. In the ads, they are used as symbols of youth and the “old days.” [See this collection of Russian car commercials: http://klassika.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/soviet-car-commercials/#more-36]

The automotive landscape in Russia has seen a dramatic transformation in the last several decades. The roads used to be dominated by cheap, simple, Soviet-made cars. They were basic, but did exactly what they promised. They represented freedom and excitement. They were highly practical, “peoples’ cars.” After the fall of the Soviet Union, the choices for Russians changed completely. The market went from being 100% Soviet, to effectively integrated with the world market. Major manufactures from all over the world had their eye on Russia as a potential market. In the early part of this decade, many car makers made good on that potential. Most major marques had dealerships in Moscow. Many even had local factories.

The corresponding car culture has gone through an equally drastic change. It went from being based around practicality and the novelty of even owning a car – to a wide and varied group of enthusiasts. Young and old, the world over have gained a love of those classic Soviet cars. Strangely, car culture has almost come full circle. As western cars began appearing on the roads, many young people went back to Kopeykas and Zapors for the same reasons that Soviet citizens valued them in the first place.

With the current recession, the Russian car market is sure to go through another round of changes. The influx of foreign cars will surely slow down at the very least. Perhaps the relative cheapness of Russian cars will revive local marques. Only time will tell.

This particular example, looks completely standard. From the look of it, it’s had a pretty hard life although it doesn’t show it. One thing about Soviet cars, they all had amazing ground clearance — it sounds stupid, but it matters. They had to handle the snow and the rough roads. Today, every car maker charges more their “rugged” model: Subaru Outback, Volvo XC70, every SUV. Usually, all these cars, are simple jacked up versions of the standard model. . . . How much do you think it would cost to get a ZAZ in Canada?

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. The M21 Volga was the car given to beloved Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin as a present from the state. But the M21 was also a favourite of the KGB. Volga made a special edition for the KGB badged M23. It had a 5.5 litre V8 which put out nearly 200 bhp, an astonishing figure at the time:

“For those who lacked the appropriate Party status, there were three ways to get behind the wheel of a Volga: drive a taxi, join an ambulance crew or enlist in the KGB. This last role earned the Volga the reputation of being the car you least wanted to see outside your front door at midnight in the Cold War-era Soviet Union.”

“Between 1962 and 1970, GAZ built a handful KGB-Special Volga M23s. These “elite” cars came with the automatic transmission and a 5.5-litre V8, but the extra weight didn’t help the handling and the KGB preferred the standard article.”

Volga were somewhere in between the lowly ZAZ and the exclusive ZIL. They were sort of like a Russian Mercedes. A car for the upper-middle class. They featured some wonderfully practical features:

• front bench-seat that could be converted into a double bed
• an integral radio,
• a cigarette lighter
• full instrumentation.
• A radiator blind (essential for the Russian winter),
• A volcanic heater (ditto)
• an amazing nine inches of ground clearance.
• Until 1960, the M21 also came equipped with a pedal-operated lubrication system that allowed the driver to grease the Volga’s moving parts (and much of the road).

M21 with the famous grille

A brief history of GAZ:

GAZ was founded in 1929, with the assistance of the Ford Motor Company. Its first car was a Russian-built Model A. After the Second World War, the company’s mainstay was the Pobeda, a squat 2.1-litre four-cylinder saloon that resembled a scarab beetle, but in 1953 GAZ needed a replacement car for middle-ranking Communist officials.

Furthermore, Nikita Khrushchev was eager to move the Soviet Union forward. GAZ’s chief designer Alexander Nevzorov was given carte blanche to develop a car that would rival those made in America.

The result was the 1955 GAZ M21, the first to bear the Volga badge.

Volgas were actually well revieved by the automotive press, but they never managed to catch on with Western populations. Here’s what AutoCar had to say about Volga in 1960:

“British automotive magazine “The Autocar” did a road test on the Volga and came away quite impressed. While the M21′s performance was not exactly awe-inspiring, with an 80 mph top speed and 24-second quarter mile time, the big car’s 22.8 mpg fuel consumption and rugged construction scored big points with reviewers. They were also impressed with the car’s build quality, something for which most Soviet cars were not well-known.”

Volga, like other Russian cars, has inspired a devoted following in recent years. For Westerners, they are exotic cars: foreign, but familiar; practical, and absurd. For Russians, they represent the pinacle of Soviet style and engineering.

“Today, the original Volga is fondly recalled by the likes of Vladimir Putin – who owns one of the original models – and those who remember the newsreels of Yuri Gagarin receiving his black M21 as a reward for being the first man in space.”

“There is even a UK following of enthusiasts who appreciate a car that boasts extra rear headroom as a safety feature – to stop the occupants bashing heads while tackling rural roads – and two tool kits. And almost every Volga M21 could match a Merc in at least one vital stylistic respect – the white steering wheel.”

The last Volga M21 off the line, 15 July 1970.