RE: SOTW: Lada Niva Cossack

RE: SOTW: Lada Niva Cossack

Friday 23rd September 2011

SOTW: Lada Niva Cossack

They called it the Russian Range Rover. Apparently...



We're used to thinking that consumer products which sprang from the other side of the Iron Curtain as backward, slipshod affairs that lag behind their more sophisticated Western counterparts.

This is especially true of the Eastern Bloc and Russian cars that trickled across the ideological divide during the 20th century. And if you're looking at Lada Rivas, Samaras, Yugos, FSO Polonezes and the like you'd have to say that the preconception stands up. These are, without exception, miserable cars.


But the Lada Niva is different. We would even go so far as to say it was ahead of its time. When it was launched in 1977 it was AvtoVAZ's (Lada's) first design that wasn't based on a Fiat. So, although it carried many Fiat mechanicals, the body, 4WD system and front suspension were Lada's own.

Most significant was the fact that this was one of the first mass-produced 4x4s to feature unibody construction and independent front suspension in a compact body, thereby making itself the precursor to the modern soft-roader.


There was (we should say 'is' as the car is actually still in production) nothing 'soft' about the Niva, however - this is a car that was designed to withstand Russian winters, so it's pretty much as tough and durable as they come.

It was even quite popular in the UK for a while, especially 'Cossack' models such as this, which were tarted-up by the importers with body decals, 15-inch alloys, and even occasionally a sunroof and bull bars (as here).


These days, the numbers of Nivas left alive in the UK have dwindled somewhat (How Many Left? suggests that there are fewer than 100 trundling around), and the vendor's alarming admission that jacking the car up has caused one of the sills to disintegrate implies that rot may be a possible cause for that, but as an automotive off-road curiosity this 49k-miler is still pretty intriguing.

Although it is possibly telling that the seller would consider a part-exchange of a Land Rover...

Advert is reproduced below

lada niva cossack (1991)
49,000 miles £900

white alloys, bull barr, crank handle,
The car is taxed until next year and mot until sept 2012,There are some bad point it dose has rust in a few places eg.front wings and now drivers side sil,
It needs a rear wheel bearing and now some welding work on the sil because i jack it up and the jack went in a bit.

Author
Discussion

johnpeat

Original Poster:

5,326 posts

264 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
Oh dear...

At least you could actually use it AS a Shed I suppose?

EDLT

15,421 posts

205 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
Pretty cool how he got Yakov Smirnoff to write the ad for him. These were supposed to be pretty good off road, if it uses Fiat mechanicals could you put a twin cam engine in it?

Alx323

421 posts

202 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
Still amazing you can buy one new... Isn't it about £11k? Something about a Riva though these days, I wouldn't mind one to roll about in. Once twin-cammed obviously.

Colonial

13,553 posts

204 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
Massive respect for these.

Real, no bull off roaders.

mad4amanda

2,410 posts

163 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
I had one of those back in the day it went everywhere yes it was noisy and rough to drive but what a laugh! They did rot though even at 3 years old the sills were rusting and yes we looked at the twin cam conversion and it appeared it would fit rasily enough.
I had mine i the workshop for a clutch and a scrapped Fiat 132 at the time .
worst part on it apart from the std tyres was the carb which would keep unscrewing the top plate screws despite thread lock superglue , eventally I areldited them in !

Id love one as a winter shed , anyone want to buy an E34 540i touring?

karona

1,918 posts

185 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
'kin ell, that would retail at twice that money out here in Bulgaria. It would be cheaper for me to drive over, pay cash and trailer it back than it would be to buy one in the same condition here.
As for the FSO Polonez, Wartburg, Polski Fiat etc. etc. they're state of the art over here.

carinaman

21,224 posts

171 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
EDLT said:
Pretty cool how he got Yakov Smirnoff to write the ad for him.
Agreed, perhaps the vendor has a foreign partner and they wrote the ad.?

I didn't know they were known as the Russian Range Rover, or it seems the Russian Porsche 944.

Well I guess if one was found at the top of Snowden with such crumbly cills that would be dangerous driving?

phildee76

1 posts

221 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
I spotted this one in Kazakhstan a few years back. The Niva went up in my estimation after seeing this.


ZOLLAR

19,908 posts

172 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
phildee76 said:
I spotted this one in Kazakhstan a few years back. The Niva went up in my estimation after seeing this.

Sweet jesus that is epic lurking!, cracking picture by the way.

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
Colonial said:
Massive respect for these.

Real, no bull off roaders.
This.

My mum had one, it was fantastic. I can't think of a single time, mechanically, it let her down - not once. Ended up rusting through in loads of places so was donated to the clay pigeon shoot I worked at, for sheep-clearing purposes. It's the only car she ever reminisces about - and that includes my dad's old '72 Merc SE.

If I could get a second vehicle outside mine, I'd be ringing him...

angusc43

11,436 posts

207 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
johnpeat said:
At least you could actually use it AS a Shed I suppose?
Good point - wooden sheds cost a fortune these days.

scorcher

3,982 posts

233 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
pretty good at hillclimbing too.........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mR0n_Ld4vM

thewheelman

2,194 posts

172 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
I always look forward to SOTW, but can't help being disappointed by this one. They weren't very good in their day, & getting whimsical about the car just because it's old & there aren't many left, doesn't change the fact that it was st when new, & it's st now.

As for "It was even quite popular in the UK for a while" Err.......no they weren't, not at any point in time.

Edited by thewheelman on Friday 23 September 08:20

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
These are absolutely superb offroad

jazzyjeff

3,652 posts

258 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
thewheelman said:
I always look forward to SOTW, but can't help being disappointed by this one. They weren't very good in their day, & getting whimsical about the car just because it's old & there aren't many left, doesn't change the fact that it was st when new, & it's st now.

As for "It was even quite popular in the UK for a while" Err.......no they weren't, not at any point in time.

Edited by thewheelman on Friday 23 September 08:20
So you owned one then? smile

thewheelman

2,194 posts

172 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
Nyphur said:
These are absolutely superb offroad
rofl My mate had one as a first car in the early 90's......."superb", if by that you mean slips all over the place & wheelspins on wet grass, then yes, they were superb.


thewheelman

2,194 posts

172 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
jazzyjeff said:
thewheelman said:
I always look forward to SOTW, but can't help being disappointed by this one. They weren't very good in their day, & getting whimsical about the car just because it's old & there aren't many left, doesn't change the fact that it was st when new, & it's st now.

As for "It was even quite popular in the UK for a while" Err.......no they weren't, not at any point in time.

Edited by thewheelman on Friday 23 September 08:20
So you owned one then? smile
As i already said, a mate of mine did as a first car, a pile of st! They were cheap for a reason.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
johnpeat said:
Oh dear...

At least you could actually use it AS a Shed I suppose?
Wow, take it you actually know nothing about these then laugh

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
thewheelman said:
I always look forward to SOTW, but can't help being disappointed by this one. They weren't very good in their day, & getting whimsical about the car just because it's old & there aren't many left, doesn't change the fact that it was st when new, & it's st now.

As for "It was even quite popular in the UK for a while" Err.......no they weren't, not at any point in time.

Edited by thewheelman on Friday 23 September 08:20
Urm yes they were, esp in the farming community. And actually, they were very good. 90% of what a Defender of the day could do for something like half the price.

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 23rd September 2011
quotequote all
thewheelman said:
rofl My mate had one as a first car in the early 90's......."superb", if by that you mean slips all over the place & wheelspins on wet grass, then yes, they were superb.
Don't tell me. He had road tyres on it.