Togliatti was an italian communist, and the town was named after Togliatti after his death. The man had nothing to do with establishing the factory or negotiating the co-operation between Fiat and the soviets. He was already dead by the time they started the project.

That VAZ 2106 with the 1600cc engine was way better than anything else in the Eastern Block. Loved that thing.

Hey Niko !! It’s Roman, Let’s go bowling.

When I was a kid, my old neighbour still got his East German Trabant 601. For me it’s quite an alien car since I grew up with VW, BMW, or Mercedes. I remember me and him was driving around the neighbourhood in his Trabant, a car that I would say the worst car I’ve ever ride. So noisy, fragile, and incredibly slow since it’s only powered by a 2-stroke engine. Yet it’s one of the most exciting retro car experiences I’ve ever had! Unfortunately he passed away about 10 years ago, then his family donated his Trabant to some place that I don’t know. Never saw that old beast again since 🙁

Fascinating and very insightful video! Thanks guys 👍🏽 most enjoyable ✅

Your approach is unique. Well done! I mean from the point of view that almost 100% of soviet car reviews done by british and in general west journalists are always ironic, mocking, degrading. Of course most of those cars were had too many disadvantages in comparison with the western cars BUT for millions of people those were the choices they had for a car back those years and everybody must consider that and respect it. My family (I'm from Greece) we had back in 80s a Lada Nova/Riva 2105 and I steel remember how tough it was and great value for money back then. Too many trips at the my dads home village for holidays and it didnt sweat neither in highways or on old dirt village roads. My dad I remember was between that Lada and an Opel Kadett D and he chose the russian one cause it was cheaper but way bigger inside. So, we must not throw stones by the fact that those cars were from the communist era and that necessary means they are VERY BAD and ancient. No.

For soviet Militia (Милиция) was another interceptor car - VAZ 2103/2106 with rotary engine and it was even faster than KGB version Volga.

My grandpa worked for the Chinese aerospace department in Beijing, was assigned a VAZ and a driver just for him back in the 80s. Remember back in those days most people in China don't even have bicycles. Its like the ultimate cool dad story and my mom loves to tell me that all the time lol

I used to own a 16 valve Lada Riva - 2 in the engine and 14 in the radio - but that is just a joke. I really loved it and wish I still had it. It was very reliable and pleasant to drive. Also had a fantastic heater !

Delightful, tongue-in cheek and such an amazingly simple and totally brilliant idea for a show.

My uncle have 1979 Lada 2101 and is still running propprly ,very simple and amazing car .....the specific smell of leadther and the amber head of the gearleaver is pure clasic! you can run them forever ...after time people think that they will recive and update and go to space!

My father had a GAZ-24 back in the day, a white one. It's the car I learned how to drive in. It was a majestic thing back then - you felt invincible, felt like if you hit anything it'd leave a Volga shaped impression in it. The grille made of solid steel, built like the tank it was. Sure, it had a tractor engine, same as the one in UAZ utility vehicles, but its presence meant people just got out of your way. Its size was something to behold back then - a lot of people used booster pillows so they could see above the dash. Unfortunately not built to last, most rotted away, the interior plastics turned to dust and that was it. But when new, a white or a black one, with those steel hub caps, you could get one new (after waiting years and years for it) and you could resell it straight away for a lot of profit. This is how exclusive they were.

The GAZ 24 V8 is called "Interceptor". They used to be about 15k€ a pop, but values are rocketing.

"it is a bit of a barge to drive", I found that funny because that's what it's literally been called by soviet people - "баржа" (a barge). 😀

Back in those days in Sovjet. - I will order a new Lada - It's OK, you will get it in four years - Will it be in the morning or the evening? - It will be delivered in the morning - Sorry, I can't then - Why not? - The plumber is coming then

Very interesting segment, great idea to show case old Soviet cars with loads of interesting facts. Thanks for sharing this with us

Lovely video. I'm watching this from Ukraine, as a Western-European. These Volgas and Ladas (the 1500 especially) are still in use as everyday drivers, mostly owned by people who live in villages. They are being kept operable and look nowhere near as nice as the ones in your video. Honestly, the general public could care less about these. No nostalgia about them. I've only ever once seen a cosmetically restored Volga. It smoked and rattled like the end of days.

Ah, the sounds of my childhood. Thank you for making this, I enjoyed it a lot. I have to add that these were pretty much the only options for a car people had in the 70s and 80s. Any car was a luxury and you'd make the neighbors jealous anyway. They weren't reliable at all but they could be fixed in the field which was what most of the owners had to do. The repair manuals were very popular and the black market for the parts was huge because getting them legally was next to impossible. And then the 90s came and Russia discovered imported vehicles.

You should have at least asked the latvian fella to correct you on few bits, because it is rather inaccurate at places. Lada to go to universities... certainly not, maybe in 90s' after fall of USSR. In soviet time you would have been at least 30+ (after university or professional training), some leeway can be made due to the corruption and buying the coupons, having undeclared wealth and looting in the factories, but as general rule you would have to be at least 5-10 years employed before the first car. Lada for masses and Volga you could not even buy?! Not quite accurate... reality is that you could not just buy either, but the wait for Lada would need to wait to be allocated one (5-10 years!) and for Volga it was more about connections and standing. Volgas would have been more like company car for director of that company, not personally owned. It was not impossible, but say unusual for person to own Volga - required having friend in the party and paying bribes, the concepts not quite understood in western world. As well, you would be at risk of scrutinised by KGB (as to why you even owe such car), so better make sure your friend in party is really high ranking one. There was as well mistake in terms of Volgas age - GAZ 24 was designed in ~1966, similar year as Lada and that your second generation was from 1983, it makes no difference - you need to understand that soviet cars hardly changed at all since 60s. Then it comes to Volga taxis - yes there were Volga taxis, but again you need to understand that it was only hard to get Volga as private individual - as a company car it was rather normal and taxi was a comparable luxury at the time. Again not all taxis were Volgas - perhaps in key cities like Moscow, Kiev they used Volgas, but in smaller cities there were cheaper cars to use - same Ladas and Moskvich, both as well available in estate versions an popular taxi cars. This is as well where you contradicted yourself with MB 190E - Volga was not at all equivalent to it. Closer to Maybach in terms of affordability and perhaps to E-Class in terms of (soviet) Luxury, in other hand Lada would have been soviet equivalent of 190E or BMW 3-Series for that matter. And probably final point - yes you could sell millions of bad things if that is the only thing one could buy!

Two very beautiful examples of GAZ and VAZ. The 2106 has a classy interieur.

Thank you for the pride you've shown while reviewing these cars! It's a real history of the large era here in Russia. And the Ladas that you've reviewed are still used here in Russia, including as a base for "Winter drift" discipline - which is kind of an affordable entry ticket into amateur car sports.

Volga 24 was a 70’s car. 1976 Volga and Mercedes w123 were direct competitors.

Get the facts right please! Tolyatti factory was not build specifically to make 2106, it was build to make 2101 which was Fiat 124, then it was update to 2103 and only after it became 2106. And its not called "Zhiguli 1600" in Russia its called Shesterka.

Volgas seem to have a strong following these days; especially the 5.5L V8 'KGB' police package models.

Thanks for coming to Riga and doing the video. Hope you enjoyed your stay!

I've had a blast as well Guys, thank you very much and keep travelling around the planet comparing for us!

those cards were built like tanks, lasted for more than 40 years for many people. My grandfather had 2 zhiguli cars in his life times, one sold after 10 years to make some money, other lasted from 70s to 00s almost 40 years and almost no rust, changed stuff himself, drove all around ussr, it was beast of a car, not like today plastic crap and breaks from minor crash and breaks with electonics. yes it wasnt perfection and comfortability masterpiece, but it was a CAR.

There were even cheaper and more obtainable vehicles in the USSR. Lada and Volga were the high end cars. Also, many people opted for a motorcycle.

The Vaz 2106 was based on the Fiat 125 not the 124, the 124-based car was the Vaz 2101, sold in the UK as the Lada 1200

My first car was VAZ 2107, a very nicely modernized version of the 2106, and I honestly loved it. This car had only one part fautly by design: mechanical ignition. If replaced by electronic ignition, it becomes amazing. It was bare-bones, but not to the point where it was ugly. It was tough and allowed me to take her everywhere: in thousands of kilometers long travels, or into water, mud and woods. It was pretty cheap to repair and it didn't consume much fuel (about 7L per 100 km). The suspension was too soft to my liking, but the vast market for tuned spare parts made it a non-issue. Later, I added a limited-slip differential from a Niva, and it became ridiculously off-road-capable. Sadly, it ended its days being picked apart, part by part, by some kleptomaniac, who left only a desecrated body in, like one month of my neglect. It was like seeing a member of your family die.

Beautifully, beautifully made show with very interesting cars. Love it!

Hi from Greece! My Lada Samara from 1992 works perfectly!

Great stuff!! Thanks guys!!

Lol'd massively on last phrase. Great video,with amazing view. Still want dark violet Volga with modern stuff under the body. Wicked thing.

I have owned 3 Ladas and loved every one. The best was a 1979 1600 in white, which was the best motorway car I've owned, solid powerful and reliable, let down only by eventual serious chassis rust, Every one I bought felt like returning to an old friend.

I love this new type of content, extremely interesting. And in 4K, baby!

The Volga has a special place in my heart. Looks badass from all angles

Both of these cars are very common in Cuba, my dad owned a 1971 Fiat 125 which is basically a rebadged Lada with a way more luxurious interior and sunroof which was rare.

Today's fact: Why old cars have whitewalls tires Early automobile tires were made of pure natural rubber with various chemicals mixed into the tread compounds to make them wear better. The best of these was zinc oxide, a pure white substance that increased traction and also made the entire tire white. However, the white rubber did not offer sufficient endurance, so carbon black was added to the rubber to greatly increase tread life. Using carbon black only in the tread produced tires with inner and outer sidewalls of white rubber. Later, entirely black tires became available Source : Wikipedia

The Lada was there to impress tour neighbours as you had to be ALLOWED to buy one. For steppes they had GAZ 469 and trucks. And the Niva

I learned to drive in a Lada 1500 estate and I can confirm they go sideways in the rain and are an absolute hoot in the snow and ice.

That was a really fun video. Thanks.

i learnt to drive in a lada riva, and drove many of them for the first 6 years of my driving life (when you could pick up one with a years mot for scrap value). there was nothing fundamentally bad with them, they were just 70s tech being sold in the 90s... if you thought of them as such and knew how to check the points gap and can wield a spanner they were fine as an every day car. the later models were less reliable as they fitted more emissions controlling stuff, but the pre cat ones were really not that bad. when i moved to london, id get constant thumbs up from all the eastern europeans in town, it was quite a rare car to see even back in the mid 2000s. i bought a mk1 escort which although older drove far better, but part of me would not be un happy selling the mk1 and getting another lada. The base of the car is actually really good, Double wishbone front suspension, 5 link rear axel, the engines even respond well to uprated carbs and cams. you could swap out the rear diff for ford escort one with a 3mm spacer and even drop in the halfshafts so the back end could handle more power... when they homologated them for rally the the meat of the suspension is left as is, just uprated springs and dampers, its built to take hits and keep on going... the steering box was utter garbage though and you couldn't really make it better without switching to a rack and pinion.

The info in the video is incorrect (3:46). The first model (started at 1970) in Tolyatti plant was VAZ 2101, it was slightly updated fiat 124 but mostly identical. VAZ 2106 was introduced much later in 1976 with many styling updates and bigger engine. It was successor of VAZ 2103. I remember when I was a child in USSR it was considered as luxury version of VAZ 2101.

This is very nice. Two people that, like me, loves cars. Thank you very much. I enjoyed the video.

In my childhood most middle class people had Lada 1200 and whoever got a 1600 was indeed a doctor or a prominent party member. Back then every car had a basic survival toolkit such as, a screwdriver, plier, hammer, some metal wire, metal brush, spark plugs and a can of water. By having those onboard you genuinely believed there was nothing could prevent your machine taking you anywhere. But hey, in those times you had to wait roughly 2 years just to get a phone line assigned, and that was a mere 30 years ago. Now, got smart appliances with AI integration that debates you each morning whether you should have a normal or a decaf coffee based on your assessed mood and energy level. WTF

Cheers, a Hungarian is here from Canada. These were the wao cars when I grew up. Skoda came second, dacia, moskwich weren't much desired. On the 2 cycle front Wartburg and Trabant were ok, except were not economical nor long lasting. My Trabant's engine asked for a rebuild at 100k km. Other than that, were no maintenance at all. Every gas fill up was an oil change too. The Lada's manual shifter moves super short distances and very precise nothing today comes even close ( mx 5 maybe ). Needed to use a lot

this was lovely content :)

This was up for a year, it's exactly that kind of thing I love to watch, I'm subscribed and somehow it took this long to show up as a suggestion 🤔

Ex Soviet citizen here, I find very hard to believe that it was a real vodka they were drinking. No way!

You have to have owned a Lada to know how good they really were, so good in fact that the russians wanted them all back ,

The Volga M24 was actually accessable to your average Soviet citizen if you really wanted it. My Grandfather, a shipyard worker (I think he was doing advanced repairs - non routune work, skilled work but nothing special), and in 1978 he started to think and talk about getting a car, in 1979 he bought a 1979 volga m24 Diesel. Now the diesel was super rare in the USSR and was almost only for export, but he just went there and asked "Do you have a 24 diesel?" -Diesel? "Yes Diesel" -Well yes. Then when he had his diesel, he often was allowed to refuel at gas stations for free as the gas station workers almost never saw a non-truck/military vehicle fuel up with diesel and it was like the coolest thing for them. He let them drive around and all. Now it is fun because the Volga diesel REALLY sounds like a tractor, and has LESS horsepower than the gasoline version. Car still runs though, no rust, they live by the Sea in Sevastopol.

I learned to drive manual on a lada. In my home country these were used and abused as taxis. Durable, cheap parts and easy to work on.

This was really fun to watch.

Really cool cars! People say these are unreliable but the reality is that they not, if they are taken good care, they can be more reliable than a W123 Merc

5:43 get people to university.. just shows how far the westerners stand from the people behind the curtain we know damn well, those soviets students, who rarely had enough money for food were not driving anything at all

What a fabulously entertaining piece.

I was born late 60s ! Grew up in communist Hungary! I was only a child in the 70s and early 80s, but a clearly remember these cars ! The Lada 1600 hundred was the absolute pinnacle of car design in those days ! Especially the 1600 ! It was unobtainable for most ppl ! Only the top 1percent could afford it . The lower models were more common (1200 -1300) but even those were a dream come true for most who managed to get one ! The other one the Volga was for the one percent of the one percent ! Party secretary, factory manager , police chief! Only those ppl would have it mostly in black color ! When I say Factory manager I mean like the huge Iron smelter and Machine builder factory we had in our city that employed 30000 thousand ppl in three shifts ! The boss of that factory had a black Volga with his personal driver ! For regular Joes a Volga like that was same as a Rolls-Royce for an average westerner pretty much out of reach . Most ppl didn't drive anyways, and the few percent that did, were driving Trabants or Polski Fiat 126, which was the size of a go-cart ! There were also Skodas and Dachias all communist products and they were all stinkers every one of them ! Cars at the time were huge status symbols in the Eastern block ! If one owned a new Lada 1500 , it meant that that person's ship came in......

The last scene is priceless

Back in the mid-80s I owned a Lada for a short while before selling it to a buddy and "upgrading" to a Morris Minor 1000 van that looked like a shrunken American woody. Definitely an "interesting" automobile to own and drive. Come MOT time you'd best know someone with a welder.

I'm a bit late to the party, having only just found this brill vid. I knew a couple in the early 90's who befriended a Bulgarian family when they visited the country. The husband came over to Nottingham, staying with my friends, whilst working in our local pub for 8-9 months. He earned what he considered to be a small fortune. He paid his brother to fly over here, buying himself and his brother a Lada Riva each, they then drove them both home, saying they'd never have been able to afford a car back home. They also filled the boots up with a shed load of spare parts, including a gearbox ( or possibly two? ). Some of which they intended to flog back home. How times have changed.

Volga GAZ-24: 1966 Mercedes-Benz 190: 1982, E30: 1982

Great video, entertaining and funny. I have a fascination with Russia and Russian stuff, but on top of that, I actually used to have a Lada the same as the one used here!. Mine was red and had alloy wheels, but otherwise the same. In the handbook it said what the maximum 'cruising speed' was, and while I don't remember what it was (it was given in km/h), it did say that this could be done on paved or unpaved roads!!. It was a tough car, that is for sure!. Still find myself now and again looking on websites featuring cars for sale Europe or world wide to check prices and ponder what it would be like to have one now. Very rarely ever see them on UK websites. One thing I would have liked mentioned in the video was opening 'quarter lights' (the small triangular shaped windows in front of the main door window). Not sure exactly why, but I would so much love a car with opening quarter lights now!.

Converting these cars to an electric option seems ideal. Even otherwise, a car that the owner can open up and repair with a basic toolkit sounds so wonderfully liberating! As for emissions, modern cars (even BMWs) have so much plastic and electronics that any benefit from lower emissions is probably offset by microplastics choking up our oceans. These cars may be out of fashion but they sure look like a great deal like the car I'd want to own. Thank you for sharing.

The VAZ-2106 Zhiguli (alternatively Zhiguli 2106) was a sedan produced by the Soviet (later Russian) automaker VAZ, and later, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, also by Russian Izhevsk Avto and Ukrainian Anto-Rus. In export markets, it was known simply as Lada 1600 or alternatively as Lada 2106, by its famous commercial name and was also popularly nicknamed Шестёрка (Šestyorka, in English; The sixth one) in domestic market. A hugely popular car and one of most successful Lada models. VAZ-2103 Zhiguli. Better known by its famous export name Lada 1500 outside of its native Soviet union and popularly nicknamed Тройка (Troika, 'three') in domestic market. VAZ-2101 "Zhiguli" , commonly nicknamed "Kopeyka" (for the smallest coin, 1/100 of the Ruble),

Love it - thanks!

From most angles, the style of that Gaz 24 is very similar to a 1967 Australian General Motors HR Holden.

It seem like Vodka roulette stings as much as the Russian roulette. The Lada is a very familiar car I grew up seeing so many Ladas on the road,kind of rare to spot one now,they were as tough as some of those old tough Fiat trucks that just won't die.

can confirm, have seen Volga Amblyulance more than once in my life.

There’s a reason why there’s a lot of nostalgia of the USSR since Russians got the taste of capitalism and the hardships which come from it.

Wow..... Great content. No one could have done it like this.

I thought I'd never see these two again talking about history. This is sound so much like the XCAR days. The story of an actual Spy by night and driving an Aston Martin by day is one off my favourite video in this channel #bringbackxcar

There were also some more classics like GAZ 21 and also my favorite (which I own myself) the off road SUV GAZ 69.

They are both very cool!!

The ZAZ-968M is a brilliant vehicle.

When he said Dodge Dart I was already getting that feel. Seemed more like the old Plymouth Valiant.

I loved the drinking game but I don't think you were drinking vodka 🤠

This was fun!

We Russians like putting the engine from a GAZ 53 truck in the Volga. A Toyota 2uzfe engine is also a popular option. I'd have one, as a muscle family car. The шестёрка (shestYOrka) is a classic Russian classic, the 1,6 litre engine is the best engine out of the classic blocks (I have that engine in my 2104). There are plenty of 2106 Ladas still bouncing from one pothole to the next in the regions. Russian cars are the best!

The ECOTY in 1964 was the Rover P6.. 1964 was the first year for ECOTY... The 124 won the ECOTY for 1967

I remember that black Lada William Hurt drove in Gorky Park. I found it charming and always wanted one. You should meet up with him and ask how it was to drive.

Great to see you two old gits back in action. Interesting stuff; I’ll take the v8 Volga in black please.

Yeah, my favourite automotive duo's back! Yihaaa! 😂

the old ladas are pretty nice startting in cold weather :DD

As a Lithuanian im offended you didin't even mention Latvija Van car. The car has more history than these shit boxes combined together. :D Cheers lads.

I grew up around these cars, why am I watching this? lol Great video anyway 😀

The Gorky town (Nizhni Nogorod) isn't 200km north of Moscow. It's 400km East. The first gaz 24 was issued in 1969 so that's why it's a 60s' car. Tolgiatti didn't build a factory. The 2106 wasn't the first model of the VAZ. Fact checking? No, never heard of.

Next time if you drink vodka, try it with some leavened cucumbers. I know it might sound strange at first, but they just harmonize perfectly together. So well actually, that you can drink a whole bottle without noticing - at least that's what happened to me.

Nice one

That Volga does look good in white.

Nice that you also managed to find some Soviet era potholet 😀

They were really good at their purpose: dignified transportation in very rough conditions in poor economies and non existing servicing network

The last shot was hilarious. :) Please say hi to that guy if you ever have the chance.

whats the restaraunt you ate at ? looks cool

Am latvian. 1. Really sad that you didn't talk about the RAF van. Lots of latvian history there. 2. Went to St. Petersburg in November. 2/3 of the cars there were new Lada SUVs. Saw maybe 10 žiguļi (still driving), but all of them were so beat up I couldn't refrain from laughing. (think duct tape, fasteners and veeery bent bumpers) And Cayennes.

VAZ 2106 was something like Soviet BMW. Quite expensive actually.

My dream car is a Gaz 24-24, with a *5,5* liter V8 (4,5 was a version of the engine, but to my knowledge it never was in the volga from the factory). I blame Arma 2 for this

What is the name of the restaraunt? I' d like to visit it. Nice video🤘💪!

Next: VAZ 2101 vs GAZ 21