Autoblog

Lada emergency is no mere fire drill

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:01:00 EST

We imagine that many a Russian Lada has been compared to a ticking time bomb - which is not to say that there aren't any good Ladas out in the wild, of course - but the example you'll see in the video pasted below takes the cake. It is, quite literally, an Improvised Explosive Device.

If an exploding Lada alone isn't enough reason for you to watch, perhaps the reaction of the passengers is more of a draw. Their reaction to the impending doom is so quick that it's almost as if the two occupants were just waiting for the engine of this poor machine to reach its glorious and destructive demise.

See what we're talking about in the video pasted below.

Continue reading Lada emergency is no mere fire drill

Lada emergency is no mere fire drill originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Immaculate Volga's Cold War style elicits warm smiles

Alex Nunez — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 19:10:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Sedan, Misc. Auto Shows, Russia

1976 Volga GAZ-24 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Sometimes, it's the unlikely stuff that gets the best reactions. At a show where the supercar circle boasted the likes of a Schuppan 962CR and James Glickenhaus' Ferrari P4/5, across the field, car of decidedly more modest origin was cultivating an equally-delighted group of fans for itself. Yes, it is the opposite of a supercar, but this '76 Volga GAZ-24 was easily one of the highlights of the show, if you ask us.

Wedged between a grey Facel Vega coupe and a delectable Citroen DS, the deep red Volga was beautifully turned out, with blinding whitewall tires, velour-accented seats, neat logo mudflaps, airbrushed hammer-and-sickle art on the hood, and probably the most appropriate vanity plates ever. The car was even wore its own fur hat.

When we asked the owner to open the hood for us so we could grab a quick photo, he apologetically said, "Oh, there's not much to see," as he lifted it to reveal the clean inline-four. "Besides, if I keep it open, no one can see the artwork!" Smiles all around as folks gathered to ogle this Cold War curiosity, which you're just about as likely to see on the road as any of the exotics that were parked a few hundred feet away. In its own way, it's every bit as cool.

Gallery: 1976 Volga GAZ-24

Immaculate Volga's Cold War style elicits warm smiles originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Jun 2010 19:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dartz creates car to commemorate Russian SUV whale penis debacle

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, SUV, Etc., Specialty

Dartz Whalewatch Penisguard - Click above to view high-res image gallery

Warning: if reading the word "penis" over and over again makes you uncomfortable, you might want to avert your eyes. First of all, the real story here is that Russian super-SUV maker Dartz never wanted to use whale penis skin to cover the seats in their ultra-lux Prombron. They wanted to use whale foreskin. Why? Well, it's been said that Aristotle Onassis had the bar stools on one of his yachts clothed in sperm whale foreskin. Why did Mr. Onassis do that? Sperm whale foreskin is supposedly the softest leather on earth. Now you know.

Anyhow, for some reason Dartz decided not to go with whale foreskin for their Prombron SUV~~ulger~~, which would have really given new meaning to the phrase "from Russia with love." Oh, yeah! The reason was a massive international save the whales (and their penises) outcry led by none other than Pamela Anderson. And really, what better advocate could whale wienies have than Pam? For all we know she very well might be the world's foremost expert on cetacean penis - ever seen that video from her honeymoon? Anyhow, Dartz backpedaled, cut the whale foreskin (so to speak) and then decided to build a special Volga (above) thanking Pam Anderson for helping to save the whales. And their Johnsons.

We think. Look, at this point we're used to babbling, incoherent ramblings from Dartz. After all, they released the world's second most incomprehensible press release when they announced no whale members would be harmed during the construction of their gaudy, oligarchical SUV. How do we know it's only the second most difficult to make heads or tails of? Because Dartz just released the most incomprehensible press release in the world explaining the thinking behind this here car. And you can read all of its unshaven glory after the jump. One more thing: whale penis.

Gallery: Dartz Whalewatch

[Source: James List]

Continue reading Dartz creates car to commemorate Russian SUV whale penis debacle

Dartz creates car to commemorate Russian SUV whale penis debacle originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's not a Sebring. Volga begins production of Siber sedan

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Russia

Click above for more shots of the Volga Siber

Featuring a slightly revised front and rear fascia on a previous-generation Chrysler Sebring chassis, GAZ has resuscitated the Volga brand name with the Siber sedan. In the words of Sergey Zanozin, Chairman of the GAZ Group, "The GAZ Group has started to produce a new line of cars under the Volga brand on platforms from the world's leading manufacturers. The new production complex has the flexible capacity needed to bring new models into production at minimal cost and investment in the future." Well, alrighty then. While the old Sebring platform might not exactly set the world on fire, it is definitely a step in the right direction for Russian roads, with a slightly lifted ride height and beefed-up suspension components to handle the stresses of Siberian winters. The Siber uses a either a 2.0-liter Chrysler engine with 141 horsepower or a 2.4-liter churning out 143 hp. Standard features include air conditioning, dual airbags, ABS and traction control. All in all, it's not that bad.

Gallery: GAZ Siber

[Source: GAZ]

Continue reading It's not a Sebring. Volga begins production of Siber sedan

It's not a Sebring. Volga begins production of Siber sedan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Russia now Europe's biggest automotive market

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:04:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Europe, Earnings/Financials

Russia has just passed Germany as Europe's largest market for new car sales -- for the first half of the year, at least. In fact, Russian consumers managed to snatch up 41% more cars for the first half of this year as compared to the previous year. Not only that, but the vehicles being sold in Russia are more profitable than before as well, with the record $33.8 billion in sales so far an increase of 64%. Top marques are General Motors and Hyundai, which replace last year's first and second place finishers, Ford and Toyota. Russian brands? Not so much.

Don't expect the sales figures to cool down any time soon, as the economy in Russia is still booming and it's the middle-class that is seeing the biggest benefit. Older cars will continue to be taken off the road as consumers purchase new replacements which will allow automakers to find an estimated 20-percent of the entire industry's growth in the Russian market over the next several years.

[Source: Inside Line]

Russia now Europe's biggest automotive market originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slimy red car found oozing on Russian city street

Chris Tutor — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

We've seen badly-painted cars before, some with store-bought spray cans and even some painted with brushes. But we've never, EVER, seen one painted with, um, what is that? Stucco? Bondo applied with a shovel-wielding 6-year-old? And, possibly more important, what WAS that? A Renault?

Going to the source (careful, link NSFW for some) of these photos didn't really help much, either. Not only was there little accompanying text, but it's all in (surprise!) Russian.

We look forward to hearing our readers' comments on this one, and would be very interested to hear from anyone who might have insight into this lumpy car's slimy background. And, yes, we know some of the other off-color things it might resemble, but let's keep things family-friendly.

[Source: Fishki via EnglishRussia]

Slimy red car found oozing on Russian city street originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jun 2007 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volga lives! GAZ reverses plan to ice Cold War cars

Chris Paukert — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trends

Russian automaker GAZ (Gorky Automobile Plant) has abandoned plans to euthanize its production of Volga cars, announcing plans to refurbish them as 'historical products.'

The firm hopes to bring DaimlerChrysler into the mix by buying its diesel engines, and is considering joint-venture tie-ups with foreign nameplates, along with increased production capacity opportunities.

[Source: ITAR-TASS]

Volga lives! GAZ reverses plan to ice Cold War cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 12 Mar 2006 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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