These Are The Deeply Weird Cars That Defined Soviet Russia

Before the Chinese car industry started to develop, the Soviet Union and Russia developed some of the weirdest cars on the road.

Without large sums of money to purchase cars and a lack of technology from the West, the Soviets needed to get creative with their car-building techniques.

This resulted in a host of cars both beautiful and odd. 

Some Soviet rides were utilitarian. Others sought to copy the upscale values of the West, for the Russian ruling class.

There were big cars and small cars, limos and vans, and lots of other genres in between.

These days, the post-Soviet Russian auto market is being eyed by western automakers who see an opportunity to sell millions of vehicles. Unfortunately, over the past year, political events have undermined that ambition.

So it's worth a look back to the times when Soviet Russia did just fine building all its own cars and there wasn't a Chevy in sight. They might have looked a bit strange. But they were authentic, comrade!

[An earlier version of this article was written by Travis Okulski.]

This is the AvtoVAZ Lada Classic, also known as the Lada Riva, or the eloquent VAZ-21073. It is basically a 1970s Fiat 124 with a heavier body, worse brakes, and less technology.

Lada also builds this SUV, the Niva. It was introduced in 1977 and is still on sale today.

Moskvitch built cars, like this 407, until 2002. Some models of the 400 series had nearly 50 horsepower!