Lauding the Lada

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/10/2009 (5929 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For many auto enthusiasts the mere mention of a Russian-built Lada conjures up images of an unreliable bucket of bolts that handled like a garden tractor but wasn’t quite as fast.

Dean Baker is out to change that image.

Last Saturday, Baker organized the second annual LadaFest. He was joined at Kildonan Park for a barbecue and show-and-shine by a handful of fellow Lada fanatics, including a mechanic who drove in all the way from Saskatchewan to partake in the festivities.

On the surface it might look like Baker and his buddies have been indulging in a little too much Russian vodka, but this small but committed group offers a compelling argument that Lada cars and trucks really weren’t all that bad, they were simply misunderstood.

“There were probably a lot of Lada owners who didn’t realize how much maintenance the cars required and treated them like they were disposable,” said Baker, “but if properly maintained, a Lada is practically indestructible.”

Built by Soviet/Russian automaker AvtoVAZ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AvtoVAZ), LadaCanada started importing vehicles into Canada in 1979. Cars included the Lada Signet sedan, Signet station wagon and Samara hatchback. The most popular model, however, was the Lada Niva, a small bare-bones SUV that was on the road long before anyone knew what a small SUV was.

More than 60 per cent of Lada production was exported, mainly to western countries. Lada is the only car brand found on every continent of the world, including Antarctica, where the Russian research base used Lada Nivas. The United States is the only large market that never imported Ladas.

Although  they continue to manufacture new cars and trucks in Russia, Lada stopped importing vehicles into Canada in 1998.

According to Baker, there are currently only 17 Ladas registered here in Manitoba, and only two of those vehicles are cars, the remaining 15 are Lada Niva trucks. These rugged little machines have been elevated to almost cult-like status with off-road enthusiasts. Baker has done a number of modifications to his Niva, including a five-inch suspension lift, big tires, an on-board air compressor and enough off-road lights to land an airplane. Baker proudly proclaims that his Niva can go places that most 4×4 trucks would never dream of.

The first model was the Lada 2106 or Signet, with a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder Fiat engine. The Niva was initially fitted with a Fiat engine, and the later models featured a 1.7-litre four-cylinder mill equipped with a fuel-injection system designed by General Motors.
The Lada love isn’t just reserved for Manitoba. They were also very popular in Quebec, and have at least one fan from Saskatchewan. Martin Nikulak drove in from Regina to attend LadaFest, but he opted to travel here in his 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300E.

“My Niva is a fun little truck, but it’s not exactly highway-friendly,” said Nikulak, who owns and operates an auto repair shop in Regina. He presently owns a pair of Nivas and has owned several over the years. “I found one for sale cheap a few years back and thought it would be fun and different.” He soon discovered that owners were more than happy to part with their Nivas. “I wound up with a small fleet of them because people wouldn’t sell me the parts,” he added with a grin. “They made you take the whole vehicle away.”

Richard Loiselle is the only one in the group who owned a Lada when they were still being sold new. Last year he travelled to Saskatchewan to buy a 1990 Lada Signet station wagon like the one he drove as a student. The car is in amazingly well-preserved condition and gets more attention than cars worth far more money. “I stop at a light and guys in really nice cars give me the thumbs-up,” said Loiselle. “There’s just something about a Lada that brings a smile to people’s faces.”

Although the guys admit that you have to have thick skin and a healthy sense of humour to own a Lada, they are quick to point out that the Russian-built cars and trucks perform well in our harsh climate. “I never plug in my Niva and it always starts, even on the coldest days,” added Eric Lundgren, who owns a stock 1998 Lada Niva.

Perhaps the best thing about a Lada is the fact that every model has a small hole in the front bumper where a crank can be inserted and the vehicle can be started by hand. Another key feature is the auxiliary manual fuel pump found under the hood. A comprehensive tool kit also came with every Lada. Apparently, getting stuck in the middle of Russia is about as much fun as getting stranded in Manitoba in February. According to Lundgren, his Niva is not only very capable off-road, but if a breakdown occurs, it can usually be fixed with a pair of wrenches and some good old-fashioned ingenuity. “If you have a 13-mm and a 19-mm wrench, some wire and a roll of duct tape you can pretty much rebuild a Lada on the side of the road.”

willy@freepress.mb.ca

Lada flashback

When the invitation to attend the second annual LadaFest hit my inbox last week it drummed up more than a few fond memories.

In the fall of 1984 my stepfather Jim Ketcheson, (Ketch) was determined to buy the cheapest new car on the market. After carefully comparing the Hyundai Pony and the Lada Signet, for reasons known only to him, Ketch chose the Lada. The car quickly became a constant source of amusement for our circle of family and friends. It was like a rolling rendition of the cult classic movie This is Spinal Tap. That car was so bad that it was good. Ketch once joked that he knew the car was trouble because the tool kit included a welder.

Initially it wasn’t all that bad of a car, but Ketch has never been known for his mechanical prowess and the car deteriorated rapidly. He eventually bought a Jeep in the fall of 1988 and passed the Lada down to me. My friends mercilessly bugged me about the Lada, but all I had at the time was a motorcycle, so it became my winter beater. Although it was among the most unreliable vehicles I have ever owned, it was easy to fix and the parts were cheap. There was an 18 piece tool kit in the trunk, and if memory serves me correctly those tools were put to good use.

I spent that entire winter fixing that car, almost daily. I still have the scars to prove it. In the spring of 1988 it was dead on our driveway and I sold it for the whopping sum of $400 to a man with a thick European accent.

Truthfully I felt a little guilty when he came to pick it up. I asked him if he knew what he was getting himself into and he knowingly smiled. After a few minutes under the hood he fired up the engine and drove it away. It was the last time I ever saw that Lada, but the memories remain…