I don’t think anyone will dispute that the VAZ 2121 Niva is everyone’s favorite Russian 4×4 hatchback (ignoring for a moment the fact that it is the only Russian 4×4 hatchback). But unlike VAZ’s previous efforts, it wasn’t based on anything that FIAT designed or manufactured, withthe Niva using a minimal number of FIAT parts-bin bits.
The Niva first appeared on the market depressingly long waiting list in 1977, with a 10,000 ruble price tag. To put that into perspective, an average annual salary of a high-earning Soviet citizen at the time was 2000 rubles. So for around 5 annual salaries you could get on a waiting list to get one, umm, at some point in the future. Maybe. I’m going to let you decide for yourself what a combined 5 annual salaries buys a person today, but for some reason these weren’t as a rare on Russian roads as you would think with a price tag like that. Luckily, there’s no need to spend five years’ worth of income on this die-cast version, as it typically retails for just 12 bucks. Let’s take a closer look at this 1:43 scale model.
IXO, the manufacturer of this 1:43 scale model, pulled this one off perfectly. The angles are crisp, the details are nice and shiny (but not too shiny) and the bumpers and tires are well matched. It’s more or less rare for a modern manufacturer to nail a scale model that is designed to retail for the equivalent of $8.00 in Eastern Europe, but IXO appears to have really hit a home run here.
The real Niva came with a range of smallish engines, with a 1.5 liter carbed inline four being standard, mated to a 4-speed manual transmission with a blocking rear diff. All of this goodness gave out 75bhp, until a 1.6 liter version came out, which bumped the power up to 80bhp. You’d think if you were paying almost 5 years’ worth of income for a car you’d be owed at least a hundred bhp, but then again this car wasn’t built for speed or highway cruising, even though the interior was quite luxurious for the time. Instead, this was the car for the collective farm directors, even though most were too skittish to really get them dirty out in the fields.
Unbeknownst to most 4×4 enthusiasts or Chevrolet fans in the west, the Niva later became the Chevrolet Niva as the product of a GM-AvtoVAZ joint venture. So yes, Chevy ran deeper than you thought, and in the most unexpected places apparently. The restyled Niva looked rather fashionable on the outside, though underneath the updated skin it retained a lot of the basic structure of the 1977 model. The Chevy Niva is now on its first facelift, and is reportedly an okay seller over there.
This 1:43 model by IXO typically retails for around $12.00 on The eBays, but prices vary. Either way, you shouldn’t pay more than $15.00 for one, and watch out for exorbitant shipping costs. Cause nobody likes the shipping eclipsing the price of the goods shipped. Especially if the goods are tiny car that weighs as much as a mouse.
Scale: 1:43
Manufacturer: DeAgostini, IXO, IST
On sale since: 2010
Typical price: $8.00 – $15.00 + shipping
Easy to find: yes
Colors: yellow, dark green
[Images: Copyright 2013 Hooniverse/Jay Ramey]
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