Equipment
1599cc/76hp four-cylinder, floor shift 4-speed, crash bar, upgraded Blaupunkt radio, four-wheel drive, 2-speed transfer case, locking center diff.
Condition
#4 Fair
Has visible flaws to the naked eye. Runs fine, but could use mechanical or cosmetic attention.
Imported to the U.S. in 2020. Plenty of rust bubbles at the body seams. There is significant paint damage at the fuel filler. The engine compartment is aged and the underbody is crusty and old. The interior has held up surprisingly well. An interesting, Soviet-era 4x4, but nothing to take too seriously.
Market commentary
The Lada Niva looks like a tall, basic European econobox and their build quality was famously not-so-great, but the four-wheel drive, high ride height and simple construction made it thrive in the rural areas of the U.S.S.R., and modified examples finished second overall at the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1982 and '83. Nivas are still in production today. We never got them in Reagan's America, but they sold reasonably well in parts of Western Europe. What it's doing at a Pebble Beach auction is anyone's guess, but this one's $14,000 sale price made it one of the few truly cheap in cars in Monterey this year, but it's also just $368.75 short of a record price for the Russian marque.