Launched in 1977, the Lada Niva is still in production today. Its look has hardly changed, but it has benefited over time from some technical improvements and an interior that has been renewed several times. It is now marketed under the name Niva Legend, to differentiate it from another more modern and much less charismatic SUV, called Niva Travel. In Russia, you can afford a brand new Niva Legend for just under 10,000 euros. The one you have in front of you is offered on a classified ads site for the equivalent of 267,000 euros. The only question we have in mind is: why?
A real time capsule
This Niva is actually a real time capsule. It was bought new in 1980, and has covered only 43 km in 220 years. Most of his life, this Niva spent it in a garage, under a protective tarpaulin. As can be seen in the images of the announcement, the vehicle is absolutely immaculate, even when you look under the chassis. The seats are even still covered with factory plastics. The Niva comes with all accessories and original documents, including the purchase invoice. So yes, this is a real museum piece.
Nevertheless, the asking price is incomprehensible. But that's not what puzzles us the most. What is beyond our comprehension is that in 1980 (well before the fall of the USSR), a Soviet citizen decided to preserve a new vehicle, as if it were an investment, as we do today with a Bugatti. Either it's crazy or it's Master's level pension provision.
- Car
- Russia
- SUV
- Unusual