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Want to spend $460,000 on a new car but a Ferrari or McLaren won’t cut it? This Lada could be for you…
If you were to ask the average car enthusiast what the most recognisable car from Russia is, they would probably pause for a moment before naming the Lada Riva – the Fiat 124-derived, slab-sided sedan from the 1980s.
The Riva is, of course, an infamous car considered by most to be a failure on all fronts. The same cannot be said, however, for its upsized sibling, the Niva.
The Niva was a surprisingly stellar off-roader, with plenty of ability and charm. These days the Niva has a cult following, filled with collectors and four-wheel drive enthusiasts. And inevitably, this has led to clean classic examples of the breed being rather sought after.
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This Niva has spent more than four decades in storage, and has just 220km on the odometer.
Pictured is exhibit A; an undriven 1980 Lada Niva that has appeared for sale in Russia for a truly eye-watering price.
The 43-year-old Niva is in truly excellent condition. Its seats are still sealed in their original delivery plastic. All of the original paperwork and brochure material is included. And, it has just 220km on the clock, surely making it the lowest kilometre Niva of its vintage on the planet.
All of this pristine metal comes at a price, of course. The shiny red Niva is priced at 23,000,000₽, or approximately $460,000. That’s enough to buy a new Ferrari Roma or McLaren Artura.
Stories about obscure or once popular classic cars exploding in value is nothing new. The Japanese car arena is one such market that’s booming, with even mediocre or mundane-spec examples of Nissan Skylines and Honda Civics now worth handy money.
The Niva makes a good case to be accepted as another car that could be worthy of similar attraction, only it has one very fatal flaw in that Lada still makes the things today.
Instead of buying a pristine 1980 Niva, one can walk into a Russian showroom today and buy a brand new Niva instead for less than $20,000. Built on the same platform, with largely the same body, and (presumably) a warranty to boot.
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Bring back engine bay spare wheel storage, I say.
If the Niva looks particularly familiar to you, that might be because for a period in the 1980s and 1990s, they were sold in New Zealand.
According to Carjam, almost 200 Lada Nivas are still registered in New Zealand today. This includes a handful of examples badged as Lada Turists or Lada Cossacks.
There’s even a registered, seemingly well looked after example currently listed on Trade Me for $14,000 – considerably less than $500,000.