# Not quite a model, but an interesting replica, no less - Lada Taxi!



## Faust (Dec 1, 2012)

Anyone who knows me knows that I love loser cars, obscure cars and just plain weird cars. If it was a failure, flop or just ugly and reviled, chances are good that I’m going to want a model of it. Sometimes, though, you just can’t win. Some things there just AREN’T models of, or if there are, I haven’t come across them.

It’s at times like this that I’m really thankful for die cast replicas! There are some truly odd diecast cars out there, and I can’t help but think that this one, the VAZ 2101, known to many as the Lada, is among the most weird and loserish.

I dug this little beauty out of a flea market about a year ago. Check out my 1/43 die cast Lada taxi and tell yourself that this isn’t something you’d like on your shelf beside your Franklin Mint replicas! 

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/cool-stuff/143-vaz-2101-lada-1200-taxi/


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I have to agree. That's not just ugly...it's BUTT ugly.


----------



## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

It may be boxy, but I can think of plenty of cars uglier than that.

For all the jokes made about it, it seems the Fiat 124-based Lada was a pretty tough and reliable car, well suited to rough village roads and harsh Russian winters.


----------



## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Faust said:


> ...Check out my 1/43 die cast Lada taxi and tell yourself that this isn’t something you’d like on your shelf beside your Franklin Mint replicas!


I honestly would. I have no idea why, but I like the small, boxy cars from the 60s and 70s like this one.


----------



## Faust (Dec 1, 2012)

> I honestly would. I have no idea why, but I like the small, boxy cars from the 60s and 70s like this one.


I get it, because of my fetish for 80's loser cars. Sometimes, there's something about certain cars that can't be easily articulated. Sure, most find them ugly or unworthy, but something just grabs you. 

It's bad when the Russian copy of something is more durable than the original, though!


----------



## f1steph (Jan 9, 2003)

scotpens said:


> It may be boxy, but I can think of plenty of cars uglier than that.
> 
> For all the jokes made about it, it seems the Fiat 124-based Lada was a pretty tough and reliable car, well suited to rough village roads and harsh Russian winters.


Back in the '80's, I had a friend that his father bought a Lada Signet and after a Lada Samara. The Signet was a tough car if you were lucky, if I remember correctly, some had electrical problems. But if you had the <<chance<< of not having electrical problems, it was a tough ugly car. I can tell you that, my friend father gave him the Signet and bought the Samara. He beat the crap out of it for a long time, until it died... The Samara on the other end was a real problem car.


----------

