English Russia » car

The Russian Hummer – BRDM2 on Streets of Ukraine

spanic — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:48:08 +0000

Some guy in Ukraine bought himself this BRDM-2 for “hunting” as he says. What’s a BRDM-2? It is an amphibious armored vehicle used by Russia and former Soviet Union which was a replacement for the previous BRDM-1 armored vehicle model.

Some specs:

Weight 7.7 tonnes

Crew 4 (driver, co-driver, commander, gunner)

Engine GAZ-41 gasoline V-8
140 hp (104 kW) at 3400 rpm

Speed 100 km/h (road)
10 km/h (water)

GAZ MM 1942 Reconstructed

Transport in Old Moscow

spanic — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:03:26 +0000

Ever wonder what were people driving back in the beginning of the 20th century? Like this tractor/car hybrid. This is actually a construction vehicle. On this picture we can see Prospect “Kalinina” being built.

This is what they used to mount the electric wires for the trolley buses.

More construction…

Back in those days, seaplanes could actually land on Moscow river, this plane is called Dornier Wal.

A steam powered boat of course…

And bikes…Lot’s of bikes

Here’s the mailman.

The flower vendor. “Delivering flowers to your House” says the ad. Note that in those times there were even number plates on bikes.

There were double-deckers too but they quickly disappeared.

This is apparently one of the first “electric” trams in Moscow.

A shop on wheels.

Going to the market.

Even the kids had something to drive.

The first imported police cars of the 90’s. Before that date police only used Russian built vehicles.

And why not, an elephant.

Marussia B2 – The First Russian Supercar Improved!

spanic — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:00:05 +0000

Marussia B2 – Russian Supercar

When we hear the phrase “Russian Supercar” we initially think of either a turbocharged tank or something made from wallpaper, powered by fictional hubris yet somehow still finished in mirrored chrome. Any of which would come with his and hers full length mink coats. However, the two Marussia models present something of a dilemma to this way of thinking. They are not awful. In fact, viewed from a distance, there’s much to like. Sure, up close they’re a tad rough (check out the exposed screws, lumpen metal over the door hinges and Pep Boys reflectors), but they’re really not bad. Which is good, if you can pardon our Orwellian wording.

The real gripe, besides not knowing bupkis about what’s under the hood (some sort of Nissan/Renault V6 coupled to electronic components from… somewhere), is that the designs are a bit derivative. Aggressive as all get out, certainly, but we’ve seen them before. The B1 has the stance of a Zonda, while the B2 is a mix of the Gumpert and Aston Martin Rapide with a smattering of Lamborghini Reventon tossed in for flavor. But as Woody Allen said, “Always be original. But if you must steal, steal from the best.” Marussia is (predictably) a little mum on the details, but we can assume the same mystery motor in the B1 powers the B2.

Marussia B2 Front

Marussia B2 Side

Marussia B2 Wheels

Marussia B2 Back

Marussia B2 Interior

Marussia B1 Upgraded

Marussia B1 Front

Marussia B1 Back

Marussia B1 Backlights

Marussia B1 Muffler

Marussia B1 Wheels

Marussia B1 Interior

Marussia B1 Red - Upgraded

Marussia B1 Design Front

Marussia B1 Front

Marussia B1 Back

Marussia B1 Side

Marussia B1 Side Mirrors

GAZ MM 1942 Reconstructed

spanic — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:08:41 +0000

This all started two years ago when the reconstruction team “Red Viburnum” from Poland found an old chassis from a GAZ MM 1942 in the junkyard. They decided that it would be a good idea to reconstruct the truck but sadly they were missing most of the original parts. After some searching, they found an old engine and a few other parts in old tractors and other vehicles since the people were disassembling the broken cars and using the parts from them in their own vehicles after the war ended. In the end, this car was reconstructed mostly with it’s original parts but some had to be made manually.

The Soviet Scooter

spanic — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 23:48:37 +0000

Viatka 3, 1974

In 1953, a year when Dwight Eisenhower became President, Soviet engineers produced something quite outstanding: the scooter. Just like almost everything else in the USSR, the scooter was initially a brick in the propaganda wall — it was supposed to become the means of transportation which your typical Soviet citizen could buy for their average two-month paycheck (just like Lenin promised.) And the engineers delivered, by accidentally producing a masterpiece.

Initially, Vyatka Industrial Plant which produced mostly military equipment, planned to copy Vespa-150, smack a red star-logo on the front and call it the Soviet scooter (that’s exactly what happened to the Soviet family car Lada, i.e. Fiat.) However, Vespa could not handle Russian roads, cold winters and poor quality fuel. Ironically, it still can’t. So naturally, there was a need for some industrial design and engineering.

In 1957, when the scooter went to mass production, it was truly the Soviet-made product. The scooter, called Vyatka, was 15 percent lighter than Vespa, had more power, could reach 60 miles per hour in 10 seconds and could be easily disassembled for storage; there were other innovations implemented, including electric start. From 1960 to 1975 there were some 1.5 million scooters produced.

In 1960, another Soviet scooter appeared on the market. “Tula”, produced by yet another military plant, was heavier than Vyatka and had much more power. It instantly became a hit in the villages, where farmers bought this cheap little vehicle, added huge trunks and used it to transport their pigs, potatoes and chickens.

The last Soviet scooter was produced in the 1990.

Turist, 1965:

Tula-T 200, 1962: