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It's 1987. Regan and Gorbachev are meeting in Iceland to discuss nuclear disarmament. Bad by Michael Jackson is the Number 1 album. Robocop, Fatal Attraction & Full Metal Jacket are pulling them in at the box office. While car fans are drooling over the new $400,000 Ferrari F40 the Eastern bloc is near to collapse, but before its imminent and swift demise their car makers are preparing for one final push into Western Europe.

FSO, Skoda, Yugo and Lada all peddled their 1960's Fiat-based wares across the EEC throughout the 80's with varying degrees of success. Their big marketing point was their price, being much cheaper than similar-sized offerings from Ford or GM. The Lada Niva also had a reputation as a competent and robust off-roader.

So this is a challenge with a difference, rather than submit your entry to a host, just design your vehicle and post its photo and stats here for all to see and, hopefully, try to improve on. Here is my attempt at recreating one of the breed.

This is a benchmark, I don't think the bar is set too high [17.1 sec to 60MPH!]. The most important thing is low cost followed by utility & practicality. Sportiness is not required. Saloon, estate or offroad bodies only. Basically you need to make the cheapest car possible.

The Russians Are Coming!

can we have some eastern Block engines we can use?

I believe the Lada Samara was a fairly adequate car when it was released in 1984. Some versions were also quite powerful (up to 140 horsepowers).

That was the experimental Wankel Rotary powered Samara. It cost as much as a Soyuz rocket, and was available to the police and KGB. A few of those actually made it into private owners' hands, but the reliability was an issue. All other Samaras never broke the 100hp mark IIRC. I actually don't think any modern Lada breaks into 140+ mark.

any limit to the entries per person? i think 2 is acceptable?

presenting the Cross-Green




a price tag that wont break the bank, and with an engine that only sips fuel for it's class.
all while still delivering a respectable and usable power of 114hp and torque of 205Nm.

with the 0-60 acceleration of 9.3 sec, yet able to reach top speed of above 170km/h
it truly is an amazing allrounder with the capabilities to do it all.



like people said.

"it's a Jedi on-the-road, a Sith off-road"




is it the other way around? i dont know, never really watched star wars

also my first try to roleplay.... critics please?

Sorry duplicate post.

Are pickups allowed? If not I'll just use a station wagon or saloon.

"Saloon, estate or offroad bodies only."


i'll take that at face value and say yes.

Can I post the car that was a cancelled project between FSO and my company? It's 2+2 GT project for communist countries based on Polonez bodyshell.

Okay, as this is a fun challenge I want it to be as inclusive as possible so will allow pick-up and coupe, you can make as many entries as you want. Roadster and sports bodies, however, do not really fit in with the ethos of undercutting the established marques by selling cheap and utilitarian cars to Western buyers. I don't think that the buyer of an 80's Mercedes SLK could be tempted by anything produced by the Communist bloc, however, if you want to post a "design study" for a such a vehicle then feel free to have a go.

I will have a go at posting some recreations of period engines if anyone would find it useful.

so...... we are meant to make a car that would appeal to both bloc after the walls have gone down?

that's pretty challenging aestethically..... for me at least

Greetings, decadent imperialists! The time has come to renounce your shameful bourgeoisie lifestyle, beginning with your automobile. The GSI Siberia has been scientifically designed to inflict maximum suffering upon the driver so that he may better understand the hardships of his proletarian comrades. From the interior lined with the finest asbestos to the Duroplast body panels painted exclusively in Khrushchyovka grey, the Siberia is carefully optimized to impose incessant misery upon all who experience it. So rebel against your fascist puppet masters, and buy yours today for the low, low price of one thousand kilograms of wheat per unit!

instead of a car.
here's a lineup

The B-Trac. the everyday commuter car for the average joe. it's a car the average middle class could afford without having to rob a bank beforehand.
and with fuel consumption of only 26.6MPG (US), the cost of keeping the car running wont scare the money off from your wallet.

here's the Saloon model. the budget trim and the premium trim



and the wagon model.





and for the 1990. the hatchback is even being prepared