Goodbye to the Lada 2101: 41 years in production

The Lada 2101 is another example of a car built to the point of exhaustion, and Lada has finally decided to retire it. Presented in 1970, based on the Fiat 124, the 2101 sold nearly 18 million units during its run in the former Soviet Union and the countries of the communist bloc.

Once the communist regime had fallen, Lada began a renewal of its model range, although there was always a place reserved for the old 2101, by then known as the 2107. In 2009, Lada intended to take it off the market, but the Russian government’s scrappage subsidy plan for buying new cars kept it afloat; it was the best-selling car in Russia in 2009.

In 2010 and 2011 the 2107 enjoyed a sort of second wind, thanks to the continuation of the renewal programmes, with a price of 3,900 euros at the exchange rate.

It will be succeeded by the Lada Granta, a model that had the misfortune of refusing to start on the day Vladimir Putin himself was the guest of honour at its presentation.