cars
Notes: 36
MECH-Series and Other Special Soviet-Era License Plates
"MECH"-series license plates
"Murz," Bundesmobili, "a Ruble Forty," the 190, and the 124
The origin of the term "murz" is tied to the phonetic resemblance between the brand name "Mercedes" and the word "murza" (a title held by Tatar and…
The VAZ-2104 "Zhiguli": History of a Soviet and Russian Station Wagon
The VAZ-2104 "Zhiguli" is a Soviet and Russian rear-wheel-drive Group III small-class station wagon, which became one of the most mass-produced and…
Audi A6 Avant: the "bottomless barn" Roman and Liza drive from Nice to Malaga
Why the 1997 Audi A6 Avant C4 was the ideal "bottomless barn" for a leisurely coastal drive from Nice to Malaga.
The Cadillac DeVille
The Cadillac DeVille was a legendary model from the American company Cadillac, produced from 1949 to 2005 and considered a symbol of American…
The Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis: Sibling Cars
The Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis were essentially identical cars built on the same Ford "Panther" platform, used from 1979 to 2011…
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra was a mid-size car produced by Ford Europe from 1982 to 1993. It replaced the outdated Ford Cortina/Taunus and became popular for its…
GMC Yukon
The GMC Yukon is a full-size SUV from the American automaker General Motors, sold under the GMC brand since 1991. In the 1996 context of the novel…
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of expensive sports cars, headquartered in the commune of Sant'Agata Bolognese, near…
The Lotus Esprit Sports Car
The Giugiaro-designed sports car that turned into a submarine for James Bond, and sold 30% better after Richard Gere drove one in "Pretty Woman."
Mazda Miata: the rental Roman imagines for a leisurely European coastal drive
The history of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, the lightweight roadster built around the "jinba ittai" philosophy of driver-car unity.
Nissan Patrol
The Nissan Patrol is a Japanese SUV produced since 1951. Four generations were built before 1993, known for their off-road capability and…
Porsche: The Legendary German Sports Car Marque
Porsche AG is a German luxury automaker founded by engineer Ferdinand Porsche in 1931. Its headquarters and main plant are located in Stuttgart…
Renting a Car in Europe, 1998: how Yana would have booked that "bottomless barn" by phone and fax
What renting a car in Europe actually looked like in 1998 — the major agencies, the paperwork, and booking by phone and fax before the internet took…
SUVs and pickups: American car culture in the 1990s
Why Americans drove SUVs and pickups in the mid-1990s, and why the pickup truck never caught on in Russia.
The Cadillac Seville STS: American Luxury in 1990s Russia
The Cadillac Seville STS (Seville Touring Sedan) was a prestige variant of the luxury Cadillac Seville sedan, introduced to the market in 1988. In…
The Chevrolet Caprice: the Car of the American Dream in 1990s Russia
The Chevrolet Caprice was a legendary American full-size sedan that, in the early 1990s, became a symbol of status and a Western lifestyle for…
The Ford Taurus: an American Sedan of the Early 1990s
Launched into production in 1985 as a 1986 model, the Ford Taurus revolutionized American automaking. Its sleek, aerodynamic design was radically…
The GAZ-24-10 "Volga": a Prestige Car of the Soviet Era
The Soviet Union's last classic Volga sedan, a compromise car built from newer 3102 engineering wrapped in the old 24's familiar body — and, by 1993…
The GAZ-3307: a Truck of the Transitional Era
The workhorse Soviet flatbed truck that became an improvised mobile liquor store — a compromise vehicle, built to bridge a diesel engine that was…
The GMC Suburban: a Symbol of American Automaking in 1990s Russia
The GMC Suburban is a full-size SUV that's been produced by American company General Motors, under various brands, since 1935. The GMC version…
The 1990s Grand Cherokee Limited: a Legend of SUV Style
Jeep's 1993 flagship SUV, a rolling symbol of New Russian prosperity — and the car the landlords roll up in.
Ikarus Buses
The Hungarian company Ikarus was founded in 1895 as a blacksmith and carriage-making workshop in Budapest. Its name comes from the mythical Icarus…
The Dodge Intrepid: an American Dream on Russian Roads
The text mentions the "Intrepidor" — a folk nickname for the Dodge Intrepid, which in the early 1990s became one of the symbols of the "new life" in…
The Iveco Daily: the anonymous workhorse van behind every 90s Russian motorcade
The Iveco Daily, the unremarkable Italian van whose entire selling point — as a convoy vehicle — is that nobody looks twice at it.
The Jaguar XJS: Britain's last classic grand tourer
The Jaguar XJS convertible: Britain's last classic V12 grand tourer, and the $70,000-plus status symbol wrecked in this chapter.
The Lada Samara "Chisel"
The VAZ-2108's angular styling earned it a slang nickname that made it the ideal, unglamorous ride for 1990s Moscow street crews — inconspicuous…
The Moskvich Aleko: a Soviet Car Enthusiast's Dream
The Moskvich-2141, the last real achievement of Soviet car design — briefly more prestigious than a Zhiguli, and the dream car of Roman's father.
The Moskvich «Margarine,» the Izh-412
In the early 1990s the Moskvich-412 family of cars, particularly those built in Izhevsk, acquired the nickname "margarine" thanks to the…
The Rearing Stallion
Ferrari's prancing-horse badge: taken from WWI flying ace Francesco Baracca's fuselage, set on Modena yellow.
The Seven-Fifty and the B10 Alpina
The BMW 750 is a flagship executive sedan with powerful specs and luxurious features. Alpina is a German automaker that has modified BMWs since 1965…
The Volkswagen Golf (Mk3/A3)
The third generation Volkswagen Golf (Mk3/A3, internal designation Typ 1H/1E/1V) debuted on the German market in August 1991. This car became a…
The Swedish Volvo 940 in 1990s Russia
The Volvo 940 was a saloon and estate from the Swedish company Volvo, produced from 1990 to 1998. This model was one of Volvo's last rear-wheel-drive…
What a Transmission Is
The transmission carries torque from the engine to the wheels, changes drive force and speed, and lets the engine disengage. It includes the clutch…
Trunk
A military jeep does not have a trunk. Most likely the rear seat had been removed, creating the space the narrator calls a "trunk."
VAZ-2109
The VAZ-2109 was a front-wheel-drive hatchback produced by AvtoVAZ from 1987 to 2004. The model became popular for its affordability and…