The Fifth Wheel Russie
Lada-21106 GTi: Some Like It Hot
But now the new Lada-21106 GTi is here. The arrival of this car has nothing to do with Lada manufacturer, AutoVAZ, wanting to expand it's model range. No, Lada just wants to enter the elite of the world championship in group A of rally formula F2. To do that, AutoVAZ had to design a car that is almost identical to the one that will take part in the championship. To qualify, it also has to produce at least 2,500 of these cars in no more than a year.
Changes to the rear suspension are not so significant, the suspension has moved a couple of centimetres backwards, and Monroe shocks were installed. As a whole, suspension hardened a bit, which is normal for a sporty car.
Because AutoVAZ doesn't manufacture engines that are powerful enough for this kind of car, the 16-V, 2-litre injection engine from Opel/Vauxhall was adopted, together with the 5-speed, manual transmission. The electronic system that controls the engine, has been especially adapted for this car. Over the years, this engines were fitted to Astras, Calibras and Vectras, and when tuned, were even used on the rally versions of these cars.
Even at 140 km/h, the car holds the road and steers well. When turning at high speed, the 21106 skids, but it's hard to loose control. On a bumpy road, the car behaved more than reasonable. Obviously the Lada-21106 shows a noticeable progress in the activity of AutoVAZ. By its dynamic, design and steering the 21106 is largely advanced, compared to the standard 2110. If AutoVAZ will keep the quality of its cars at a decent level, then the car might have a strong consumer appeal. Until now, none of the Russian manufacturers produced any Grand Touring class cars, that currently have a strong following in western Europe. However, the prices on those cars are not much higher, than for standard models. And we consider that a price tag of $20,000 for this Lada GTi, to be a bit on the steep side. So we think that AutoVAZ's marketing department has something to think about. From the Archive
Sergey Zhukov Specifications of LADA-21106 2.0
16v GTi
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Would you buy a Lada-21106
for $20,000?
The car has yet to be
registered with the International
Federation of Autosport (FIA). The 21106
has kept the look of the "Yellow
Shark" concept car that was first
shown at the Moscow Motor Show, back in
1996. Well designed aerodynamic bodykit,
wheels put wide apart, lowered suspension
tell you straight away that you are
looking at a sports car.
Under the skin, this car is
different from the Lada-2110, on which it
is based. Positioning of the engine
fixtures have changed, the wheel-base has
increased by 45 mm, the width of track
has also being increased by 76 mm.
Therefore, the car is much more stable.
15 or 16 inch alloys can be fitted with
low profile tyres. The designers say that
it's best to use 195/60 R 15 tyres in the
summer, and 185/65 R 15 in the winter.
Places of fixture of the front McPherson
struts were changed. Russian made
hydraulic shock absorbers are now used,
together with enlarged springs.
The more dynamic car, needed
more efficient breaks. At the front,
vented 14 inch discs are used. At the
back, however simple drum breaks are
fitted. In prospective, AutoVAZ is hoping
to fit cross-drilled breaks to the rear
as well. The characteristics of a vacuum
break intensifier were also changed.
The 21106 comes with Recaro
seats and a sports steering wheel. Extras
include: power steering, "electric
everything" package, sunroof,
leather seats, air-conditioner and
Hi-Fi.The car that we tested, didn't have
power steering, but it did have
non-standard tyres - 205/55 R 15, that
touched the wheel-arches on turning. And
quite a lot of force needed to be applied
in order to turn the steering wheel. So
we think that power-steering will be more
than appropriate on this car.
The Lada-21106, sets-off
very easily, unlike the 2110. The Opel
gearbox left a good impression, you just
wouldn't want to take your hand off the
knob. And you wouldn't need to, as the
acceleration is very rapid, 0 to 100 km/h
in 9.5 seconds.
The
VAZ-21106 was originally designed as a
two-seater coupe. But that project was
founded on the enthusiasm of just one
single person; the organiser of the
project. The project got off to a bad
start, even the prototypes index numbered
the VAZ-2113 that didn't suggest a
happy end. A full scale model was build.
It was tested in an aerodynamic tube, and
some corrections were made. All this was
happening in 1990-1991. The difficult
part of the project was that an all new
3-door body had to be build. Later due to
the lack of financing, the project was
indefinitely "frozen". 
