From The "Ya Never Know What You're Gonna Find" File

Dropped in at a friend's house this evening to help post a couple of things on eBay.

Upon leaving and heading for my car, I happen to glance over and see a somewhat familiar silhouette!

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Knowing that this part of Philadelphia has a very large Russian-speaking community, I figured that this example was not a FIAT 124 but more likely the Lada version. The trunklid had a script emblem on it that I could not fully read, but after doing a bit of Googling, I assume it said "Shiguli."

Here's an interesting article that compares the FIAT 124 to it's Russian cousin the Shiguli.
http://totalcarmagazine.com/classicandbeloved/2014/04/29/fiat_124_vs_lada_shiguli_1200/

That does look familiar Dan

You never know where an old Fiat will turn up. I found this one 45 minutes from home.



I wonder what model year that car is? Very much the same car as mine, but also a few differences. I am sure the 124 sprouted the large marker lights for the US market. Mine has markers all over the front end and it has some C pillar vents at the back that I don't see on the other car. Probably a different engine. I have seen a couple Eastern block "124"s on Ebay that claim to be mid-80s cars that look just like my 72.

Ah, yes...

For those of you who dont know.....up here in Canada, Lada's were sold here from the late 70's till the mid 90's.

At first we got the sedan that looked just like the above photos. Yes, a Russian made version of the Fiat 124 sedan. But while the Fiat version came with either a pushrod 1400 or 1600 engine, or a 1600 DOHC engine, the Lada here came with a Fiat designed 1500 SOHC engine - cam was driven by a chain as I recall. The cars were quite well equipped and sold quite well.

Later we also got a wagon version. And also a quite nice looking small sport ute called the Niva with a 1600 SOHC engine and 4WD. Complete with 3 shift levers !!!

By the late 80s we also got a new FWD Lada called the Samara. But it seemed to not be a Fiat design. Rather a Russian design, apparantly with a bunch of the engineering done by ....Porsche.

Up here in the 70s and 80s we also got lots of strange other cars never sold in the US. Like rear-engined Skodas, Bertone designed Innocentis (not the Mini design but the newer Bertone design with a Daihutsa engine), and Dacias ( a Romanian copy of the Renault 12), and many others...

Ah...the good old days.....

1489 push rod OHV

My 72 124 has a 1489cc pushrod OHV with a timing chain. I managed to get it up to 70mph on the highway once.

Lada

BTW,

The "fiat 124" sedan Lada sold in Canada goes by the name of Signet. If you think Fiats are rust prone, you haven't seen anything. The Lada's were rusted even before reaching our ground. It's been at least 10 years since I have seen one in Québec.

Daniel Forest
Montreal, Canada