Lada Riva

Although introduced in 1979 and first produced in quantity in 1980, the Riva's origins are older: it is a modernised and restyled version of the original Lada type VAZ-2101 Zhiguli saloon, (The 21079 was a Wankel engined version. Canadian 2107s were "briefly sold as the Dennis Signet", after the importer, Peter Dennis Motor Corporation. Canadian sales, along with several European markets, ended on 4 July 1997. Tightening safety and emissions legislation combined with the economic instability in the former Soviet Union during the 1990s led to the Riva being withdrawn from most Western European markets by 1997, although it remained in production at the AvtoVAZ factory in the Russian Federation and was sold as the Lada Classic. It was one of the cheapest automobiles available in the Russian market and remains the most popular second-hand car in Russia even after its production ceased. In 2002, production of the wagon model was taken over by Izh, before assembly was also started at the Bogdan Group's LuAZ plant, and later in Cherkasy, Ukraine. The 2107 model was produced also at the ZAZ factory in Ukraine and at Suzuki's factory in Egypt. In August 2011, Russian production of the 2107 was moved to Izh. After about thirty years of production, the 2105 was discontinued in 2010, followed by the 2104 and 2107 in 2012. United Kingdom The British market first received the Riva as the 1300GL in July 1983, and the 21051 (Riva 1200L) had the . British imports of the older VAZ-2101/2102/2106 ended soon after the Riva's introduction, although they remained available in the Soviet Union and much of the old Eastern Bloc for several years afterwards. In a review of the new economy car, the British automobile magazine Autocar noted its low price of only £3,158 (£10,736.82 in 2020), improved road performance and an "impressive list of standard equipment", which included "height-adjustable headlamps, internally adjustable driver's door mirror, velour-covered seats, heated rear window, illumination lights for bonnet and boot", and a 21-piece toolkit. However, its spartan interiors and ageing design meant that it was never aimed at buyers of market leaders' similar-sized but more expensive products, such as the Ford Sierra, Vauxhall Cavalier and Austin Montego. Nonetheless, the Riva was still selling well in the United Kingdom and many other Western markets in the early 1990s, but the next few years saw a raft of new models come from budget competitors such as Daewoo, Hyundai, Kia and Proton, pushing Riva sales into terminal decline. This, combined with the economic hardships and much-needed investment to adapt cars to stricter European Union emissions requirements not being available, resulted in the decision to withdraw Lada from the UK (and some other European markets) and Canada on 4 July 1997. Riva sales had in fact finished several months earlier. ==Models==

2104 Estate edition • VAZ-2104 – VAZ-2105 engine, a carburetor, 4-speed transmission (CAT), the base model • VAZ-21041 – engine VAZ-2101, , 4-carburetors. PPC. Not commercially produced. • VAZ-21042 – engine VAZ-2103, , right hand drive. • VAZ-21043 – engine VAZ-2103, carburetor with a 4- or 5-speed. CAT, in versions with electrical equipment and interior of the VAZ-2107. • VAZ-21044 – engine VAZ-2107, , single injection, 5-speed. CAT, export model. • VAZ-21045 – engine VAZ-2107, , single injection, 5-speed. CAT, export model - did not enter production • VAZ-21045D – VAZ-341 engine, , diesel, 5-speed. PPC. • VAZ-21047 – engine VAZ-2103, , carb, 5-speed. CAT, an improved version with the interior of the VAZ-2104/7. Export modifications were equipped with the radiator grille of the VAZ-2107. • VAZ-21048 – engine VAZ-343, , diesel, 5-speed - pre-series, never entered production • VAZ-21041i – engine VAZ-21067 injector, 5-speed gearbox, with the same interior and electrics as the VAZ-2107, the front seats of the IL-2126. • VAZ-21041 VF – radiator design VAZ-2107, VAZ-2103 engine of injector, 5-speed gearbox, interior and electrical VAZ-2107 car, the front seats of the Izh-2126. Pickup Edition • VAZ-21043-33 Pikap – 1.5-litre with 52 kW, produced from 1991 to 2012 at PSA VIS-Avto. 2105 • Lada 2105 – with the carb. engine VAZ-2105 (, , ) and 4-speed. CAT; • Lada 2105 b – the engine VAZ-2103 (distributed injection, , , , Euro-2 emissions) and 5-speed. CAT; • Lada 21050 – with the engine VAZ-2105 and 5-speed. CAT; • Lada 21051 – with carb. engine VAZ-2101 (, , ) and 4-speed. CAT; • Lada 21053 – with carb. engine VAZ-2103 (, , ) and 4 of Art. CAT; • Lada 21053-20 – the engine VAZ-2104 (distributed injection, , , , the Euro-2) and 5-speed. CAT; • Lada 21054 – small series, especially for the traffic police, the Interior Ministry and the FSB. Carburetted VAZ-2106 engine with , , and , equipped with an additional fuel tank and battery. • Lada 21054-30 – the engine VAZ-21067 (distributed injection, , , , the Euro-3) and 5-speed. CAT; • Lada 21055 – small scale modification for the cab with a diesel engine VAZ (BTM) – 341 production Barnaultransmash (, , ); • Lada 21057 (Lada Riva) – Export version of VAZ-21053 with right-hand drive and a single injection engine (Euro-1) was produced in 1992–1997 for the markets of the UK and countries with left-hand traffic; • Lada 21058 (Lada Riva) – Export version of VAZ-21050 with right-hand drive, produced in 1982–1994 for the markets of the UK and countries with left-hand traffic; • Lada 21059 – Debut 1980 as a small, special series for the traffic police, the Interior Ministry and the KGB with , two-rotor VAZ-411M or (slightly larger displacement) VAZ-4132 Wankel engine (which both featured a 9.4:1 compression ratio) and four-speed manual transmission. Capable of and in nine seconds. Priced at 52,000 rubles. • VIS – 2345 – pickup design based on VAZ-21053 and 21054, produced by JSC VAZInterService with 1995 by 2006; • Lada 2105 VFTS (Lada VFTS) – a sports car, which was being built at the facilities of the Vilnius factory vehicles under the guidance of the legendary Soviet rallista Stasys Brundza. Homologated to FISA Group B standard. Markets forced engine VAZ-2106, using carburetors WEBER 45 DCOE ( at 7000 rpm at 5500 rpm) and a close ratio 4- and 5-speed gearbox, with claw couplings include; since 1986 in order to reduce weight, the car was equipped with doors made of aluminium. • Lada 2105 VIHUR – rally car produced industrial association for the production of sports equipment "Vihur" CC DOSAAF in Tallinn. Homologated for Group A-2/1 union classification (the so-called "queen-group"). According to the requirements of the A-2/1, the engines were unchanged. 2107 • Lada 2107 (engine 2103, , 4 cyl., Carburetor) • Lada 21072 (engine 2105, , 4 cyl., Carburetor, timing belt) • Lada 21073 ( engine, Grade 8., Single injection – export version for the European market) • Lada 21074 (engine 2106, , 4 cyl., Carburetor) • Lada 21076-20 (engine 2104, , 4 cyl., Point Injection) • Lada 2107–71 ( engine, engine 21034 for petrol A-76, version for China) • Lada 21074-20 (21067-10 engine, , 4 cyl., Distributed injection, Euro-2) • Lada 21074-30 (21067-20 engine, , 4 cyl., Distributed injection, Euro-3) • Lada 21077 (engine 2105, , 4 cyl., Carburetor, timing belt – export UK version) • Lada 21078 (engine 2106, , 4 cyl., Carburetor – export UK version) • Lada 21079 Debut 1982, fitted with two-rotor VAZ-411M or (slightly larger displacement) VAZ-4132 Wankel engine (which both featured a 9.4:1 compression ratio) and five-speed manual transmission. Capable of and in 9 seconds. Priced at 58,000 rubles. Originally created for the needs of federal agencies: the traffic police, the Interior Ministry and KGB. • Lada 2107 ZNG (21213 engine, , 4 cyl., Point Injection) ==Other variants==

Model variants included the Riva Signet, Riva 1200, Riva 1300, Riva 1500, and Riva 1600, with trim levels "E" and "L". A Turbo charged model Lada 2107 Turbo was sold in Finland, made by the Finnish Lada importer. Small numbers of Lada rally cars were built with Wankel engines, fitted with a pair of Weber DCOE twin-choke carburettors. Production at Suzuki Egypt In Egypt, the Amal Foreign Trade Company and Lada's parent company AvtoVAZ signed a joint venture agreement to assemble Ladas for the North African market in 2000. However, as they did not have their own factory, space was found at a local Suzuki plant in Cairo to assemble the 2107 version of the Riva. As of 2006, production continued at Suzuki until 2015 with an additional model, the 2110, being produced. ==Safety==

In the early 1980s, when it was put into production, the car complied with UNECE car safety standards and GOST technical standards. In 2001, the 2107 version of the Riva scored 0 points out of 16 in a frontal crash test conducted by the modern Russian ARCAP safety assessment program, and was awarded zero stars out of four. The reviewers noted that the result of the test was easily predictable and couldn't be positive, as they were dealing with an old car having an outdated construction of the body and designed at a time when safety tests were different from those of 2001. In 2002 Za Rulyom magazine performed crash tests on two Lada 21053 models, a new car from 2002 and a used one from 1994. The magazine's experts noted that the newer model complied with UNECE car safety standards 12-03 and 33, but the older and used one failed the latter standard. ==End of production==

In the 2010s, the sales of the Lada Classics remained strong in the car's native Russia and some of the former Eastern Bloc nations. However, production of the 2105 ceased at AvtoVAZ's Togliatti plant at the end of 2010 after a 30-year production run and nearly 3,000,000 units, with production of the other variants being fully moved to the IzhAvto plant near Izhevsk. Starting from the same month, production at the Izhevsk factory was replaced with the Lada Granta. However, , the 2107 model was still in production in Egypt. ==References==