Lada Niva Sport received the Turbo racing version

AvtoVAZ presented a racing version of the classic Lada Niva SUV, which was prepared by the Lada Sport Auto Finance rally team. The car in the Turbo modification will go to the start of the Silk Road rally marathon, the company said in a statement received by Izvestia on June 26.

Lada Niva has received drastic changes both in appearance and in the technical stuffing. Visually, the SUV stands out with extended wheel arches and wheels with off-road tires. A 1.6-liter turbo engine with 280 hp (340 Nm) is installed under the hood, developed on the basis of a 1.6-liter turbocharged power unit of the Lada Vesta racing Super-Production class. The engine is powered by a new 6-speed sequential gearbox with a lockable center differential.

The chassis has also undergone significant changes: independent suspension on both axles with double shock absorbers has been installed, the wheelbase has been increased (2550 mm), the track has been widened (1680 mm), the ground clearance has been increased to 350 mm. The car was equipped with a brake system with four pistons and discs with a diameter of 302 mm, as well as rotary knuckles made of forged aluminum.

A reinforced fuel tank, bucket seats in the cabin, a safety frame and a professional navigation system are provided. The development was carried out taking into account the experience of the pilots of the winning team of the previous stages of the Silk Road.

The Silk Road Marathon will be held from July 12 to 22, 2025 along the Irkutsk — Gorno-Altaysk route, which includes more than 5 thousand km. This year, two Niva Sport Turbo cars will be launched, prepared according to the regulations of the Raid Sport class (unlike last year's models created for the T2 competition). Dmitry Voronov and Kirill Yenikeev, winners of last year's marathon, will start, with Mikhail Mityaev and Egor Okhotnikov representing the second crew.

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On April 5, the 48th anniversary of the start of production of the first serial Niva, AvtoVAZ began selling the classic Lada Niva three-door SUV in a new Sport modification. The price of the new product starts from 1.7 million rubles. Later, American automotive journalists praised the Niva Sport.