In the late 1960s the Soviet Union concluded a contract to manufacture the FIAT 124 under license at a new purpose-built factory on the River Volga at Togliatti, a new town named after the former leader of the Italian Communist Party.

Suitably modified to cope with the often less-than-perfect Russian roads, these Soviet-built saloons were marketed under the ‘Lada’ name in the West.

There was a modest works rally effort too, usually confined to Eastern European events with the occasional foray further afield, and although the Lada was always slower than the opposition, it nevertheless scored a few notable successes on the tougher events that rewarded durability rather than outright speed.

In 1976 the first entirely Soviet-designed Lada appeared; this was the Niva, which arrived in time to cash in on the newly emerging market for small 4x4s.

It was powered by the Lada saloon’s engine (of 1.5 or 1.6 litres) and used an in-house deigned four-wheel drive system that gave it a decisive e...