The Unusual Suspect: A Lada With Attitude
Expand Your Horizons

When you’re invested in automotive culture in any way, shape or form, it’s very easy to get drawn into one particular genre or niche. You can easily become a bit blinkered as to all of the exciting developments that happen outside of your pigeonhole.

My interest in cars has always revolved around drifting and Japanese marques, so I’ve made it one of my goals when Speedhunting to try and seek out projects and features that sit outside of my usual peripheries.

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The idea behind this was suggested to me in a Yoda-like manner by fellow Speedhunter Bryn Musselwhite a few weeks back. Advice on board, seek out a wider understanding of different automotive cultures, I will. In doing so, I also hope to bring to the surface some of the incredible builds that might have flown under the radar had I just nestled down in my comfort zone.

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In order to advance my learning, Bryn pointed me in the direction of respected Ford tuner Dave Colledge. As well as building some of the UK’s coolest and fastest classic Fords, Dave is owner of Retro Ford, a workshop that manufactures all of the bits required should you wish to transplant a powerful modern Zetec or Duratec engine into your classic blue oval. The Retro Ford workshop is a treasure trove of cool old Fords, but that’s another feature for another day…

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The reason for my visit this time, however, wasn’t a Ford at all, but rather the curious creation that sits before you. This is a 1981 Lada 2101. An unsuspecting place to hunt for speed you might think? The story behind the build is a simple one – after helping a friend build a Zetec-powered Lada Riva, and seeing images online of slammed Ladas from Eastern Europe, Dave set his sights on acquiring and building his own Ford-powered Lada. Just because he could.

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Rather than opt for another Riva, the ideal candidate was the more stylish VAZ-2101 model, sold as the Lada 1200 here in the UK. The 2101 was essentially a Fiat 124, reengineered to better suit the Eastern Bloc – it offered classic Italian styling mixed with solid Russian build quality. There are apparently over 800 differences between the Fiat and Lada models, but you’d have to be somewhat of a boffin to spot them. Two of the big changes were that the Lada body was constructed from a thicker-gauge steel and featured softer suspension to cope with the colder, more challenging climate.

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No stranger to importing classic Fords from around the world, Dave approached the Lada a little differently. While he could’ve sourced his 2101 for pennies from Eastern Europe, he had set his sights on obtaining a genuine, right-hand drive UK car. Having spent six months scouring for a suitable candidate, the Lada that you see in front of you popped up for sale at 8:00pm on a Friday night. By 8:00am the next morning Dave was standing in front of it, albeit it looked very, very different.

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“It was shit,” Dave states, rather frankly. “But it was the first one I’d seen in months, so I bought it for £500, with a view that something better might come up in the meantime.” It didn’t. The Lada packed a 1200cc engine with 4-speed box, less than ideal, so the first task upon getting car back to the Retro Ford workshop was set about killing the engine, which happened with haste. “It died doing a pretty good burnout,” Dave commented, proudly.

Starting From Scratch
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Engine out, the first job was tackling the Lada’s bodywork and chassis. Donor parts were sourced from all over Europe before being lovingly crafted into place. The original rear quarters had seen better days so a new pair were found and bought from the Czech Republic, only to arrive and be missing the stylish swage line that runs along the length of the car. The rear quarters that adorn the car now are a seamless blend of the originals and the third party parts.

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The front wings would prove just as challenging. Surprisingly, the original plans for the Lada were to have it ‘rough and ready’ and to use it for a spot of drifting, so a provision was needed to run a lot of castor. The stock 2101 wheel arches aren’t the most accommodating in this regard, so they were cut, extended forward two inches and joined back together. As a result the front wheels now sit right in the corners of the car.

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When it came to the engine, the Lada was only ever going to run a Ford conversion. A 2.3-litre Cosworth Duratec crate engine was the obvious choice. Offering good low-down torque and tune-ability, the Duratec unit is a popular swap in the old school Ford world, and a cost-effective alternative to the likes of the Millington Diamond engine, as found in Ken Block’s Mk2 Escort.

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The engine is a tight squeeze – Dave wanted to use his own off-the-shelf Retro Ford mounts and sump, so he allowed the car’s crossmember to dictate the engine’s position. This, in turn, involved notching the bulkhead to allow the block to sit back far enough.

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The engine has been breathed on with 1mm oversized valves, a ported head and Cosworth internals. A set of 50mm Jenvey throttle bodies give the Lada its bark, mounted upside down to keep the engine bay looking neat and tidy. Anything that can be tucked away and hidden has been. It’s the attention to detail and quality of finish that really makes this little Lada stand out.

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On the opposite side of the block a custom-made exhaust handles the hot stuff – 2-inch primaries run into a 2.5-inch re-packable stainless steel system. Space is tight, so the exhaust took a lot of tweaking to get just right – Dave estimates that he put around 40 hours work into the manifold alone.

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Further chassis work to the order of a custom gearbox and raised prop tunnel was required to house a Mazda 6-speed gearbox from an MX-5, which sends power to a Mk2 Escort rear axle via a single-piece prop, Salisbury-type plate LSD and Retro Ford uprated two-piece shafts. The result is around 235hp, making the car insanely good fun to drive.

Keeping It Simple
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When it came to sorting out the suspension, the main priority was getting the car as low as possible. Aftermarket suspension components for Ladas aren’t exactly commonplace so, once again, Dave turned to his extensive knowledge of the old school Ford scene to bring the car down to terra firma.

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Those of you familiar with the Lada 2101/Fiat 124 chassis (don’t all stand up at once) may have noticed the beefy strut towers. Long gone is the car’s original double wishbone front suspension, replaced by a MacPherson setup. The towers were hand-crafted to host 2.8 Capri Bilstein struts with shortened tarmac inserts and feature slotted eccentric top mounts for extra geometry adjustment.

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At the back the original Lada rear towers were chopped and raised substantially to offer the desired ride height. The rear suspension is the original Lada 4-link setup on steroids, poly-bushed all around with uprated mounts, thicker chromoly tubing and an adjustable rose-jointed panhard rod.

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More custom work was called for when it came to wheel choice – Mk2 Ford Mondeo steelies were sacrificed to create the Lada’s footwear. The outer rim and centres were separated before being flipped around and welded back together. Provisions to fit the original Lada hubcaps were also made. The wheels hide Rover MG TF AP Racing calipers with 304mm discs at the front and Peugeot 406 front discs with Lotus Exige front calipers at the rear. A mishmash of parts, but one that works.

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Peeking through the windows, there are few clues as to the Lada’s potentent capabilities. A Springalex dished aluminium steering wheel the only obvious and immediate hint that this is anything more than a lovingly restored oddball.

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The interior is understated, and Dave has kept modifications to a minimum in order to retain the vast majority of the car’s original Eastern Bloc charm. The original speedo tops out at 100mph – the Lada should be able to hit that I reckon.

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The front seats have actually been swapped. You would’ve originally found the black leather Momo perches in an Alfa Romeo 156, however they match so well with the rest of the Lada’s trim that you’d have to be eagle-eyed to spot that they weren’t originally intended for the car.

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The exterior modifications are just as subtle, and well-executed. The front and rear bumpers sit on custom shortened mounts, bringing them close to the Lada’s body. This involved reshaping the metal to better match the contours of the car and opting for an estate rear bumper, sourced from Belgium.

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Extra attention was paid to correcting the Lada’s questionable panel gaps too. This included cutting, repositioning and rewelding the door hinges to bring the rear doors into line. New door handles were sourced too, although this was an easier job than anticipated – these exact same handles are still being fitted to new Lada Nivas!

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When it came to choosing a colour, Dave wanted something that didn’t look out of place. “When you see a car painted in a colour that it was never originally available in, it always looks a bit jarring,” he says. I would agree. With this in mind, he set about finding something that was close to a shade of orange offered on the 2101. Naturally, he found himself flicking through Ford colour samples, and the chosen shade of orange is a Ford fleet colour.

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In some light the paint takes on more of a yellow hue, in others it’s unmistakably orange. The colour matches the ethos of this little Lada perfectly – it simply screams ‘fun’ at you. Even at our remote industrial shoot location on a quiet Sunday the Lada draws attention. I’m not sure that the passers by know exactly what it is, but I can see them smiling nonetheless.

In typical UK fashion it wasn’t long before the wind started howling and it began to spit with rain, calling an end to our shoot. Dave jumped in and fired up the motor, eager to show me what the Lada can do before it gets too slippery. I’ll apologise now for the shaky footage and terrible sound. Headphone users beware.

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While it might wear many of Retro Ford’s conversion parts, the Lada isn’t intended as a demonstration piece, or a show of skill, but simply as a car to enjoy. It took just seven months to build from start to finish, consuming as much of Dave’s spare time in between work as he could manage – this Lada has been built solely as a labour of love.

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The British love an underdog, and I think that’s what pleases me about this build. No one suspects a Lada to have this much time and attention spent on it, and even fewer expect one that has to be this blisteringly quick.

It may not be the sort of car that I’m usually drawn to, but I’m glad I’ve had my eyes opened – it’s certainly a build that deserves appreciation.

Jordan Butters
Instagram: jordanbutters
jordan@speedhunters.com

Dave Colledge’s 1981 Duratec Lada 2101

Numbers
Max Power: ~235hp

Engine
2.3-litre Cosworth Duratec, 1mm oversized valves, ported head, Cosworth rods & pistons, Retro Ford sump, Jenvey 50mm ITBs mounted upside down, custom stainless manifold, custom repackable stainless exhaust system, custom alloy radiator, Emerald ECU, custom breather system, Retro Ford water manifold, Retro Ford alternator kit, Retro Ford engine mounts

Drivetrain
Mazda Mx-5 6-speed gearbox, custom quick-shift, hydraulic Retro Ford Pinto paddle clutch, Retro Ford lightweight flywheel, single piece prop, Salisbury-type LSD, uprated two-piece Retro Ford driveshafts, Mk2 Escort back axle, 3.54 final drive

Chassis
Custom built front strut towers, chopped & raised rear towers, modified bulkhead, enlarged gearbox tunnel, raised prop tunnel, reinforced suspension mounts

Suspension
Converted to MacPherson strut, eccentric slotted top mounts, 2.8 Capri Bilstein front shocks with shortened tarmac inserts, rose-jointed Mk2 Escort TCAs, 2.8 Capri ARB with double-width brackets, 2.4 quick rack on custom steering column with Mk2 Escort Grp4 universal joint, AVO rear shocks, 4-link suspension uprated with chromoly tubing, polybushed throughout, rose-jointed adjustable panhard rod

Brakes
Custom adjustable bias pedal box, hydraulic handbrake with inboard bias adjustor, Rover MG TF AP Racing 304mm front brakes on custom bracket and bells, Peugeot 406 front discs with Lotus Exige calipers on rear

Wheels/Tyres
Custom 15×6-inch Mk2 Mondeo steels wheels with rims reversed, fittings for Lada hubcaps, 195/45R15 tyres

Bodywork
Fiat 124 front wings cut and extended, Lada 2101 estate rear bumper, custom mounts to tuck bumpers in

Interior
Springlex steering wheel, Alfa Romeo 156 leather front seats

Cutting Room Floor
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Comments



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72 comments

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1

Good. Realy clean look!
It's the first time I see right-hand drive Lada (Vaz) 2101 :)

2

I love that Speedhunters covers all aspects of automotive culture. You guys do a great job of really showing the passion that the people involved have, not just the cars.
As an owner of a JDM import business, and a Lada lover, I can say you won't find many places where those two things intersect!
My girlfriend and I bought a Lada 2103 in Estonia two years ago, and met a lot of 'Lada people' over the Internet. Unfortunately, we have never seen our Lada in person. We planned to take a road trip through Russia, Ukraine, and the rest of Europe. World events have kept us from it so far. We're hoping to to see it soon though! It's patiently waiting in the basement of a very old factory. We've had a Ridetech air suspension system installed, and had it prepped for the trip.
Anybody that finds Ladas interesting should check out the 'Resto' scene in Russia and Ukraine. Those guys have some amazing Ladas!

3

More features like this, pleaseee

4

Missed opportunity with the title, should been "A Lada Attitude" get it? Like a lotta attitude but lada ahahaha

5

BirdHasACamera I have a friend with a trio of Ladas... I reckon he'd be super keen on seeing the airride setup if you have any photos of this in progress!

6

Finally!! A nice Lada!


You guys should check out the hungarian Lada scene, we got some nice ones as well.

7

Yes, that's awesome in so many ways!
I guess it's Yugo time soon... =)

8

Cool little machine and nice photography! That last pic made me grin pretty hard. Merry Christmas btw!

9

Красавчики что сказать, тачка поучилась пушка=))

10

To whoever built this car ... you're one magnificent mastermind !
I love the idea of keeping everything simple & understatement , but hid a better chassis work underneath !

Just wonder though , do the MX-5 6MT fit straight on to the 2.3L Duratec ?

11

The man, who built this car, you`re crazy!

12

My understanding is that it's a popular conversion. Because of the shared parts between Mazda and Ford it pretty much bolts straight on if you use the correct parts.

13

I do have the lada love too. But i love the niva
Still...it is an Awsome build, pure genius indeed :)

14

Looks like an unassuming car thats insanely fun to drive. Being from the US, Ive never seen one, but I do know that motor pretty well..Looks and sounds so much cooler than the ones I use to work on though as a Ford tech haha

15

Here in argentina Fiat had this model, 128/125, we are sick of this cars, theyre f*cking everywhere!!

16

the engine bay link is not working, love that picture

17

Super interesting and well-thought-out build! Too bad you didn't have a dead cat mic for that video!

18

Tell me about it! The weather was lovely at the start of the shoot but was blowing a gale by the time we finished. I shall learn from my mistakes!

19

Wow. I have no words to describe this. Old school Soviet machinery is really an underdog. The Iron Curtain has blocked off the rest of the world of seeing the UAZ, the Nivas, the old GAZ'es. Yes, they might have been underwhelming if compared to their contemporaries, but seeing them being restored and loved sure makes me happy.
Random fact time! Look for Moskvich 412. The car had an abundance of chrome trim and the factory stereo could be ejected from the slot and...carried around so that you could listen to your Soviet tunes with your Soviet buddies wherever you want! That and it also had a hemi (!) 4-cyl motor.

20

Первая отечественная машина на этом сайте!

21

FedorBeltugov Оффициально - да. А неоффициально Украинцы засветились аж в 2010м! Да и буквально месяц назад фича с завода ЗиЛ была.
http://www.speedhunters.com/2010/02/guest_blog_gt_gt_the_low_club_ukraine/
(Note to all you random language haters out there: he said that that was the 1st "national" [russian] car on this website to which I sent the link for the Ukrainian club from 2010)

22

Не видел этого поста, спасибо!

23

The look of tis eastern European vehicles (even if in this case we can talk about a FIAT 124 copy/paste) always makes me nostalgic. The swap of the 2.3-litre Cosworth Duratec makes it a real sleeper and for the power of this engine, the suspension setup is a must.
Over all, a deserved new life for this Lada.
And I have to say that wen I saw the first photo in your article, here on SPEEDHUNTERS I instantly thought at a scale model I have done more than one year ago:
http://customscalecar.blogspot.ro/2014/03/fiat-124-loweast-ed.html

24

That's a weird coincidence! Even the background in your photos is a similar tone!

25

Ladas don't have the best reputation in the UK, and aren't very popular even as restorations, so it's great to see something like this given so much TLC and such an epic engine and suspension setup!

26

I'm not sure that you get a sense of how tiny this little thing is either - I'd imagine seeing this next to a US classic from a similar era would be pretty funny.

27

Thanks @isaacdc - Merry Christmas to you too!

29

That sounds like a really cool road trip! The Baltics offer some incredible roads and sights.

30

Jordan_Butters,  exactly what I thought.
And usually, the coincidences are weird things.. they turn our brains upside down!

31

Jordan_Butters Ladas don't have the best reputation worldwide I believe, including their homeland. But it's always awesome to see people loving and caring for them!
Heck, I am looking at various Toyota Tercels for sale right now and...something makes me really attracted to them. Underdogs are love. Underdogs are life.

32

Impressive that something of this quality can be completed in just 7 months!

33

A work of art

34

I love this car!!! It so simple and beautiful. This build is not trying to demand attention and its not displaying anything that hints that it's fast. It just is a simple fast car. I love it!!! To the average person its just another car but us its perfect.
Did lada ever sell in America? I know they were built in a time when anything deemed red was not a good thing in America. But if they did sell ladas in America I'd love to buy one!!

35

Spotted this at a couple of shows this year, incredibly clean and well built

36

I'll see if I can find the few pics we have. We basically bought a bag kit and control system from Ridetech and the mounts are part custom, part specific Lada pieces made by a company in Czechoslovakia.

37

Jordan_Butters seeing as he had to recess the firewall I assumed it was tiny, when you see the driver in it, it kind of scales..BUT you're probably right haha. How would it compare to an original mini cooper or saw an early honda civic?

38

Thanks for all your kind words . Made a change from do old fords. It's a real hoot to drive.. If you are interested in the build up of the Lada check out our face book page " retroford" or #retrofordltd
Thanks to Jordan and Speedhunters for the shoot. Shame the weather stopped play .U0001f604

39

OMG Love Lada <3 This build is sick

40

Retrodavid Dude, that lil thing is pissed off!  Looks fun, clean and solid.  Perfect.

41

Jordan_Butters

Nice to hear that !

42

This Lada is dynamite

43

A bit bigger than a mini mostly because of it having four doors and a boot, but smaller than a Civic for sure.

44

What no pics of dave drifting???
Saw this in PPC magazine cool car.
Ladas over here were the butt of all jokes in the 80"s,how things have changed..

And yes i have brought a couple of bits of dave as i am a old skool ford nut but love a cool old car of any make...

45

This is so nicely built it deserves to be in a museum.

46

Бодрый Жигуль, БПАНовцы сидят с открытыми ртами

47

Superb. Great car, great article.

One question: why replace a double wishbone system with a macpherson system?

48

"Solid Russian build quality"....????!!!!! Holy Crap, that's the funniest thing I've yet to read on SH.

49

Beautiful Car

50

Thanks for your comments !! I looked a using the original wishbone set up. But all the drag links etc are on the rear of the crossmember and sump we already manufacture has a rear drop.. So I worked around that !!! Also had all the escort suspension bits lying around... And it's a similar width track

51

Meanwhile we look at the oem engine bays....

52

Awesome car and great article!

53

Haha - it was in reference to the choice of thicker gauge steel compared to the Lada's Italian counterpart.

54

You take a brilliant photo, Jordan.

55

You need to fix the wind there. Awesome car tho.

56

Awesome build. I love it. Like an Eastern Hakosuka :)

57

I wholeheartedly agree - external dead-animal-looking-mic-thing needed next time.

58

Something different and dangerous! Didn't know about the over 800 differences between the Fiat and the Lada. Engine bay looks just great!

59

I love these! I follow a few Russian Insta pages that feature a lot of them and they always look cool....this one is no exception.

60

Jeez!! I never thought I'd have a LADA as a desktop wallpaper lol but thank you very much. How much are those cozzy engines in the UK anyway? Here in NZ they'd cost a pretty penny. I've warmed to the idea of a Honda K series or Toyota 2zz-ge/gze as a good performance engine for those old cars brought back to life. Decent torque considering they're so light and free-revving. 

I bet next up we will have an Austin Allegro or Morris Marina for desktop wallpapers. SH never fails to surprise me. :)

61

Jordan_Butters can't fix the wind, tis England

62

Aktifspeed Jordan_Butters I've heard Lada's give their owners nothing but headaches. Not so Eastern European but parents had bad experiences with a Skoda so swear never to have one again. Lol.

63

My first car was a 1973 Fiat 124 Sedan with a pushrod 1438cc motor. As soon as I could I swapped in an 1800 twin cam from a 131. That little Fiat was a blast and taught me how to work on and fix cars. Thanks for featuring what must be only custom 124 Sedan variant I think I've ever seen!

64

koko san A good read on the differences between the two can be found here: http://totalcarmagazine.com/classicandbeloved/2014/04/29/fiat_124_vs_lada_shiguli_1200/

65

greenroadster Russian version of the "hakosuka" would be the Moskvitch 412, it won many a race in Europe.

66

Aktifspeed That will depend on the item and even the item's market. Not everything made in USA is of solid build quality either.

67

@Tom They were sold in Canada at one time. Plus Fiat 124s were sold in USA if i'm not mistaken.

68

What's everybody's take on the resurrection of the Fiat 124 nameplate (http://www.fiatusa.com/en/spider/)? And it's built on the Miata platform for those that don't know.

69

apex_DNA koko san thx!

70
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