While we are on a Russian theme here, take a look at one of Gawker's three new testosterone blogs, Screenhead. Well, not the whole blog, but this entry in particular, which will then link you to a fun Finnish LADA site, where you can experience the Ladaraider movie.

What's a Lada, you ask? The Canadian readers in the audience may be familiar with the very inexpensive Lada NIVA SUV, which is no longer sold in Canada, but others may know Lada sedans as Fiat Brava, or as a Datsun 510 circa 1970 - except not as reliable, attractive, or sporty.

There's a Russian saying - a turd won't drown in shit. While Lada was the russian Chevrolet, in terms of its mass appeal and ranking in the Russian car culture, it had much better shit-fjording abilities.

I had a chance to drive around in one last year, and it brought back not-so-fond memories of my old 79 Datsun 510 wagon, the one where my 6'1" frame could barely clear the post between the doors. There was nothing like getting back into my properly-sized Japanese vehicle back home.