Leave it to the ever-creative Cubans. I’ve seen pictures of three-row Lada (Fiat 124) “limos”, but nothing like this. Wonder if the folks in the rear compartment get a break on the fare?
Related reading: GMC PD-4501 Greyhound Scenicruiser: Everyone’s Favorite Bus Except Greyhound and GM
I think that redefines third class fare.
Steerage class.
Power steering would be superfluous.
I don’t even want to know how that would fare in a crash.
I doubt handling and performance are very flash.
What are the squares on the doors for? The number of tourists that have died in this deathtrap?
Excellent !
That immediately reminded me of the song “I Like Trucking” from Not The Nine O’Clock News.
The drivers’ victims were registered on the door of their Leyland truck:
Just like the victory markings of an Ace fighter pilot…
My brother used to do the same in his first year of driving: he painted some chickens and cyclists barred with red Xs on one of the front fenders of his Fiat 125 Special.
Here’s the video. How about that, Mr. Bean as a truck driver….
Impressive!
Better shape than half the vehicles on the base at Guantanamo when I was there.
It’s got a whole Lada room!
A whole Lada space.
Let’s face it, it’s a whole Lada car!
Ow! Ow! OK, OK, I’ll stop! 🙂
With wheel balance problems, there would be a whole Lada shakin’goin’ on. With apologies to Jerry Lee Lewis.
What Lada, whose Lada, my Lada…
We ain’t fakin’, whole Lada shakin’ goin’ oooon!
🙂
There’s a Lada people in there.
I hope, for the passengers’ sake, that there is some sort of rear door or hatch. I would hate to have to climb over two rows of seats to get back there. Or have a way to get out after the inevitable crash. Then again, I would never be a person who would ride in it. Walking sounds just fine, thanks.
Having ridden the bus in third world shyteholes I can tell you , you’d be happy to ride this instead .
As soon as I saw the photo I began to laugh and knew I’d read the article .
Those whacky Cubanos indeed ! =8-) .
-Nate
In case of fire, just scream and die.
Wonder if the folks in the rear compartment get a break on the fare?
Those folks should get paid to ride back there.
Holy crap! It’s the Cuban Wacky Races!
It’s been a long time since a bad car mod made me laugh like hell!
A+ for the Lada Scenicruiser 😛
We got these in Canadia for many years. I remember them as being a Whole Lada Crap
The rear Scenicruiser part originates from some panel van and will almost certainly have a large door at the back, so escape would not be an issue…
This vehicle does not seem THAT ridiculous to anyone growing up in Israel in the 50s-90s, we had what was known as “service” cabs which were stretched versions of regular sedans (NOT limos) and provided inter-city transport competing with coaches and trains. The below (by Itzhak Saàd) is typical and is a product of Kaiser Ilyn of Haifa (who used to assemble Studebaker Larks back then). Those were actually a rarity; market leaders were Mercedes Benz, Chrysler and Checker, with Peugeot 404 Familiales and a distant relative of the Lada, the Fiat 2300, also making an appearance.
Oh here’s another one (also by Itzhak Saád), this time a Plymouth. Generally, it would have had a diesel; in the case of the US models, a horribly clattery Perkins 4 cylinder with say 80 hp, just enough for average road speeds in Israel during those days. The vehicle in the pic however seems to have been used for tourist transport and might have kept its original gasoline engine, so that the occupants would have been spared those Perkins vibes.
A ’61 Plymouth 9-passenger sedan – wow!
We had more than one or two, as well as Desotos and Dodges…
Here’s another one from Itzhak Saàd, this time a cab with a diesel, waiting at the Jerusalem office to pick passengers to Tel Aviv. I actually remember travelling with them (Aviv Taxis) with my mom when we visited our Jerusalem relatives, crawling at 30-40 MPH up the notorious Kastel ascent just before hitting the city.
I’m loving those stretched Cabs ! .
I nearly bought a Mercedes 240D – L (stretched W-123 taxi) to drag our Foster boys ’round in , why the hell not ? .
SWMBO wasn’t wild about driving anything that long though .
-Nate