The decline and fall of the Russian car empire | Drive Flashback

With the Iron Curtain rusted away, the outlook for its car makers is as murky as their tailpipe emissions.This story, by Peter McKay, originally published on 19 April, 1997If there was ever a clear indicator of the deficiencies of the Communist system, it was to try the product – any product – of an Iron Curtain car maker.To drive a Lada, Niki or Skoda was to understand and accept that socialism was a horribly flawed system. Occasionally in western countries a consumer might be stuck