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jmmoss

Hi there! Driving around in my new home of Townsville, Australia, I have seen a few Lada Samaras and have to admit I thought a few of them were 80's Alfa 33's. The Russian car was produced later than the 33, and from the front and back it has fairly striking likeness to the 33. My girlfriend even thought one was a 33, before I even mentioned it. Check out
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/359364
for photos and see for yourself!

Let me know what you think.

cheers

Ben_nz · Posted: Thu May 20, 2004 11:06 am Post subject:

There's some similarity there.. not in the dashboard though.

But jeez those communists know how to make a boring grey car. If they were allowed to make the tail lights and indicators grey too I'm sure they would!

gritsop · Posted: Thu May 20, 2004 12:43 pm Post subject:

Hi,

Here in Greece quite a few Samaras exist. However these are cars for low income/profile/education/social status people Laughing

If someone has a Lada then he is a person to laugh at! Cool

In addition whenever one is driving and close enough a Lada is located, then that person SHOULD be careful enough as mostly Ladas are driven by people who are a moving danger having 4 wheels Shocked

It is a typical example that these people are driving at most 40kms/h and they are prone to sudden fear on the road for no serious reason. They can even get off the road having seen that the front car has braked and the red lights have turned on Exclamation

Regards
_________________
Thanassis Gritsopoulos
1991 Alfa 33 1.4 IE
2001 Alfa 147 1.6 Distinctive

http://www.alfa-restoration.co.uk
Parts Shop: www.alfa-restoration.co.uk/shop

James Granger · Alfa 33 Joined: 10 Apr 2003 Posts: 302

I see little to no similarity, other than the obvious fact that they are both boxy!

If anything, the rear of the Volvo 340 has more in common with the S1 & 2 33's. Mad

Guest · Posted: Thu May 20, 2004 11:04 pm Post subject:

James "little or no similarity" is a surprising comment - loads of car makers take design cues from other makers. The Samaras tail lights are nearly identical. The Rover SD1 ripped off a Ferrari Daytona. The new BMW 1 Series has a likeness to the Alfa 147. I have always though 3 series Volvos looked like 33's and even the 146. (But which came first: the Volvo or the 33?) I guess if it was a something a bit more exotic than a Lada then people will be more ready to see a likeness.

James Granger · Alfa 33 Joined: 10 Apr 2003 Posts: 302

Head on from the back there may be some similarity between the Samara and S1 / S2, but the similarity stops there.

Guest · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 6:36 am Post subject:

Nice pictures of your car James. Just a shame somebody defaced your 33 with spray paint! (no I am joking)

jmmoss · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 6:49 am Post subject:

_________________
Alfa 33 4c 1.5 Gold Cloverleaf 1987
with Air Conditioning

jmmoss · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 7:08 am Post subject:

My lovely red 33.
_________________
Alfa 33 4c 1.5 Gold Cloverleaf 1987
with Air Conditioning

Pimp_Dudu · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 7:23 am Post subject:

let me (an old communist) give you capitalist bastards a small lesson Very Happy

...between 1970 and 1990 fiat worked with a load of eastern european countries in designing their cars...in some cases it only helped a company, like in the case of lada...in others in invented a whole new model that was sold under a different name. In turkey it was called the TUFAS and it looked like a fiat medra...In poland it was called FIAT Polski and it looked a bit like the alfa guilia....In Yugoslavi it was the Yugo....And in Spain it was SEAT (yes yes spain isn't in eastern europe)...Now the lada samara was also designed by FIAT, so alfa romeo features you see are actually alfa romeo features, just put under a different brand...For instance if any of you ever saw a lada 1300 you'd notice that it looks very very similiar to an ALFA 1750...Fiat is a company which is very badly regarded in northern and more economic nation where cars like bmw, volvo and VW rule. But for the southern cheap countries fiats were and still are perfect. Cheap to make and maintain, since almost all parts for an fiat uno go into the YUGO or the TUFAS...So there is your worst nightmare coming to life....Lada and Alfa do have more in common then u know Twisted Evil

...
and for all of you that do believe that LADA is the shieties car ever...plz dont...we owned one for 20 years in bulgaria...u can do anything with it...its a rear wheel drive car...u can shove a porche motor inside without a problem...u can fix it with only a screw driver...it really is a small perfect car

Ben_nz · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 8:24 am Post subject:

1976 Lada 1300 sedan:

1970s Alfa Romeo Giulia Super:

Fiat 124:

beli_the_king · Alfa Arna Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 4

HI to all
i owned a YUGO, LADA 1200, FIAT POLSKI , ZASTAVA 850 .....
and that all are very good cars, stabile and strong
speciali the LADA
its like a traktor
its the RUSSIAN MERCEDES
you can use it 30 years 24 hours a day
drive it every moutain up and down
my UNCLE buyed a LADA 1300 1972 the motor DIED last year at 1.359.xxx,00 KM
and like PIMP_DUDU says u can fix it with only a screw driver
like MAGGIVER Wink

and the YUGO, on balkan it's used for RALLY, and there are GOOD, SH..T & FU..ED FAST but not FURIOS Laughing

BUT ALFA IS ALFA Twisted Evil

and 195hp are 195hp Twisted Evil

_________________
..I Wake Up In The Mornin N I Ask Maself, Is Life Worth Livin Shuld I Blast Maself?..

Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity

Still Ballin Till The Day I DIE

paddy granger · Alfa Sprint Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 248

James Granger · Alfa 33 Joined: 10 Apr 2003 Posts: 302

I had my first driving lessons in an old beige Lada 1300 (Fiat 124 style with chrome bumpers), sitting on my father's knees steering and changing gear. I was about 5 at the time! It used to belong to my grandfather and he had passed on to my mum for her first car. It was a good design and very reliable. We eventually sold it and replaced it with a Uno back in the mid-eighties. Laughing

How times have changed! Laughing

@ Pimp dudu - the Lada Samara bodywork (developed for the 1984 launch) has nothing to do with Fiat or Alfa. Fiat didn't even own their Alfa share at the time. See Paddy's post.

@ Ben_nz - isn't it "Can I go as a fast as a Yugo?"

Pimp_Dudu · Posted: Sat May 22, 2004 2:20 am Post subject:

then why did our old samara have originial components made in italy???Of course everything else was russian....but i'm almost 100% sure of lada being in coabiration with fiat...since the fiat polski was a mixture between fiat and lada

paddy granger · Alfa Sprint Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 248

Sure, there is a heavy relationship, but FIAT were not involved with the Samara. FIAT signed a contract with the Soviet government, regarding the build of the new AvtoVAZ factory. The contract included shipping the tools, starting the production. FIAT also sold the license for producing the Fiat 124, which had been the Car of the Year in 1965. 660,000 cars were planned to be produce per year, in the factory on the bank of river Volga. The LADA variants of the 124 include the 2101 for example.

This is why it is common to see tuned LADA's with twin cam FIAT engines!

Matt Stolton · Posted: Sat May 22, 2004 9:12 am Post subject: Nothing to do with Fiat????

If it has no influence from Fiat at all, how come it uses 4x98 PCD wheels? Surely a wheel size unique to Alfa/Fiat/Lancia, as no other (non italian) bugger uses that PCD, except Ladas.....

I think it looks nicer than the Arna......
_________________
Regards

Matt

Ex Alfa 33 'GTA' (P4 with Knobs On)
Now cruising in a 166 3.2 Ti!!

Pimp_Dudu · Posted: Sat May 22, 2004 1:49 pm Post subject:

anything looks nicer then an arna...even a Donkey

GaryUK · Guest

Fiat used to sell all the manufacturing machines (presses, casting moulds etc.) at the end of the production run of a car model to other manufactures Seat, Lada etc. So the car would be manufactured on the same equipment elsewhere and rebadged but basically the same ie Fiat Panda - Seat Marbella

Guest · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 6:35 am Post subject:

Hey, what's wrong with donkeys?

Marcin · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 7:27 am Post subject:

Pimp_Dudu · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 8:20 pm Post subject:

so it wasn't a mixture but they still have things in common...the thing is that sooo many companies work with each other that u jsut loose track at some point...volvo has renault engines...lamborghini is german etc. etc. etc.

ns · Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 10:37 am Post subject:

Hi,all

I don't know what are similar did you find between Lada 2108 (2109) and AR 33, but no russian even think about that. These cars are too different.

I lived in Russia and drive lada, now (in NL) I have 33 16v and can say that I trust my Alfa and never change it even for new Lada. In Russia when you buy new lada you need go to service and make reparation for additional money, because reparation by garauntee can take 3 monthes and more. In service mechanics know all week points of car which depends on years and there is no improvement in that.

From my point of view volvo 440 has more similar form. Question

With kind regards,
NS

Eddie W · Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 11:20 am Post subject:

Have to get in my two pennies worth. I could only discerne a resemblance through the reverse end of a telescope at a 10k distance. Ladas may be tough and reliable etc but they were very derivative and any vaguely similar lines in the Samara are very coincidental. They also shopped for expertise wherever they could find it as witness Range Rover engineers designing the suspension/transmission layout for the Niva. Sorry, I don't see the resemblance.
Regards Eddie
_________________
A LITTLE FURTHER A LITTLE FASTER

norbee · Alfa Arna Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 5 Location: Hungary