4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY NAMED MODEL · 1981–90
NAMED MODELSpecial · MotorsportRussia

Niva in the Paris–Dakar (1980s)

The rally Nivas: the Poch-prepared Nivas that ran the Paris–Dakar in the 1980s with tuned engines and long-travel suspension, the Soviet Union’s only regular entry in the event.

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Sources & evidence
BASE VEHICLENiva VAZ-2121 and 21213 (1977–)BUILT BYAvtoVAZ, TolyattiIN SERVICE1981–90PRODUCTIONNot publishedLAYOUT4 wheels · 86.6″

The record

Jean-Claude Poch’s French team campaigned the Niva through the 1980s, finishing well enough to make the car’s reputation in France, where it still sells.

Research status: draft — identification, dates or figures could not all be pinned down; the summary says what is unresolved.

Specification

MANUFACTURED1981–90
ENGINETuned 1.6-litre fours
PRODUCTION RUNNot published
COUNTRY OF ORIGINRussia
STATUSout of production
RECORD KINDNamed model
MODEL LINENiva 2121 and 2131
FAMILYNiva 2121 and 2131
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE86.6″
BODY STYLEthree-door
CATEGORYSpecial · Motorsport

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Variants & colours

Base model variants

Factory colours

  • White (Niva)

Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Lada Niva ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-22SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-22 · status: draft