The secondary market today has become more civilized, like all life around. For example, today more and more often used cars are rented out under the Trade-in program. But things were different in the 90s. It was a different world. It was the time of plastic cups in cafes, incredible queues at the first McDonald's on Pushkin Square, price tags on sheets of school notebooks and, of course, a golden time for scammers, racketeers, killers, pickpockets, just bandits. It was an amazing time. Especially if you remember the numerous brothers who were the first in the country to start buying expensive cars that have become a status symbol in the criminal world.
After all, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, a stream of old and new foreign cars poured into our country. Naturally, their cost was prohibitive for those times when most people in the country did not even have money for food and clothing. But who bought expensive cars? Of course, representatives of the criminal world, who had money. And big ones.
But what kind of cars were popular with the lads in the 1990s? In principle, the brothers bought everything they wanted. But there were also bestsellers. As a result, many car models became iconic, as they quickly received the label of chaps cars. Do you remember the most popular gang cars in the 90s? If so, then you should definitely know that most gangster cars had nicknames. Do you want to test yourself? Then we invite you to take our next test quiz, where you have to name how the people (or among the lads) called the most popular bandit cars.
Yes, for many of you who are not familiar with the era of the dashing 90s, this test will be difficult. But nevertheless, you will be interested in historical facts.
So get ready. We are going back with you to the past - to the 1990s.
The car to this day remains for many not just a means of transportation, but a real symbol of a certain status. Not so long ago, at the end of the last century, when the presence of a VCR in the family was still the height of prestige for many, there was another caste - organized crime.
In the early 1990s, when most residents of the former USSR did not even dream of having a car, foreign-made cars began to appear on domestic roads more and more often. It was not possible to make money on which with honest labor. The first cars that began to appear in those distant times became firmly associated among the population with “gangster cars”. After all, it was these cars that most often became participants in various “showdowns” and reports of criminal news.
Let's refresh our memory which cars from the 90s were "gangsters". The first and only Soviet car that people strongly associated with bandits was the Lada Samara. To tell the truth, until the mid-2000s, people who were about to buy a new car were largely guided by their teenage associations. Arriving on a gangster "chisel" to the next "arrow" - this is + 50% to success! And I know these people personally. What to hide, I myself had a similar car.
The car received such popularity in certain circles due to relatively good handling and dynamics. If anyone does not know, then this series of cars was developed by AvtoVAZ in collaboration with Porsche itself. Over time, when the first foreign cars began to be imported into our countries, “authoritative guys” began to pay attention to foreign car manufacturers.
Of course, in the first place were German cars. The most popular were representatives of the Audi, BMW and Mercedes lines. Let's start in order.
Some of the former owners of "chisels" moved to much more modern and prestigious Audi. For me, the most “gangster” car of this brand has always been the Audi 80, or, as it was also called, the “barrel”. The B3 model was produced from 1987 to 1991. It was these cars that were quite a lot on domestic roads. "Barrels" were equipped with engines ranging from 1.4 to 2.3 liters and could relatively easily leave law enforcement officials, who at that time drove exclusively on VAZ classics.
The next bright representative of the "dashing 90s" was a model from BMW. It was the fifth series of BMW in the back of the E34 that became a real “gangster car”. By the way, in certain circles, the BMW brand was deciphered in its own way - the Fighting Machine of Extortionists. The most popular 5 Series models were the 525i and 535i. Cars with such indexes were equipped with engines of 2.5 and 3.5 liters, respectively. With such power plants, the Boomers could feel completely unpunished on the roads, because even the power of a 2.5-liter engine reached quite decent 192 horsepower. By the way, Sasha Bely, the protagonist of the film "The Brigade", drove exactly on such a car.
No less popular were the cars of the 7th series. Of course, they were not ridden by street bandits and various small businessmen. They were too expensive for them. Such cars could only be afforded by the leaders of certain gangs.
Our most popular cars were E32 and E38. Engine displacement ranged from 2.5 to 5.4 liters. And the power of the last car, which received the 750i index and was equipped with a V12 engine, reached 326 horsepower. The representative of this class of cult "gangster" cars also became the hero of the popular film "Boomer".
Oddly enough, the BMW 7 Series has not received such distribution as another representative of the German automotive industry. Now I'm talking about a really real "gangster" car - a Mercedes S600 in the back of a W140.
It was this car that became the cult hero of numerous jokes about the “new Russians”. The reason for such popularity was the truly breakthrough equipment of the car at that time. Already in the base, the “boar” had electric adjustment of everything that was possible, as well as an infrared remote control system, climate control of all zones, the ability to install a telephone and even a fax! I will not list all the options available for the "boar" - this is a thankless task.
The car was produced from 1991 to 1998 and replaced the 126 body. The "six hundredth" was available in two versions, differing in the length of the base - the W140 body was considered short, and the V140 was long. The range of power plants ranged from 2.8 to 6 liters. In our country, the 5- and 6-liter versions have become the most popular, developing 326 and 408 horsepower, respectively.
By the way, it was from the “dashing 90s” that we learned what the phrase “escort car” means. As a rule, their role was performed by rather large off-road vehicles. The choice of this class of escort vehicles is not accidental. After all, if a competing group decided to ambush, such cars had to break through obstacles on the roads, thereby clearing the way for the lead car.
Frame SUVs made in the USA and Japan were best suited for the role of a "ram". It is not surprising that such a fate was prepared for the best representatives of that time - Chevrolet Tahoe / Suburban and Toyota Land Cruiser 80/100.
Chevrolet Tahoe enjoyed great popularity due to its formidable appearance and impressive size. Up to 9 (!) people could easily fit in this car, and a huge trunk made it easy to accommodate a solid ammunition load. The "smallest" engine was a 5.8-liter power plant. All this allowed the car with increased ground clearance to easily get away from the chase even on our off-road. This iconic car also became one of the heroes of the film "Brigade".
No less popular "ram" was the Japanese car, better known to us as the "Kruzak". Bandits and authorities immediately fell in love with him for his unpretentiousness and relatively affordable price. After all, even the most expensive equipment cost two times cheaper than the Mercedes "cube". And if we take into account the fact what fate awaited this car, its purchase became even more expedient. The Toyota Land Cruiser 80 version appeared on the market in 1988 and was equipped with inline six-cylinder engines. The maximum power was in 4.5-liter engines - 215 horsepower.
The next generation of "Kruzaks" received the index "100" and was first introduced in 1998. It was from this version that the Kruzaks began to be equipped with powerful V-shaped engines with a volume of 4.7 liters.
By the way, not only representatives of the criminal world stared at the Kruzaks. Many probably remember that representatives of our law enforcement agencies, in particular, the Berkut special forces, drove such cars. So ordinary people had twice as much reason to avoid these machines.
What cars do you associate with this period? Feel free to share in the comments!
- 05 Feb 2015
What did Sasha Bely drive, the heroes of the movie "Boomer" and their prototypes from real life
Until the 90s of the 20th century, only a select few owned foreign cars in our country - for the purchase of a German car it was quite possible to rattle behind bars. With the advent of Yeltsin to power, the opportunity to purchase a foreign car appeared for anyone who had money, and at that time it was mainly representatives of the criminal world who had money. As a result, the most popular models of the 90s in Russia received the label of gangster cars, while becoming iconic for an entire era.
600th Mercedes
The so-called six hundredth Mercedes, along with a crimson jacket and a mobile phone, was a mandatory attribute of any "new Russian", that is, a businessman who made a fortune on criminal activities. The six hundredth meant Mercedes-Benz S-class in the back of the W140, produced from 1991 to 1998 and signed in Russia with the S600 index. It was this model that Sasha Bely, the protagonist of the Brigade series, had.
The car was simply luxurious for that time - it had unique double glazing, power mirrors, automatically closing doors and trunk, and even climate control. In addition, crime bosses were attracted to his safety. No wonder it was on the basis of the Mercedes-Benz S600 that an armored limousine for Boris Yeltsin was created, and in 1998 the “six hundredth” saved Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze from inevitable death during an assassination attempt.
"Gelik"
Another Mercedes-Benz that has become a symbol of the Bindit era is the G-class, also known as Gelendvagen or simply Gelik. The car has been produced since 1979 to this day, and during this time it has experienced only one cardinal transformation - the only official generation change took place back in 1990. The car really does not look the most modern way - because of the uncouth rectangular shape, it was nicknamed the "brick". However, the bandits fell in love with this SUV not for external data, but for impressive safety and patency, as well as for an unusually high price, which made the G-class a symbol of exorbitant luxury.
"Boomer"
Only slightly inferior in popularity to "Mercedes" were BMW cars, popularly nicknamed "Boomers". The most famous and widespread "Boomer" was the hero of the film of the same name - the BMW 7 series sedan under the E38 index, produced from 1994 to 2001. The car was revolutionary in terms of the use of electronic systems, being the first in the world to receive an adaptive automatic transmission and a dynamic motion stabilization system. It was also a plus that the model had armored versions.
"Nine"
Mercedes and BMW cars cost a lot of money, and few could afford them. Bandits of a lower rank chose a simple and affordable car of domestic production - VAZ 2109, aka Lada Samara. From the previous model, VAZ 2108, the "nine" favorably differed in the presence of four doors. Thus, the company that came to the “case” could quickly get out of the car and just as quickly climb back in and drive away. "Nine" was not of high quality, often stalled and rusted, but almost anyone could afford it.
Jeep
If all over the world Jeep is just one of the car brands specializing in the production of SUVs, then in Russia since the 90s the word “Jeep” itself has become the designation of an SUV, cars of this brand were so popular. The Grand Cherokee has become a cult model both for Russia and for the whole world. A spacious interior, a high level of comfort and increased cross-country ability - all this led the Jeep Grand Cherokee to the wish list for the "new Russian" along with the Gelendvagen.
"Kruzak"
Already towards the end of the 90s, the Jeep Grand Cherokee slowed down a bit in sales, because in Russia a worthy competitor appeared for him - the Toyota Land Cruiser 100. Its sales started in early 1998, and many "merchants" moved to it. The Japanese looked much more modern than the American, was larger and showed phenomenal cross-country ability. In addition, the car was covered with an anti-corrosion compound, thanks to which, no matter what dirt the Land Cruiser climbed, rust was not terrible for him.
In the early 90s of the twentieth century, foreign cars began to appear more and more often on the roads of the former USSR. In those difficult times, it was almost impossible to make money on such a car in an honest way. So these cars got the name "gangster cars". In this article, we have collected information about the most popular cars of the "dashing 90s".
1. LADA SAMARA
"chisel"
The VAZ 2109 car can be fully attributed to the gangster "grindstones", since many representatives of the underworld drove such cars in those days. An interesting fact is that LADA SAMARA (the popular name is “chisel”) was developed by AvtoVAZ with Porshe itself and had good characteristics in comparison with other manufacturers of the domestic auto industry. In particular, "long-winged" models were in demand, which was considered a special chic.
2. AUDI 80
"barrel"
This car received its popular name - "barrel". The model was produced from 1987 to 1991. The range of engine volumes is from 1.4 to 2.3 liters. At that time, the car was considered quite powerful, which made it easy to get away from the police chase on it. Especially when you consider that the policemen then drove exclusively on domestic VAZ 2101.
3. BMW 525i E34
"Ransomware War Machine"
Among certain categories of users, the BMW abbreviation stood for "extortionist fighting vehicle." This name was assigned to this car because of its incredible popularity in gangster circles. The most popular among BMW 5 series cars were 525 - 535, where the engine size was 2.5-3.5 liters, with a power of 192 hp. In addition, quite often it was possible to meet models of the 7th series (for example, BMW 7 in the back of E32 and E38). As a rule, the leaders of gangster groups could afford such cars. In these cars, the engine volume was in the range of 2.5-5.5 liters.
4.Mercedes S600
"boar"
The Mercedes S600 car in the back of the W140 is just a legend of those times, which received the popular name "boar". By the way, it was this car that was often found in jokes of those times (about the new Russians). The reason for such a high popularity of this car was its truly breakthrough equipment.
It was produced from 1991 to 1998. and had electrical adjustment of almost everything that is possible, climate control of each of the zones, as well as the ability to install a telephone and fax. Mersedes S600 was available in 2 versions, which differed from each other in base length (short body W140, long body V140). Engines were installed on the car, with a volume of 2.8 to 6.0 liters, while the 5- and 6-liter versions (with a capacity of 326hp and 408 hp, respectively) were the most popular with us.
Special attention deserves the machines that in those years performed the function of escort. As a rule, these were powerful and reliable SUVs of American and Japanese production. Especially often used for this purpose:
5. CHEVROLET TAHOE
"taha"
The impressive size and aggressive appearance of this car made it very popular in those days. The car could easily accommodate 9 people at once, and the impressive size of the trunk made it possible to transport anything in it (quite often it was a serious military arsenal). The cars were equipped with powerful engines (the minimum volume in this brand is 5.8 liters).
6. TOYOTA LAND CRUISER
"Kruzak"
This car got its name - "Kruzak". He immediately fell in love with his unpretentiousness in maintenance and a relatively low price, since the most expensive car equipment cost half as much as, for example, a “cube” from Mersedes. The TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 80 version has been produced since 1988. and was equipped with in-line 6-cylinder engines (the maximum engine power, with a volume of 4.5 liters, was 215 hp).
The next generation - TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 100 appeared on the market in 1998. Starting with this version, Kruzaks began to be equipped with powerful V-engines, with a volume of 4.7 liters. It should be noted that these machines were popular not only among criminals. So, it was on them that representatives of special forces went (for example, Berkut).
Progress does not stand still. And confirmation of that. Perhaps soon in your garage!
What did Sasha Bely drive, the heroes of the movie "Boomer" and their prototypes from real life
Until the 90s of the 20th century, only a select few owned foreign cars in our country - for the purchase of a German car it was quite possible to rattle behind bars. With the advent of Yeltsin to power, the opportunity to purchase a foreign car appeared for anyone who had money, and at that time it was mainly representatives of the criminal world who had money. As a result, the most popular models of the 90s in Russia received the label of gangster cars, while becoming iconic for an entire era.
600th Mercedes
The so-called six hundredth Mercedes, along with a crimson jacket and a mobile phone, was a mandatory attribute of any "new Russian", that is, a businessman who made a fortune on criminal activities. The six hundredth meant Mercedes-Benz S-class in the back of the W140, produced from 1991 to 1998 and signed in Russia with the S600 index. It was this model that Sasha Bely, the protagonist of the Brigade series, had.
The car was simply luxurious for that time - it had unique double glazing, power mirrors, automatically closing doors and trunk, and even climate control. In addition, crime bosses were attracted to his safety. No wonder it was on the basis of the Mercedes-Benz S600 that an armored limousine for Boris Yeltsin was created, and in 1998 the “six hundredth” saved Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze from inevitable death during an assassination attempt.
"Gelik"
Another Mercedes-Benz that has become a symbol of the Bindit era is the G-class, also known as Gelendvagen or simply Gelik. The car has been produced since 1979 to this day, and during this time it has experienced only one cardinal transformation - the only official generation change took place back in 1990. The car really does not look the most modern way - because of the uncouth rectangular shape, it was nicknamed the "brick". However, the bandits fell in love with this SUV not for external data, but for impressive safety and patency, as well as for an unusually high price, which made the G-class a symbol of exorbitant luxury.
"Boomer"
Only slightly inferior in popularity to "Mercedes" were BMW cars, popularly nicknamed "Boomers". The most famous and widespread "Boomer" was the hero of the film of the same name - the BMW 7 series sedan under the E38 index, produced from 1994 to 2001. The car was revolutionary in terms of the use of electronic systems, being the first in the world to receive an adaptive automatic transmission and a dynamic motion stabilization system. It was also a plus that the model had armored versions.
"Nine"
Mercedes and BMW cars cost a lot of money, and few could afford them. Bandits of a lower rank chose a simple and affordable car of domestic production - VAZ 2109, aka Lada Samara. From the previous model, VAZ 2108, the "nine" favorably differed in the presence of four doors. Thus, the company that came to the “case” could quickly get out of the car and just as quickly climb back in and drive away. "Nine" was not of high quality, often stalled and rusted, but almost anyone could afford it.
Jeep
If all over the world Jeep is just one of the car brands specializing in the production of SUVs, then in Russia since the 90s the word “Jeep” itself has become the designation of an SUV, cars of this brand were so popular. The Grand Cherokee has become a cult model both for Russia and for the whole world. A spacious interior, a high level of comfort and increased cross-country ability - all this led the Jeep Grand Cherokee to the wish list for the "new Russian" along with the Gelendvagen.
"Kruzak"
Already towards the end of the 90s, the Jeep Grand Cherokee slowed down a bit in sales, because in Russia a worthy competitor appeared for him - the Toyota Land Cruiser 100. Its sales started in early 1998, and many "merchants" moved to it. The Japanese looked much more modern than the American, was larger and showed phenomenal cross-country ability. In addition, the car was covered with an anti-corrosion compound, thanks to which, no matter what dirt the Land Cruiser climbed, rust was not terrible for him.