What’s likely to be the last brand new Lada Niva ever available in the UK is now for sale via Mark Key, the specialist who recommenced small-scale imports of the rugged 4×4 in early 2021. The unregistered Niva currently in stock is the final example ordered prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of this year.
The Bronto Prestige is a top-of-the-range Lada Niva, complete with air conditioning, extended wheelarches, a 50mm suspension lift and all-terrain tyres. It has 30 delivery kilometres on its odometer and is priced at £22,342 plus VAT – reclaimable if the buyer is VAT-registered and takes the Niva as a two-seater commercial vehicle. All profits from the sale are being donated to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Commenting on his cessation of Niva imports, Mark Key told Classics World: “It’s unlikely that things will thaw with Russia for the remaining part of our combustion engine decade, so sadly that’s it.” He confirms that the Lada will be sold with the usual two-year warranty, and that essential parts will continue to be kept in stock for existing owners.
The Lada Niva was first introduced in the Soviet Union in 1977, with the first export models arriving the following year. The car has remained in production ever since, gaining a reputation for ruggedness and off-road prowess while spawning a number of bodystyles and countless specification and trim changes over the years. The car was available in the UK officially up until 1997 before parts supply and emissions regulations saw imports cease. In its native Russia, however, even the arrival of a GM-backed revised model in 1998 didn’t kill off the original; today, the Niva survives in ‘Legend’ guise alongside its updated siblings.
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