Far away in Australia, the land of kangaroos and extra-long transcontinental railways, the evolution had its own way surprising the rest of the world with wonderful species of plants and animals which exist only in this area. Car manufacturing and customizing have also been growing apart from the rest of the world, evolving in their own unique way and giving birth to amazing things such as stunningly beautiful Holden Efijy concept car. The tuning studio Probag Australia decided to keep up with their colleagues and surprise the whole world. And for this purpose they have chosen a product dissimilar to all others — Lada Niva V8.
Red monster with 22-inch chrome wheels catches immediately the eye of a person who is at least somehow familiar with VAZ product line — distinctive round headlights; parking lamps together with turn signal lights forming “eyebrows”; short base; 3 doors with a short deck lid and horizontal “six-sector” rear lights — that all forms a classic Niva. How did it end up in Australia? Commerce has its own mysterious ways and Niva has always been popular in the world due to its low price and great off-road performance that is why one can still see a familiar outline in various faraway countries.
Unusual car body without any engine, suspension or transmission left on the dump attracted the attention of the men from Probag — a small tuning studio. The guys wanted to build a show-car and catch the interest of the audience. The donor was slashed mercilessly in order to carry V8 Holden (or call it Chevrolet) which might seem really “oversized” for a small off-road vehicle. Holley 650 carburettor “feeds” the huge engine which transmits the rotational power with the help of Holset turbocharger to the rear axle through a Trimatic gearbox.
In order to hold the “unholdable” they had to cut out almost all underbonnet and interior space, reinforce the body with a roll cage and make extra holes in the bonnet as some of the elements of the feed system were too high and could not fit in. Locally built air spring bellows were placed in the boot turning the car into a real lowrider which is not only able to roar dreadfully and burn rubber but also to turn up its nose and stern, and even bounce.
Toyota Hilux served as a donor of suspension and brake system parts. They took some of its parts and redesigned them so that they could fit in the red Niva. The guys have also redesigned the car’s interior and exterior- sealed the handles, removed all logos and unnecessary holes, removed the dashboard leaving only the wheel, pedals, a few switches and the necessary amount of indicators in front of the driver. Unfortunately, this car has never shown its worth on a dragstip remaining in show-car status but it managed to play this part perfectly by winning a few local awards.
Features. Engine: Chevrolet (Holden) 5-litre V8 turbo
Horsepower: more than 500 hp
Transmission: three-speed (Trimatic)
Differential: Toyota Hilux shortened version
Suspension: air cushion, adjustable, Probag, based on Toyota Hilux elements
Brake system: Toyota Hilux disk brake
Wheels: front wheels BSA 18”, 215/18, rear wheels BSA 22”, 265/22
