Among the passions of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, there are the cars. Former KGB agent, the Russian leader is famous for his enthusiasm for luxury models: His private collection exceeds 700 high-end vehicles.
In a political regime as opaque as the Russian one, it is difficult to know any important data, especially if it concerns President Putin, but they are acquaintances some of the vehicles that he owns, starting with the official car, the Aurus Senat Limousine.
Putin’s armored car
is a real armored car destined to transport the highest president on his trips abroad and, of course, in his own country. Your armor is such that resists heavy weapon attacks and even bombs of small impact.
Weighing seven tons and almost seven meters long, the model hides Some accessories that neither the executive director of Aurus, Franz Hilgert, has wanted to reveal. But it is known that he hides an emergency exit in the area behind him.
With a cost exceeding one million eurosthe presidential car mounts a hybrid V8 engine with a displacement of almost five liters, developed by the Russian Institute of Automotive Studies (NAMI) in collaboration with Porsche.
This 600 CV mechanic allows you to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than six seconds and reach a top speed of 250 km/h.
And another curiosity: in 2019 this car was denounced by some manufacturers as Toyota, Lamborghini Y Michelins before the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
They claimed that Aurus closely resembles the names of the models Auris, Urus Y Taurus, but the presidential car continues to be called the same… in addition, its resemblance to the Rolls Royce Phantom VIII is more than evident.
Mercedes ML
Putin prefers the national product, to a certain extent… Russia is not a global giant in the automotive industry and that is why he has been seen on several occasions behind the wheel of a Mercedes MLwith his chauffeur in the passenger seat.
This vehicle has a 275 CV engine and a recognized off-road capabilitywhich makes it capable of overcoming the most difficult obstacles, all surrounded by top-level luxury.
The curious history of the ZAZ-968
The president lives not only on extravagance and luxury. He also had one of the worst Russian cars in history: the ZAZ-968. And the history of this car is curious. His mother won him in the lottery and gave it to Putin as a gift in 1972. He wore it for several years and then sold it to one of his colleagues in the Russian secret service, the KGB. When he became president, he got it back.
The one known as soviet corvair (because of its similarities with a well-known Chevrolet model) it was the cheapest of its time and had its own engine of the time, with only 41 CV of power.
Lada Niva
It is evident that putin He must have had a car from the best-known Russian brand beyond its borders: Lada. And besides the Lada Niva shown here, has several more models.
But Putin’s Niva, purchased in 2009, is also retouched to the president’s taste. It has camouflage elements in shades of green, off-road tires, snorkeling (upper air intake), winch and off-road headlights, among other details.
GAZ-21 Volga
Other soviet car that Vladimir Putin acquired for being the more or less official model of the KGB spies was the GAZ-21 Volga. Despite being a large and luxurious model, It mounted one of the first engines built entirely in aluminum, 2.4 liters and gasoline, but with only 70 CV.
Apparently, the Russian president has two models of this version, and both are parked in the garage that he has in his old and modest 70-square-meter house.
