A man from Tolyatti showed a modified LADA Kalina with a 178-horsepower engine
In the city of Tolyatti, the center of the Russian automotive industry, there is a truly unique Lada Kalina with all-wheel drive and two engines. Of course, this is not a factory project, but an initiative of an enthusiastic designer who, by the way, in the past worked as an engineer at VAZ.
Yuri Kostyukovich took the regular production Kalina as a basis and supplemented it with a second identical gasoline engine with 16 valves, similar to the standard one. He installed this second unit in the rear of the cabin instead of seats, rotating it 180 degrees to accommodate the gearbox on the left. This entire structure is separated from the driver by a transparent partition.
An additional radiator from the Niva appeared across the body behind the seats to cool the rear engine. To provide him with air flow, Kostyukovich synchronized the opening of the rear windows with the operation of two fans.
Why was such a non-standard solution needed? Firstly, the total power of both engines reached 178 horsepower, thanks to which the Kalina’s acceleration to 100 km/h was reduced to 8 seconds – these are comparable figures with the Renault Clio RS or Opel Corsa OPC sports cars, the standard versions of which are to some extent are classmates of “Kalina”. At the same time, the weight of the car increased from 1080 to 1339 kg, but it was possible to achieve almost ideal weight distribution between the front (52%) and rear (48%) axles.
Secondly, both engines work harmoniously – with synchronized gears and traction. First, the front engine is started, then the rear engine is started using a separate toggle switch, and the starter button is pressed.
As a result, a symmetrical permanent all-wheel drive scheme without a center differential was implemented. As for the suspension, it remains standard front and rear, but with significant differences in wheel installation and kinematics. (photo: autoreview.ru)
