As you know, the “bad guys” - swindlers, bandits, killers - traditionally prefer the best cars. The best of those available at a particular time in a particular country. In our long-suffering Motherland, in fact, there were only a few such cars, but they all left a bright mark on the history of the dashing nineties. Today we will talk about gangster cars of the 90s.
Since in Soviet times (until the beginning of the 80s) organized crime did not officially exist in the country, there were essentially no gang cars. Of all the pre-perestroika cars, only the “twenty-first” Volgas are remembered, and only thanks to the famous story about Yuri Detochkin. No, since the 70s in the USSR the share of foreign cars in the hands of actors, directors and other celebrities of that era has increased significantly. And already on Soviet license plates. One of the first to change several foreign cars in his life was Vladimir Vysotsky. Already in the 80s there were noticeably more such people. Some underground millionaires and thieves in law could afford to hide in the garage the most luxurious Mercedes at that time in the bodies of W123 and W126 or BMW 7 Series, which ordinary Soviet citizens saw only in the movies.
But there were only a few of them. It was much more realistic for lovers of luxury life in the USSR to illegally purchase a Volga decommissioned from some state institution, and, if you had good funds and connections, even a Chaika. God himself ordered ordinary “hucksters” and criminals to drive a VAZ “classic”, the best car available at that time. But Zhigulis, even the most prestigious models of their time (VAZ-2106 and VAZ-2107), did not stand out from the general flow in any way - after all, in principle, the whole country drove them. And the car became an indispensable attribute of the criminal world only in the late 80s - early 90s, when the decline of the law enforcement system and a sharp rampant crime led to explosions, chases and shootouts right on the city streets...
Perhaps the first “gangsta-mobile” in Russia was the ordinary VAZ “Nine”. At first, in the mid-80s, Volga front-wheel drive cars, like any new car, were accepted by many ordinary people quite warily, but over the five years since the start of production, the plant has solved the main problems with spare parts and brought reliability to an acceptable (by Soviet-Russian standards) level. It was then that all the positive qualities of the “chisels” came to the fore: good dynamics and controllability for those times, relative unpretentiousness and reliability.
Why did the nine, which appeared later, become more popular, and not the eight? Yes, because four side doors distinguished the VAZ-2109 from the 2108 - they allowed a “crew” of 4-5 people to get into or leave the car very quickly if necessary. In a hectic life with showdowns and shootouts, this was an important advantage of the car. It’s not for nothing that the group “Combination” sang a song specifically about the cherry nine - many of the country’s “tough guys” dreamed of such a car. At the turn of the 90s, the Samara turned out to be both an affordable and quite prestigious car; a variety of representatives of the “shadow business” of our country did not shy away from driving it. The Volga has not yet lost its respectable status: these were often driven by all sorts of black marketeers, swindlers, thieves - in a word, representatives of “intelligent” criminal professions.
VAZ 2109 1987 – 2004 (late model pictured)
During perestroika times, the prospect of switching to a foreign car for the first domestic “businessmen” became quite real - Mercedes and Volvo from the West, Toyota and Nissan from the East slowly began to seep into the country. They were mostly imported illegally, usually through bribes at customs. Well, with the fall of the Iron Curtain, already at the very beginning of the 90s, a real stream of used foreign cars poured into the country. Both European and Japanese small cars for middle-class people, and the American auto industry for those richer were imported to Russia.
Against this background, the prestige of the “cherry nines” and black Volgas quickly faded. Moreover, the quality of assembly and parts of domestic cars has sharply dropped. It is worth noting that AvtoVAZ itself, like many Russian factories, found itself in the first half of the 90s under the control of an organized crime group - according to some sources, a tenth of all cars produced went straight off the assembly line to extortionists as various “ransoms”. So many bandits of the Volga region actually received brand new Zhiguli cars for free - ride as much as you like. But for “serious people” domestic cars were no longer based on status. According to unwritten rules, in those days for any self-respecting “businessman” the first serious money was supposed to be spent on a decent foreign car.
At first, Russian businessmen and criminals really fell in love with the “Americans.” Newspapers and magazines of 1991-1994 were literally full of advertisements for various American sedans - from the mid-size Chrysler New Yorker and Pontiac Bonneville to the huge Cadillac Deville and Lincoln Town Car. Their powerful, unpretentious engines easily digested bad gasoline; their huge bodies made of thick steel not only successfully accommodated a whole gang of bodyguards, but also provided additional chances to survive accidents and shootouts.
Pontiac Bonneville 1988 - 1991
It should be noted that in the early 90s there were many American cars only in Moscow and the region - wide avenues and ring roads, at that time not yet congested with traffic jams, were perfect for multi-liter dreadnoughts. St. Petersburg, due to its close location to Scandinavia, fell in love with Volvos and Saabs for a long time - they were driven from Sweden and Finland, and the supply of spare parts was carried out from there. Quite strong and very prestigious, these cars turned out to be an indispensable attribute of business and crime in the North-West of Russia. The Saab 9000 was also very popular in the early 90s in both capitals and their surrounding areas.
Volvo 940 1990 - 1998
The province, which was not provided with good roads, spare parts, or service, initially turned out to be almost closed to prestigious foreign cars. However, very quickly the “new Russians” from the regions found a way out - to purchase used all-terrain vehicles. The most famous “gangster” SUV was, of course, the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
This is exactly the car that starred in the famous episode with the Maxim machine gun from the film Brother-2. The “wide jeep” perfectly combined high cross-country ability, speed, acceptable handling and a comfortable interior. Perhaps the only drawback is high fuel consumption. But who counted it in those days when gasoline in Russia cost a penny? Well, the fact is that with a gasoline engine capacity of 4 to 5.9 liters, it produced from 185 to 245 hp. – these are rather the claims of today. Old-school “Americans” are just like that - wasteful, multi-liter, with a gluttonous automatic transmission and square optics... The Jeep Grand Cherokee actually became the first executive class all-terrain vehicle in the world. On the Russian market, it easily beat its competitors - Ford Explorer and Chevrolet Blazer.
Jeep Grand Cherokee 1993 - 1996
But, despite the rather simple and durable design, the Russian “new Russians” managed to kill Jeeps too. Therefore, in the Urals and Siberia, where the situation with roads and spare parts was very bad, the local “brothers” were much more willing to take the “Japanese” - albeit less prestigious, but more reliable. Toyota LC80 and 4Runner, Mitsubishi Pajero, as well as Nissan Terrano took not the last place in the ranking of bandit cars of that time.
Toyota Land Cruiser 80, or simply as the lads called it “Kruzak”, as always “Tinted all around”. Also an unforgettable car in the 90s.
Toyota Land Cruiser 80 1989 - 1998 (model 1995 – 1997 pictured)
Mitsubishi Pajero, aka a real tank for high-powered shooters. As for the fast bird “Pajero”, as a trump card, in addition to a more economical engine, it also had the image of a multiple conqueror of “Dakars”. In addition, the Japanese could boast of the Super Select 4WD transmission, which was ultra-progressive at that time, which made it possible to change operating modes on the move up to 100 km/h, ideally adapting to any type of road and off-road.
Mitsubishi Pajero 1994
Surprisingly, in the era of initial accumulation of capital, German cars were not very much in demand among the Russian “lads”. The turning point came somewhere in the mid-90s. By that time, the conservatism, slowness and mediocre driving performance of the American and Swedish automobile industry had already become boring to the “elite” of the underground world. Fresh German models looked much more advantageous - just as powerful and prestigious, but more dynamic, elegant and modern.
After the opening of the borders, the symbols of not only the gangster business, but also the era of the 90s in general, became the BMW 5 in the back of the E34, the Mercedes-Benz G-Klasse (still popular today) and, of course, the legendary “boar” - the Mercedes-Benz S in W140 body. The latter was used by the elite of the criminal world, the “Geliks”, as a rule, traveling with an escort. “Fives” were used by bandits of a lower rank, but those who had already risen.
BMW 5 E34 1987 – 1996 (pictured M5 1988 – 1992)
In the first half of the 90s, a brand new BMW 525i in Moscow cost only 35-40 thousand dollars, and a used one was even cheaper. With age, the Bavarians lost value noticeably faster than Mercedes: a three- to five-year-old car could already be bought for quite reasonable money. To feel like a respected person, all that remained was to tint it tightly, and, if possible, get “beautiful” numbers. In terms of indestructibility, ultimately, BMWs were almost as good as Mercedes, but they were superior in terms of driving performance. The fairly simple and unpretentious “five” E34 was clearly right at home. Relatively lightweight, with powerful engines (the most popular was the 192-horsepower 2.5 on the 525i model), and a memorable design, it became a real “ransomware fighting machine” in the 90s. Perhaps the BMW 525i has become the No. 2 car in the Russian criminal world - behind the “six hundredth”, but ahead of the Grand Cherokee. As a rule, rising bandits moved on such 5th bekhs. It was prestigious and honorable to have such a car among people in the criminal circle.
The Jeep itself from the Cherokee tribe was replaced in the second half of the 90s by a true Aryan, Mercedes Gelandewagen. By that time, a simple army all-terrain vehicle had just acquired powerful engines and a lot of “bells and whistles” - what Russian citizens in power needed! The prestige of the Gelendevagen was reinforced by very small, almost exclusive production volumes (about 7-8 thousand per year), and of course, the magical combination of cross-country ability and indestructibility, so important in our area. A Gelik in good condition cost not much less than a 500th passenger car, and yet the Russian elite considered it a matter of honor to have a pair of such cars accompanied by them. By the way, it was no coincidence that the Gelendevagen became a security car - for the bigwigs themselves it was not comfortable enough - cramped, shaking and noisy. But it’s just right for security: it may be inconvenient, but it’s strong and impressive in appearance.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class 1979 – present (pictured model 1994 - 1997)
But the main and unconditional grandee, the object of admiration and cult, as well as the hero of numerous jokes about the nouveau riche, was the Mercedes S 600. When launching the car for sale, the concern’s advertisers provided it with the slogan: “In the S-class you will find a lot that fans of other companies will only get in the next generation of cars."
Mercedes-Benz S-class 1990 – 1998 (pictured model 1990 - 1993)
However, simply owning a ship in the 140th body was not enough. It was necessary that the treasured numbers flaunt on the trunk lid, making the car an idol. Actually, there were not so many six hundredths - of course, in relative terms.
One way or another, it was from the “six hundredth” that the real cult of the three-pointed star began in Russia. Those who were forced to hide their old Mercedes in their dachas from the KGB a decade ago now had the opportunity to show the whole country who was boss. Mercedes were feared and respected almost as much as the black Volgas and Chaikas in Soviet times. At the same time, they were shot, set on fire and blown up - the “six hundredth” became a real symbol of the criminal wars in Russia in the mid-90s. It was even called the unluckiest car in the world - how many lives these gloomy sedans took with them!
Apparently, this did not bother even the President of Russia, who used the same car - albeit well armored, and also an exclusive extended version of the Pullman. The Mercedes W140 was big, heavy, incredibly comfortable and terribly expensive. A new S500L or S600L cost in Russia in the 90s in the range of 90-120 thousand dollars - a very impressive amount by the standards of the mid-90s. That's almost three times more expensive than a Jeep Grand Cherokee. For example, the average European small car from the late 80s cost 3–4 thousand dollars at that time.
Armored “elephants,” which were very popular in those turbulent times, cost incredible amounts of money – usually $300-500 thousand. But the love of businessmen of that time for the “multi-hundredth” knew no bounds: they say there were people who lived in “Khrushchev” apartments and dressed in the markets, but at the same time managed to drive brand new Mercedes! It is not surprising that such cars appear in almost every film “about good and bad” made in Russia over the past 12-15 years. Some time after the end of production of the W140 in 1998, one of the Russian TV channels even made a documentary about the difficult life of the “six hundredths” in Russia.
By the way, contrary to popular belief about the mass production of Mercedes 600s, only about 500-1000 W140 cars were bought new in Russia every year. Several times more cars were imported from Europe in used condition. Most of them were indeed the S600 model, or at least the S500 - the tight-fisted Germans willingly got rid of the old gluttonous “elephants”, selling them for relatively little money to Russia...
The Stuttgart concern often equipped its spacious handsome car with economical six-cylinder engines of 2.8 and 3.2 liters, producing 193 and 231 hp. respectively, as well as a V-shaped “eight” of 4.2 and 5 liters. But the most outstanding achievement is, of course, the S-Class V12 with a 394-horsepower engine, which accelerated the 2650-kilogram car to hundreds in just 6 seconds...
Despite the highest technical excellence, the third generation S class cars did not find enough fans and potential buyers in Germany for a long time. It seemed too baggy to the Germans... But what a disaster - on 1/6 of the six hundredth landmass for ten long years - an entire era! - a symbol of success, the limit of your wildest dreams. Indeed, in the 90s in our country, a car was not just the calling card of its owner - it was an object of culture (or subculture - someone might object), reverence, a standard measure of everything.
Undoubtedly, this is number one on the list of cars with echoes of the 90s!
It’s interesting that the BMW 7 Series in the E32 body, traditionally the main competitor of the Mercedes S-Class in world markets, was clearly in the shadow of the “six hundredth”. She did not become too popular in Russia. Perhaps one of the reasons could be due to the rather delicate design of the chassis and the abundance of electronics - car repairs often cost too much money even for the “dashing guys”.
BMW 7 E32 1986 – 1994
One way or another, even in used condition, the “six hundredth” or the BMW “seven-fifty” were very expensive for street bandits and middle-class businessmen. They turned their attention to smaller and cheaper cars. It would seem that the ideal “gangster car” of the middle class in Russia at that time should have been the younger brother of the “elephant” - the W124 body. The E-class of that time was much more affordable and widespread, and had a huge number of modifications. However, the rather complex chassis did not withstand bad roads very well, and besides, in Europe the car had a strong image as a taxi car. In addition, most cars from Europe came with low-power 4-cylinder engines, including diesel engines. In a word, the Mercedes W124 was the car of thrifty burghers, but our “brothers” needed something more aggressive and dynamic.
Mercedes-Benz E-class 1984 – 1997
And then the August 1998 crisis happened. It would seem that the crime rate in a country completely mired in financial problems will only increase and a new round of criminal wars will begin. However, the initial redistribution of spheres of influence and financial flows has already occurred. Now, in order to steal something, you had to wait for someone to earn it. In the new conditions, making money on the purchase and sale of bankrupt factories and enterprises has become even more profitable than robbing and killing. The dirty money was slowly laundered, the former “brothers” legalized their “business”.
Perhaps the most iconic car of that time was the Toyota Land Cruiser 100 all-terrain vehicle - many people switched to it from the huge American Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban all-terrain vehicles, popular in the central part of Russia in the mid-90s. Appearing in 1998, the “hundredth” won the hearts of powerful Russian citizens for a good decade. The highest reliability and cross-country ability made the car very popular in the regions. In addition, “Kukuruznik” (or “Kruzak”, as it is usually called), even in the most expensive version, cost one and a half times less than Gelendevagen and therefore seemed a rather pragmatic choice. Thanks to this, “one hundred” quickly fell in love not only with businessmen, but also with law enforcement agencies, especially the top of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Traffic Inspectorate. So the “corn maker” had a very peculiar “gangster-cop” image - but in any case, mere mortals usually avoided such cars...
Toyota Land Cruiser 100 1997 – 2007
At the turn of the 21st century, the time had come to update the fleet of local bigwigs - the old BMW “fives” had already served their purpose, more modern, comfortable and respectable cars were needed. Many of the country's "cool kids" again made their choice in favor of German cars - they were the new BMW "five" (E39 body) and the "pop-eyed" Mercedes W210. Both models went on sale in Germany back in 1995, but in Russia they became widely available only five years later - already imported used. It is interesting that the new, “pop-eyed” E-class was received coolly in Europe (according to some sources, in 1995, during the discontinuation of the W124 and the transition to the new W210, there were even taxi driver strikes in Germany), but in Russia it was clearly to the yard. A very memorable appearance, improved equipment and more powerful engines compared to its predecessor made a decisive contribution to its popularity.
Mercedes-Benz E-class W210 1995 – 2002
A direct competitor of Mercedes, the BMW E39 also had every chance to continue the criminal glory of its predecessor... However, one significant event occurred - at the end of 1998, a contract was signed to organize the assembly of BMW cars in Russia. In the context of the flaring crisis, this decision almost looked like a mockery, because at that time more than half of the country’s population was barely making ends meet! However, despite the skeptics, a year later the first “boomers” rolled off the production line of the joint venture in Kaliningrad. And in 2000-2001, there was a fairly massive campaign to “transplant” Russian officials to those very “fives” and “sevens” BMWs - under the slogan of supporting the domestic manufacturer. In particular, the then Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin drove a BMW E39. Thus, probably the very first blow was dealt to the criminal image of BMW - the brand was slowly turning from a gangster to a government one. And in general, in the early 2000s, the level of organized crime in the country finally began to decline...
BMW 5 E39 1995 – 2003
In these conditions, it is the turn of the Russian elite to change their faithful horses - the brutal Mercedes W140 - for something more restrained. The Daimler-Benz concern was very dissatisfied with the criticism of its “suitcase” and prepared a new generation of the S-Class for launch into the series - the W220, which is strikingly different from the old one. The change of generations, by the way, surprisingly precisely coincided in Russia with the August crisis of 1998. A more compact body, the abandonment of double windows to save weight - skeptics itched that the new “two hundred and twentieth” had lost in strength and comfort. In fact, many nouveau riche were initially put off by the unusual design. Compared to the brutal solidity of the 140, the new W220 looked too smooth, light and elegant. It should be noted that the share of the S600 model itself has noticeably decreased - the lighter S-class now had enough of 8-cylinder engines. During the entire production period, “two hundred and twentieth” did not come up with a single nickname - it was very unusual for the Russian “target audience”. It cannot be said that the 220th body was not popular in Russia: it was still the sole leader in its class on the domestic market. About 1,000 cars a year were bought new from us, and a couple of times more used cars were imported. And yet it was far from the glory of its predecessor.
Mercedes-Benz S-class W220 1998 – 2005
In those days, part of the political and criminal elite even moved from the old 600s to the Audi A8 and BMW 7-series. They looked much more strict and even gloomy compared to the new S-class. The first one could boast of all-wheel drive, but due to its rather specific design (in particular, the aluminum body was extremely complex and expensive to repair, especially in those days), the A8 was not very suitable for Russian operating conditions, and only a few were imported. In addition, it can be noted that the Audi company, unlike Mercedes and BMW, has never had a pronounced criminal image in Russia. Partly because in the 90s, primarily low-power and not very prestigious “barrels” and “herrings” were imported into Russia - they were in no way suitable for bandit cars. In addition, Audi has always had a far from prestigious relationship with Volkswagen. Rumor has it that in the late 90s a batch of Audi A6 and A8 cars was imported into Russia for members of the government - this finally discouraged criminals from driving such cars. Later, in the 2000s, quite a lot of Audi A6 sedans in the 1997 model were imported into the country - but it was primarily a “director’s” car, not a gangster.
Audi A6 C5 1997 – 2004 (pictured model 1999 – 2001)
The BMW “Seven” (E38 body) in turn starred in the landmark film “Boomer” - and in the title role. But now they talked about the criminal glory of BMW rather in the past tense. And the 38th body was not truly popular among Russian criminals - primarily because the chassis was too delicate for our roads...
The hero of the second part of “Boomer” – the BMW X5 – became much more famous. Moreover, at the beginning of the century a real boom in SUVs and SUVs began in Russia. Since 2003, three-year-old BMW X5s have poured in from the USA. Very prestigious, with a distinctive appearance, fast, but at the same time not exorbitantly expensive - they turned out to be a desirable vehicle for the “tough guys” of Russia. For some time, the “he-fifth” became perhaps the most fashionable car in the country. It was a very strong competitor to the clumsy Gelendevagens and Landcruisers. Yes, having excellent asphalt driving characteristics, it was completely inferior to real all-terrain vehicles in terms of cross-country ability - but who needs it if the paths of the “powers that be” now pass mainly along the asphalt highways of the capital and other large cities of Russia. It is noteworthy that despite the universal love for the X5, government departments almost did not purchase these cars - apparently, they were scared off by operating costs that were too high for Russian public sector employees. Indeed, this BMW is characterized by very expensive maintenance, and therefore the Lexus RX300 crossover became popular in Russia in the same years as a more reliable and affordable alternative. Firstly, it became the first widely known car of this brand in Russia, and secondly, along with its compatriot Toyota Land Cruiser 100, it did not allow German manufacturers to “monopolize” the market. However, today the capital’s housewives and even taxi drivers are already in full swing on used Lexuses...
BMW X5 E53 1999 – 2006
Nowadays, almost any luxury SUV is popular among the “powers that be” in Russia - from Range Rover, Porsche Cayenne, Infiniti QX80 to Audi Q7 and Lexus LX570. Of course, they are no longer driven by street bandits and extortionists, but by completely “law-abiding” officials and businessmen...
All of the above is true, first of all, for the European part of Russia - from Kaliningrad to the Urals. Apparently, approximately the same “alignment of forces” was in Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In Siberia and the Far East, due to geographical proximity to Japan, the car market developed according to its own scenario, and completely different cars became popular there. Instead of BMWs and Mercedes, top models of Toyotas and Nissans were much more popular outside the Urals...
