A Wankel engined Samara three-door hatchback, the 2108-91, powered by a two-rotor VAZ-415 (with two 654 cc (39.9 cu in) rotors) was sold in Russia only, and only in very small numbers.
With a five-speed gearbox, it was priced at a staggering 56,000 rubles.
Due to severe reliability problems, this remained rare, most commonly bought by police and other agencies to use as a pursuit vehicle, for which its 124 mph (200 km/h) top speed was ideal; it was capable of 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) in eight seconds.
The subsequent 2109-91 five-door hatchback had the same VAZ-415 and gearbox.

There were also a rear-engined Samara 4x4 rally car, also known as the NAMI 0290, built for the 1985 Soyuz Rally; it had permanent four-wheel drive and a 150 hp (110 kW; 150 PS) 1,568 cc (95.7 cu in) Zhiguli-based engine, over the rear axle.
It was nicknamed Appelsin ("orange", for its paint), and used ZAZ-1102 doors (though the body was mostly fiberglass, weighing only 960 kg (2,116 lb)) and, surprisingly, factory Samara wheels.

The 1987 mid-engined Samara-EVA had a turbocharged 16-valve 1,860 cc (114 cu in) engine (with electronic fuel injection) of 300 hp (224 kW; 304 PS); a naturally-aspirated version produced 160 hp (119 kW; 162 PS).
The only thing left untouched was the original Zhuguli 2106 block.

An even more powerful Samara S-Proto appeared in 1989, putting out 350 hp (261 kW; 355 PS).
Most notably, the Samara T3 came seventh in the 1990 Paris-Dakar Rally and fifth in 1991, piloted by Jacky Ickx.
The T3 did not contain many Samara parts however, using the Porsche 959's four-wheel drive system and a 3.6-litre Porsche flat-six.
It was developed by French concessionaire Lada-Poch together with NAMI and the Tupolev aircraft factory.
In the mid-1980s Lada developed its first ever convertible car on its own, then actually entering production and quickly exported to most European countries, called the Lada Natasha Cabriolet, a four-seater convertible that was based on the popular Samara 1300/1500 models with a manual opening and closing canvas roof.
Also in some European car markets the LADA Niva 4X4 1600 cc engine was also available for both the Lada Natasha and Lada Samara cars during the 1990s.
A Wankel engined Samara three-door hatchback, the 2108-91, powered by a two-rotor VAZ-415 (with two 654 cc (39.9 cu in) rotors) was sold in Russia only, and only in very small numbers. With a five-speed gearbox, it was priced at a staggering 56,000 rubles. Due to severe reliability problems, this remained rare, most commonly bought by police and other agencies to use as a pursuit vehicle, for which its 124 mph (200 km/h) top speed was ideal; it was capable of 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) in eight seconds. The subsequent 2109-91 five-door hatchback had the same VAZ-415 and gearbox.
There were also a rear-engined Samara 4x4 rally car, also known as the NAMI 0290, built for the 1985 Soyuz Rally; it had permanent four-wheel drive and a 150 hp (110 kW; 150 PS) 1,568 cc (95.7 cu in) Zhiguli-based engine, over the rear axle. It was nicknamed Appelsin ("orange", for its paint), and used ZAZ-1102 doors (though the body was mostly fiberglass, weighing only 960 kg (2,116 lb)) and, surprisingly, factory Samara wheels.
The 1987 mid-engined Samara-EVA had a turbocharged 16-valve 1,860 cc (114 cu in) engine (with electronic fuel injection) of 300 hp (224 kW; 304 PS); a naturally-aspirated version produced 160 hp (119 kW; 162 PS). The only thing left untouched was the original Zhuguli 2106 block.
An even more powerful Samara S-Proto appeared in 1989, putting out 350 hp (261 kW; 355 PS). Most notably, the Samara T3 came seventh in the 1990 Paris-Dakar Rally and fifth in 1991, piloted by Jacky Ickx. The T3 did not contain many Samara parts however, using the Porsche 959's four-wheel drive system and a 3.6-litre Porsche flat-six. It was developed by French concessionaire Lada-Poch together with NAMI and the Tupolev aircraft factory. In the mid-1980s Lada developed its first ever convertible car on its own, then actually entering production and quickly exported to most European countries, called the Lada Natasha Cabriolet, a four-seater convertible that was based on the popular Samara 1300/1500 models with a manual opening and closing canvas roof. Also in some European car markets the LADA Niva 4X4 1600 cc engine was also available for both the Lada Natasha and Lada Samara cars during the 1990s.
Lada Samara