Lada 112 1.5l 16v GLI

This is my car spotting post in both my Moscow Cars and Lada Love series of posts.

I saw this Lada 112 hatchback recently.

There's no grille, just a slot... which I like as I somehow decided that I like grille-less cars (typically of the 1990s) more than the gaping maws all cars seem to have now - which are fake too for the most part because no way the engine needs that big an opening in the front end.

Overall, its style is dated of course.

However some think that it is unique. 

And I certainly think so too but it does seem to be on the clumsy or even ugly side of things, especially at first, but then it sort of grows on you and you begin to appreciate and even like it. 

I should know as I actually honed my then newly acquired driving skills in a Lada 112.

The fifth door has a spoiler.

Actually it is the spoiler that makes it possible to identify the car as a much rarer (and earlier) version - a 21120 with the 21120 engine, 1.5l 16 valve GLI... where GLI stands for Grand Luxe Injector no less. They had this spoiler and are pretty rare. This is the first time I saw one.

But most, especially later, versions had a different and much more prominent spoiler, and are more common, still to be seen daily in Moscow, though production ceased in 2008. 

I had a lot of driving time in the latter version and I remember the spoiler could really hide a car behind you. You are driving relaxed, you look in the rear view mirror behind you -- and there's nothing there -- then just 20 seconds later a car is breezing past you. Where did it come from? - From behind the spoiler thing.

And a nice promo picture from years back (borrowed from here). The front end. It is a sedan version (Lada 110) but it's the same as the Lada 112 has.

Instrument cluster & center stack.