Have you ever wondered what would happen if you decided to grab some power tools, a few surplus parts, and turn your humble little saloon into an articulated four-door vehicle? No, well you're about to find out in this great video by the Garage54 team. The experimental Russians are back again to provide answers to questions that you're just too afraid to ask, and what better way to represent Russain pride than to use a Lada saloon.
Gallery: This Video Shows An Articulated Lada Is Obviously A Bad Idea
The idea is to literally cut the car in half right in the middle, essentially separating all vital components and wiring. Thankfully the Lada is front-wheel-drive, so there's no driveshaft to worry about. The exhaust, however, gets completely chopped but reworked to have a side-exit. Good stuff, and essentially an open pipe for maximum gains. A simple subframe is then placed between the two halves, just providing a solid base to weld on some springs and a simple articulating point.
Chassis rigidity is obviously shot, and we find it amusing that they even tried to put more braces towards the centre and even replaced the doors. I think we're gonna get a lot of road noise with this design, and any rainy drives are out the door (or should we say in the cabin?).
More interesting Russian garage shenanigans:
Initially, the springs positioned to the edges of the subframe provided a surprising amount of flex, allowing both halves to be relatively comfortable to ride in. More steering input is required because now the two halves are basically weighted against each other, but it is super soft and wallows quite a bit. Just don't get car sick.
For the last part of the experiment, they adjust the springs and place them in the centre to allow for even more flex and articulation, essentially creating a dead weight at the rear with little to no support. The result is hilarious amounts of understeer, especially when they decide to pick up the speed and take it on a rather simple parking lot obstacle course. Funny stuff.
Source: Garage54