Russia is known for a lot of things, lately a number of unsavory news stories. But their automotive history is much less well known, especially in the west. Cars like the Yugo have done nothing to add credibility to the Russian car world. That’s why we’re such fans of this series “Motherland’s Cars” by Vlad Tretiak, who pokes fun at his own country’s history of automotive prowess, while genuinely showing love and affection for their quirky, broken down models.
Tretiak has a great design style, blending photographic elements with fun, graphical flourishes, careful to leave in the blemishes, scratches, and mismatching color panels along the way. His series gives history into each of the quirky, homely cars, showcasing a human side to these funky rides. Brands like Lada, Paz, and UAZ are super rare in the United States, perhaps occasionally imported by a Russian expat. Otherwise, you’d have to travel to the Motherland to see them on the streets. We love the details on the illustrations, like stickers, graffiti, buckets of potatoes on the hood, a fridge strapped to the roof, etc.
His series is quite big, take a look at his Behance page to see additional Russian models, as well as a whole chapter on imports that came to Russia in the 80’s.
