Vladimir Putin and his first car. Photo from karakullake.com.

As hot rodders we’ve always been very supportive of the “work with what you have” principal. After all, not everyone can afford a twenty or thirty thousand dollar hi-boy roadster show car. We’ve seen some pretty inexpensive rat rods that would have looked great in our own garage.

We’ve always wondered what people in other countries have to work with when it comes to hot rodding a domestic car. This could explain a lot of things that happen on a global level. As luck would have it, we found an unexpected photo on wikipedia that prompted a larger google search.

A car worthy of showing other world leaders? Photo from www.eugigufo.net.

What photo could have struck our fancy to stop the presses and find out more about the picture’s contents? Vladimir Putin’s first car, which he still owns today, as it turns out. Some reports indicate that Putin’s Ukrainian built 1972 ZAZ 968 Zaporozhet was restored to its original glory.

What first caught our attention was the jet-like intakes on the rear quarters of the car. Obvious signs of a Russian musclecar. These inlets allowed fresh air to be ingested by the 40 horsepower monstrous air cooled V4 engine mounted in the rear.

The official story of the car on the Russian President’s website declares that the ZAZ “people’s car” was won in a lottery by Vlad’s mom. At the time young Vlad was a starving college student in need of transportation. Mrs. Putin gave her son the car so that he was mobile and could visit home on the weekends.

We assume that Mrs. Putin gave her son the car with the provision that he never drove the vehicle shirtless as there are no existing photos of the bare chested Premier behind the wheel. The Russian top man is certainly not a fan of the automotive aftermarket. Should he actually look around, we’re sure that Vlad could easily find some upgrades for this pasty white, plain Jane borscht-mobile with a high water stance.

“Hey comrade. Wanna go for a cruise?” Photo from wikimedia.org.

We’d highly recommend that Vlad seriously consider bagging the car and dropping the ride height to something that looks a little less Cossack. Perhaps even a chop job on the top to streamline the squarish little kart. We’re not saying that he needs to repaint the whip, but some pinstriping would go a long way in making this homely creature a little more eye-pleasing. Maybe even some scallops on the hood and sides. At the bate minimum, a hula girl dash topper to make a statement from the inside.

A weekend with Gene Winfield and this godawful car design might actually turn into a badass kustom worthy of catching the eye of some local Viktoriya or Veronika. Perhaps we could work out a deal through the embassies to get the misguided leader on the right path. Vlad… you should give us a call. We’ll get you hooked up.