Forget the Beetle - meet the Lada.

There are currently three cars fighting for the "most sold model ever"-award: The Volkswagen Beetle, the Ford Model T and the Lada.

Mind you, I'm talking of cars that have kept its original design throughout its entire life span, thus excluding models such as the Toyota Corolla (with over 40 million sold world wide), the Volkswagen Golf (35 million and counting) and the Ford F-series truck (34 million, still going strong). 

The Tin Lizzie, Ford Model T, is hardly a car seen regularly these days. There are a great number of reason for this, most of all the fact that driving one is a chore, not to mention the complete lack of speed and safety. Adding to this is of course the notion that very few have survived throughout the decades.

This leaves the Beetle and the Lada. First I would like to say that the Beetle is a lovely car. Nevertheless, it has been known to crowd streets in Europe through the last fifty years to the point where most people stopped noticing it at all. The same can be said of its communist counterpart, the Lada. In the eastern bloc countries, this was the car that put an entire generation on wheels. Almost 20 million have been sold of the 2101 alone; adding to this is the bigger 2103 and the similar 2106. The total sales numbers for these three models will trump any other modern car.

And yes, I know - three models are not the same as one. But they are really quite similar, the 2101, 2103 and 2106. The main difference visually can be seen up front, where the 2101 only has two headlamps whereas the 2103 and latter 2106 have four. Some differences in size and interior occur also, but, let's face it - to the untrained eye, a Lada is a Lada. 

This square-angled people's car not only grew popular within the Soviet Union, but proved very successful also in export markets. In Norway, where this blog originates, more than 20 000 were sold during the 70s and 80s. Today though, all but a very few have disappeared. 

Some rusted to bits, others were bought back by Lada-loving russians who travelled across the border from Finland and Sweden during the 80s, scooping up the best kept examples at give-away prices. Today, only a handful can be seen on Norwegian roads.

The Beetle, on the other hand, is in no short supply. You can pick one up for less than a months pay, or you could go all-in for an early model with the oval rear window, or even a split. There is no shortage on demand. (I've heard that even 20 of the 190 first Beetles that came to Norway in 1949 still survives to this day!)

So, which one would you pick - the Beetle, or the Lada? 

I've got a taste for the latter.