Ivan adjusted his handmade wool cap, staring at the frozen, mud-slicked incline ahead. His 1985 VAZ-2121 Niva, affectionately named The Goat , sat idling with a rhythmic, agricultural thump-thump-thump . Behind him, a massive, modern imported SUV was already spinning its wheels, helpless despite its computer-controlled traction systems.

The Heartbeat of the Niva: The Tale of the Locked Differential

Ivan reached the top, the engine breathing hard but steady. He pulled the lever back into the open position, letting the drivetrain relax.