The Beginning of Shitbox Adventures

It all started with an idea that was too crazy to be true. We decided to take part in the Mongol Rally, a 20,000-kilometer trip in a car that was on the verge of falling apart – literally. The concept of the rally was simple: pick a car with an engine under 1200cc, ideally one you’d find in a junkyard, and try to reach Mongolia. We chose an old Lada 2102. And not just any Lada, no – a real shitbox we picked up for next to nothing. Our Facebook followers got to choose the name, and thus SvetLada was born.

Why a Lada? Well, our mom used to have one. The only thing that worked was the heater. Everything else? It worked against us. So, what do you do? You invest more money in a personalized license plate than in decent repairs. Priorities, right? The shock absorbers were dead on arrival, but hey, that didn’t stop us. We had the rally spirit – what could possibly go wrong on a 20,000-kilometer trip?