State-controlled car makers leveraged the limited funds they had available to put millions of motorists on wheels, whether they needed a small city car, an off-roader or a spacious van for work. Some firms put an emphasis on design to conquer overseas markets while others took a strong interest in racing and occasionally beat more experienced rivals.

From econoboxes with muted Italian genes to experimental mid-engined coupés, here are some of the hits, the misses and the plain weird cars that hatched from the eastern European and Russian car industries.