An AvtoVAZ Lada 2107 car on the road in St Petersburg. Many Russians consider it a last link with an era when they believed the Soviet Union could win the Cold War. [Photo/Agencies]

Russia is ending its long love affair with a car that was once prized by the nation but has come to symbolize the decline of its automobile industry and, for some, the country itself.

The decision by state car maker AvtoVAZ to halt production of the last models in the Lada Classic series this year after four decades is more than just the end of the road for an automobile.

Although the outmoded box-like series of family cars is ridiculed abroad, many Russians consider it a last link with an era when they believed the Soviet Union could win the Cold War.

"It's a case of national affection. For many years in Soviet times the Classic was an unattainable dream for many men. It was very hard to get hold of one and people waited in queues for years," said Vyacheslav Lysakov, a member of parliament and the head of the motorists' association, Free Choice.

"A lot of things from that (Soviet) time have already gone and the Classic was one of the remaining links."

AvtoVAZ halted production last month of the seventh model in the series, the 2107, leaving only one Classic in production - the 2104 station wagon. The company said it was also "time to say goodbye" to that model at the end of this year.

Lada is often the butt of jokes abroad because of its square shape and reputation for breaking down when you least want it to. One joke asks: How do you double the value of a Lada? Answer: By filling the tank.

Jeremy Clarkson, host of British TV car show Top Gear, memorably called the Lada 2107 "simply the worst car ever". Style-conscious young Russians would not be seen dead in one.

But many middle-aged and elderly Russians regret the Classic's passing and see bad omens for the future.

"It was the best-designed car in the world. You won't see a more beautiful car," Alexander Fyodorov, a 65-year-old architect, said as he strolled across Moscow's Red Square.

Under a deal with Italian car company Fiat, the first Lada Classic 2101 was produced in 1970, based on the Fiat 124 four-door sedan that was popular across Europe.

The Classic, or Zhiguli as it is also known in the former Soviet Union, was a big hit in a country where car ownership itself was a status symbol and Western brands were not on sale.

Resourceful owners made do with what they had and soon learned how to fix the car themselves.

Its simplicity was a selling point, as was its ability to keep going in the severe cold. In later years, its low price and durability made it attractive, especially in Russia's provinces.

"I love my car," said Nikolai Dashkevich, a trained mechanic in Moscow who has a 25-year-old white Lada 2105, the fifth in the series. "More than half the parts are the original ones but it's done more than 1 million kilometers."

AvtoVAZ officials said the seven cars in the series had sold more than 17.75 million vehicles by March of this year.

Reuters