A Russian sports car - such a strange phrase for the 2020s, but so inspiring for the late 2000s and early 2010s. The economy is on the rise, the country is developing by leaps and bounds, ambitions are running high, it seems the idea is on the surface, you just need to give it the right vector, and it will certainly take tangible forms and be doomed to success!
And so, in 2007, the fairy tale becomes reality: the first Russian sports car, Marussia, is announced. Prototypes, expansion of the model range, more prototypes, exhibitions, a Formula 1 team, more prototypes and... an inglorious end in 2014. In parallel with all this riot of colors, in a small town in the Rostov region, a much less ambitious, but, as time has shown, more viable idea was taking shape. Yes, having got to know it better, it is difficult to call this car a sports car, but they are judged by their appearance, and everything was fine with that. Tagaz Aquila - a wolf in sheep's clothing.
So, why could the slogan of this car be a paraphrased catchphrase "To seem, not to be"? After all, the swift fiberglass body beckons you to dive inside, step on the gas and rush beyond the horizon at breakneck speed. You can start with the fact that the car had a frame made of metal profiles from the nearest construction market, which, as you know, does not have a very favorable effect on speed characteristics. And it's even worse when under the hood there is a Chinese-licensed analogue of the Mitsubishi 4G18S engine with 106 hp, paired with a 5-speed Aisin F5M41 gearbox, which has also never been seen in anything that has a noticeable relationship to racing. As a result, we have acceleration of 12 seconds to 100 and a "maximum speed" of around 180 km/h.
Upon closer inspection of the interior, the melody of Alena Apina's song "I made him from what I had" began to play insistently in my head. The stove unit and handles are from Daewoo Matiz, the instrument panel is from Chevrolet Lacetti, and the hazard warning button evokes vague memories of the AvtoVAZ brainchild VAZ-2109. The steering wheel is too big for a sports one, although it really wants to be one. The real "buckets" with excellent lateral support and a well-positioned gear lever, which turns out to be right under the right hand, stand out successfully against the general background. Alas, this is the only plus in terms of the ergonomics of the fit in the car: the doorway is narrow, the upper pillar is eager to get acquainted with the head, the seats are installed low, but with a height of 185+ there is a high chance of hitting the ceiling, the pedal assembly is cramped, in the back row the dissonance is caused by a combination of legroom and lack of headroom. Very large pillars and a very small rearview mirror interfere with visibility. There is no smell of sound insulation here, but it may smell of mold if your particular car was assembled in not the most successful shift. The trunk is quite roomy, but the loading area is very small.
The exterior, which from 3 meters causes a storm of positive emotions in all observers, is also not very good upon closer inspection. The car was assembled entirely by hand, and what gaps you will have between the parts that are not very eager to fit together is a pure lottery. Hence the smell of mold inside the car - rain can get into the car directly through poorly glued roof seams. Often, when opening the door, the handle or part of it could remain in your hands, but this is not scary, given that it, as already mentioned, was from Daewoo Matiz.
As a result, it is not entirely clear what should have attracted a potential buyer to come to the factory and buy this car (and it was sold only directly from the factory). The "sportiness" of the car ended with its appearance, and there was no need to talk about practicality or reliability either.
Nevertheless, in 2016, MPM Motors began small-scale assembly of the car, renamed the MPM Erelis and produced for the European market, but also without success. MPM Motors announced its bankruptcy in 2020, finally leaving the Tagaz Aquila project on the back burner of history.
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