VAZ 2121 Niva Welling Super Box Armoured Van from Mirage

The Welling Super Box armoured van in Mirage was actually a VAZ Niva modified for filming. In this crime story, based on James Hadley Chase's The World in My Pocket, the characters plan to steal a cash-in-transit vehicle carrying the then enormous sum of $3 million.

The plan goes wrong, and dreams of wealth and a carefree, happy life prove to be a mirage.

The three-part film was made at Riga Film Studio in 1983. Most mountain scenes were shot in Crimea, which convincingly stood in for Nevada. Real armoured Nivas developed in Tolyatti went on sale in the early 1990s as the VAZ-2121B. They later formed the basis of the stretched VAZ-212182 Bronto Force, produced in small numbers.