The new car market relies on new models. While manufacturers no longer update their models every 12 months, as most American brands did , the majority of cars in the showrooms today have been introduced or in the past five years.

However, there are a number of models that somehow live well past their sell-by date, remaining in production for more than a decade - sometimes even more than that.

That is certainly the case for the UAZ 452, a that is widely believed to be the oldest car still in production, with the first examples leaving the production line in 1965.

The model, made by the 'Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant', was designed to be a particularly that could be used by the to traverse the union's vast yet untamed landscapes.

However, the surprisingly long-running model soon found success with private drivers looking for a simple, spacious, and surprisingly affordable way to get around the countryside, with a .

Despite receiving a number of revisions over the years, such as plastic door mirrors and larger rear lights, the UAZ 452's boxy design has largely remained the same over the past 60 years.

As a result, the little Soviet van has various styling elements not seen on most new cars for decades, including a set of completely circular headlights, externally mounted door hinges, and a small opening air vent above the trapezoid-shaped front grille.

Featuring an engine located underneath the passenger cab, the UAZ's bodywork is particularly boxy, causing it to quickly receive the nickname 'loaf of bread', or 'tablet' for the ambulance variant.

Much like the exterior styling, the UAZ's interior is impressively simple - featuring a painted steel dashboard and a small instrument panel at the middle of the dashboard which displays only the speed and fuel level of the vehicle.

Naturally, the model is hardly full of technological or safety features, with the standard UAZ not even featuring a driver's airbag. However, since 2011, the model has at least anti-lock brakes and seatbelts.

Moreover, the UAZ is hardly an efficient model. The 452 comes equipped with a 2.7-litre petrol engine that makes 112bhp - capable of reaching a top speed of around 68mph and returning about 28mpg. That said, the engine is particularly easy to fix and offers plenty of low-range power, making it useful when travelling off-the-beaten-track.

While the UAZ 452 currently holds the record for being the oldest car still in production, there are many other models that can be bought new despite their age.

The equally Russian Lada Niva has been on sale since 1977, with the boxy off-roader being capable of climbing steep inclines whilst still costing less than £10,000 in its native market.

However, other countries also make surprisingly old cars, with Austria building the famous Mercedes-Benz G-Class since 1979. Despite its age and boxy design, the model remains popular with luxury car buyers due to the model's powerful engines and luxurious standard features.