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The Volkswagen of the Soviets - The Moskvich Story

Name: Moskwitsch 401 1946
Brand: Moskwitsch

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Created on March 1, 1982

Text:

Beat Baracus

Photos:

Archiv

Moskvich 412 (1968) - new model with rectangular headlights

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Moskvich 400 (1951) - Russia's first production car

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Moskwitsch 422 (1948) - station wagon with wooden body, remained an experimental vehicle

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Moskwitsch 402 (1956) - pontoon shape at the height of time

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Moskvich 402 (1956) - at the Vienna Autumn Fair 1956

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Moskvich 402 (1956) - as a four-door sedan

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Moskwitsch 402 (1956) - from diagonally behind at the Vienna Autumn Fair 1956

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Moskvich 402 (1956) - Front view at the Vienna Autumn Fair 1956

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Moskwitsch 402 (1956) - The trunk contains, among other things, a spare wheel. The car also comes with an extensive toolbox. The reason for this is that service points are few and far between.

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Moskwitsch 402 (1956) - On display at the Vienna Autumn Fair 1956.

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Moskvich 402 (1956) - American-style front section

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Moskwitsch 402 (1956) - Much of the interior was copied from other manufacturers. For example: the steering wheel, the horn ring and the direction blinker switch come from the Simca Aronde.

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Moskwitsch 402 (1956) - The interior is well designed, but not geared towards luxury.

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Moskwitsch 402 (1956) - View of the tidy engine compartment.

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Moskwitsch 402 (1956) - the engine still side-steered, but already with 12-volt electrics

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Moskvich 410 (1957) - with all-wheel drive for Siberian roads

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Moskwitsch 410 (1956) - the 402 with all-wheel drive, raised and with studded tires

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Moskvich 407 (1958) - Soviet car that is 'now' also available in the West

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Moskwitsch 407 (1959) - The two-tone paintwork may well be better finished.

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Moskwitsch 407 (1960) - View of the dashboard at the IAA in Frankfurt 1959

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Moskvich 423 N (1960) - together with vans based on European models - Geneva Motor Show 1960

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Moskvich 407 (1961) - revised model with new radiator grille

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Moskvich 407 (1961) - the 1.4-liter four-cylinder with 45 hp

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Moskwitsch Scaldia Spécial de Luxe (1962) - a 407 equipped with a Perkins diesel engine by the Belgian company Sobimpex, which was also used as a cab in Brussels

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Moskwitsch Scaldia Spécial de Luxe (1963) - version imported via Belgium with 1.6-liter Perkins diesel engine, shown at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show

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Moskvich 407 (1964) - together with the Volga models M-21 and M-22 at the Earls Court Motor Show 1963

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Moskwitsch 403 E (1964) - with new suspension, but hardly any changes to the bodywork

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Moskvich 423 N (1964) - Station wagon version of the 407 at the 1964 Brussels Motor Show

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Moskvich 426 (1968) - the estate version of the 408

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Moskvich 433 (1968) - the delivery van version of the 408

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Moskwitsch 426 IE (1968) - export model with twin headlights and more chrome trim

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Moskvich 412 (1968) - the new OHC engine, which is very similar to the BMW M10

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Moskvich 412 (1968) - longitudinal section of the new engine

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Moskvich 412 (1971) - at the 1971 Brussels Salon

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Moskvich Scaldia 412 Elita (1971) - the luxury version of the Belgian export model

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Moskwitsch Scaldia 412 LS (1971) - Belgian version with better interior fittings

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Moskwitsch Scaldia 412 Rally (1971) - Belgian sports model with black hood, decorative stripes and additional headlights

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Moskvich 412 IE (1971) - export model in a French press photo

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Moskvich 412 (1973) - hardly changed after five years of construction

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Moskvich 427 (1974) - the five-door hatchback at the presentation in Belgrade

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Moskvich 408 (1967) - the one millionth Moskvich, built on May 18, 1967

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Poster with all Moskvich models on the occasion of the 1,000,000th vehicle built in May 1967. Still covered: the Moskvich 412 presented in October 1967

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Moskvich Scaldia 412 (1969) - Advertisement from 1969

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Summary

Within 20 years, the Moskwitsch developed from the stepbrother of the Opel Kadett into a shrunken road cruiser and finally into a modern saloon with Italian lines. Its character and technology always remained rustic and indestructible, which made it particularly popular as a cab in Western Europe. This article tells the story of the "son of Moscow" and shows its different variants in a wealth of historical images.

This article contains the following chapters

Second Moscow Spring
A Moskwitsch Woody?
Lessons learned from mistakes
The next generation
Slowly, but surely
Now two-tone
Dispensing with the diesel

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

You could say that towards the end of the thirties there was a kind of people's automobile in every automobile-producing country. Or even several. What the small Fiat was to the Italians, the Austin Seven was to the British; the French had their popular Renault and Peugeot, the Germans the Opel P4 or the DKW, the Americans their inexpensive Ford and Chevrolet. Only the Russians stood apart. Their automobile production concentrated entirely on the construction of commercial vehicles. And when it occurred to them to take up the idea of popular motorization like their European neighbors, it was too late for the time being - because war broke out.

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