Moskvitch 412

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Moskvitch 412 / Izh 412
Manufacturer	AZLK-Moskvitch
Production	1967-1998 (Moskvitch 412: 1967-1975; Moskvitch 2140: 1975-????; Izh 412: 1967-1998)
Predecessor	Moskvitch 408
Successor	Moskvitch 2140/1500 SL
Class	Compact car
Body style	4-door sedan 4- and 2- door station wagon 2-door pick-up
Engine	AZLK 412, 1500 cc

Moskvitch 2140 / Moskvitch 1500 SL
Manufacturer	AZLK-Moskvitch
Production	1975-????
Predecessor	Moskvitch 412
Successor	Moskvitch 2141 (Aleko)
Class	Compact car
Body style	4-door sedan 4- and 2- door station wagon 2-door pick-up
Engine	AZLK 412, 1500 cc

The Moskvitch 412 – later called 2140, and 1500 SL in export version – was a car from Soviet manufacturer Moskvitch introduced in 1967. It was also built as the Izh 412 by IZH in Izhevsk.

The 1500 cc was a slant inline-4 engine inspired by the 1961 BMW 1500 device. The engine has the interesting fearture that the cylinder barrels can be replaced, enabling repair of the engine instead of having to replace it entirely. The same engine is still used on the current Sviatagor.

In 1969 both 412 and the related Moskvitch 408 were facelifted. The latter 412 and 408 were notable for being the first Moskvitch models to feature square headlights and vertical rear lights. It was also famous for its fast speed, tailfins and its triangular turn signal lamps.

In 1975, the 412 was facelifted and renamed Moskvitch 2140; the 408 was renamed Moskvitch 2138.

Production at the Moskvitch plant ended in 1986, but continued to be built by IZH into the 1990s, at Izhevsk.

[edit] 412 compared with 408

The original 412 of 1967-69 had a chassis identical to that of the Moskvitch 408, which had been launched 3 years earlier in 1964. The only differences between 408 and 412 were the engines and the interior. This can be confusing, because there are no external differences between the two cars.

Here are the main differences between the Moskvitch 412 and the Moskvitch 408:

	Moskvitch 412	Moskvitch 408
Production	1967-1975	1964-1970
Engine model	412	408
Chassis	408 (1967-1969); 412 (1969-1975)	408 (1964-1969); 412 (1969-1970)
Successor	Moskvitch 2140	Moskvitch 2138

The differences between the 412 and the 408 chassis:

	412	408
Production	1969-1975	1964-1969
Features	Square headlights; horizontal rear lights; triangular turn signal markers on the back.	2 or 4 (twin) round headlights; vertical rear lights;