Moskvitch 412

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Moskvitch 412 / Izh 412
Manufacturer	AZLK-Moskvitch
Production	1967-1976 (Izh-Moskvitch 412: 1967-1997)
Predecessor	Moskvitch 408
Successor	Moskvitch 2140/1500 SL
Class	Compact car
Body style(s)	4-door sedan 4- and 2- door station wagon 2-door pick-up
Engine(s)	UZAM 412, 1500 cc

Moskvitch 2140 / Moskvitch 1500 SL
Manufacturer	AZLK-Moskvitch
Production	1976-1988
Predecessor	Moskvitch 412
Successor	Moskvitch 2141 (Aleko)
Class	Compact car
Body style(s)	4-door sedan 4- and 2- door station wagon 2-door pick-up
Engine(s)	UZAM 412IE, 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 BMW 1500 unit. Block, head and inlet manifold were aluminium castings. Steel cylinder liners were replaceable to enable easy repair of the engine instead of having to replace it entirely. The same engine was used on Moskvitch cars till late 1990s, there were also 1700, 1800 and 2000 cc derivatives.

In 1969 both the 412 and the related Moskvitch 408 were facelifted. These were notable for being the first Moskvitch models to feature square headlights and vertical rear lights. The 412 was also famous for its fast speed, tailfins and its triangular turn signal lamps. The facelifted 408 and 412 (as well as some 412-based pickup versions from IZH) are probably the only examples of cars having triangular turn signals at the back. Another notable (but not unique, since it was used in other Russian cars at the time) feature were the so-called side lamps, mounted on the C-pillars on some vehicles. However, the cars looked somewhat old-fashioned in the mid 1970s and 1980s, because their design matches the design of Western automobiles from the 1960s and the early 1970s. Nevertheless, both the 408 and 412 are now considered old-timer classics and they deserve at least a small page in the history of the Russian automobile industry.

In 1975, the 412 was facelifted and renamed Moskvitch 2140; the 408 was renamed Moskvitch 2138. Both 2138 and 2140 later underwent a small facelift: A logo with the letters AZLK replaced the previous Moskvitch logo (which was also different from the one used on the 208 and 412). Some chromed elements on the grille became black and the front side mirrors were changed.

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;

[edit] Competition Success

In 1972, Tony Lanfranchi won the British Saloon Car Championship with a 412, not by winning races overall but by dominating his class. The class divisions were based partly on price; Lanfranchi realised that a car with essentially a BMW engine but costing a fraction of its price would be a highly competitive proposition (as it would generally be competing against much smaller cars in its class); he took 28 out of 29 class wins that year.