71 years ago: The first Moskvich-400 car assembled in Moscow

On Dec. 4, 1946 the first “Moskvich-400” car was assembled at the Moscow Compact Car Factory (AZLK). The four-seater car had a top speed of 90 km/h and was heavily inspired by Germany’s Opel “Kadett K38.” Joseph Stalin pushed for the car’s production as he was a big fan of the Opel after seeing it at an exhibition in the Kremlin in 1940.

However, due to WWII, the project was postponed. But in 1947 the Moscow plant started churning out the model - it was produced until 1954 when it replaced by the “Moskvich-401” which had a more powerful engine (made for two years). In total, 216,000 sedans and 17,000 cabriolets rolled out of the factory. In 1956, the car was replaced with the new “Moskvich-402.”

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