Moskvich 412 car is the sixth model in a large family of “Muscovites” produced at different times at the MZMA and AZLK plants. The abbreviation and name did not play a significant role, cars were made mediocre, financial conditions at the plant were difficult, there was not enough money for development. After the release of the GAZ-AA series of trucks in the years 38-40, the factory immediately after the start of the Second World War was transferred to the production of military orders, and with the end of the war, the production of the Moskvich-400 car, the prototype of which was the German Opel-Cadet K38, was started.
In 1954, the MZMA enterprise completely switched to the production of a domestic-developed car, Moskvich 401, which began to be produced on an industrial scale. Since then there were no cars in the USSR, Moskvich-401 came in very handy. In two years, 2 million copies were produced. After the serial production of 401 models was completed,
Moskvich 402 was launched
, which was also produced for two years. And in 1958 Moskvich 407 came off the assembly line, an improved version of the previous model. And after him went into production and
Moskvich 403, not having significant differences, but still replenished the family of Soviet "Muscovites".
And finally, in 1964, the production of a fundamentally new car, the Moskvich 408, began at the MZMA plant. The car was distinguished primarily by its body, in the outlines of which there were no longer the usual rounded shapes. The Moskvich 408 body was of a rapidly flying form, it resembled American limousines in miniature and was slightly "nailed to the ground." Inside, the car was still cramped, had to sit upright, without the ability to move. But the Soviet designers of the sixties and seventies did not even consider such a factor as the convenience of the passenger and driver in the cabin, not to mention some kind of ergonomic approach to solving the problem.
When the development of the next model was completed in 1967, the new Moskvich 412 car, the characteristics of which as a whole slightly differed from the previous model, received the same body as the 408. However, the driving characteristics of the two models were different, the more powerful Moskvich 412 engine was significantly added dynamics to the car, speed indicators improved, in parallel with an increase in speed, the
brake system was improved
. The car became more and more competitive in comparison with foreign analogues, but it lacked points for operational safety. Nevertheless, Moskvich-412 was successfully exported to a number of countries of the socialist camp, and in fairly large quantities.
For a long time both models were produced at
the AZLK plant, already renamed from the previous MZMA, Moskvich 412 was produced in larger quantities. The unification was almost one hundred percent, and the assembly of machines accelerated every day. There were no automatic transmissions at that time, and a four-speed manual transmission was installed on Moskvich 412, the car was always rear-wheel drive with a dry disc clutch, a propeller shaft with a spider cross, a hypoid planetary
rear axle and two differentiated axles.
The total length of the car body Moskvich 412 was 4252 mm, with a width of 1552 mm and a clearance of 175 mm. The dimensions are rather modest, but in those years the entire automotive industry was focused on the production of small cars, which meant that the cars had to be compact. The front suspension of the Moskvich 412 was assembled on the silent blocks, with two
ball bearings. Of all the aggregates, only the gearbox, which often failed, caused complaints. The rest of the car Moskvich 412, reviews about which are generally good, was recognized as reliable and modern.