"Moskvich" IL "Combi" with an unusual for that time body "liftback" appeared in 1973. In the same year, Lunokhod-2 completed its space research, and the Soyuz-19 crew began joint training with their American counterparts. But even these bright events of that time did not overshadow the appearance of the novelty of the Izhevsk Automobile Plant. Moreover, IL “Combi” was a “designer response” to the French, who introduced the new Renault-16, which received the title “European Car of the Year”.
For that time, the appearance of the new Moskvich was atypical among previous Soviet cars. IL “Combi” combined an unusual rear end, rectangular headlights with chrome niches, the original radiator trim and turn signals and sidelights combined into one unit. Thanks to all this, the new model was similar to a foreign car. And the most amazing thing is that the Soviet ministry decided to put this development on the conveyor, although it is known how everything was foreign at that time.
Serial production of IL “Combi” began in 1973, more than 500 cars were produced, and further the volume of output only increased. What attracted motorists in this model? Firstly, it is a glazed fifth door, which is lifted and held by a telescopic servo mechanism and is located at an angle of 45º. This tilt of the door gave the car not only a unique look, but also increased the aerodynamics of the body.
In addition, the space behind the rear axle was practically arranged. A gas tank was located at the very bottom, and a "technical floor" was built above it, where a set of tools and a spare wheel are laid. And the cover of this compartment is the floor of the main luggage compartment, which is designed for a load of 50 kg. If you fold the back seat, you get a flat and long cargo area, which can withstand 200 kg. The rigidity of the body in the IL "Combi" is increased with the help of additional spars, and additional spring sheets reinforced the rear suspension.
The owners of this Moskvich know that this is not a car - this is a tank. Such a comparison was obtained due to the thick steel of excellent quality, combined with an impressive mass of the car (1100 kg without load). And someone who knows this feature of IL “Combi”, tries to keep a distance with him, since with a small collision on the Moskvich there may be no scratches, but the new foreign car will suffer.
Today, this car is successfully used both for work and for trips on hunting and fishing, as it is distinguished by its carrying capacity and capacity. In addition, even when busy, he is not afraid of holes on country roads, and whole legends go about his patency.
But along with all the advantages, of course, there are also disadvantages. First of all, this is a large fuel consumption (10 liters per 100 km), because it is not for nothing that the Soviet "Mustang" is called IL Combi. Tuning in this matter can correct the situation. It is enough to replace the Moskvich carburetor with a Zhiguli carburetor from the fifth model, and the consumption will be reduced to 8 liters. Because of the four-speed gearbox, “Combi” is classified as low-speed, but this is a rather controversial statement, the car has a speed of up to 150 km / h, and racing models are even made from it.
So if you decide to buy a used car for some purpose, then it is difficult to find this model better. This is an excellent assistant in the transportation of goods, and when traveling on impassable country roads. And keep in mind that IL “Combi” lends itself perfectly to tuning and, if desired, you can just make a “candy” out of it.