Five years passed after the end of the war, the country's leadership declared a continuous and progressive increase in the well-being of the population, and what is the prosperity without a personal car ...
The Stalinist Politburo decided to launch the production of onions - beautiful, modern, convenient and very high quality, affordable, instead of the obsolete 400 Muscovites copied from Opel of the 30s.
The deadline for the development of technical documentation was minimal. The country worked hard, restoring the economy destroyed by the war, so everything had to be done quickly. And for untimely execution ... It’s even scary to think what awaited those who were late.
By the summer of 1951, Moskvich 402-425 was rolled out from the conveyor of the Moscow plant of small cars . The first three digits are the engine model number, the following meant a completely new body index for our car industry - a sedan, similar to the Ford Consul, produced at the factory of the British branch of the American company.
This time Soviet engineers could not be blamed for direct copying - the machine turned out to be its own, domestic, it was simply made using the experience accumulated by the world industry, however, given the harsh realities of a very modest budget. So, the engine was left the same, with the lower position of the valves. Then it did not matter, the USSR was in international isolation, no one thought about the export potential of the new Moskvich 402 car. The rear axle and gearbox are also inherited from the 400th series.
Tests and refinements were carried out for almost four years, in 1955 VDNH was decorated with a new passenger car, mass production began a year later. The Stalinist idea of a people's car found support from N.S. Khrushchev.
Moskvich 402, the photos confirm this, it looked quite serious at the time, it sparkled with chrome trim, was roomy (in front of the driver and passenger, three more in the back), the windows were bent and solid.
Inside, everything was on the same level - a stove, adjustable seats, window blowing, a radio, automatically turn signals, in general, unprecedented comfort for a Soviet car. The doors were equipped with push-button locks, and the trunk and gas tank could be opened while sitting in the driver's seat.
The chassis was equipped with telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers, drum brake mechanisms with floating pads. In general, Moskvich 402 corresponded to the norms adopted at that time for small cars. The power supply was made twelve-volt, and not 6 V, as in previous models.
Specifications also pleased. The speed that Moskvich 402 could develop reached 110 kilometers per hour, and he spent only 9 liters of fuel per 100 km. However, gasoline was then cheap, it cost less than soda.
This car was produced until 1958, before the advent of the 407th model, outwardly almost the same, but with an over-valve motor.
Nowadays, there are lovers who restore Moskvich 402. Tuning, as a rule, requires deep, sometimes, in addition to the body, you have to change almost everything. However, there are fans who find it possible to assemble such a car entirely from authentic parts.