Cars "Moskvitch" models 400 and 401 are most attractive to novice restorers. Archaic appearance, the outer wings, bubbles, hood with the central longitudinal vertical loop and a rear spare wheel makes them much with cars 30s of last century. Moreover, "Moskvitch" was virtually a copy of the German Opel Kadett to 38. Although conventional wisdom is that the machine produced by removed from the defeated Germany hardware is only partially true. All the body dies, - the most complex equipment in manufacturing - have been produced domestically. It got to the ridiculous - even copied proshtampovki floor made by the Germans "in reserve" for transfer to the other side of the muffler, the transition to production of other engine, which remained in the project. In the early machines often have to meet parts (wheels, rubber, etc.) with the "enemy" logo.
For the uninitiated: Available from 1946 to 1954 model 400 and replaced it 401-I (1954-1956), virtually indistinguishable, but this is not true. Below, we outline these differences, the erased to the same time, the efforts of the owners.
In principle, the "Moskvitch" 400 and 401 there is still a very, very much, but there are practically no cars in the original komplektatsii.Zabota engineers on consumers, as expressed in a remarkable unification of components and assemblies with subsequent models did their dirty work. Book publishing "Transportation" - "The interchangeability of units of cars" Moskvitch ", reprinted as many as four times, became a desktop tool for corrupt machine for several generations of motorists.
Kind of slouching body profile "sedan", who bore the index 420, and gave the cars nicknames "Hottabych" and "Elephant" is familiar to almost all, but still, stopping in the street every time there a lot of emotions and issues, including the most common: "This is a" Victory "?" and "By how many rides?". Surprise a connoisseur of "saloon" is difficult enough, but among the mass of products come across rare specimens. Car with a body model 420A (1949-1952gg.) - "Convertible" with a retractable soft-top and 422 (1948-1956 years) - a wooden box remained insignificant. The fact that both bodies had weakened and even design their circulation was small. Considered a common gain metal roofs convertibles, admitting cracks in the joints of the longitudinal edges with the body, and not all suited rag over his head ... Vans, which had bearing floor, richly laden with pieces of wood, and did we calculated a short period of operation, when the machines wear out, they passed on to schools in avtoklassy, where students learned about them on the device, the vehicle.
Gigs in Moscow there are only pieces of seven, most of them strangers profaned aggregates, and vans - two, one of which belongs to the author of these lines.
There were also several varieties of body, build several plants in the MZMA Launched (Moscow factory of small cars) chassis. Basically it is all-metal vans and pickup trucks to transport airfield starter whose aircraft engines. A pair of pickup trucks has reached our days, one of them is in the Monino museum exhibition, but the vans are extinct.
Reliability of "Elephants" knows no boundaries. Many cars that are in constant use, still have "native" units. As an example, an anniversary, released to the 800th anniversary of Moscow, "Moskvitch-400" (chassis number 106, body number 110, vol. № 127), owned by collector Yegor Karpun, well. All my life UAZovsky drag heavy trailer, the car has not been even a major overhaul of the engine.
Body strength is surprising. Not so long ago rotten "Moskvitch-401" with four passengers had jumped into the throw off the oncoming lane, "Skoda" high overpass at Highway held in, where it crashed, "Audi". In foreign cars - a few dead bodies, all four passengers. "Moskvitch" - are still alive, only in 80-year-old passenger suffered a broken leg.
The beauty of the body that it is easy to disassemble, so the small details, but with the "Lada" do not compare. Bolting can quickly remove the hood, fenders and grille with headlights for replacement or repair. Attaching the front frame, consisting of rails, mud flaps and struts, which are installed front axle and the power unit was bolted. Go on the 401 model was marked increase in the number of connection points with the front shield of the body for up to six, two and go against the original appearance of the triangular kerchiefs. But today, almost all surviving, cars already welded frame. Seldom caught specimens with intact longitudinal cross-bar.