Premium "Moskvich" project 3-5, and did not become serial

Cars of the Moskvich brand have not been produced for a long time, but many drivers remember them. Yes, and on the roads, especially in rural areas, they still sometimes come across. Each such meeting involuntarily evokes a kind smile and memories.


Muscovites, starting from the mid-1970s, were considered not very valuable cars - they were somewhere between Zaporozhets and Zhiguli. Although, anyway, in the USSR, any car was a boon, and even ZAZ was rarely bought without the famous records in the queue and the cherished “postcards”.

Only everything could be different - at the very end of the 1960s, the AZLK plant developed a whole series of promising prototypes, known as 3-5. They were planned not just to replace the classic Moskvich, but a different class. New cars were supposed to take an intermediate place between the Zhiguli, which had not yet been released, but the Volga was already planned.

"Pre-VAZ" era

In the 1960s, the Moskvich plant, which was then called MZMA, prospered. It was the "golden era" of the enterprise. Cars were produced modern, and so much so that they were in high demand even in Western Europe.


Now it seems incredible, but in the 1960s, more than 50% of Moskvich cars were exported, despite the fact that the Soviet Union did not have enough cars. But the country needed the currency that the MZMA plant earned.

In the mid-1960s, the company made a new engine with a displacement of 1,5 liters, designed for the Moskvich-412 model. This car debuted in 1967.

It seemed that it was possible to rest on our laurels, to work on new, promising models. Moreover, the design bureau made a lot of prototypes in different types of bodies.

But suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, the news broke out that the new automobile plant on the Volga, later named AvtoVAZ, would become the main Soviet enterprise for the production of passenger cars. Accordingly, the main financial flows will be redirected there.


There was only one way to influence this situation - to try to produce such cars that would overshadow what they would do at the Volga Automobile Plant.

Competitors

The Soviet government, meanwhile, signed an agreement with the Italians from Fiat for the production of promising cars. In terms of class, the car was the same as the Moskvich, but surpassed the most modern 412 model.

To knock out funds for the development of new cars, MZMA decided to focus on a full-fledged middle class. In Europe, such cars were represented by the Ford Taunus and Opel Rekord models, for example.

The key task of MZMA was to create a new car with the economy of a standard Moskvich and dimensions close to the Volga. It was supposed to be a full-fledged family car, designed to accommodate five people. It is clear that six of us went to the Zaporozhets in the USSR, but here we mean the European level of comfort.


An experienced family of cars received an index of 3-5. These figures meant 1973-1975 - it was then that they wanted to put these models into mass production. The machines were going to be equipped with engines with a displacement of 1,5 to 2,0 liters. By the way, new models were planned to be equipped not only with mechanical, but also with automatic transmissions. Work on cars began in 1967.

Moskvich 3-5-2

The first prototype was a machine made on the basis of the 412 model. More precisely, Moskvich 3-5-2 resembled this production car. The length of the prototype has increased by 200 mm, and the width by 100 mm. Under the hood of the sedan, a 1,7-liter engine developing 96 hp was installed. With.

Young designers worked under the prototype, including I. A. Zaitsev. Then he recalled that none of the novice engineers wanted to make a banal model of the enlarged Moskvich-408 - at first they wanted to make a new car in his likeness .. Only the chief designer of MZMA A. Andronov insisted that the car be just like that. He did not believe that young specialists could make a technically sound model from scratch.


Zaitsev did not work well with Andronov and resigned from MZMA, although he subsequently returned. And the prototype turned out not quite the way the chief designer had planned - an enlarged copy of the Moskvich, but not 408, but a more modern 412 model.

In the same 1970, when the 3-5-2 prototype was built, the Volga Automobile Plant produced the first VAZ-2101. Comparing them with the prototype already AZLK, it became clear that the car has no future. It is outdated at the prototype stage. Work on this particular modification was discontinued.

Moskvich 3-5-3

Simultaneously with the 3-5-2 prototype, at the MZMA / AZLK plant, the designers assembled the same car in a station wagon body. This model would be a godsend for Soviet families who prefer outdoor activities in dachas and villages.

If we compare the experienced AZLK with modern cars, then it can be compared with the Volkswagen Passat. The model was planned to replace the station wagons Moskvich-426/427.


The prototype was considered unpromising along with the 3-5-2 sedan. It was not possible to save it for posterity. And the body was at the factory for a long time, even after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Moskvich 3-5-4

Despite the fact that the new prototypes were considered unpromising, the designers decided to try again. They played a bit with the design and released Moskvich 3-5-4. It was still the same 3-5-2 sedan, but with a new grille and a number of modified elements in the cabin.


Since outwardly it was still the same Moskvich-412, it is not surprising that this model was also recognized as unpromising. Against the background of the VAZ-2101, it looked frankly outdated.

Moskvich 3-5-5

The next project of the AZLK plant turned out to be more modern. Moskvich 3-5-5 outwardly looked like something between the models 3-5-2 and 2140. The design is controversial - a car for an amateur.

It is believed that the prototype 3-5-5 became a model for the creation of Moskvich-2140. Looking at the completeness of the appearance of the production model, this can be easily believed.

It was assumed that the Moskvich 3-5-5 would be equipped with upgraded engines based on the UZAM-412. The working volume of the power units was planned to be gradually increased to 2,0 liters.


The designers produced two prototypes Moskvich 3-5-5. Unfortunately, they did not go into the series - the state developed the Zhiguli brand. AZLK was supposed to work on the knurled, supplying the domestic market with cars. There was no point in releasing new models at the Moscow plant - cars were bought anyway.

Moskvich 3-5-6

The latest car of the 3-5 series. Fans of the Soviet automobile industry consider it inferior in design to the Moskvich-2140.

Moskvich 3-5-6 was made in a single copy, which has survived to this day. Under the hood is an engine with a displacement of 1,8 liters. Engine power, thanks to the use of a pair of carburetors, was brought to 103 hp. With.


The most interesting thing is that an automatic transmission of foreign production worked in tandem with the power unit. The automatic transmission was purchased from Borg-Warner.

Unfortunately, none of the "Moskvich" 3-5 did not become serial. From above, a decision was made about the irrationality of launching the production of high-end cars. This promised the cost of refurbishment.

Instead of promising car models that would be better than Zhiguli in terms of comfort, Moskvich-2140 was mastered at AZLK, but that's a completely different story.