Moskvitch 408/412 History

The Moskvitch 408 entered production in 1964, replacing the 407 with a new 1,357 cc OHV engine producing 50 hp and, crucially, a comprehensive suite of safety features unprecedented in Soviet cars: crumple zones, a collapsible steering column, padded dashboard, seat belts (standard from 1969), and a split-circuit braking system. It was exported as the Moskvitch 1300 in France, the Carat in Norway, and the Elite in Finland; at peak export, 55 percent of production went abroad in 1968.

The Moskvitch 412 arrived in 1967 sharing the identical body but fitted with a larger 1,478 cc DOHC-derived engine producing 75 hp — making it genuinely quick for a Soviet compact. The 412 found international competition success: it placed 1–2–3 in the 1973 Avon Round Britain Rally and took a class win in the South Africa Safari Rally the same year. AZLK production of both the 408 and 412 ran to 1975–1976 in Moscow, while a derived IZh-412 version continued at the Izhevsk factory until 1982.