Moskvitch · 1976–present

Moskvitch 2140

The Moskvitch 2140 series (Russian: Москвич-2140) is a small family car produced by Soviet automotive maker AZLK from January 1976 to July 1988. It started first as Moskvitch 2138 and Moskvitch 2140 on a modified 412 platform. Pre-production models were shown during 1975. The Moskvitch 2140 SL/Moskvitch 1500 SL was an upmarket export variant, first publicly showcased in November 1980 for the 50th anniversary of AZLK, its production started in summer 1981; compared to the regular M-2140, it had large plastic bumpers with integrated side markers/turn signals, larger taillight units, plastic moldings on the door sides, and completely revised interior with new dashboard, steering wheel, and seats. The Moskvitch-2140 line was facelifted throughout the second half of 1981 into the beginning of 1982, with the M-2140 SL already having all these features since its debut: the red shield logo with Kremlin towers silhouettes was changed to an "АЗЛК"/"AZLK" wordmark in gray metallic font; the chrome trim around the grille, windows and rocker panels was removed; the black panel at the rear section between the headlights was now body-colored; the chrome hubcaps were discontinued and the cars were now delivered with plain steel wheels; the front doors now had single-piece windows without the quarter glass; the "Moskvich 1500/1360" fender badges and the "1500"/"1360" rear panel badge were removed; and the Latin "Moskvich" badge on the trunk lid was replaced with Cyrillic "Москвич" (pre-1982 Moskvitches, except for the M-21406, always had Latin badges, domestic-market cars included), though the M-2140 SL retained the Latin badging even for its domestic market. The 408-engined line, at this point consisting solely of the M-2138 sedan, was discontinued soon thereafter in December 1982, and the few 2138s built during the facelift era became visually indistinguishable from the 412-engined 2140-series sedans due to the removal of the engine displacement badges. The station wagon variant Moskvitch-2137 was the last of the Soviet cars to still feature taillight fins, which remained unchanged until the model was discontinued in February 1985. Although originally designed and often referred to as the "fourth generation", the series was, in fact, only an improved variant of the third generation of Moskvitches, the M-408/412. The brand-new fourth generation entered in production with the Moskvitch-2141 Aleko starting in 1986 and remaining at a low scale, until the M-2140 was eventually discontinued in July 1988 and the M-2141 took its place at AZLK's main assembly line.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Moskvitch 412 · Successor: Moskvich 2141

All Moskvitch 2140 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Models and variants

Limited production and prototype variants in italics. Moskvitch-2140 (export name Moskvitch 1500): 4-door sedan model with standard UZAM-412 (75 hp) engine. The Moskvitch-2140 entered production in January 1976 and was discontinued in July 1988. Moskvitch-2138 (export name Moskvitch 1360, produced in 1976–1982): 4-door sedan model with low-power MZMA-408 (50 hp) engine. Produced mainly for fleets due to using the lower-grade A-76 gasoline, though still available for retail consumers, it was phased out with the introduction of the UZAM-412D engine which used the same fuel, but shared the architecture with the standard UZAM-412. Moskvitch-21401 (1976-1988): four-door medical dispatch sedan, successor of the M-412M. It was used purely as a house call transport for the doctors and did not have accommodations for the patients, differing from the retail M-2140 sedan only in standard medical livery and minor interior simplifications. Moskvitch-21381 (1976-1982): four-door medical dispatch sedan, successor of the M-408M, same differences as the 21401 above. Moskvitch-21402: four-door sedan export model with right-hand-drive steering. No evidence of mass production, as the UK ceased importing Moskvitch cars prior to the debut of the 2140 series, and AZLK didn't serve any other right-hand-drive markets. Provisional indices "Moskvitch-21372" and "Moskvitch-27342" were planned for RHD station wagons and panel vans, though none were built. Moskvitch-21406 (October 1978-1988): four-door sedan for rural usage, the first 2140-series Moskvitch model to use the UZAM-412D engine, derated for low-octane A-76 fuel (68 hp). Modifications included reinforced suspension, drum brakes on all four wheels, protected oil crankcase, towing eye underneath the rear bumper, and winter tires as a stock

Foreign assembly

As with the 408/412-series models, the Moskvitch-2140 and its variants were assembled from CKD kits in Antwerp, Belgium by Scaldia-Volga, and in Lovech, Bulgaria by the "Balkan" factory, both of which have previously assembled 408/412-series Moskvitch models. Scaldia-Volga distributed the base 2140 and the 2137 station wagon, both could be equipped with either the stock 1.5L UZAM-412 engine, or the 1.75L Perkins 4.108 diesel engine (50hp). Due to the increase in safety standards and higher emission controls, leading to AZLK's exit from most of Western Europe, Scaldia-Volga's 2140-series Moskvitch cars were distributed only in Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as Italy, which prohibited domestic sales of the Fiat 124-derived VAZ lineup to protect Fiat's own market; sales ended in 1981 after Scaldia-Volga ceased operation in 1980. The "Balkan" factory assembled the 2140 and 2138 sedans through 1976-1988 and 1976-1980 respectively; the 2140 SL and the station wagons/panel vans were never assembled, though Izh 2715-family panel vans were imported separately as fleet-only vehicles. After 1979, the Bulgarian Moskvitch-2140 used exclusively the UZAM-412D engine; this version has always been explicitly marketed as "Moskvitch-2140D" in Bulgaria and consistently mentioned as such in the paperwork, as opposed to the Soviet legal non-distinction of the two engine variants.

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