OPEL KADET 1938 / MOSKWICZ 400

The Moskvitch 400 is a Soviet passenger car that was first presented to the public in 1946. Its serial production started in the same year and lasted until 1954 - about 110,000 copies of this car were produced during it. Production was concentrated at the MAZM plants based in Moscow. Moskvich 400 was developed as a successor to the KIM-10 car, produced only in 1940-1941. It differed from its predecessor in many ways. First of all, in terms of design and applied technical solutions, it was an almost faithful, license-free copy of the German Opel Kadett K38. Interestingly, German engineers who previously co-created the Kadett K38 collaborated on the development of the new Soviet car. Another 1.1 liter 4-cylinder engine with 23 HP was also used as a drive. The engine was characterized by high reliability and relatively low fuel consumption by contemporary standards. From the very beginning, the Moskvich 400 was planned as a relatively cheap and - by Soviet standards - widely available car for the public. Undoubtedly, it was a car much cheaper than the M-20 Pobeda and enjoyed considerable interest in the USSR. It is worth adding that on the basis of the basic version, i.e. the sedan, there was also a convertible version (designation: 400-420) and a van (designation: 400-422).