Before it became a workaday Soviet sedan, the 408 nearly had a glamorous side: an aluminum-bodied, fuel-injected convertible concept. Only two were ever built.
Median 109 hp across 307 similar cars
Lead trim: Moskvitch-408 1,357 cc MZMA-408 OHV I4 (50 hp) · up to 54 hp
Moskvitch 408 first series1964–1969
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Moskvitch 408 first series yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactBefore it became a workaday Soviet sedan, the 408 nearly had a glamorous side: an aluminum-bodied, fuel-injected convertible concept. Only two were ever built.
The Moskvitch-408 (M-408) is a small family car built by MZMA/AZLK in Moscow from 1964 (the first production car on 1 August 1964, official debut on 21 October) to 1975/76, replacing the second-generation Moskvitch 407 with a longer wheelbase (2,400 mm); design began in 1959 and the first prototype appeared in March 1961. Launch body styles were a four-door saloon, a five-door estate (M-426, March 1967) and a three-door sedan delivery (M-433, December 1966); the 100,000th M-408 was built on 20 August 1966. The first series had vertical rear lights, two or four round headlights, a front bench seat and a 4-speed manual with column shifter. It was a conventional rear-wheel-drive economy car with a 1,357 cc OHV straight-four making 50 hp (37 kW) at 4,750 rpm (60.5 SAE hp) — up to 54 hp for export, top speed 80 mph — and from 1969 power brakes with a hydrovacuum servo and split-circuit braking; it was the first Soviet-built car with deliberate safety equipment (crumple zones, safer steering column, seat belts, padded dash). The IZh military factory in Izhevsk made a rebadged IZh-408 in 1966–1967, and it was sold abroad as the Moskvitch Elite in Finland, Carat in Norway, 1300 in France and Scaldia 1300/1400 in Belgium (assembled by Scaldia-Volga in Brussels, with Perkins diesels from 1965) — 55 percent of 1968 production was exported. The more upmarket M-412 (1,500 cc, 75 hp) was built alongside it.
Collectors Spotted in the Moskvitch 408 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Moskvitch 408 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moskvitch-408 1,357 cc MZMA-408 OHV I4 (50 hp) | 1964–1969 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 50 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Moskvitch-408E export 1,357 cc (54 hp) | 1966–1969 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 54 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Starting in 1969, this Moskvitch became the first Soviet car with deliberate crash safety features — crumple zones, a collapsible steering column, seat belts and a split-circuit braking system.
Before it became a workaday Soviet sedan, the 408 nearly had a glamorous side: an aluminum-bodied, fuel-injected convertible concept. Only two were ever built.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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