The Moskvitch G1 is a car from Moskvitch, built from 1955, at the height of the post-war boom. Under the bonnet: 1.1L MZMA-405 Inline-four engine.
Where it came from
Moskvitch G1 was a sports car from Moskvitch produced in 1955 by the engineer I. Gladilin. It was the first Moskvitch specially developed for racing. It had aluminium coachwork and was powered by an 1,074 cc (65.5 cu in) inline 4-cylinder flathead engine giving 70 hp (52 kW) and a top speed of 190 km/h (118 mph). The engine was derived from the 407-series engine used in the 407. To increase the power it was fitted with four carburettors from the motorcycle Izh-49.
Due to a lack of funds, the brakes, suspension, and wheels were borrowed from the Moskvitch 401. In 1956, the body was changed to a type with enclosed wheels and engine, becoming the G2. This body was changed back to open-wheel in 1960. The engine was replaced with one based on the engine in the newer Moskvitch 407 in 1959; like the 405 engine, the 407 engine was equipped with four carburetors. The suspension was revised in 1960, also borrowed from the 407. The G1 raced in its final configuration until 1963, after which it was scrapped. The G1 would be the basis for later racing cars such as the Moskvitch G2.
Under the skin
Power comes from 1.1L MZMA-405 Inline-four engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. It weighs 670 kg. The layout matters: the engine hangs behind the rear axle, a layout that gives ferocious traction out of a corner and a reputation to match on the way in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Its family tree is legible: its successor was the Moskvitch G2. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, the Chevrolet Corvette — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Moskvitch catalogue sit the AZLK-2139 and the AZLK-2144.
What it costs now
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Moskvitch G1 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.