Moskvitch does not build many cars like the Moskvitch G4 with 1358 , built from 1963 in the decade that gave the world the pony car and the mid-engined supercar. Its designer of record is I. Gladilin / L. Shugorov.
Where it came from
The Moskvitch G4 were sports cars from Moskvitch released in 1963. Like the G3, they used the same engine as the Moskvitch 407, a 1358 cc pushrod four producing 76 PS (56 kW; 75 bhp) at 5500 rpm. Compared to Western racecars, the G4 was too heavy and suffered from poor aerodynamics. The G4 used a rigid spaceframe chassis, with aluminium skin. In 1965, all three G4's were re-engined with units based on the engine in the Moskvitch 408 and redesignated G4A. The G4A also received smaller, 13-inch wheels in lieu of the earlier, 15-inch units.
While the initial design had been fitted with a quartet of domestically produced Lenkarz-K99M motorcycle carburetors, the G4As were fitted with twin, imported Weber 40DCO carburettors. The engines also had the valve timing advanced, and new camshafts, giving 81 PS (60 kW; 80 bhp) at 5,600 rpm. One G4A (the first production G4) was fitted with a larger, 1.5-litre Moskvitch 412-based engine, the DM, rated at 92 PS (68 kW; 91 bhp), becoming the G4M. During 1967–1968, the two remaining G4A's were converted into G4M's. Two G4M's were rebuilt into Moskvitch G5's in 1968. The third G4M was raced until 1972 – it was not converted to a G5, but it was updated with a twin-cam version of the 412 engine, producing 100 PS (74 kW; 99 bhp). The G4's had independent suspension, both front and rear (from the Moskvitch 407), and were successful in several USSR championships.
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 1358 other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. 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
Where it sits in Moskvitch's history is not in doubt: the Moskvitch G3 came before it; the Moskvitch G5 followed it. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Aston Martin DB5, the Buick Riviera, the Pontiac GTO. Nearby in the Moskvitch catalogue sit the AZLK-2139 and the AZLK-2144.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Moskvitch G4 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.