The Moskvich 2137 was the estate car of the Moskvich 2140 family, produced at the AZLK works in Moscow from 1976 to 1985. At the front it was a 2140, but the rear half of the body came straight from the earlier Moskvich 427, so the 2137 kept the small tail fins that the sedan had already dropped.
Moskvich 2137 at a glance
| Maker | AZLK (MZMA), Moscow |
|---|---|
| Production | 1976–1985 |
| Based on | Moskvich 2140 sedan |
| Body | five-door estate |
| Engine | 1.5-litre UZAM-412, carried over from the Moskvich 412 |
| Rear body | inherited from the Moskvich 427 and Moskvich 434 |
| Rear seats | folding, for carrying long loads |
| Van version | Moskvich 2734, 1976–1983, 4,035 built |
| Last built | February 1985 |
| Tail fins | the last Soviet car still to have them |
Only Russian Wikipedia has a separate article on the 2137; the English article covers the estate as part of the 2140 series. The page is based on those two sources.
History of the Moskvich 2137
When AZLK modernised the Moskvich 412 into the 2140 in 1976, the estate and van versions followed with new indices but old rear bodywork. The five-door estate became the Moskvich 2137 and the three-door van the Moskvich 2734, replacing the Moskvich 427 and Moskvich 434 respectively. Everything forward of the cargo area was copied from the new 2140 sedan, and the estate and the van were unified with each other in the same way.
Under the bonnet the 2137 used the 1.5-litre engine of the Moskvich 412, the same unit that powered the 2140 sedan in its standard form. The rear seat folded down so that the car could carry bulky loads, which is exactly what Soviet buyers of a small estate wanted: the model was officially classed as a light commercial and passenger car rather than a plain family car.
The van version, the Moskvich 2734, was built from 1976 to 1983, and 4,035 were made. The estate itself stayed in production until February 1985. Because its rear body was inherited from the previous generation, the 2137 outlived the sedan in one respect: it was the last Soviet car still to carry small tail fins above the rear lights, a detail that had gone out of fashion everywhere else a decade earlier.
Design and features
- Folding rear seat: the estate could be turned into a load carrier for long or bulky items.
- Old rear body: the cargo section of the Moskvich 427 was carried over unchanged.
- Tail fins to the end: the 2137 kept the finned rear lights until production stopped in 1985.
- Shared running gear: the 1.5-litre UZAM-412 engine and 2140 front end made servicing straightforward.
Moskvich 2137 versions
- Moskvich 2137 (1976–1985): the standard five-door estate.
- Moskvich 2734 (1976–1983): three-door van on the same body, 4,035 built.
- Moskvich 2136: the equivalent estate with the smaller 1.36-litre M-408 engine.
The 2137 was the load-carrying member of the Moskvich 2140 family, and its rear body came from the earlier Moskvich 427. More models are in the Moskvich collection.
Sources
- Moskvitch 2140, English Wikipedia: production dates, tail fins, place in the range
- Москвич-2137, Russian Wikipedia: body, engine, van version, numbers built
