Moskvich Svyatogor: the last Moskvich sedans

The Moskvich Svyatogor was the last new line of cars AZLK produced. A four-door sedan developed from the front-wheel-drive Aleko, it went into limited production in 1998 in long-wheelbase form as the Knjaz Vladimir and the Ivan Kalita, with the two-door Duet added in 1999. All were fitted with Renault engines, and production ended in August 2002, weeks before the factory filed for bankruptcy.

Moskvich Svyatogor at a glance

The trade name Svyatogor was used for AZLK’s facelifted front-wheel-drive cars from 1997; this page covers the 2142 sedan line sold under it, which is what the two Wikipedia articles describe.

History of the Moskvich Svyatogor

The 2142 was designed as the sedan member of AZLK’s front-wheel-drive family, alongside the 2141 hatchback and the 2335 pick-up. Development was finished by 1990 and series production was planned for 1992 as a replacement for the rear-wheel-drive 2140, but the plans changed with the management and the car was only ever assembled in small batches, sold unofficially and in small numbers. Before 1996 the bodies were made in the factory’s design and experimental department, and most of the cars built from them were experimental vehicles and show cars, later bought by factory staff for their own use.

In appearance the sedan differed from the hatchback with its own rear end, vertical tail lights that recalled the Moskvich 402 and the pre-1969 Moskvich 408, different bumpers, a modified bonnet, another grille and another dashboard. Through the 1990s the exterior was reworked: the front number plate moved higher and the grille gained a frame and a central bar for the factory emblem. From 1996 the car was assembled in that form, and when the Knjaz Vladimir appeared in 1997 with a new front end, some 2142s were fitted with it as well.

The experimental cars of the 1980s carried features that the production 2141 never received: improved front and rear suspension, ventilated front disc brakes, an electronic instrument panel and, most importantly, engines of the new AZLK-214xx family. That family was to include a 1.8-litre carburettor engine of 95 hp, a 1.8-litre injection engine of 105 hp, a 16-valve 1.8 of 125 hp, and two diesels of 1.8 and 1.9 litres. The first of them were shown at VDNKh in 1987, but the engine plant was never completed and the production cars had to rely on outside engines.

Three versions of the 2142 were marketed. The Knjaz Vladimir was a large family saloon and the cheapest of the three; the more upmarket Ivan Kalita was an executive saloon; both appeared in September 1998. The Duet, launched in May 1999, was a shortened two-door coupé on the bodyshell of the 2141 Aleko, using the chrome grille of the Ivan Kalita; in 2002, four months before the end, it received a new, sleeker grille. All 2142s used Renault engines, a result of the projected merger with AvtoVAZ in the late 1990s. Renault turned the offer down in 2002 and AZLK had to stop: production ended in mid-August 2002, only about 3,500 cars had been built, and the company filed for bankruptcy on 3 September 2002.

Design and features

• Last Moskvich line: the final and most advanced family the factory developed.
• Executive focus: long-wheelbase sedans aimed at business and official buyers.
• Distinctive rear end: vertical tail lights recalling the 402 and the early 408.
• Renault engines: fitted to every car, a legacy of the planned AvtoVAZ merger.
• Rare: only about 3,500 built over four years.

Moskvich Svyatogor versions

• Knjaz Vladimir (1998–2002): long-wheelbase family saloon, the least expensive version.
• Ivan Kalita (1998–2002): long-wheelbase executive saloon with a chrome grille.
• Duet (1999–2002): shortened two-door coupé on the 2141 bodyshell.
• Duet Series II (2002): facelifted coupé with a sleeker grille.
• 21426 (1990): experimental four-wheel-drive sedan.

The Svyatogor was the sedan member of the family that began with the Moskvich 2141 Aleko, and it was the last car to replace the Moskvich 2140. More models are in the Moskvich collection.

Sources

• Moskvitch 2142, English Wikipedia: versions, engines, production total, bankruptcy
• Москвич-2142, Russian Wikipedia: design, experimental cars, engine family