Aleko

The Aleko is a Russian car that was presented to the public in 1986 and was being manufactured between 1988 and 2000 by now bankrupt Moskvitch Stock Venture, based in Moscow, Russia.

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Aleko was a huge improvement over previous Moskvitch models, which were dependable but old-fashioned sedans and wagons with rear wheel drive and solid rear axle, suspended with leaf springs. In fact, Aleko had no common parts with previous models except the engine.

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For Moskvitch, Aleko was very innovative having front-wheel drive, hatchback body style, McPherson front suspension and torsion-crank rear suspension. The wheelbase went up almost 20 centimeters, the body got 14 centimeters wider, the wheel size went up one inch. The car became more spacious, comfortable and safe. First time in the history of Russian car making, the Aleko profile was optimized for better aerodynamics, with the help of Russian and French airplane and space engineers.

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The car originated as a front-wheel drive proof of concept, based on foreign models. In late 1970-ies Moskvitch bought about two dozens of compact cars built by different automakers, and thoroughly tested them. French and Swedish cars were favored for their utility and reliability. The final decision was made by the Minister of Automobile Industry, who chose French Simca 1307 as the best candidate for the Russian market.

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Engineers modified existing Moskvitch engine to front-wheel drive layout and fit the drivetrain into the Simca. After the tests competed successfully, it was decided by the management to copy Simca 1307 bodyshell almost entirely, starting from the A-pillar. While this decision helped to save money, it came as an insult to engineers and designers, who had their own mock-ups of future car ready. The morale had been damaged, and Aleko never was the beloved child among Moskvitch engineers.

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Existing engine was too long for transversal placement, thus it was placed longitudinally, like on Audi 80/100 series. Many ideas and design decisions were borrowed from Audi cars, like torsion-crank rear suspension, McPherson front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering or collapsable steering wheel shaft. The spare tire was located underneath the trunk and was accessible from outside, in the tradition of French cars.

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Despite second-hand styling and design, the Aleko turned out to be quite a breakthrough for Russian automotive industry. It almost became the first production front-wheel drive car, but it took another two years for Moskvitch to setup the manufacturing, and Lada Samara made by Lada Cars, stole the thunder.

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Aleko was sold mostly on domestic market, but in the late 1980-ies it was exported too. On some export markets, like Germany, the cars were advertised as the Lada Aleko, and diesel engines from Ford and Indenor could be delivered in addition to the standard petrol engines. Some of the last Moskvitch models to be built, like the Svjatogor and the Dolgorukij, (1997-2002), were based on the Aleko.

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