A truly rare car for China this is. A light blue Moskvitch Aleko 2141S, seen at a small car repair shop in north Beijing, back in 2011. The good Moskvitch was very dusty and looked neglected. Staff at the store told me they were planning to restore it. Well, they always say that when I ask…
The repair shop is, it still exists, near a Suzuki dealer where I also found a bunch of Alto’s. My wife bought her Swift at that dealer so I came there when her car needed maintenance or repairs.
The Moskvitch Aleko 2141S was made from 1986 to 2000 by the Moskvitch Stock Company in Moscow, Russia. From the late 1980’s the car was exported as ‘Aleko 2141S’ mostly to Eastern European countries. But at least one ended up in China.
The Aleko was partially based on the Simca 1307. Moskvitch bought a licence to the bodyshell and fitted its own drivetrain underneath.
Moskvitch’s engineers and designers were reportedly not happy with the Simca-shell because they believed the had designed something better themselves. The Simca-solution however won the day because it was much cheaper.
During its long life the 2141S was fitted with many engines: 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, and 2.0 patrols and 1.8 and 1.9 diesels. Size: 4350x1690x1400, wheelbase is 2580.
Last tax registration dated from 2008 (visible by the small stickers behind the front screen), which was 3 years ago in 2011. After that day, I never saw the Aleko at the shop again. When I asked, they said it was sold.
The Moskvitch logo on the grille.
I hope it is still out there on the endless roads of the capital, but I fear this great Russian car is long gone.
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