The prototype of the Moskvich 3-5-5 was taken from the Mikhail Krasinets Automobile Museum. In the late 1960s, the Moscow AZLK began work on a new class of car: it was supposed to combine a spacious interior with fuel-efficient small-displacement engines. The project had the factory index 3-5-X, where X designated the next version of the prototype. Serial production was planned to begin no later than 1973-1975.
However, development of the 3-5 series was discontinued on the initiative of then-director Valentin Kolomnikov, and by 1975 the project was officially closed. The final prototype was the 3-5-6, which is now on display at the Moscow Transport Museum.
Two 3-5-5 prototypes had previously been built: the cherry-colored one was in a serious accident, while the silver one traveled about 200,000 kilometers on various roads, including the test tracks of the Dmitrov Automotive Proving Ground.
After testing, the experimental car was stripped of its components and “laid up.” Its next storage location was the AZLK Museum’s storeroom, but after the collapse of the USSR, it was decided to write off the remaining body.
As historian Sergei Iones recalls, the valuable “remains” were exchanged for the engine of an old Volga. Subsequently, the Moskvich came into the hands of Mikhail Krasinets, a collector of vintage cars from the village of Chernousovo in the Tula Region. Since 1997, the car has been sitting in the open air: AZLK fans have had mixed reactions to this, but Krasinets had no intention of selling it, despite regular offers.
Recently, as reported by the editors of Quto, the collector’s widow decided to give the car to a collector. In the near future, the Moskvich 3-5-5 is scheduled to undergo a complete restoration.
