As development work continued on the Moskvich‑2141‑C1 with its traditional rear‑wheel‑drive layout, it became increasingly clear that the global automotive industry was shifting decisively toward front‑wheel drive. In response, a team from the General Layout Bureau of UKER AZLK decided to build a running prototype of a front‑wheel‑drive vehicle, using one of the remaining surplus C1‑series bodies.
The front‑wheel‑drive 2141‑C1 project was led by distinguished AZLK engineers Anatoly Veselov, Yuri Dlugokansky, and L. Mostitsky (name to be confirmed). They assembled a dedicated team that included, among others, Vyacheslav Mamedov, who would later become the chief layout designer of the M‑2141. Since the project was not part of the official program, the work was carried out in their spare time.
To accelerate prototype construction, the team planned to repurpose a transmission with integrated final drive that had been developed in the 1960s for a never‑realized front‑wheel‑drive truck powered by a rotary‑piston engine. Documentation was found for this gearbox, which featured a three‑shaft design. By nesting two shafts concentrically (“one inside the other”), it was possible to achieve a direct drive gear, reducing fuel consumption and noise levels.
“The unplanned front‑wheel‑drive variant of the 2141‑C1 was distinguished by its original front and rear suspension layouts and a different positioning of the rack‑and‑pinion steering gear. For the driven wheels, I was tasked with designing a double‑wishbone suspension with the coil spring mounted on the upper arm, while the steering rack was located above the transmission housing,” recalls Vyacheslav Mamedov. “For the rear suspension, Yuri Dlugokansky developed a solution in which the rigid beam axle was supported by wide, low‑leaf springs, without encroaching on usable trunk volume… The chosen suspension configuration did not require excessive fine‑tuning to achieve acceptable handling for a front‑wheel‑drive car.”
Development of the front‑wheel‑drive C1 lasted about six months. However, the project leaders doubted they would be authorized to build a running prototype, and the work was shelved for the time being. The wait proved short: soon after, a new chief designer, Yuri Tkachenko, arrived at the plant. With support from the Ministry of Automotive Industry, he secured approval to shift the 2141 project to a front‑wheel‑drive platform. As for the conceived and engineered front‑wheel‑drive 2141‑C1, it was no longer needed – the ministry had begun buying Chrysler‑Simca 1307 cars for AZLK, which served as donor vehicles for the first running prototypes.