In the spring of 1940, a crowd gathered in the factory yard in Moscow: attention was drawn to a low-slung, sea-green car. Under the raised hood was an inline four-cylinder engine. After checking the oil pressure, the engine started – and 30 horsepower broke the morning silence. The car was destined for fame, but its fate would soon be jeopardized.
The Idea of a "People's Car"
By the end of the 1930s, Soviet industry confidently produced trucks and executive cars, but personal passenger transport remained inaccessible. The GAZ M-1 cost about 9,000 rubles – comparable to the price of a house or several cows, making it out of reach for most.
The turning point came unexpectedly. The country began discussing an affordable car for citizens, looking to foreign examples. However, the project's fate was determined not by the market, but by decisions from above.
The KIM factory, which had previously assembled Ford Model A and then GAZ-AA trucks, was chosen as the executor. In January 1939, the enterprise gained independence and the task of creating a small car from scratch.
Design and Prototype
Foreign models were taken as a basis: FIAT 508C, Ford Eifel, Ford Prefect (which became the main reference).
The future car received a four-cylinder engine with a volume of 1.17 liters and a power of 30 hp, a three-speed gearbox, and a simple cooling system without a pump.
The body was developed in the USSR. Valentin Brodsky's project included:
- all-metal semi-monocoque construction
- V-shaped windshield
- separate trunk
- hood opening backward (a similar solution later appeared on the "Pobeda")
Production was planned in several versions: a two-door KIM-10-50 sedan, a KIM-10-51 phaeton, and later a four-door KIM-10-52.
A Brief Moment of Success
The first three prototypes were assembled on April 25, 1940. On May 1, the cars paraded across Red Square. The factory was preparing for mass production – up to 50,000 cars per year. For this, 42 enterprises were involved, and body stamps were ordered from the American company Budd.
It seemed that the launch of a mass-produced car was imminent.
Kremlin Decision
In the summer of 1940, the car was presented in the Kremlin. According to recollections, the inconvenience of getting into the two-door body caused a sharp reaction. An additional contrast was created by comparison with the Opel Kadett, which proved to be more spacious and modern.
New requirements were imposed on the car:
- increase ground clearance (170 mm was considered insufficient)
- add rear doors
This was followed by personnel decisions, and the two-door version project was effectively closed, focusing on the four-door modification.
War and the End of the Project
Serial production of the KIM-10-52 began in March 1941. Less than 400 cars were produced before the war began. Then the factory switched to military production, and most of the cars were lost.
After the war, the enterprise became MZMA, and instead of KIM, they began producing the "Moskvich-400" – essentially a copy of the Opel Kadett.
Outcome and Legacy
The KIM-10 never became a mass-produced car, but it played an important role. For the first time in Soviet automotive industry, it used:
- semi-monocoque body
- synchronized gearbox
- all-metal roof of complex shape
Only a few examples have survived to this day: several cars are in museums, including the Moscow Transport Museum and the UGMK collection. The restoration of the KIM-10-51 phaeton took eight years.