Moskvich 402 1957 To the Black Sea

The Moskvich-402 scale model from the film To the Black Sea was commissioned by the Shop on Protopopovsky. Released in 1957, the film follows a young couple, Irina and Nikolai, who decide to drive to the Black Sea and celebrate their wedding along the way.

They are followed by Irina's admirer, the teacher Khokhlov, who takes her away through a chance turn of events. Searches, races, declarations, explanations and other adventures then follow.

I see the film as an advertisement for the Soviet car industry. It features many GAZ-21s and new Moskvich-402s, the first of which left the line only in April 1956. It also strongly promotes motoring holidays. Cars affordable to ordinary citizens were still scarce, but roads existed and were half empty—a situation that will never return.