The MD-2.5 Moscow of 1960-64 represented a well considered attempt by the Russian sporting authorities to provide aspiring Russian competitors with an inexpensive "consumer-grade" 2.5 cc racing glow-plug engine with which to gain the experience necessary to compete for places on the teams which represented Russia in International competition. Released in early 1960, the Moscow was in effect a copy of the very successful MVVS 2.5R-58 from Czechoslovakia (as the Czech Republic was then). The engine was manufactured in the same Moscow factory which produced the 5 cc MD-5 Kometa which has been reviewed elsewhere on this website.

Like its MVVS progenitor, the Moscow featured a Dooling-style "bulge" bypass, a twin-ringed light alloy baffle piston, a twin ball-race crankshaft and a disc rear rotary valve. Although it fell well short of its MVVS progenitor in tems of both quality and performance, a good example of the Moscow was in fact a well-built unit by mass production standards. The manufacturer's performance claim of 0.300 BHP at 18,000 rpm is well supported by my own tests of an unmodified example of the engine. There's little doubt that a considerably higher output could be achieved through a few judicious modifications.

The Moscow was produced in substantial numbers over a four-year period ending in 1964. Along the way, both lapped piston and diesel versions were developed. The engine appears to have served its intended purpose quite well. It was replaced in 1964 by the Super Tigre-influenced MD-2.5 Meteor.

A full review and test of the MD 2.5 Moscow appears elsewhere on this website.