[1] Design of the 1,478 cc (90.2 cu in)[2] DM began in response to the increasing power of Western Europe's competitors to the just-introduced Moskvitch 408.
[3] The existing engine's displacement could not be enlarged profitably, so the AZLK team, led by Igor Okunev, started with a clean sheet.
[5] Oknuev, drawing on his experience in motorcycles, saw he could eliminate pushrods and raise the top rev limit, to 5,800 from the earlier engine's 4750.
[5] It was tested in racing in summer 1966, before entering full production, in a higher tuned state, producing 92 hp (69 kW; 93 PS), in the Moskvitch G4M racer.
[2] The planned 1975 Moskvitch 356 was to use an enlarged 1,799 cc (109.8 cu in) version of the DM, with twin Zenith carburetors, giving 103 hp (77 kW; 104 PS).