In the spring of 1936, two passenger cars drove into the courtyard of the Moscow Kremlin, resembling the American Buick and Packard in one bottle. These were pre-production copies of the first Soviet representative car ZiS-101. Due to the fact that domestic designers did not have experience in designing machines of this class, the similarities with overseas ancestors were not only external: the layout, as well as many components and assemblies, were copied from Buick. With this model, production began at the Stalin Moscow Automobile Plant, in addition to trucks, also representative cars. By the way, although the first Soviet limousine did not go on sale for the public (until the beginning of the 60s cars were not sold to private owners), it could be received as a reward or won in the lottery.
From Stalin to Brezhnev
With the outbreak of World War II, the production of cars on ZiS was stopped and resumed only in the victorious 1945, when the ZiS-110 model began to be produced. After the death of Stalin and the coming to power of N.S. Khrushchev, the plant was named after I.A. Likhachev in 1956, and, accordingly, the name of the machines changed to ZiL-110. In 1958, a new model began to be produced - ZiL-111. This was the tradition when every new General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee received his limousine. The reign of L.I. Brezhnev stretched for 18 years, and he immediately received three models: ZiL-114, 117 and 115, the latter soon changed its index in accordance with the new GOST to ZiL-4104.
The birth of ZIL-41045
After the death of L. I. Brezhnev and the election of Yu. V. Andropov to the highest state post in November 1982, the leadership of the Moscow automobile plant decided not to break the tradition, despite the fact that less than four years had passed since the new model began to be produced - ZiL-4104 . Therefore, it was decided to modernize the already produced car. The car received the name ZIL-41045.
Device and construction
Structurally ZIL-41045 repeated its predecessor. The base of the chassis consisted of a welded frame with box spars. The steering gear had a power steering. The front suspension is independent torsion bar on wishbones, the rear suspension is dependent on asymmetrical semi-elliptical longitudinal springs. Transverse stability of the car was provided by stabilizers. The braking system is dual-circuit, with vacuum and two hydraulic vacuum amplifiers.
The engine is an eight-cylinder V-shaped, with a camber angle of 90 about . A-95 gasoline was used as fuel. The ignition system was with a backup emergency circuit, which increased its reliability, and the car also had two powerful batteries. The rear-wheel drive transmission consisted of an automatic three-speed gearbox with a torque converter. The wheels were equipped with sixteen-inch wheels and special tires that allowed you to move with a broken wheel. The body is a classic, four-door, type "limousine", with a minimum number of different decorative elements. The salon was equipped with an integrated audio system and air conditioning. The front row seats were separated from the passenger compartment by a partition, in which the upper glass half fell . The color in which the ZIL-41045 was painted is black.
Car trim
Since the ZIL-41045 was intended for travel by senior Soviet officials, special attention was paid to the interior decoration of the car. The floor covering was a woolen carpet of a special color “turtle”, which made invisible dust and dirt. Upholstery of seats and doors was performed from a Dutch mohair of tobacco color, such as that of ZIL-41045, the photo of which is presented in the article.
However, at the request of a specific customer, there were other options: for example, a car that served the Minister of Defense of the USSR D. Ustinov, had a light beige interior. The front seats are leather, made of Argentinean buffalo. Some cars were equipped with a government telephone and secret special equipment. The first ZIL-41045 was made in 1983 and entered the balance of the Special Purpose Garage, which served the trips of the Secretary General of the CPSU Central Committee. However, Yu. V. Andropov did not use the new car for long. In February 1984, this post was taken by K. U. Chernenko, and in March 1985, M. S. Gorbachev. Due to the briefness in power of Konstantin Ustinovich, he did not receive his “limousine”, and the next model - ZiL-41047 - appeared only in 1985. Thus, M.S. Gorbachev, who became the last Secretary General of a great country, was able to ride on the latest model of representative cars of the Moscow ZiL Automobile Plant.