ЗИЛ-111
ZiL-111 is a Soviet passenger car of the highest and executive class with long-wheelbase sedan, limousine and phaeton bodies, produced in small series at the Likhachev Plant in Moscow from 1958 to 1967. Replaced the ZiS-110 generation model, until 1961 it was produced in parallel with it. “111” is the first model, which was initially small-scale and highly specialized, and was also produced under the designation ZiL, instead of ZiS. Since 1962, a restyled model was produced under the symbol “111G” (or “111D“) with greatly modified front and rear parts of the body. A total of 112 copies of all modifications were produced. In 1967, this model was replaced by the ZiL-114.
Development
Already by the turn of the forties and fifties, the “main” car of the Soviet state – the ZiS-110 – was significantly outdated both externally and technically. It became clear that in the near future he would not be able to fully perform representative functions, not corresponding to the image of the USSR as a world superpower.
In 1948, the ZiS-110M car was built with chassis No. 5, which was the chassis of the serial ZiS-110, on which was installed a body made in the same style as the production model, but of more modern forms – with a pontoon sidewall, stylistically similar for an enlarged Pobeda or Packard model of 1948. It was just a prototype. At the factory it was sometimes unofficially called ZiS-111, but it was not officially listed under this name anywhere.
In the early to mid-1950s, according to the design of the ZiS designer (since 1956 – ZiL) Valentin Rostkov, the following model was built, already on a new chassis developed by a group of ZiL designers led by A. N. Ostrovtsev (who was also the chief designer ZiS-110), and designated as ZiS-111 “Moscow” (according to other information, the first copies retained the chassis of the ZiS-110 model).
It had a more modern body, stylistically a compilation of various elements of American middle and upper class cars of the first half of the 1950s – mainly Cadillac, Packard and Buick. The car had generalized shapes and looked rather inexpressive, without any “zest”. According to various sources, 2 or 3 copies were built, and mass production was being prepared. In 1956, the car was exhibited at VDNKh (then the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition – VSKhV), without arousing much interest among the public. Moreover, by this time it was already lagging behind the new American models, which by the 1955 model year had sharply changed their appearance.
Realizing this, the plant management put work on the car on a competitive basis. There were many proposals, the most notable were two of them – Rostkov’s “Moscow”, almost ready for serial production, and a project by a third-party designer – Lev Eremeev from GAZ, who had previously worked on the GAZ-12 (ZIM-12) car, and in parallel – on the Volga GAZ-21 and the ZiM-13 project, which later became the GAZ-13 “Chaika”. Eremeev’s project was considered more promising, and in 1956 a full-scale plasticine model was ready. Eremeev’s competitor Rostkov had left the plant by this time, unable to come to terms with his defeat.
The design of the ZiL-111 had almost all the usual attributes of American middle-upper class cars of the mid-1950s: large panoramic windows, a frame chassis with independent spring suspension of the front wheels and spring-dependent rear suspension, V-shaped eight-cylinder ZiL-111 engine (its derated version installed on ZiL-130, 131) cars with a large displacement – almost 6 liters, an automatic transmission with a torque converter (the Imperial PowerFlite automatic transmission was taken as a model during the design), power steering, a multi-circuit drum brake system with cascade amplifiers, automatic (electric) window lift drive, and so on.
In 1959, the ZiL-111A modification, equipped with a Soviet air conditioning unit, went into production. Externally, it differed from the base ZiL-111 by a much smaller rear window.
In 1960, production of the ZiL-111V phaeton began in small batches. The large seven-seater car had an automatic hydraulic awning and four side roll-up windows in chrome frames that were completely retractable into the doors. The awning, like that of the ZiS-110B phaeton and ZiS-110V convertible, was covered with a decorative leather cover when folded.
Assembly: Moscow (USSR)
Years of production: 1958—1967
Production: 112 units
Length: 6140 mm
Width: 2040 mm
Height: 1640 mm
Engine: 8 cylinders; 5969 cc
Power: 200 HP
Max speed: 170 km/h
Fuel consumption: 29 l/100 km
Weight: 2605 kg
See also Transport blog
See also Cars blog
See also Motorcycles blog
See also Buses blog
See also Shipbuilding blog
See also Motors and Engines blog
See also Trains and railways blog
See also Trucks and Cargo Vehicles blog
See also Tractors and Special Equipment blog
See also Tanks and Armored Vehicles
See also Airplanes blog
See also Helicopters blog
See also Artillery, Missiles and Rockets blog
See also Bicycles blog
