ZIL-41045 - limousine for Andropov

In the spring of 1936 two cars entered the inner courtyard of the Moscow Kremlin, resembling the American "Buick" and "Packard" in one bottle in their appearance. These were pre-series copies of the first Soviet representative car ZiS-101. Due to the fact that domestic designers did not have experience designing machines of this class, the resemblance to transatlantic forefathers was not only external: the layout, as well as many units and assemblies were copied from Buick. From this model began production at the Moscow Automobile Plant named after Stalin, in addition to trucks, as well as representative cars. By the way, although the first Soviet limousine did not enter free sale for the population (until the early 1960s, cars were not sold to private owners), it could be received as a reward or win the lottery.

From Stalin to Brezhnev

With the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, the production of cars at ZiSe was stopped and resumed only in the victorious 1945, when the ZiS-110 was launched. After the death of Stalin and the coming to power of Khrushchev, the plant was named after IA Likhachev in 1956, and, accordingly, the name of the machines changed to ZIL-110. In 1958, a new model, the ZIL-111, was launched. This was the tradition, when each new General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee received his limousine. The time of Leonid Brezhnev's rule lasted 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 on ZIL-4104.

The Birth of ZiL-41045

After the death of Leonid Brezhnev and the election to the highest state post in November 1982, Yu. V. Andropov, the leadership of the Moscow car factory decided not to break the tradition, despite the fact that four years have not passed since the new model ZIL-4104 . Therefore, it was decided to upgrade the already produced car. The car was called ZiL-41045.

Device and construction

Structurally, the ZIL-41045 repeated its predecessor. The base of the chassis consisted of a welded frame with box frame sectional spars. The steering mechanism had a hydraulic booster. The front suspension is independent torsion bar on the wishbones, the rear suspension is independent on the asymmetric semi-elliptical longitudinal springs. The transverse stability of the car was provided by stabilizers. The brake system is a two-circuit system, with a vacuum and two hydrovacuum amplifiers.

The engine is eight-cylinder V-shaped, with a camber angle of 90 °. As fuel used gasoline A-95. The ignition system was with a backup emergency circuit, which increased its reliability, and the car had two powerful batteries. Rear-wheel drive transmission consisted of an automatic three-speed gearbox with a torque converter. Wheels were equipped with sixteen-inch wheels and special tires, which allowed to move with a broken wheel. The body is a classic, four-door, "limousine" type, with a minimum of various decorative elements. The salon was equipped with an integrated audio system and air conditioning system. The seats of the front row were separated from the interior by a partition with the upper half of the glass lowered . The color in which ZiL-41045 was stained is black.

Car interior trim

Since the ZiL-41045 was intended for trips by high-ranking Soviet officials, special attention was paid to the interior trim of the car. The floor covering was a woolen carpet of a special "turtle" coloring, which made dust and dirt invisible. The upholstery of the seats and doors was made from a Dutch mohair of tobacco color, such as that of the ZIL-41045, whose photo is presented in the article.

However, at the request of a particular customer, there were other options: for example, a car that served the USSR Defense Minister Ustinov DF, had a light beige interior. Front seats - leather, from the Argentine buffalo. Some cars were equipped with a telephone for government communications and secret special equipment. The first ZIL-41045 was manufactured 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 used the new car not for long. In February 1984 this post was taken by KU Chernenko, and in March 1985 by MS Gorbachev. Because of the shortness of the presence of Konstantin Ustinovich in power, he did not receive his own limousine, and the next model, ZIL-41047, appeared only in 1985. Thus, MS 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 Automobile Plant ZIL.