Posted on 10/29/2011 7:15:16 AM PDT by Reaganite Republican
ZiL 114 series |
While only economy types are produced in Russia (Lada) these days, the USSR had indeed built various tiers of (mediocre) sedans for it's ranks of Communist Party apparatchiks and other privileged officials up until the 90s -i.e. the Volvo-esque Volga and more upscale GAZ Chaika. But above them all stood the huge, eight-cylinder ZiL stretch-limo, always the very top-of-the-line... primarily for Kremlin officials and at the time a prestigious symbol of Soviet power the world-over.
A member of Putin's staff revealed that a 2012 ZiL limo proposal was simply "being discussed" with ZiL management ('Zavod imeni Likhachova') back in May. The company currently produces only commerical vehicles/trucks (interestingly, there's still the old-style limo on the company website.)
ZiL 41047 |
Russian news service RIA Novosti reported last year that the City of Moscow (majority stakeholder in ZiL) was working with Germany's Porsche in a collaborative effort to develop world-class 2012 ZiL commerical vehilcles, ones with export potential outside the Russian Federation- seems like a natural partnership for development of the sedans as well, then.
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“...it all started with an official “presidential order” to explore bringing back a modernized version of the ZiL limo- that means from Putin. Since he’s already restored the *Soviet national anthem*”
Pootie sure seems to have a fondness for the symbols of the “good ol’ days”, doesn’t he?
You seen the Red Square parades lately?
Sheeeesh- puts Andropov’s to shame lol
No need for Putin to feel sheepish - the communist in the White House subsidizes automakers, too.
Ah, use the Mercedes, an echo of the days of long-gone National Socialism in the land of its birth, Germany.
What the Russians have now is a reconstruction not of the Soviet trappings, but a new “national socialism” designed with the appropriate Russian translations from the original German model.
putin’s got khodorkovsky in the gulag,
why not?
Yep- roving white supremist gangs in Moscow fit the old Nazi model too
On the other hand, it’s a pretty cool looking car.
Opulence ... Putin has it.
the lowest-on the low-down East St. Louis welfare mac daddy crack pusher would not be caught dead in that Russki FUNK-O-RAMA-MOBILE, which to me looks a lot like a cross between a 1957 Checker and a 1974 Chrysler Cordoba.
Jeez Louise ZIL must mean "real ugly-like " in Russki lingo
Mussolini was the father of Fascism which he defined as “national socialism”; Hitler was just one of many early adopters of the system.
The thing has a trunk bigger than Moooochelle’s bum!
The Russians should contract out its manufacture to GM. I bet GM would sell more Zil limos than Chevy Volts.
The new Zil is better looking than the Volt and might even be cheaper!
And those headlight things. Yikes. Darth Vader never. Giorgetto Giugiaro, OK!
That’s actually a good idea, I’m sure the Russian factory is a Soviet fossil... and GM has actually been getting involved in local Russian production, already got plants there now
Note free market Ford producing what the people want, tho! Nice product
I also read Obama wanted Chrysler to drop most SUVs, the Viper, etc but FIAT CEO Marchionne resisted, as this Italian-Canadian guy knew what Americans like better than Obama!
SUVs are what’s making the company profitable already... Marchionne (a business genius imho) has already been proven correct... and if they had made Volts or some crap like that they’d probably be broke again.
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Thats actually a good idea, Im sure the Russian factory is a Soviet fossil... and GM has actually been getting involved in local Russian production, already got plants there now
>
In fact classic American Chevrolets (not Chevy-branded Korean ones) and Cadillacs on European and Central Asian markets are all Russian-made.
I ‘ve driven Russian-build Chevy TB, there are a lot of Tahoes, SRXs, STSs - all Made in Russia.
As for a classic Zil sedans they are still produced for a nostalgic 3rd World dictators at a rate of one or two annually. These cars are as armored as tanks, it’s suspension keeps comfort on worst roads and engine is invulnerable to worst fuel.
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