Ever-Nostalgic Kremlin Leadership Looking to Bring Back Soviet Era with 2012 ZiL Limo?

Reaganite Republican ^ | October 29, 2011 | Reaganite Republican

[Reaganite Republican]

ZiL 114 series

Russian PM Dmitri Medvedev had commented earlier this year that he'd be more than happy to trade in his Mercedes official car for a real Russian ride, if an appropriately upscale limo could be sourced from within the country. Not willing to wait for such a new car to utilize in Putin's revivalist Red Square military processions, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov can already be found saluting chins-in-the-air Russian troops from the back a fully-restored cca 1975 ZiL open parade car.

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. 

Yet as with most things in today's Russia, Prime Minister Medvedev is not the driving force (sorry) behind a reported new Russian luxury-car initiative: 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, that shouldn't really surprise anyone (although the Russian president is said to have acquired a personal taste for German engineering back in his days as a Dresden KGB operative).

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.

Below is the most recent Russian styling proposal for the new car, and while they're trying to remain faithful to the original theme, to my eyes it came out kind of silly- and dated.  It's a bit like one of those hyper-weird Chinese show cars that come across as a parody of a limo and really not very handsome, kind of contrived and the proportions are awkward (widened Rolls?) imho:

More quality Russian-made product -here-

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Autonews   ZiL.ru   The Guardian (UK)  Wikipedia  RIA Novosti

[DemforBush]

“...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?

[Reaganite Republican]

You seen the Red Square parades lately?

Sheeeesh- puts Andropov’s to shame lol

[Jack Hammer]

No need for Putin to feel sheepish - the communist in the White House subsidizes automakers, too.

[alloysteel]

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.

[ken21]

putin’s got khodorkovsky in the gulag,

why not?

[Reaganite Republican]

Yep- roving white supremist gangs in Moscow fit the old Nazi model too

[Dr. Sivana]

On the other hand, it’s a pretty cool looking car.

Opulence ... Putin has it.

[Kenny Bunk]

My good Doctor, are you quite mad?

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

[Army Air Corps]

Mussolini was the father of Fascism which he defined as “national socialism”; Hitler was just one of many early adopters of the system.

[Army Air Corps]

The thing has a trunk bigger than Moooochelle’s bum!

[The Great RJ]

The Russians should contract out its manufacture to GM. I bet GM would sell more Zil limos than Chevy Volts.

[DJ MacWoW]

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[Forward the Light Brigade]

The new Zil is better looking than the Volt and might even be cheaper!

[Dr. Sivana]

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.

A '57 Checker has ample rear leg room and a reasonable sized trunk, which is more than you can say about today's so-calledd full-sized cars. The Cordoba was much "fatter" looking. This looks more like a mid-60's Chrysler C/Y body (Imperial, Newport, New Yorker, 300). The Pope's car from the era is still in use ('66 white Imperial used by his gardener, last I heard.)

I think it looks a little more like the Green Hornet's Black Beauty (a 1965 Chrysler Imperial).

The "Mac-Daddies" like "bling" on their cars. I like long boxy straight lines reminiscent of betters times. Many conservatives don't like the new car aesthetics.

[Kenny Bunk]

For me, auto design ended with the Pininfarina of the mid 1960s. Today's cars are just plain silly-looking to me with Joker faces instead of grills and all kinds of swoops, swirls and creases. Certain things are probably OK tapered at both ends, but me, I like the Kamm tail.

And those headlight things. Yikes. Darth Vader never. Giorgetto Giugiaro, OK!

[Reaganite Republican]

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.

[cunning_fish]

>
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
>
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.