Posted on 02/27/2013 5:34:10 PM PST by nascarnation
A few years ago Russian president Dmitri Medvedev decided he wanted officials to be chauffeured in Russian limousines, not the German executive sedans everyone had become accustomed to (such as the Mercedes-Benz pictured above). Naturally, that meant turning to Russia's own ZiL to create a litter worthy of a plutocrat and glorious Russian history. The plan had two big problems, the first being that ZiL stopped making limos in 1991 and was only producing trucks and armored military vehicles.
But that didn't stop the party. The orders to ZiL were to create something powered by a V8 that was able to carry three people and reach 130 miles per hour. It must also represent "the best traditions of Soviet limousine building." Zil got to work, spending years and who knows how many rubles to create the armored sedan it unveiled last Fall: the ZiL-4112P, powered by a 7.7-liter V8 that reportedly has more than 400 horsepower. When comparing the 4112P to Obama's presidential conveyance, ZiL's director of limousine production said, "If you look at what Obama drives around in its a scary submarine, no kind of aesthetic, it's awful to look at."
No matter that, the car has one more big problem: President Putin is apparently unhappy with it. The president hasn't publicly disclosed his issues with the car, but the Moscow Times said that Putin "was not pleased" by the looks of the 4112P and noted that the car "needed adjustments." ZiL's response to the report was to say that the president wasn't actually given the 4112P – which, if true, would mean they gave him a presidential limo they haven't revealed to the public instead of the one they threw a giant party for and used to demonstrate the comparative ugliness of its American counterpart.
The mess has left an opening for GAZ and Marussia, with both companies working on alternatives to whatever is on offer from ZiL. GAZ is building something based on the Audi A8 that it says will be ready by 2014, Marussia's "completely original model" will arrive in 2015.
What’s needed is a side by side comparison with the behemoth from the 1970s movie “The Car”
That was a Chaika. The ZIL back then looked more like an enlarged copy of a mid-sixties Chrysler Imperial.
Geez. Looks like the automobile version of the Il-38. Or the illegitimate child of a Hummer and a 1966 Continental.
Too late, lol.
“You think you hate it now, wait ‘til you drive it.”
Me too. Lincoln Town Car.
Yah, I skimmed right past it....
(But I brought a picture)
“You think you hate it now but wait until you drive it”.
The wagon queen family truckster, it was one heck of a tough vehicle.
>>I’ve heard for years that ZiL and Chaika limos actually have Daimler-Benz engines. Far more reliable.<<
In fact both Chaika and Zil has slightly modified truck/bus V8 engines, originated from Gaz-66 (Chaika) and Zil-131 (Zil cars) Army trucks.
They are enough reliable but fuel economy is not there.
Regular Zil limo weight more than 15,000 pounds being built around an armored capsule. I guess it takes about 2 miles per gallon.
She’s a beaut, Clark!
Too much chrome and plastic.
But thanks.
here also about lincoln http://www.bladecars.com/2013/04/2013-lincoln-mkz-price-specs-and-photos.html
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