Details of Cars

ZIS-110: the Soviet limousine derived from a Packard

ZIS

1947 ZIS-110 limousine
1947 ZIS-110 at Retro Classics 2018. Photo by Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The ZIS-110 was a Soviet limousine produced by ZIS from 1946 to 1958. It was developed by reverse-engineering a 1942 Packard Super Eight, and its cars were often given as gifts to foreign communist leaders.

ZIS-110 at a glance

ZIS-110 key facts
Maker Zavod Imeni Stalina (ZIS), Moscow
Production 1946–1958
Based on 1942 Packard Super Eight
Engine 6.0 L straight-eight
Power 140 hp (104 kW)
Top speed over 140 km/h (87 mph)
Body styles sedan and convertible
Prototypes five completed by August 1945
Built 2,089
Armoured version ZIS-115
Notable variants ZIS-110A ambulance, ZIS-110B phaeton, ZIS-110V convertible

Based on one source (English Wikipedia).

History of the ZIS-110

The ZIS-110 was developed from the reverse engineering of a 1942 Packard Super Eight during 1944. The first five prototypes were completed by August 1945. It was powered by a 6-litre straight-eight engine producing 140 hp (104 kW) and giving a top speed of over 140 km/h. The car was made in both sedan and convertible versions.

ZIS-110 at the Moscow car show
ZIS-110 from the Thomas Petrovsky collection at the Moscow car show. Photo by Retired electrician, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.

It was rumoured that ZIS used machinery from the Packard 180 assembly line sent to the USSR after American production ended. However, according to The Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company, there is no evidence in the Packard archives of such a transfer. The top commissars, including Joseph Stalin, owned several Packards and wanted the first Soviet luxury car to be based on one of the top cars of the 1940s.

Gifts to foreign leaders

These cars were often given away as gifts to foreign communist leaders such as the Chinese leader Mao Zedong and the North Korean premier Kim Il-sung. After Stalin, the ZIL-110B cabriolet was used as a parade car by Nikita Khrushchev; this model was also given to Enver Hoxha, the lifelong president of Albania. Ho Chi Minh, the first president of North Vietnam, also received one, which can be seen on display at his former residence in Hanoi.

Production ended in 1958 with a total of 2,089 cars made. The range included the ZIS-110A ambulance, the ZIS-110B phaeton, the ZIS-110V convertible and the armoured ZIS-115, while several four-wheel-drive and prototype versions were also built.

Design and features

  • Packard-derived engineering: the chassis and layout were reverse-engineered from the 1942 Packard Super Eight.
  • Straight-eight power: a 6-litre engine producing 140 hp and a top speed of over 140 km/h.
  • Two body styles: the limousine was built as a sedan and as a convertible, with a phaeton added later.
  • State gift: cars were presented to leaders including Mao Zedong, Kim Il-sung, Enver Hoxha and Ho Chi Minh.

ZIS-110 versions

  • ZIS-110A (1948–1958): ambulance version.
  • ZIS-110B (1947–1958): phaeton version, later used as a parade car.
  • ZIS-110I: prototype with the powertrain of the GAZ-13 Chaika.
  • ZIS-110P and ZIS-110SH: all-wheel-drive versions, the SH built as four prototypes in 1949.
  • ZIS-110V: convertible version.
  • ZIS-115: armoured version built for Stalin.

The ZIS-110 succeeded the ZIS-101 limousine, and its armoured derivative was the ZIS-115. More cars are in the ZIS collection.

Video: ZIS 110 B ~ Soviet Union CAR

Video on YouTube.

Sources

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