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ZIM / GAZ-12 - Soviet luxury sedan, conditionally available to everyone

ZIM / GAZ-12 - Soviet luxury sedan, conditionally available to everyone
ZIM cars in Soviet times were considered an intermediate link between luxurious ZIS limousines and ordinary passenger cars of the Gorky Plant. By the way, the model of this class was the first in the manufacturer's line. It is also the only one under the ZIM brand, later renamed GAZ.


Although the “people” called the car a limousine, in fact it was not. The fact is that for this in the cabin there must be a partition between the driver and passengers. ZIM-12 did not have it, respectively, it is considered just a large sedan.

ЗИМ/ГАЗ-12 – советский роскошный седан, условно доступный каждомуIn appearance there is something from the "Victory" and from the "Volga", which did not exist then. Photo: Youtube.com

By the way, it is worth explaining why there is confusion in the names of cars. After all, GAZ Pobeda and ZIM-12 were produced at the same time. The fact is that the enterprise bore the name of Molotov - hence the abbreviation of a luxury sedan. And GAZ until 1957 was not Gorky at all, but the State Automobile Plant.

History


Development of the first luxury sedan began in 1947. The chief designer of the enterprise, Andrey Lipgart, received a task for a new model.

The car had to meet a number of requirements:

✅ Be modern
✅ Luxurious
✅ Six-seater and sedan, without a "limousine" partition in the cabin

2,5 years were given for development. At that time, such projects were supervised by Stalin, he was quick to punish for failure to meet deadlines, but he also “royally” rewarded for completing the task. Work began to boil immediately after receiving the order.

The salon was without exaggeration luxurious. Photo: Youtube.com

Lipgart had two paths, and either one could be considered correct. The first is to take an American luxury sedan as the basis. Then it remained to decompose it into details and copy it in the light of the possibilities of Soviet industry.

This path was easier, but promised several unpleasant moments. The worst thing is the accusation of plagiarism, which was like death for a proud engineer.

The second way is to use what is already at the plant, including units and assemblies already mass-produced. Of course, you would have to produce a lot of things by your own enterprise.

Although, experts are still arguing whether Lipgart took the American Buick Super as a basis, or did everything on his own. It can be said with certainty that the designer was guided by the US automobile school.

1951 Buick Special Super Eight for comparison. Photo: Youtube.com

In 1949, the first ZIM-12 was demonstrated to the party elite. The leaders of the USSR approved the sedan and even Stalin liked it. In 1950, the first batch of luxury cars was already ready.

Available to everyone


Stalin did not like it when the communist elite stood out strongly. Until 1931, he even went to the Kremlin on foot, until his comrades-in-arms forbade him to do this because of the assassination attempt. Therefore, ZIM-12 was conceived as a luxury car, but popular.

Surprisingly, the predecessor of "The Seagull" was available not only to the party elite. And these cars worked in taxis and ambulances. Every Soviet citizen who ended up in Moscow and Leningrad could, in theory, ride on a luxurious ZIM-12.

Buy ZIM-12 was available to anyone who managed to save 40 thousand rubles. Given that we are talking about prices before the 1961 denomination, this is not so much. The average salary of a simple worker at a factory was 600 rubles, and a teacher at school received about 900. You just need to understand that we are talking about the post-war period - then people had no time for luxury - they rebuilt and raised families.

These cars have always been turned around. Photo: Youtube.com

More often, ZIM-12 was bought by scientists, writers, composers and figures with regalia and titles. They were paid well under Stalin - some bonuses were worth something. Interestingly, in a number of cases, Soviet car owners also hired drivers. By the way, then many suffered from the denunciations of these comrades.

Body and interior


ZIM-12 had a length of almost 5,2 meters. It was difficult to create a large car without using a frame. By the way, the chief designer of the plant was recommended to copy it from American manufacturers.

Andrey Lipgart understood that there are many powerful engines in the USA, for which an extra 200-400 kg is nothing. We also had one engine available - an in-line "six" with a volume of 3,5 liters. He developed 90 hp. With. If the car received a frame, then the dynamics, which are not very outstanding, would decrease even more.

Therefore, the designer made a bold decision - to make a load-bearing body. Fortunately, Lipgart already had experience with Pobeda. Everything worked out, and for this reason alone, the Soviet luxury sedan should not be called a copy of cars from the USA - those are frame ones.

Is Soviet chrome still intact? Photo: Youtube.com

The only serious disadvantage of the monocoque body was that convertibles had to be abandoned. The prototypes did not have the necessary rigidity - global alterations were required. Considering that convertibles were not a priority for the USSR, they decided to abandon them.

The only thing that ZIM-12 has in common with the American car industry of those years is a similar design. But it is still a generally accepted world practice to copy successful models.

Inside, the ZIM-12 was at the same time similar to a luxury sedan from the USA and Pobeda. Despite the ability to borrow and simplify, Lipgart did not use parts from other GAZ vehicles. At ZIM-12, everything in the cabin was original.

Inside the car with convenience and luxury could accommodate 4 people. If you make room, then already 6. And if it happened that you need to withdraw a large company, then all 8.

A copy in this condition is not cheap to buy. Photo: Youtube.com

The two seats in the middle of the cabin look somehow frankly alien. Although, the designers thought of their folding - to the back of the front sofa. In this form, they do not offend the eye.

Engine, transmission and chassis


The ZIM-12 motor is frankly outdated even for the 40s, but at the same time incredibly reliable. After passing a series of tests, he remained on the assembly line until the end of the 80s. It was originally put on ZIM, and then the power unit migrated to trucks. The most famous model with such an engine is the GAZ-52, of which there are still many in operation across the Russian expanses.

The GAZ-12 engine is based on the power unit from the Dodge D5. It has a volume of 3,48 liters, developing 90 liters. With. Recall, just in case, that the power on trucks has been reduced, and the engine itself has been produced in various modifications since 1938.

The opening of the hood is interesting. Photo: Youtube.com

The gearbox on the ZIM-12 does not stand out at first glance. Simple three-step mechanics. But in fact, this is a kind of transitional class between manual transmission and automatic transmission. Thanks to the hydraulic clutch in the system, the gears shifted very smoothly, without jerks. And the clutch in general could be thrown sharply. Yes, and the car could move from any gear.

Unfortunately, the fluid coupling, new to the plant, turned out to be capricious and unfinished - it often leaked. Therefore, at the first "Seagull" it was already abandoned. By the way, one of the motorists came up with a way to extend the life of the unit - he filled the fluid coupling with Litol lubricant, after which the problems with leaks stopped.

As for the chassis of the luxurious Soviet sedan, the designers did not particularly philosophize with it. It is not much different from "Pobedovsky".

Due to the high ground clearance and the simplicity of the suspension, the cross-country ability is quite high. Photo: Youtube.com

The only thing worth noting separately is the braking system. For all the similarity with the GAZ-M20, there are a pair of cylinders on each front wheel. It was necessary for such a heavy car.

ZIM / GAZ-12 was the first and last luxury executive class sedan for the people in the USSR. The following models were already called "Seagulls" and were not available for free sale.

ZIM-12 can be bought now. On the used market, they ask for from 550 thousand to 7 million rubles.

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Photos used: https://youtube.com

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