The ZIM-12 (russian: ЗИМ-12) was a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
full-size luxury car produced by the
Gorky Automotive Plant (GAZ) from 1950 until 1960. It was the first
executive car
Executive car is a British term for a large car which is equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and the non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars), and sma ...
produced by GAZ and the first one to have the famous leaping gazelle hood ornament.
[ Thompson, p. 68] The car was built to serve high and medium rank Soviet '' nomenklatura'', but was also readily available as a taxi and ambulance. Unlike its successors, ZIM was the only Soviet executive class full-size car that was actually made available for private ownership.[''ZIM-12'', "Avtolegendy SSSR" Nr.3 ] A total of 21,527 examples were built.[
]
Development
GAZ began the design process for what became the M12 in May 1948, when the Soviet government requested a six-passenger sedan for the niche between the ZIS-110 and the ''Pobeda'', with a deadline of twenty-nine months to produce it.[ Thompson, p. 66][ Due to the lack of time, head designer Andrei Lipgart was given a choice between copying an American product (a Buick) or developing an entirely new model. He chose the latter, despite high level support for simply badge engineering a Buick.][
The M12 used a lengthened ''Pobeda'' ]monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell".
First used for boats, ...
chassis (with a wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...
), and about half the drivetrain
A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components ...
components of the GAZ-51 and GAZ-63 trucks, or the smaller ''Pobeda'', including the inline six
The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine bala ...
engine (producing , rather than the in the truck), and the transmission.[ Thompson, p. 67] The ZIM's compression ratio
The compression ratio is the ratio between the volume of the cylinder and combustion chamber in an internal combustion engine at their maximum and minimum values.
A fundamental specification for such engines, it is measured two ways: the stat ...
was increased to 6.7:1, but it was still able to employ the 70 octane petrol (gasoline) common in the Soviet Union; this, plus an improved intake manifold and twin-choke (two-barrel) carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meter ...
, was responsible for the increased power.[ The front suspension was by coil springs, with ]leaf spring
A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Originally called a ''laminated'' or ''carriage spring'', and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring, elliptical spring, or cart spring, ...
s at the rear, and hydraulic shock absorber
A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Mos ...
s. It had drum brakes at all four corners.[ Despite lacking power steering, the 18.2:1 ratio steering box made turning fairly easy. It offered a standard three-band ]AM radio
AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transmi ...
,[ at a time when radios were not standard on most American cars, even the most expensive ones.
The car weighed , was capable of getting , of reaching , and of accelerating in 37 seconds.][ It had one unusual feature: the rear ]tread
Tread may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Tread'' (film), a 2019 American documentary film about Marvin Heemeyer
* Tread (Transformers)
* Tread, a character in the novel series '' Transformers: The Veiled Threat''
* Tread rap, subgenre of trap that b ...
(track), at , was wider than the front by , to ensure the rear seat would accommodate three passengers. The result was an Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it pro ...
-like "bulge".[ It was also the first GAZ to feature the leaping gazelle hood ornament.][ Thompson, p. 68]
The first car was built in October 1950, and was notionally available to average citizens; its 40,000 ruble price made purchase unlikely (comparing to 16,000 for mid-class Pobeda).[
The ''ZIM'' abbreviation stands for Zavod imeni Molotova (russian: Завод имени Молотова). Prior to 1957, the GAZ factory was officially named as ''Gorkovsky avtomobilny zavod imeni V.M. Molotova'', or the '']Vyacheslav Molotov
Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov. ; (;. 9 March O. S. 25 February">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O. S. 25 February1890 – 8 November 1986) was a Russian politician and diplomat, an Old Bol ...
Gorky automotive factory'', in honour of the Soviet Foreign Minister. All of the models carried the prefix ''M'' instead of ''GAZ''. However, for a car of executive class, a new catchy abbreviation was introduced, coinciding with bigger ZIS limousines. In the style of American car fashion that the vehicle was inspired by, the ZIM was used laboriously to decorate the car: the hubcaps, the bonnet, the radiator grille, even the horn button on the steering wheel. However, the Soviet Minister's career was abruptly finished in May 1957, when he lost a political fallout with Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev ...
. Following his downfall, the country underwent a renaming spree, with cities, streets, ships and factories being hastily rid of the fallen politician's name. ZIM, which was in production, from the summer of 1957 was hurriedly re-christened as GAZ-12, and all of the badges and adornments replaced by the new abbreviation. Moreover, right up until the perestroika the car was officially named labelled only as the GAZ-12, whilst unofficially it was almost exclusively referred to as the ZIM.
A prototype four-door cabriolet was built in 1949, but not produced, due to problems with rigidity.[ It was also overweight for the engine.][ Thompson, p. 69] An ambulance GAZ-12B was also built in 1951–1960, with folding seats for medics and basically same body; stretchers were loaded through the trunk.[''GAZ-12B skoraya pomoshch'', "Avtomobil Na Sluzhbye", No.1, DeAgostini, 2010, , ] There was also a taxi variant GAZ-12A, used mainly as a ''marshrutka
''Marshrutka''[draisine
A draisine () is a light auxiliary rail vehicle, driven by service personnel, equipped to transport crew and material necessary for the maintenance of railway infrastructure.
The eponymous term is derived from the German inventor Baron Karl ...](_blank)
designed and built on the ZIM basis for the use on narrow-gauge railway
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structur ...
s.[
The GAZ-12 was replaced by the GAZ-13 ''Chaika''.][
]
Technical specifications
* Clearance:
* Turn radius:
* Gearbox
Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), diffe ...
: 3 speeds + reverse
* Weight: ( with full tank, oil and other liquids)
* Maximum speed:
* Fuel tank:
* Fuel consumption: at 50–60 km/h
Notes
Sources
*
* ''ZIM-12'', "Avtolegendy SSSR" Nr.3, DeAgostini, 2009, ISSN 2071-095X {{in lang, ru
Cars of Russia
Soviet automobiles
GAZ Group vehicles
Flagship vehicles
Luxury vehicles
Cars introduced in 1950