Heroes of the Soviet Union. History of ceremonial convertibles

In the USSR, cars at parades did not appear immediately: for many years, commanders drove into Red Square exclusively on horseback. But in 1938, the engineers of the Stalin automobile plant (that was the name of the ZIL at that time) prepared a ZIS-102 phaeton for "ceremonial" needs, and on May 1, 1941 he led a column of armored vehicles.

ZIS-110B

However, the commanders-in-chief "moved" to cars much later. Only in 1953 the then Minister of Defense of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union Nikolai Bulganin first went to receive the November parade dedicated to the anniversary of the October Revolution, not on horseback, but on a new ZIS-110B phaeton.

Under its hood was a 140 hp engine. And the main "chips" of the car were leather upholstery and a manual mechanism for folding the awning. In the center of the cabin there was a special handle (also trimmed with leather) so that the parade commander could stand while moving to his full height, while maintaining balance.

"Victory" at the parade

The military did not pass by the GAZ M-20 "Pobeda" either - the car was quickly adapted for traveling and staff needs.

And in 1948, when the plant mastered the production of M-20B convertibles with a soft folding roof, the choice of a car for participation in the parades was decided. In special workshops, these "Pobedy" were "pumped" for the army's needs: they put handles on the frame of the "lobovukha" or on the backs of the front seats so that the officer who had the honor to receive the parade could hold onto them.

The first two ceremonial "Victories" appeared in 1949. The convertibles were assembled at the Moscow Region Experimental Plant No. 38. They did not have side window frames, a roof folding mechanism, but there were handrails on the backs of the seats. To avoid problems with the rigidity of the body, the rear left door was simply welded. True, these cars did not succeed in becoming permanent participants in the celebrations. They were used for their intended purpose only once - at the parade in Petrozavodsk.

ZIL-111 V and GAZ-24 "Volga"

The ZIL-111 limousine appeared in 1958, and a few years later saw the light of its parade modification, which received the letter "B" in the index. The convertibles were equipped with hydraulic window lifters, handrails, microphones, and folding tarpaulins.

A total of three such cars were assembled. They participated in parades until 1962.

Participated in the creation of ceremonial cars and the Gorky Automobile Plant. There was assembled an experimental batch of "ceremonial" GAZ-24 for the countries of the Warsaw Pact, the Middle East and, of course, Cuba.

But the Soviet military, especially from distant garrisons, had to convert the standard "twenty-fourth" into convertibles on their own.

GAZ-13B "Chaika" and "front" GAZ-3102

For parades in the provinces in the early 1960s, about a dozen GAZ-13B convertibles were assembled. Their main feature was the hydraulic soft top control system. By the way, several of these convertibles were transferred to the GDR in 1979.

In the early 1980s, the role of the first violin in the military environment went to the powerful (the number of "horses" ranged from 90 to 150) and comfortable GAZ-3102. But in Soviet times, ceremonial convertibles were not made on the basis of these cars. Their time came a little later, right after the collapse of the USSR. Moreover, production was established in remote military units.

GAZ-14−05 "Chaika" and ZIL-41044

In the period from 1981 to 1988, the Gorky Automobile Plant produced one and a half dozen GAZ-14−05 convertibles, created on the basis of the "fourteenth" GAZ with an engine of 220 "horses".

These cars received at their disposal two front seats, a pair of flagpoles, three antennas, handrails, a microphone stand and an awning that had to be lifted by hand.

These cars still occasionally participate in military parades in remote parts.

In 1981, ZIL-41044 convertibles appeared, painted in light gray. Unlike the base car, the base was shortened to them (up to 3,300 millimeters), and an engine was installed under the hood that produced 275 horsepower.

There was no front passenger seat. But there was heating not only of the rear seat, but also of the floor. A handrail and a microphone were placed in the center of the car, and the radio was hidden in the trunk. In addition, the car was equipped with a special communications complex "Tutor".

It was the ZIL-41044 convertibles that participated in the last Victory Parade of the Soviet era - in 1990. Then they were remembered and "invited" to the celebrations in 2008 and 2009.

ZIL-41044 at the Victory Parade, 2008 (Photo: Vitaly Belousov / TASS)

What now?

In modern Russia, there is also a place for cars for parades. This, for example, is ZIL-410441. In 2009, the competition for the creation of "special" cars was unexpectedly won by the Moscow Automobile Plant, which by that time was already on its way.

As a result, a year later, 3 cars were born, equipped with V8 engines with a capacity of 280 "horses" and "automatic" Allison. But the matter did not go further, since the cars were rejected at the state acceptance.

But the representatives of the Atlant-Delta design company were more fortunate. The Nizhny Novgorod craftsmen took the American GMC Sierra 1500 (manufactured in 2007) as a basis, and on their basis they created their own product - SP45. The interior was redesigned, the body was shortened, the new roof control mechanism was "screwed on" - and voila. It is curious that during certification this brainchild went to Zilovskaya - ZIL-41041 AMG.

This car was used not only ex-defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov... During the celebrations on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Victory Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also rode a ZIL AMG.

Atlant-Delta has another interesting "front" development - four-wheel drive vehicles GAZ SP46 "Tiger". Three such vehicles were built on the basis of the GAZ-2330 "Tiger" in 2008. An American diesel engine with a capacity of 205 hp was put under the hood, and the Allison automatic transmission made up the company.

These ceremonial SUVs led the military celebrations on the St. Petersburg Palace Square.

7 minutes to read. Views 4.4k. Posted on May 14, 2014

In the USSR, cars at parades did not appear immediately: for many years, army commanders drove into Red Square on well-trained horses. But in 1938, the engineers of the Stalin automobile plant (that was the name of the ZIL at that time) prepared an open phaeton ZIS-102 based on the ZIS-101 limousine.

The officially opened car was intended for the "southern regions" of the USSR, but it managed to make a mark in motorsport as well. In 1940, on a 100-kilometer section of the Moscow-Minsk road, a phaeton with an engine boosted from 90 to 116 horsepower set an average speed of 116.327 kilometers per hour, and a kilometer on the move passed at a speed of 153 kilometers per hour at the finish line. And already the next year, at the parade on May 1, 1941, the ZIS-102 led a column of armored vehicles.

The ZIS-102 did not become serial, and Stalin personally forbade the commanders at parades to ride it.

However, the ZIS-102 itself still participated in the parades. But not in the lead role.

And this is a car built on the basis of the modernized model ZIS-101A. Visually, it is easiest to identify it by the "American" radiator grille.

But the cabriolet became the commander-in-chief's car only in 1953, at the November military parade dedicated to the anniversary of the October Revolution. True, it was already an open version of the more modern ZIS-110 model. In general, the ZIS without a roof, based on the one hundred and tenth, was in two versions: from 1949 to 1954, phaetons were produced, and from 1955 - convertibles.

Around the same time, a tradition has emerged to paint military ceremonial convertibles and phaetons gray. Why? The main parade took place in November - respectively, the host and the commander of the parade were dressed in greatcoats, the color of which the cars were painted. They remained gray for a long time and at the parades on May 9: despite the fact that civil defense ministers in black suits made a detour around the troops, convertibles began to be painted black only in 2010. Last year, Sergei Shoigu hosted a parade in a military uniform for the first time in a long time, but there are no plans to repaint the cars in a new color yet.

The ZIS of the one hundred and tenth series was stylistically very similar to the Packard Super Eight model, but there was no question of technical copying.

In 1958, the ZIL-111 limousine was launched into production - with a two-hundred-horsepower V8 engine, a hydromechanical gearbox and electric windows. Naturally, open versions were also built on its basis - they were called ZIL-111V and ZIL-111D. Then there was ZIL-114, ZIL-117 and, finally, ZIL-4104 with a bunch of modifications. Open versions were indexed ZIL-115V, ZIL-117V and ZIL-41044.

At the same time, three ZIL-41044 vehicles, which were used for parades before the appearance of the freshest ZIL-41041 AMG, have participated in them since 1981.

The open ZIL-111 was used not only at military parades: it was often used to welcome important guests of the USSR or celebrate major holidays.

“We won't let you look under the hood,” the accompanying officer tells me, as if guarding some kind of secret. But there is no secret that this ZIL is built on the basis of the aggregates of the GMC Sierra pickup truck for a long time. In fact, it is not even "ZIL". The in-house vehicle index is GAZ SP-45.
These cars were assembled in Nizhny Novgorod by the Atlant-Delta company, which is part of the GAZ group (ZIL itself, which participated in the competition of the Ministry of Defense, lost the tender). Moreover, the bodies for the cars had to be used old, and the units had to be selected from foreign ones. Under the hood of the car - an American six-liter V8 with a capacity of 304 horsepower and a six-band "automatic" Hydra-Matic.
Many interior elements give out the American model in ZIL. But many of the details are ours. For example, the ventilation system deflectors are from the Volga.

To determine the "pedigree" it is enough to look into the salon: there is a typical "Gi-Em" steering wheel, as well as light and air conditioning control units. However, you should definitely not be ashamed of this: stylistically, Soviet parade cars most often copied exactly American cars. For example, the ZIS-110 was very similar to the Packard (they say that Stalin was very fond of this brand, and the creators of the car decided to please him). And the magazine "Za Rulem" in 1940 wrote about the ZIS-102 as follows: "The casing of the ZIS-102 radiator is designed like the best models of cars produced by American firms in 1939." With pride - and no one was ashamed.
ZIL-111 - that was a collective image of a large American car. And only starting with the ZIL-117 design of cars for the highest ranks has ceased to openly quote "overseas". Needless to say, even if the ZIL plant itself, which then still bore the name of Stalin, was built using American equipment.
Do not cling to the image of ZIL with the label “outdated”. Here the word "classic" is more suitable.

However, they didn’t let us behind the wheel. After all, there are only three such convertibles: the receiving parade will go on one, the commander on the other. The third car, according to tradition, is on duty at the Kremlin's Spassky Gate, in case something happens to one of the main cars. “After the parade, they would give me a ride, but before, I’m not allowed. Everything should go perfectly, ”the military says.

On the other hand, the dynamic characteristics, sharpness and information content of the steering are not the most important thing here. There is no point in talking about safety either: in the case of ZIL, its role is played not by belts and airbags, but by FSO officers, who will give odds to any car with even a seven-star EuroNCAP rating.
Therefore, I "get into the car" and pretend to be a general. The front passenger seat is absent - it is supposed to stand in its place. And in order not to fall at the most crucial moment, a special handle is provided in the center of the cabin, similar to the handle of a shovel. It's simple - you hold on with your left hand, with your right hand - you perform a military salute.

The leaf sprung rear suspension is surprisingly comfortable - however, with such huge wheels and a curb weight of 3100 kilograms, this is not surprising.

The roof is folded with the help of servo drives, but unlike the previous ZILs, in the lowered state it does not turn into a huge hump behind the passenger compartment. And even for the sake of aesthetics, it is covered with a decorative plastic cover. The residents of Nizhny Novgorod call the roof their own design: it is electrically driven, but the latches on the windshield frame must be unlocked and locked by hand - as, say, on the Mazda MX-5 roadster.

To say that ZIL looks majestic is to say nothing. And the dimensions are impressive: 5.7 meters long, two meters wide and one and a half meters high.

The suspension - despite the fact that it is spring and from a pickup truck - is quite comfortable, at least on the even asphalt of the military unit. But on paving stones everything will be different: after all, the low rigidity of the body of the "American" ZIL affects not only safety or handling, but also comfort.
However, the lion's share of comfort in the ceremonial ZIL is provided by the driver: for such events, people with the rank of captain, and more often colonels, who are undergoing intensive training, are allowed behind the wheel. Therefore, you will not have to complain about the thoughtfulness of an automatic transmission or jerks when switching: the main task of the driver is to be able to smoothly start, brake and turn.

For the American ZILs, the current parade may be the last: they say that the real ZIL has already received an order for revision of its previous cars - apparently, as “transitional” models before the appearance of the first cars of the Cortege project. Three new convertibles should be ready by early 2015.

And then there's a chance that main convertible The Victory Parade will finally be completely Russian. And this is not jingoistic patriotism - if cars of such a high class are designed in our country, then perhaps an engineering school will be revived in Russia?

Meet the most peaceful military vehicle and its driver.

SMOOTH, EVEN SMOOTHER

The sleek convertible sailed slowly at full speed and braked not abruptly, but only slightly more intensely than its status should. It was I who provoked an experienced driver into an active maneuver - out of pure curiosity. I got ready, grouped myself - and almost fell overboard! Standing in a convertible, it is very difficult to maintain balance: I resisted only because I grabbed the handrail sticking out in the center of the cabin. How much depends on the driver's ability to drive smoothly! After all, the Minister of Defense goes around the troops in a combat position: the right hand is attached to the cap, and the left elegantly rests on the handrail. Is it difficult to manage the front ZIL? I'm going to try now! The automatic transmission lever is in the “drive” position, I release my foot from the brake, and ZIL-41041 AMG slowly, like a long-distance train, starts to move. The power unit is perfectly adapted to the measured movement in front of the Kremlin walls. The engine allows you to accelerate without sudden accelerations and jerks, switching from first gear to second is almost imperceptible.

Unaccustomed, the convertible seems too soft and roll. It is not surprising: the tire pressure, the characteristics of the rear leaf spring and front torsion bar suspension are selected in such a way as to ensure a high smoothness of the ride on the paving stones of the Red Square. Moreover, with a completely certain load: a driver, a passenger and a full trunk of the equipment that manages the work of three radio microphones.
Before the turn, I slowed down a little, turned the steering wheel - and immediately felt a slight body roll. But for me he is barely noticeable, and if there was a passenger behind his back, he would probably grab the handrail so as not to fall. I finished my acquaintance with the convertible with the most comfortable deceleration, since the information content of the brake pedal is quite high. ZIL froze in place, not pecking his nose. Or so it seemed to me? LIFE ON PAVERSCHATKA The driver of the front ZIL of the Minister of Defense under the number 0001 MO 77 is driving for the fifth parade. He knows two other cars well too. The one with the number 0002 is for the commander of the ground forces. There are no external differences, but due to the peculiarities of the route on Red Square, the settings are slightly different. It has a smaller turning radius and the automatic gearbox shifts down to second gear at a lower speed. The third car is a spare (during the parade it is on duty at the gates of the Spasskaya Tower), with averaged settings. By the way, he has never been needed: the first two are reliable and did not require replacement. At rehearsals and at the parade, convertibles are overtaken on their own. The cloth top and side windows are kept up to keep the interior clean. Driving around Red Square is a special job. No unnecessary braking - only at the points provided by the scenario! For example, you need to leave the gates of the Spasskaya Tower and then turn left without slowing down and at the same time being comfortable for the passenger. The speed of bypassing the parade "boxes" with troops is about 17 km / h. When the convertibles of the Minister of Defense and the parade commander are following alongside, it is required to keep a distance of one and a half meters. From the side it seems that they are traveling evenly. In fact - somewhere a little faster, somewhere a little slower: you have to take into account the relief of the paving stones (it lies in waves). Sometimes you need to work with two pedals - both gas and brake, in order to avoid unnecessary switching of the machine from first gear to second and vice versa.

When watching TV broadcasts of the Victory Day parade, pay attention: the headlights on convertibles do not light up, and brake lights do not work when braking. There is a toggle switch in the armrest, with which the driver turns off all external lighting devices, windshield wipers, and an air conditioner. This is in order to exclude interference with radio microphones. As it turned out, the most difficult thing in the driver's work at the parade is not at all the jewelry control of the car, but the need to maintain the schedule with an accuracy of a few seconds. There should be no delays: the planes and helicopters finishing the parade have already taken off from the airfields. Their pilots are not asked to fly anywhere for a few minutes to make up for a schedule glitch. Clock? Of course, they are on the ZIL dashboard - but without the second hand. The driver does not have the opportunity to often look at his watch, he has to navigate by the music - the marches of the combined orchestra of the Moscow military garrison. Plus the acquired sixth sense is a kind of internal timer.

FIGHT AGAINST HYPODYNAMIA A car that is used only a few days a year has a special mode of storage and maintenance. All three ZILs are in an air-conditioned garage, where a certain temperature and humidity are maintained. Each battery is disconnected from the on-board network for fire safety reasons. And covers are put on the wiper blades so that their rubber bands age more slowly and do not deform. Outwardly, ZILs are always brand new. What to do with a sedentary lifestyle? Slow driving and smooth braking is not the most useful mode of operation. Sometimes you have to take it with a breeze in order to burn carbon deposits in the engine! And load the brakes, suspension, gearbox? After the dress rehearsal of the parade, which takes place on May 7, the cabriolets, accompanied by traffic police cars, set off on a run along one of the highways near Moscow. Only regular drivers are driving, but the passengers are the specialists of the manufacturer. Under their supervision, ZILs perform a special driving cycle, including braking and driving at maximum speed. Then the convertibles are washed, dried and their technical condition checked. The final touch is body polishing.

By the way, the driver of the ceremonial ZIL is not at all an army white-handed woman who only sits behind the wheel. After each drive, he washes the convertible himself. The features of the body and the quality of painting require an individual approach, therefore automatic brushes and conscripts are not allowed to work. Kärcher, sponges, car care products and neat handwork. And here's what else is interesting. Before rehearsals and parades, drivers often walk the entire route through Red Square. Of course, these paving stones are cleaned with special care, but an extra check will not hurt. No matter how strong and puncture-resistant the tires are, their contact with piercing-cutting objects must be excluded. During the telecast of the Victory Day parade, a voice-over tells the audience who is leading a column of tanks or a squad of fighters. It seems to me that it would be fair to call the cabriolet driver under the number 0001. And since this has not yet been done, I will call him. The Minister of Defense's car is driven by Major Georgy Aleksandrovich Gorshunov. It is him that we will see at the wheel of the "board 0001", which on May 9 will open the parade on Red Square, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Our reference Three black convertibles ZIL-41041 AMG were assembled in 2009 to replace the gray parade phaetons with the index 41044. The manufacturer is Atlant-Delta, a member of the GAZ Group. The cars are based on five-seat four-door sedans ZIL ‑ 41041 with a base of 3300 mm. Apart from the truncated two-door body, the main differences are the interior and chassis with GM components. Vortec 6.0 engine, six-speed Hydra-Matic 6L90E gearbox, Yokohama Mirada tires 245/70 R16. The outer style of the donor is retained, although many of the outer panels have been replaced. The two-door convertibles are equipped with communication equipment, a folding fabric roof and an adjustable handrail for standing up. They are used once a year - at the Victory Day parade.

Added at 09:44
Thank you all for your attention.

This post has been edited podinaq- 4.05.2015 - 09:45

What a neat wording
A ceremonial convertible called ZIL-41041 AMG was built in 2009 to replace the outdated car 41044, which had participated in the Victory Parades since 1981. Regardless of the name, it was not ZIL that created the car, but the private organization Atlant-Delta, which was part of "GAZ Group". That is why the model also received the GAZ-SP45 index.

The chassis of the GMC Sierra pickup was taken as the basis for the construction of the car. In addition, he also borrowed power unit- 6.0-liter V8 engine with 353 hp with., which worked in tandem with a 6-speed "automatic". Externally, the body repeated the image of the ZIL-41047, for which second-hand sedans were purchased. It was from them that the body was borrowed, but all the outer panels were re-released. In addition, the soft folding top of the car was equipped with an electric drive.

It has long been no secret that black convertibles, which have been participating in the Victory Day parade on Red Square since 2010, are only outwardly similar to the classic ZILs. I will try to tell you about how these machines were born and why the Likhachev Plant itself could not push its own counterparts into service.

For the first time, the open cars took part in the parade on November 7, 1953 - then the white stallions in service were replaced by the ZIS-110B phaetons. All subsequent ZIL models also had open versions, and the ZIL-41044 model of 1981 was the last ceremonial car of Soviet times. The plant then made five convertibles: one for testing, one for Mosfilm and three for parades. By the way, why three? After all, only two cabriots always ride on Red Square. It turns out that three cars were prepared for the parades from the very beginning. The third is a reserve one, it is always hidden from view and is on duty at the Kremlin's Spassky Gate in case of a breakdown of one of the main vehicles. They say that for sixty-five years, the reserve has never been needed - it's for the best, because otherwise the shoulder straps would fly off the shoulders on the same day.

Do you know why all the front ZISs and ZILs were painted in a dull steel-gray color, although the nomenclature cars are completely black? It's simple: this is the color of an army overcoat. After all, under the USSR, the main parade was not held on Victory Day at all, but on November 7 - on the anniversary of the October Revolution. Naturally, in late autumn, military officials put on warm clothes, the color of which they painted ceremonial cars.

But after the collapse of the USSR, the "day of November 7th" also sunk into oblivion, and parades began to be held on May 9th. The passengers of the open ZILs changed into a lighter military uniform, and in 2001, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov completely changed it to a traditional black suit. But the machines themselves remained the same all this time. Not just the same model, but the same 1981 convertibles!

Of course, they were surrounded by care and attention, they constantly passed Maintenance, and their mileage for the entire time is not so great (taking into account the two-month rehearsals of the parade, open ZILs travel about 4000 km annually). But when Anatoly Serdyukov was appointed to the post of defense minister in 2007, the age of the steel-gray parades had already exceeded a quarter of a century - it was time to retire.

It was Serdyukov who, immediately after his appointment, initiated the replacement of ceremonial convertibles. But the contractor was not ZIL, but a small company Atlant-Delta, owned by Oleg Deripaska. Initially founded in 2000, it was engaged only in servicing cars from Deripaska's service garage, but then they began to restore and alter old cars there. The former head of the Kremlin GON (Special Purpose Garage), Yuri Kruzhilin, was appointed general director of Atlant-Delta, and military engineer Igor Mazur, who had previously worked as Deripaska's personal driver, was appointed technical director.

The original plan involved a deep modernization of six "operating" cabriolets - Moscow (ZIL-41044) and St. Petersburg (even more ancient ZIL-117V). But it quickly became clear that their alteration would be very painstaking and would take more than a year, that is, by the next parade, the military could be left without any ceremonial vehicles at all. There was no question of replacing convertibles with foreign cars: the Ministry of Defense insisted that ZILs should leave for Red Square on Victory Day. The option of developing new convertibles from scratch was also not considered: this requires a completely different level of engineering and completely different costs, which was later proved to us by the Cortege project.

Then Kruzhilin and Mazur proposed a Solomon solution - to build convertibles with Zilov bodies, but on the chassis of foreign donor cars. It is clear that the military took this idea without enthusiasm, however, as it turned out later, it was the right decision. They planned to create new cars only for Moscow, that is, in triplicate. And to replace the St. Petersburg "one hundred and seventeenth" were subsequently built, and a significant part of the work on their alteration was also taken over by Atlant-Delta.

Ceremonial Tiger (GAZ-SP46)

As for parades for Moscow, the terms of reference for cars in Atlant-Delta were developed jointly with the GABTU (Main Armored Directorate of the Ministry of Defense): in terms of size and layout, the new cars had to completely copy the previous convertibles, but outwardly correspond to the Zilov limousines of the latest generation - model 41047 The black color of the body and interior was personally approved by Serdyukov - so that the car would fit his suit (it was his follower Shoigu who returned to military uniform). The terms of reference were approved in June 2007 - less than six months after the start of the project.

Atlant-Delta brochure marked by Serdyukov

The donors of the units were decided quite quickly: they ordered three new GMC Sierra 2500 pickups from the USA with a gasoline six-liter "eight" with a capacity of 353 hp, a six-speed "automatic" and rear-wheel drive - they fit almost perfectly in chassis dimensions, the frame structure greatly facilitated the process body replacements (especially since the ZILs themselves are frame), and prices in the USA started from only 30 thousand dollars. But getting the Zilov bodies turned out to be much more difficult.

GMC Sierra 2500 model 2006

First, Yuri Kruzhilin tried to buy them directly at ZIL - at that time the plant had nine bodies of the "short" model ZIL-41041 in varying degrees of readiness. But then the actual "owner" of ZIL, Yuri Luzhkov, learned about the plans of Atlant-Delta. Naturally, resentment and his own pride leaped in him. He banned the sale of bodies and ordered to mobilize all the remaining forces of the sixth workshop (that is, the "passenger unit") of ZIL in order to restore historical justice and build new ceremonial convertibles on their own. So in Atlant-Delta they made themselves a competitor.

After a misfire with the plant, Kruzhilin and Mazur began to look for used ZILs, which it would not be a pity to send for "sawing". The search took almost six months, as a result, by the end of 2007, three "short" sedans ZIL-41041 were purchased: one was found in the Moscow region, the second in Volgograd, and for the third one had to go to Cherkessk. All cars had clean documents, but they were in a deplorable state - dismantled, with rotten bodies. Almost all external panels had to be "tapped" again, simultaneously transforming the four-door closed bodies into two-door open ones and adjusting them to the new chassis (new attachment points were needed).

Subsequently, Alexander Gorchakov, the former chief designer of passenger cars ZIL, who, at the time of the construction of new convertibles, was already engaged in special projects at GAZ, also part of Deripaska's empire, joined the work. By the way, GAZ itself took part in the creation of ceremonial cars: all the chrome-plated body parts were made there.

But the design of the salon in Atlant-Delta was done independently. Gauges and basic fittings migrated from donor GMC pickups, but the plastic panels are re-created. Some details were borrowed from other cars (for example, the ventilation deflectors - from the latest Volga GAZ-31105), and the leather upholstery was hand-cut by a specially hired couple of tailors. She was also engaged in sewing a cloth top.

The folding roof is generally a special pride of Atlant-Delta. According to Yuri Kruzhilin, its design was developed independently. At the same time, the folding mechanism with an electric drive turned out to be simple (you only need to manually unfasten two fasteners on the windshield frame), and the roof itself, when folded, is very compact: its cover barely protrudes above the waist line of the car.

But the adaptation of American technology in Atlant-Delta was not involved: the power unit and chassis were left completely standard - even the rear suspension springs, originally designed for a pickup full weight 4.3 t, did not change. They also decided to keep the "cargo" 16-inch high-profile tires Wildcat Touring SLT - they just ordered exactly the same ones in the States, but with white sidewalls. According to the creators, even in this form, the chassis provides convertibles with a very smooth ride - what is needed for paving stones on Red Square.

It took Atlant-Delta two years to build three convertibles: the first car was ready in November 2009, the second arrived a month later, and the third at the end of January. Then all three were taken to Nizhny Novgorod to the Gazovsky test site and conducted a short course of tests (1500 km each), and by the spring the cars were officially registered and received the factory index GAZ-SP45, and for the people - ZIL-41041 AMG. Why AMG? Even the creators couldn't explain. At the same time, Zilov's nameplates with the index 41041, which belonged to donor sedans, remained under the hood of the cars.

And what about ZIL itself?

Having received the necessary funding from Luzhkov, in 2008 work began on the dying auto giant on three of its own convertibles. It would seem that the long-standing problem of lack of money has been solved - what else is needed? And we needed people who were practically gone in the sixth workshop of ZIL. Only the core of the team has survived, and the average age of the "honored workers" was approaching retirement age. As a result, on their own, they only managed to "creatively rethink" the design of the limousine, which was engaged in the Depo-ZIL company (the author of its appearance is Gera Kalitin). But it was the exterior that became, to put it mildly, the most controversial element of the new convertibles. The idea was not bad - to make lighting equipment with separate round sections, like Range Rover SUVs. However, the execution turned out to be useless. Moreover, people related to the project argue that the other proposed options were even worse.

The general structure and dimensions of the body were left the same as in the steel-gray parade of the eighties - even the longitudinal frame spars were reinforced in the same way. The body panels were "tapped out" anew (their relief differs from the old Zilov cars), for which the worn-out equipment had to be revived. The engine (with the exception of the power system), the chassis and suspension with torsion bars and springs were taken from the 41041 model without changes.

Everything else had to be ordered from third-party firms. For example, the Bosch distributed fuel injection system and Allison "automatic machines" were borrowed from Depo-ZIL, which the company equipped used ZILs with instead of original components. Moreover, the depot did not receive money for this: the payment went through the rent of premises. The upgraded 7.7-liter V8 engine develops "at least 340 hp." - the factory workers did not turn it further, regretting the old motor stand. The lighting equipment, mirrors and bumpers were ordered from the Moscow studio Cardi, and the folding soft roof from the little-known German company FMS. It is interesting that they were simply afraid to put their own roof of the 1981 model at ZIL: no one wanted to take responsibility for possible breakdowns of an outdated capricious structure. But the German roof also turned out to be unsuccessful - cumbersome, with a complex cable folding drive, which is very demanding in terms of adjustment and lubrication.

By the end of 2008, the design of the car had developed almost completely, only the question of the interior was open: it was impossible to leave the old salon from the seventies, and there was no way to "draw" it again at the factory. At first, the Zilovites turned to Cardi, but their services were too expensive. Meanwhile, in one of the rented premises of ZIL, work was in full swing on the first supercar Marussia - a team from the Wiesel-Design studio headed by a graduate of the Stroganovka Gleb Wiesel was engaged in the creation of a prototype. He was approached by the plant management with a proposal to make an interior for ceremonial convertibles, which received the industry index ZIL-410441.

Gleb himself and Valery Chelnokov, who worked for him, who had fifteen years of experience as a layout designer at the STC of AvtoVAZ, took over the work. They had to work in an emergency mode: the Ministry of Defense was waiting for new cars by the beginning of 2010, that is, Wiesel and Chelnokov had only a year to create saloons for three cars from scratch. And at the stage of assembly, the guys were waiting for a setup.

To create a landing layout for the cabin and work out ergonomics, the designers took the dimensions from one of the already welded bodies. On this model, interior details were sculpted, from which a 3D model was then removed, and polyurethane panels were made from it. But after all, each Zilovsky body is made practically by hand and has its own geometry! In one car - the one from which the dimensions were taken - the interior stood like a native. But in the other two machines, the gaps and overlaps reached two centimeters! As a result, it took a lot of time just to fit.

But the interior itself turned out to be quite good. The seats and all panels are upholstered in nappa and Daytona leather (sewn by the Moscow company Maxitech). The inserts are made of real wood, and a rather rare and expensive burl of African madrona was used, while the Atlant-Delta cars have all the "wood" made of plastic. The instrument cluster is made to order at the Avtopribor plant. But not without foreign elements. For example, the ventilation deflectors from Audi are striking, and the springs and frame from the Mercedes S-class of the W140 series are used in the construction of the seats - they fit perfectly in size.

However, some ideas remained unrealized. For example, the "climate" control units for finished cars are from the VAZ Priora, and there are plugs in place of the multimedia systems. Their own block of "climatics" was developed, but at the last moment they managed to make only two copies, and with the purchase of multimedia the Zilovites delayed until the last. And they reached the point where no one needed all this ... Why?

The reason is not at all that by the beginning of 2010, when the first show at the Ministry of Defense's motor depot was already being prepared, Atlant-Delta had prepared a complete set of three cars, while ZIL had only one completed. And it’s not that the Zilovites constantly had any problems with this only car - the engine would refuse to start, or the roof mechanism would jam. Suffice it to recall that initially the Ministry of Defense placed an order with Atlant-Delta. The military simply did not wait for the Zilov vehicles; from the very beginning, no one needed them.

Take, for example, the process of "acceptance" of machines. According to one of the legends, Serdyukov, accompanied by Deripaska, inspected the ready-made Atlant-Delta convertible even before the official competitive display. After that, Serdyukov brought the car to the dacha to the then President Dmitry Medvedev, where the two of them properly drove along the surrounding paths and were very pleased. Naturally, no one remembered about the factory cars.

The backbone of the creators of ZIL-410441 convertibles (from left to right): electrical equipment specialist Rudolf Levinson (worked at the plant since the fifties), deputy chief designer Mikhail Popov, deputy production director Andrey Ovchinnikov, deputy head of the sixth workshop Mikhail Mikhailov

Although the Zilovites persistently tried to attach their convertibles, using the remaining contacts and acquaintances in government agencies. First, the cars were brought directly to the building of the Ministry of Defense, and later they arrived at the training ground in Alabino near Moscow, where the parade rehearsals were already in full swing with the participation of brand new Atlant-Delta cars. Then, during the break between the arrivals, the "front" drivers drove through the Zilov cars and seemed to be even satisfied. But their opinion was no longer important. Even Luzhkov, who was rapidly losing political weight, could not push through the Zilov cabriolets. The formal reason for the rejection of these machines was the unfinished cycle of acceptance tests at the military training ground in Bronnitsy.

But, in all honesty, it is worth rejoicing that Deripaska's cars were eventually recruited into the service. Indeed, for a front car, it is not the engine power or the interior design that is important, but the appearance. During the parade, these cars are watched from TV screens not only by the whole of Russia, but also by spectators in other countries. And the strict Zilovsky look of Atlant-Delta cars, refreshed only with white turn signal lenses, looks much more advantageous than the vulgar "tuning" headlights of factory cars. And the massive "hump" covering the folded roof? In addition, the GMC chassis has a track wider than the Zilov one by almost 90 mm (1732 mm versus 1643 mm), so visually it seems that convertibles on the American chassis are more firmly on the wheels.

Later, one of the three built Zilovsky convertibles nevertheless found an owner: in the spring of 2011, it was bought by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. The car went to his Yalta summer residence, and later they wanted to use it at the Victory Parade in Kiev and at the opening of the Euro 2012 football championship, but the car never appeared in public. They say that in Yanukovych's garage they were horrified by the quality of ZIL: the body is crooked, the engine runs unevenly, the gas pump is moping ... Although, especially for Ukraine, the ZIL completely shook up the interior, installed front seats from BMW with built-in seat belts (they are not on the front cars) and changed black leather upholstery on cream, but buyers have abandoned the audio system.

Modified ZIL-410441 before sending to Yanukovych

The two remaining convertibles stood in the sixth workshop of ZIL for a long time and even survived the modernization of electrical equipment. What for? The Zilovites found out that after the very first parade on Red Square, the Atlant-Delta cars had cracks in the sills and the bottom of the body. There was a hope that the Ministry of Defense would still take the factory vehicles. But Deripaska's people modified their cars, strengthened the bodies - and rolled them out to all subsequent parades.

So ingloriously ended ZIL's last attempt to revive the production of passenger cars. However, the attempt is artisanal and ill-prepared. According to Autoreview, only 8 million rubles were spent on the development and production of three convertibles, that is, 2 million 660 thousand per car - a penny for cars of this class.

At first, many collectors were ready to pay rather large sums for these unique convertibles, but the cars remained in the ownership of the plant, survived its demise and, together with the sixth shop, passed to the private company MSC6 AMOZIL (Mechanical assembly shop No. 6). Already under the new leadership, the plant workers completed the construction of the fourth copy of the convertible in 2014, which was laid from the very beginning for Yuri Luzhkov personally, but he never got it, having stood for several years in an unfinished state.

Around the same time, the assembly of the fifth convertible began - it was shown at the 2016 Moscow Motor Show. And this car already had the classic Zilov lighting technology, although the plastic bumper aprons were made anew. Interior - with a dash like standard models of the 4104 family, but with modern front seats, which are electrically operated and built-in seat belts, and a media system. And the engine, instead of injection, was equipped with a carburetor power system.

According to the official version, the car with the ZIL-41041 index (originally it belonged to a sedan) was made for the 100th anniversary of the plant. The convertible was immediately put up for sale, but now it is in the ZIL Museum in Sokolniki. Although the previous copies, judging by the site of the company MSC6, can still be bought.

“Moscow speaks and shows. Listen and watch Red Square! Victory Parade! ”, - the annual ceremonial passage of the ceremonial calculations on Red Square has become an integral symbol of May 9. But the symbol of the parade itself, perhaps, can be called ... cars. The rulers and military leaders changed, but the luxurious phaetons of the commander and receiver remained invariable participants in each parade.

“Comrades! Be vigilant, tirelessly master military affairs, strengthen the economic and military might of our beautiful Motherland with tenfold energy in all sectors of socialist construction! " Everyone understood perfectly well that war could not be avoided, although it was possible to postpone the ruthless meat grinder - the main thing was to show how "the defensive power of the Soviet state was significantly strengthened." Soldiers and officers rumbled with their boots, motorcycles and military equipment rumbled with motors, military aircraft flew by ... Diplomats of foreign states watched all this.

The column of armored vehicles was headed by an unusual car - as the magazine "Behind the wheel" wrote, "an elegant, well-finished phaeton, with a beautiful streamlined body shape." This car is an open ZIS-102, a modification of the ZIS-101 limousine devoid of a rigid metal roof. They predicted a great future for the elegant, swift phaeton - then the commander and the host of the parade rode around the paving stones of Red Square on thoroughbred trotters, but the appearance of a beautiful parade car could change the established order: why should the military leaders not change to cars? However, Joseph Stalin categorically snapped: "We will not change the good tradition of the Soviet army."

The trotters were replaced by cars only after the death of "Iron Joseph", in 1953. During the May parade "dedicated to the International Workers' Solidarity", a 4-door phaeton ZIS-110B, an open version of the six-window ZIS-110 limousine, drove onto the paving stones of the country's main square. At the end of the war, Stalin personally commissioned this limousine to create, and therefore the family of cars for the top of the Soviet government turned out to be similar to Packard cars (Danila Mikhailov spoke in detail about the history of the American brand). The leader was very fond of this brand, and the designers, knowing the preferences of Joseph Vissarionovich, painted the first representative car of the USSR in the image and likeness of the luxurious Super Eight 180 model of 1942. At the same time looking at another car from America - Buick Limited, which turned out to be wider and more spacious than the Packard.

The engineers based the ZIS-110 on an impressive spar frame, reinforced with a powerful crosspiece, so the empty ZIS-110 weighed a lot - more than 2.5 tons! Therefore, the engine from its predecessor, the ZIS-101, turned out to be rather weak for a massive car, and the designers had to create a new power unit - an inline 6.0-liter "eight", which produced a modest 140 hp by today's standards. For this engine, oilmen even had to start producing a new grade of gasoline, A-74. In total, the 1st Automobile Plant named after I.V. Stalin "(the plant named after Likhachev, it will become only on June 26, 1956), 2089 open" zis "were produced, many of which worked ... as taxis.

In the sixties, the good old ZIS-110 were retired, and their place was taken by the new generation convertibles - ZIL-111V. When creating this car, it was again not without the stylistic influence of the "Americans" ... But if the "ten" was a copy of specific models, then the design of the "eleventh" is a kind of collective image of a "typical American car" of the late fifties. Under the hood of the new family, a V-shaped "eight" appeared (a relative of this engine is the engine of the ZIL-130 truck), but the most important innovation applied to the ZIL-111, of course, was a two-stage automatic transmission.

ZIL-111D is also known as a participant in a sad story. In January 1969, Moscow met the cosmonauts Volynov, Eliseev, Khrunov and Shatalov, who were taken to the Kremlin reception from the Vnukovo airport. Near the Borovitsky Gate, the motorcade came under fire: Junior Lieutenant Viktor Ilyin was preparing an attempt on Brezhnev's life, but did not know that there were only cosmonauts inside the cars, and Leonid Ilyich drove to the Kremlin in a different car and a different route

From 1960 to 1962, twelve (!) open machines, and then the production of both limousines and convertibles ZIL-111 was curtailed. And all because Nikita Khrushchev personally "asked" to update the appearance of executive cars. According to legend, the then first secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU did not like that the car for the top government looked like the GAZ-13 "Chaika" that appeared a year later, which was relied on by the middle management. Khrushchev was also struck by John F. Kennedy's newest Lincoln Continental, against which the Soviet ZIL seemed like a poor relative. In general, the "eleventh" was hastily updated, creating the ZIL-111G. The open version of the car received the index 111D.

True, the "pre-reform" ZIL-111V went to Red Square before 1967! The new convertibles replaced their predecessors at the parade dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution, and served until the mid-seventies. Then the next generation of government convertibles, ZIL-117V, took over the work shift. For the first time, designers - they were then called artists - having received absolute freedom, created a new car without looking back (or rather, almost without looking back) at foreign competitors, so that the exterior turned out to be distinctive, strict and less subject to the influence of changeable fashion than the bodies of its predecessors. Another uncharacteristic solution for ZIL cars is the short wheelbase (ZIL-117) and long wheelbase (ZIL-114) versions.

For the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution, the engineers of the Likhachev Plant decided to prepare a "gift" - to update the classic features of government cars. The proportions changed a little (the hood became longer, and the trunk - shorter), the design of the front and rear parts of the body, the plumage elements were corrected ... The car received the factory index ZIL-115 and the industry-wide one - ZIL-4104. In 1981, several shortened sedans (historians continue to argue how many cars were created) served as the basis for the construction of the next generation of ceremonial convertibles, which outwardly looked like representatives of the ZIL-115 family, but received a less powerful engine from its predecessor, ZIL-114.

These convertibles have served as the "main ceremonial cars of the country" for more than a quarter of a century. In 2006, the Ministry of Defense decided to bring fundamentally new vehicles to Red Square - the GAZ Tiger off-road vehicles. In just six months, Nizhny Novgorod engineers have “tailored” several two-door convertibles. As far as mechanical stuffing is concerned, the "ceremonial" SUV differed from the usual one only in the gearbox (instead of the "mechanics" they put an "automatic") and interior design. But the high army officials did not like the Tigers, and now the brutal black giants are serving ... in St. Petersburg.

But for the main, Moscow, Victory Parade, instead of the ancient ZIL-115V, it was necessary to build a hybrid, albeit reminiscent of the classic ceremonial "zils", but not such. On the chassis of American pick-up trucks GMC Sierra (you can read about this "monster" in the material GMC Sierra 1500 - a real American dream alive) they put up converted bodies from used (!) ZIL-41041 sedans. This project was carried out by specialists from the Nizhny Novgorod company Atlant-Delta (it belongs to Oleg Deripaska and is famous for the implementation of unusual ideas: for example, the creation of luxurious yacht interiors), since the capital's ZIL lost the tender. By the way, that is why the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod had to use used bodies - the new Zilovites simply refused to sell.

It is interesting that the classic ceremonial convertibles, regardless of generation, have always been the same gray - like a shade of a general's winter greatcoat - color. But the Nizhny Novgorod-American "hybrids" broke the Soviet tradition - their bodies were painted black! The change in color can be easily explained: until recently, the parade was hosted by a civilian minister. In a black suit. And now, when the Ministry of Defense is again headed by an army general ... No, they are not planning to repaint the cars, although the noble gray color scheme suits the strict features of the "main convertibles of the country" much more than the funeral black. Maybe only the next generation of ceremonial convertibles (within the framework of the Cortege project, not only a limousine for the president will be created, but also a new generation of open cars) will acquire the usual colors. But this will not happen until 2015.

Alexey Kovanov