Soviet Limo GAZ-12 ZIM - Tracking Down History

[Rublex]

Hello,

 

My name is Alex. I am located in Indianapolis. A few years ago I bought a 1954, Soviet ZIM. You may have seen it for sale on craigslist in MN. The car needs full restoration and I have been collecting parts for it ever since.

 

 

I have also been trying to learn it's history. I was able to trace the ownership back a few owners, but was wondering if any of you may know more about it's origins. Here is what I have gathered so far:

I bought the car in MN from a Russian guy that did not have it for too long and my guess just flipped it. Before that, the car belonged to American Muscle Car LLC (Jim Watt, Arcanum OH). He did not own it long either and also flipped it. Jim bought the car from Frank's Auto Service & Sales (Frank Crawford) also in Arcanum OH. I met both Jim and Frank and got all the info they knew about the history of the car. While Jim owned it, it got a little fire damage (not too bad) when a barn was on fire. Frank owned the car since the 80s and it mostly set. He last drove it 30+ years ago. Before Frank, the car belonged to Phil Stalling Classic Cars out of Heath, OH. I spoke to Phil Sr. on the phone but could not get too much information other than it was bought at auction.

That's where the history dries up until the late 50s. Based on a window sticker on the car, I was able to deduce that the car was originally sold in Norway (rare Soviet export model), not too far from Oslo. I contacted the Norwegian DMV and they were actually kind enough to send me a copy of the registration card. ZIM had 2 owners in Norway (by the looks of it) and the last registration was in 1957. Evidently in 1955 Khrushchev made a deal with Einar Gerhardsen (Norwegian Premier) to supply 81 ZIMs (between 55-59) in exchange for fish, half of which went into taxi service. My ZIM could have been one of those, though mine was first registered in 1954, so not sure if there were other exports before 1955.

 

So if any of you know or have seen this ZIM between late 50s and 80s, I would love to know more about it. And before you ask, no, this is not the ZIM that was on display at the Pate Museum of Transportation in TX, which was also originally out of Norway, funny enough and supposedly belonged to Gerhardsen (btw I have my doubts about that). I know that ZIM was sold at auction and would actually love to get in touch with the current owners if you know where it ended up.

 

Thanks in advance and please let me know if you have any more information on my ZIM or if you have any restoration advice. I am new to the classic car world, but quickly learned that restoration of such classics is not for the faint of heart, at least for someone with my income


 

Edited May 14, 2021 by Rublex (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

Looks in good shape, more a candidate for preservation than restoration. Careful polishing and waxing will do wonders. I don't know where you can find parts or information but there must be some old car enthusiasts in Russia? Is there a ZIM owner's club?

[Rublex]

24 minutes ago, Rusty_OToole said:

Looks in good shape, more a candidate for preservation than restoration. Careful polishing and waxing will do wonders. I don't know where you can find parts or information but there must be some old car enthusiasts in Russia? Is there a ZIM owner's club?

Yes, I am part of the ZIM owners club. Parts are available, but some are hard to come by. ZIM is actually harder to restore than most ZIS, GAZ, ZILs because the above were always in government hands and later in collectors hands. ZIMs were all used up by the time they got into private hands and then were used to haul potatoes to the market, so most of them are not original at all. Mine is 95% original which is very unusual.

 

It looks better on the photo. It's a mess in the lower quarter. Fenders, rockers, door bottoms, some floors are not in good shape.

[John348]

Please share some more photos if you could. I am just curious, I never had seen one before. 

[Rublex]

38 minutes ago, John348 said:

Please share some more photos if you could. I am just curious, I never had seen one before. 

Here is a Russian site I have more pictures there. It's a google translate link:

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.drive2.com/r/gaz/12/502834431124309170/

 

 

[JamesR]

Thanks for the education on your really unique car! I love the possible impressive historical connections. To be honest, I'm also a little surprised that a Soviet car from the fifties is as stylish as this car looks to be, but I'm totally uneducated on these and showing my ignorance. Did they come with wheel covers? If so, I'd imagine they would be a real challenge to come by. Hope you can get the info you desire and sorry I can't contribute anything.

[Borough Essex]

Fascinating stuff. When I was in Moscow in the mid-80s I recall Zhigulis, Moskviches, Volgas and the Chaika limousines. Can't say I ever noticed any ZIMs; these were already quite old then and the Russian climate and roads would have worn them out by then. Saw a ZIS in Beijing in 2013; it was a gift from Stalin to Chairman Mao.

[Rublex]

13 minutes ago, Borough Essex said:

Fascinating stuff. When I was in Moscow in the mid-80s I recall Zhigulis, Moskviches, Volgas and the Chaika limousines. Can't say I ever noticed any ZIMs; these were already quite old then and the Russian climate and roads would have worn them out by then. Saw a ZIS in Beijing in 2013; it was a gift from Stalin to Chairman Mao.

 

Yeah, they were quiet rare. I grew up in Russia in the 80s and have only seen one in my life before getting this one.

[plymouthcranbrook]

Is my recollection of what I read correct that they were based on a late 40’s Packard?

Edited May 15, 2021 by plymouthcranbrook (see edit history)

[John348]

4 minutes ago, plymouthcranbrook said:

Is my recollection of what I read that they were based on a late 40’s Packard?

 

I see a lot of Buick styling nuance's, real cool car!

[Rublex]

48 minutes ago, JamesR said:

Thanks for the education on your really unique car! I love the possible impressive historical connections. To be honest, I'm also a little surprised that a Soviet car from the fifties is as stylish as this car looks to be, but I'm totally uneducated on these and showing my ignorance. Did they come with wheel covers? If so, I'd imagine they would be a real challenge to come by. Hope you can get the info you desire and sorry I can't contribute anything.

 

Funny thing is, the wheel covers are pretty easy to come by. I guess they would always get lost with the bad road, so they made lots of them. Plus, people would steal them off the cars, so many just took them off.

 

Here is a picture of one with the covers:

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by Rublex (see edit history)

[zepher]

That is a pretty nice looking car.

Good luck with your restoration and make sure to start a thread in the Restorations/Projects section so we can all follow your progress.

I had never heard of them before.

[Rublex]

7 minutes ago, plymouthcranbrook said:

Is my recollection of what I read that they were based on a late 40’s Packard?

 

I think you are thinking of the ZIS 110.

 

 

These were based more on the 40s Buicks and Cadillacs. In fact, the dash is identical to a Cadillac dash.

 

[Rusty_OToole]

To me the ZIM has a generic American look, more Chrysler than anything but not a copy of any other car. This makes sense as American cars were well suited to rugged Russian conditions.

[Hudsy Wudsy]

My very first impression was that I see a fair amount of '48 Cadillac. The lack of fins and the different front bumper dampened that, however.

[Billy Kingsley]

I can't help but what a cool car.  I see Hudson and Mercury styling cues as well, the latter especially in the side trim. I also echo the request for the progress thread, I want to learn more about this. 

[Borough Essex]

Is my recollection of what I read correct that they were based on a late 40’s Packard?

 

My understanding is Packard sold some dies to the Soviets and that the ZIS was similar to a Packard. Can't pontificate and give much detail beyond that.

[Borough Essex]

Sorry to hijack your thread about your car, but is this a ZIM? It was used by the "President" of China, Zhu De. He was a bit like your Kalinin, but before 1949 was super important as the commander of the Chinese Red Army. George Marshall said he was perhaps the best guerrilla commander in history. Photographed in 2013 at a museum in Beijing.

[denis23]

Hello. 

Very respectable and desired car in former Soviet Union states, price may fetch over 100 000 dollars for professionally restored examples easily. 

Usually here is found in very bad conditions and then got nut-n-bolt restoration. 

There is no survivors at all, but hoards of restored cars. So, better, please don t touch this. 

So car is much more valuable as is. 

You can find almost anything on this car - so, simply replace worn or lost parts. Hubcaps is not rare at all, although not cheap in mint conditions. Lights, glasses, all kind of moldings - everything is possible to get from former Soviet Union. 

But once again - just made sympathetic improvement without nut n bolt restoration. 

Also its possible to find some repro parts - as upholstery etc. 

 

There is no direct US ancestors for ZIM. Engine is Dodge slant-6. Body styling very "cadillacsky". Front suspension is upscaled Opel Kapitän. Also you can find lot of stuff from 1930ties Ford (Gorky Car Plant actually was built by Ford to produce Ford licensed cars)

 

You can find hubcaps and other stuff here.

https://retrodetal.ru/eng/gaz/gaz-12-zim/

Edited May 15, 2021 by denis23 (see edit history)

[denis23]

ZIS 110 is more or less copy of Packard 180, but with completely different body panels - its "thicker . Its body structure taken from Buick 90. Interestingly, it has armored sibling ZIS 115, and both appeared simultaneously. 

 

 

[Rublex]

3 hours ago, Borough Essex said:

Sorry to hijack your thread about your car, but is this a ZIM? It was used by the "President" of China, Zhu De. He was a bit like your Kalinin, but before 1949 was super important as the commander of the Chinese Red Army. George Marshall said he was perhaps the best guerrilla commander in history. Photographed in 2013 at a museum in Beijing.

 

No, this is not a ZIM

[8E45E]

I wonder if any paperwork and build records still remain in the old Zil factory:  

 

Craig

[Erska]

Great car!  It is always nice to see something different.  There is some information about the design and production of these ZIMS in the book  Cars for Comrades - The Life of the Soviet Automobile, by Lewis Siegelbaum (2008, Cornell University Press).  If you don't already have a copy likely you can find one on Abebooks or some other used book service. The author says 21,527 of these cars were built 1950-1960, and were used in the USSR for limousine and taxi service.  

 

I wonder what the Norwegian taxi drivers thought of the ZIM, especially in comparison to other cars commonly in taxi service in 1950s Norway (I'd expect Volvo and Mercedes were the most likely).  

 

 

[padgett]

My memory of the time a bit different: having to take the wipers and wheel covers inside at night to prevent theft.

[Rusty_OToole]

Compare to this 1950 Dodge limousine, very similar even down to the 230 cu in flathead six engine vs a 212 cu in flathead six in the Russian car. They are not identical and I do not suggest one copied the other. Both reflect a similar design philosophy of practical reliable service working with the technology of the time.

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[Rublex]

9 hours ago, Erska said:

Great car!  It is always nice to see something different.  There is some information about the design and production of these ZIMS in the book  Cars for Comrades - The Life of the Soviet Automobile, by Lewis Siegelbaum (2008, Cornell University Press).  If you don't already have a copy likely you can find one on Abebooks or some other used book service. The author says 21,527 of these cars were built 1950-1960, and were used in the USSR for limousine and taxi service.  

 

I wonder what the Norwegian taxi drivers thought of the ZIM, especially in comparison to other cars commonly in taxi service in 1950s Norway (I'd expect Volvo and Mercedes were the most likely).  

 

 

Yeah, they were used for taxi, limo and ambulance as well. There are even a few that served the railroads on rails to move big shots around.

 

Also, they were actually available to the common man for 40000 rubles (lots of money back then) and they cost 80000 rubles to make so that's a fun fact for you. The next most expensive car was the Popeda (GAZ-M20) that cost 14000-16000 rubles.

[Rusty_OToole]

What would 40,000 rubles amount to, compared to average wages of the day? Would it be, like, a year's pay for a senior bureaucrat or executive?

[Rublex]

16 minutes ago, Rusty_OToole said:

What would 40,000 rubles amount to, compared to average wages of the day? Would it be, like, a year's pay for a senior bureaucrat or executive?

 

Looks like about 700-800 per month average. Cost of living was not too high but still. Bread would cost 1-3 rubles for example in 1955

Edited May 16, 2021 by Rublex (see edit history)

[denis23]

Average salary in industry was 400 rubles. Agricultural workers did not had any salaries at all. ZIM as private car was absolutely unobtainable for everybody but very special people as writers, top scientists, test pilots and surprisingly, priests, which were approximately most common buyers. 

 

I think from 20 000 total produced may be 1000-2000 were sold to private hands as new during 10 years. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[denis23]

Personal cars were very rare in USSR approximately until 1955. Car sales to people get started in 1956 when 56 000 cars were sold to private hands, mostly Moskvitch 400/401, russian copy of 1938 Opel Kadett.