The GAZ-12 car, or ZIM, appeared in the production program of the GAZ plant in 1949 and remained on the assembly line throughout the next decade. Over the years, only about 21,500 copies were built, so today this car is a rarity.
Prerequisites for the emergence
By the end of the 40s, the USSR produced a small-class car Moskvich-400, a medium-class M20 Pobeda and a high-class ZiS 110. The latter was never sold to private hands and relied only on the top leadership of the country, which predetermined the small production volumes and the highest value of the car. However, there was a whole category of people who, by position in society or by duty, needed a more prestigious car than the M20. It was with this niche in mind that the ZIM GAZ-12 was created. In addition, one should not forget about the tacit rivalry between the GAZ and ZiS plants, which tried to create more and more advanced designs.
Lightning development
An extremely short time frame was allocated for the development of a new machine, less than 2.5 years in total. The lead designer was the M20 developer A. Lipgart. Work began in 1948. In order to reduce the time, the development of the general power structure of the body and units was carried out on a modified M20 body. Such a car (according to the terminology of the plant - “mule”) was built on the basis of the serial M20, in the body of which an insert 500 mm long was installed. Thanks to the insert, the base reached the required value of 3200 mm. By the 31st anniversary of the October Revolution, the third running prototype of the car was ready, which was the first public demonstration during the festive demonstration.
In February of the following year, the GAZ-12 prototype was presented to the country's top leadership, and in the fall of 1950, small-scale production began. The first mass-produced cars went through a cycle of mileage tests the following year, and in 1951 the production of commercial cars began.
Until 1957, the GAZ-12 index was used in in-plant documentation. And the car was everywhere designated as ZIM (Molotov Plant). And only the last two years of production the car went to customers as a GAZ-12.
Modifications
In addition to the basic 6-seater sedan, versions for a taxi and an ambulance were produced.
The GAZ-12A taxi had a simplified trim of interior elements - leatherette instead of fabric, interior elements painted like wood. The TA49 taximeter came from the factory. The cars were used in taxi companies of large cities (often as fixed-route taxis) and for transportation between cities. At the end of the 50s, one of the taxi companies in Moscow had about 300 ZIM cars. ZIM did not serve as a taxi for long, and by 1960 the M21 Volga had been completely replaced.
The sanitary version of the GAZ-12B also had a simplified interior with a glass partition behind the rear sofa and a modified trunk lid that allowed a stretcher to be rolled into the cabin through it. There were two places left in the cabin for the medical staff and accompanying persons. There was a searchlight on the left front wing, and an identification lamp on the roof above the windshield. The sanitary version was produced until 1960, i.e. the longest. Many ambulances lived a long life and were still in service until the end of the 70s.
There were also several test samples with an open cabin, but they did not get into the series.
Body design features
The design of the GAZ-12 combined both new advanced technical solutions and compromise borrowing units from other models.
The first obstacle for the designers was the body. The American school of that time built such large cars using a classic frame chassis. This design had two critical drawbacks - weight and a long time to fine-tune the structure. Weight was critical due to the lack of a serial powerful engine.
By that time, GAZ had a lot of experience in creating and improving the M20 monocoque body, so when developing the GAZ-12 body, they decided to implement the same solution. The body structure provided for a short subframe in front for mounting the suspension and engine. Thanks to the rejection of the frame, the designers managed to reduce the weight of the car by more than 200 kg. Particular attention was paid to the torsional rigidity of the bodywork. The designers managed to ensure high tightness of the cabin, which is important for a car of this level. The body made it possible to overcome half-meter water barriers without the risk of flooding inside.
The resulting load-bearing body for a car of this class was the first development of its kind in the world.
Another distinctive feature was the design of the hood opening system. The hood could open sideways in both directions, and after unlocking both locks, it was simply removed from the car.
The body was painted with nitro enamel in several layers with drying and intermediate polishing of each. The color palette was very poor - the bulk of the cars were black. There were white, cherry and green cars. Taxis were painted grey, while the ambulance version was painted ivory. Under the order the combined coloring in two colors was offered.
Engine
The GAZ-12 engine was based on the GAZ-51 truck engine, which, in turn, had a high degree of unification with the M20 engine (up to half of the engine parts were identical).
The power of the base 51st engine was clearly insufficient, and to increase it, the intake channels were expanded, an aluminum head with a compression ratio increased to 6.7 (A70 gasoline was required) and a double carburetor were introduced. The engine was started by an electric starter from a button on the instrument panel.
Since the car engine runs at higher speeds, the designers introduced symmetrical connecting rods. This event reduced the risk of damage to the connecting rod bearings at high speeds - a disease of the 51st motor.
After all these events, a 90-horsepower engine consumed no more than 19 liters of fuel per 100 km, which was a good indicator for an almost 2-ton car. In addition to ZIM, this engine was used on buses, all-terrain vehicles and armored personnel carriers developed by the GAZ plant.
power transmission
ZIM was equipped with a specially designed gearbox with three speeds forward and one reverse. Gear shifting was carried out by a lever on the steering column. This box subsequently became mass-produced and was used on the M20 and M21, the GAZ-69 SUV, minibuses of the Riga (RAF-977) and Yerevan (ErAZ-762) factories.
For the first time in the automotive industry of the USSR, a car was equipped with a hydraulic clutch. It was located in the kinematic chain between the engine and the clutch and was a separate toroidal crankcase filled with turbine oil. In the crankcase there were two rotors that did not have a mechanical connection between them. Each rotor was made in half a torus. The pump rotor-flywheel had 48 compartments internally, the conventional clutch turbine rotor-flywheel had 44 compartments. The compartments were formed by blades in the cavity of the rotors. Since the crankcase is sealed and the minimum distance between the wheels is ensured, the liquid during the rotation of the pump wheel is supplied to the blades of the turbine wheel, transmitting torque. Moreover, due to the low maximum speed of the ZIM engine (not higher than 3600 per minute), this moment on the pump and turbine is almost the same.
Due to such a clutch, the car could start in any gear, even according to the instructions, the first gear was used only under bad road conditions. When stopping, it was not necessary to turn off the gear, since with the transmission brake pressed and the gear engaged, the engine could idle due to the pump rotor slipping relative to the stationary turbine rotor. Since the car was held in this case by the parking brake, it was required to maintain it in a fully functional condition.
ZIM was equipped with a continuous rear axle housing with hypoid gearing and a two-link cardan shaft. Due to the reduction in the dimensions of the bridge, it was possible to practically get rid of the propeller shaft tunnel. A less noisy gearbox required a special hypoid oil for operation, which was rare in the USSR for a long time.
Suspension and wheels
The car was equipped with suspensions similar to the M20 with lever shock absorbers. The front suspension was independent with springs and pivots, the rear - on leaf springs. The car was immediately completed with 15-inch wheels.
Due to the reduction in the diameter of the disks (16-inch disks were on Pobeda), new brake drums and mechanisms were created for ZIM. However, the brakes were ineffective for such a heavy machine. But since the intensity of traffic in those years was not great, they put up with this shortcoming.
Salon GAZ-12
The interior trim of ZIM was distinguished by the use of high-quality materials, but did not carry luxury. The "wooden" elements of the interior were, in fact, realistically painted metal parts. Fabric upholstery in soft colors was made of dense cloth. The tube radio came as standard.
The front sofa was not adjustable, so it was very crowded for a tall driver to sit behind the wheel. There was no classic partition between the first and other rows of seats on any standard GAZ-12.
Behind there was a sofa for three passengers and two folding seats in the middle row. With the middle row folded for the legs of the rear sofa passengers, up to one and a half meters of free space was released. In terms of the volume of the compartment for passengers, the ZIM was not inferior to the more prestigious ZiS-110.
For heating and ventilation of a large volume of the rear of the cabin there was a separate radiator and fan. This fan was controlled from the rear of the cabin. There were also handrails in the back of the front seat and on the sides of the cabin, a cigarette lighter, several ashtrays, an additional ceiling light and a number of other comfort elements for passengers.
GAZ-12 modernization project
In the mid-1950s, an attempt was made to extend the life of a rapidly aging car. The project was called ZIM-12V. As planned by the designers, it was planned to increase engine power, introduce a full-fledged automatic transmission, and refine the brakes. Global external changes were not planned and were limited to a change in the design of the radiator grille, headlights and taillights, and the installation of a panoramic windshield.
But these plans never became a reality. The main forces were thrown into the creation of the new GAZ-13 "Seagull".
ZIM in private ownership
Although the ZIM was originally created as a machine for officials, some copies fell into private ownership. Due to the high price (two to three times more expensive than Pobeda and three to four times more than Moskvich-400), the buyers were representatives of the scientific and creative elite of the USSR. In addition, ZIM was issued as an addition to the awarding of the Order of Lenin for 25 years of impeccable service.
These cars were often driven by hired drivers. As an example, it is worth recalling the film "Different Fates", where the professor and composer are the owners of ZIM, but they do not drive.
In noticeable quantities, cars began to fall into the hands of private traders only from the end of the 60s, when ZIM began to be massively written off from institutions.
The owners of cars at that time were bribed by a high degree of unification of the design with the mass M20 and M21 and the dimensions of the GAZ-12 car. Feedback from owners about the smoothness of the ride and the spaciousness of the cabin was generally positive. However, many complained about the high fuel consumption when driving around the city and the trunk of a small volume.
But now these shortcomings are insignificant, since hardly any of the ZIM owners use it as an everyday transport for traveling to work or to the country.
ZIM today
Currently GAZ-12 is a collector's item. There are both restored models of cars of varying degrees of authenticity, and modified in accordance with modern requirements for comfort and appearance.
Tuning GAZ-12 ZIM is very costly both in finance and in time. In the course of such work, the body is restored with full color, noise and vibration isolation is carried out. Seats from prestigious foreign cars are installed, a full-fledged partition is made in the cabin between the rear and driver's parts. Installed air conditioning system, panoramic sunroof. At the request of the customer, the salon can be equipped with high-class acoustics and other additional equipment.
The power unit, transmission, suspensions are almost always replaced. For example, one of the restoration workshops, in the course of restoring the GAZ-12, installed a new Toyota engine with a capacity of 225 hp. She also provided an automatic transmission and modified suspensions from GAZ-31105.
Restoration of the GAZ-12 in an authentic form requires even greater financial investments. There are a number of reasons for this. The main difficulty is the search for authentic GAZ-12 spare parts. Many details and finishing materials are simply not produced in our time, and large restoration workshops are establishing their own production.
Car of the 50s of the last century, produced by GAZ them. Molotov, was developed by Soviet engineers for party leaders - in just over two years. The original appearance of the Soviet classics, combined with the charisma of an expensive foreign car. At ZIM, novelties of the Soviet automobile industry were applied (fluid clutch, frameless design, flat floor, hood that opens on all sides, etc.).
Theoretically, a representative car that was on free sale was practically inaccessible - because of the price of 40,000 rubles. Therefore, and because of the small “circulation”, single copies of ZIM have come down to us. This rarity of car collectors is often tuned.
Tuning or reincarnation?
GAZ 12 ZIM "asks for tuning" - it has become a rare car, and too suitable, for example, a Mercedes with a 210 body (3.2 liter engine) in the tuning process.
What can be restored or remanufactured for this machine? - Numerous nickel-plated body parts (for example, bumpers, "deer from GAZ"), dashboard, steering column, window lifters. In addition, you can cut a rather large panoramic sunroof into the roof and put new seats and a sofa in the back. Equipped with a Mercedes engine, suspension and transmission. The steering wheel, adjustable for the driver, can be made to order, in retro style.
The color scheme of the interior will require a creative approach. Do you mind the combination of light brown and cream shades? The “Zimovsky” salon of the 50s was completely different, but such a solution, especially “on the skin”, with soft interior lighting, will be unique. The rear area of the cabin requires double attention. A bar of our own design and a multimedia installation are appropriate here. It is possible to deploy a mobile cinema with frontal acoustics.
The main stages and moments of tuning
The completeness of the tuning performed can be determined by the presence of:
→ noise and vibration isolation of the car;
→ restored (remanufactured) body parts;
→ installation of a panoramic sunroof;
→ standard equipment;
→ refinement (comfort) of the cabin;
→ on the floor carpet, rugs;
→ decorative overlays;
→ sources of A / V signals, monitor, amplifiers, acoustics, subwoofer;
→ additional equipment (protective complex, glass finishing, parking sensors, internal and external mirrors), etc.
ZIM(until 1957), GAZ-12- Soviet six-seat six-window long-wheelbase large sedan, mass-produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant (Molotov Plant) from 1949 to 1959 (some modifications - until 1960.)
ZIM is the first representative model of the Gorky Automobile Plant. The predecessor of the "Seagull" GAZ-13. It was mainly used as a service car ("personal car"), intended for the Soviet, party and government nomenclature - at the level of minister, secretary of the regional committee and chairman of the regional executive committee and above, in some cases it was also sold for personal use.
In total, from 1949 to 1959, 21,527 copies of the ZIM / GAZ-12 of all modifications were produced.
DEVELOPMENT
Above ZIM (“Molotov Plant”) in terms of subordination were only the machines of the Stalin Plant.
However, this did not prevent the “Molotovites” from Gorky, in their tacit rivalry with the “Stalinists” from Moscow, from always creating more daring and advanced designs.
In particular, ZIM became the first car in the world with three rows of seats in a monocoque body. On it, for the first time in domestic practice, a hydromechanical transmission was used, which provides smooth acceleration from a standstill and ease of gear control.
INITIAL PERIOD
The development was started in 1948 and was carried out in a short time - 29 months were allotted for it. Designer - A. A. Lipgart, responsible designer - Lev Eremeev (future author of the appearance of M-21 Pobeda-II, Volga GAZ-21, ZIL-111 and Chaika GAZ-13).
COMPARISON WITH FOREIGN ANALOGUES
The tight deadlines allotted to the GAZ team made it possible either to approximately copy the foreign model (which, in principle, was originally intended - in particular, the plant was strongly recommended the Buick of the 1948 model - that is, in fact, the minimally updated pre-war model of 1942), or take advantage of existing developments and design a car that relies as much as possible on units and technologies already mastered in production. Constructors and designers chose the second path, although the significant influence of American samples of the same class on the choice of stylistic decisions remained.
At the same time, echoing in appearance with a number of American models of the segment fine car(middle-upper class), ZIM was not a copy of any specific foreign car, neither in terms of design, nor, in particular, in the technical aspect - in the latter, the plant's designers even managed to some extent "say a new word" within the global automotive industry.
STATEMENT IN PRODUCTION
In October 1950, the first industrial batch of GAZ-12 was assembled. In 1951, state tests of three cars with a full load were carried out. The mileage of each car was 21,072 km.
The car was produced from 1949 to 1959 in the version with sedan and sedan-taxi bodies, in the ambulance version with an ambulance body (essentially a hatchback) - until 1960.
A total of 21,527 cars were produced.
VEHICLE NAME
Until 1957, the model was designated only as ZIM (the abbreviation of the name of the plant - “Plant named after Molotov”, was written in capital letters), the name GAZ-12 was purely internal. The car's nameplate read: Car ZIM (GAZ-12). But after the defeat of the "anti-party group" of Molotov, Malenkov, Kaganovich and Shepilov, who joined them, the name of Molotov was excluded from the name of the plant. The car began to be named according to the factory designation: GAZ-12. Then the central apparatchiks, who wanted to demonstrate their support for the course of the party, preferred to replace the ZIM nameplates and emblems with new ones - GAZ. In the private sector and on the periphery of power, political changes in the design of the car were treated indifferently - largely due to this, many cars of early releases have survived to this day with the original ZIM emblems.
SERIAL
- GAZ-12A- Taxi with artificial leather trim. Due to the high cost - one and a half times higher than the "Victory" - relatively few were released. GAZ-12A were used mainly as fixed-route taxis, including on intercity lines.
- GAZ-12B- sanitary version, produced from 1951 to 1960. The cars were painted in a light beige color, in addition, they outwardly differed from the usual sedan in the external hinges of the trunk lid, which opened at a large angle and allowed a stretcher to be rolled into the passenger compartment.
EXPERIENCED AND NON-SERIAL
- GAZ-12 with a "phaeton" body - in 1949 two experimental samples were made, but it was not brought to mass production due to difficulties in ensuring the required rigidity of an open load-bearing body.
CHASSIS
The independent spring pivot front suspension was made according to the type of the Victory suspension (in turn, made according to the Opel Kapitän model of 1938) and did not fundamentally differ from it. The rear suspension differed from the "Victory" also only in details. Shock absorbers were still lever.
The steering trapezoid has been redesigned while maintaining the overall layout.
OTHER
Among the novelties were also: 15-inch wheel rims, brakes with two leading pads, curved rear window (the front remained V-shaped), an oil cooler in the engine lubrication system, flange-type axle shafts, and so on.
MODERNIZATION PROJECTS
In 1956, already in the course of work on the GAZ-13 Chaika, a project was developed to modernize the ZIM under the designation ZIM-12V. The design changes were supposed to be mostly cosmetic - a one-piece windshield, sleeker headlight bezels painted to match the body color, a more generic checkered grille, different hubcaps, sidewall moldings, redesigned tailgate, and so on. At the same time, it was planned to increase engine power, improve the braking properties of the car and introduce an automatic transmission from the Volga.
However, it soon became clear that the style of the car was hopelessly outdated, external modernization would not be able to significantly modernize it, and it was considered irrational to spend resources on modernization, when only a few years remained before the release of the new model.
EXPLOITATION
The elegant car was used not only by high-ranking bureaucracy, but also by the establishment - prominent workers in culture, science and art. In addition, ZIM is the only model of this class that has become a consumer product, that is, it has gone on open sale. This was not the case with the subsequent "Seagull", nor with the ZISs. True, the price of 40 thousand rubles - two and a half times more expensive than the "Victory" - made the car less accessible to the consumer. The ZIM “taxi” and “ambulance” modifications, moreover, the latter was completely free of charge, could partly satisfy the interest of a simple Soviet person in difficult technology. Another modification - with an open body "cabriolet" - was built in 1951 as an experiment, only in two copies. The reconstruction of such a body is also mastered today by the Molotov-Garage workshop.
REPRESENTATIVE FUNCTIONS
ZIM, filed to the aircraft ladder. 1957, Leipzig, East Germany.
WORK IN TAXI PARKS
The first ZIM taxis appeared in Moscow in the summer of 1952 to serve an international economic conference. They were painted light gray with a white checkered stripe. In 1956, 300 ZIM cars arrived at the 1st Moscow taxi depot. In 1958 there were 328 of them.
They were operated in Moscow until 1960. ZIM-taxi, as a rule, were black with a belt of white checkers. In the late 1950s, on the doors of ZIMs converted into taxis from personal cars, two stripes of checkers were divided on the doors in a circle with the letter T in the center.
The TA-49 counter was placed on the floor. Since the fare on the ZIM was significantly higher than on the usual Pobeda, they were mostly driven in a clubbing; Subsequently, ZIMs were mainly transferred to a minibus that worked on fixed routes, however, insufficient capacity - only 6 people, of which two were sitting on uncomfortable folding strapontens - led to their fairly quick replacement with RAF-977 minibuses, more compact, roomy and economical (since 1959).
ZIM taxis were also used in other cities. For example, they appeared in Minsk on October 23, 1954.
SALE FOR PERSONAL USE
The ZIM car was the most democratic of all Soviet large class cars: unlike the "Seagulls" that followed it, it was used quite massively in a taxi and ambulance service, and was sold to the public.
The price of a car before the reform of 1961 was 40,000 rubles, a fortune at the then average salary, despite the fact that the prestigious Pobeda cost 16,000 rubles. (later 25,000 rubles), and "Moskvich-400" - 9,000 rubles. (later 11,000 rubles). So there were simply no queues for ZIMs at that time, and their main buyers were the Soviet scientific and creative elite from among those who were not directly entitled to a personal car. However, these "private" vehicles were often driven by personal drivers, serviced and stored in government garages.
Moreover, at the suggestion of I.V. Stalin, the Order of Lenin, awarded for 25 years of impeccable service, officers and full foremen (chief ship foremen) were entitled to severance pay. However, the Ministry of Finance of the USSR could not finally determine the amount of this allowance, and then it was decided, along with the Order of Lenin, to award a ZIM car in government equipment. It is curious that N. S. Khrushchev, having come to power, immediately canceled this entire award system for long service.
Already in the early seventies, after the mass write-off of ZIMs from government agencies and taxis, they were bought by private traders as ordinary cars. The price of the GAZ-12 did not exceed the cost of the Zhiguli. The owners often used these vehicles to transport heavy loads such as potatoes. It was at this time that most of the surviving ZIMs lost their historical equipment, acquired alien transmission units, engines from trucks, and so on, which makes the complete ZIM in its original, factory configuration a very rare car and a rather desirable find for a collector.
EXPORT
ZIM cars were exported mainly to the countries of the socialist camp, as well as to a number of capitalist countries, for example, Finland, Sweden (there is a mention of ZIM on the streets of Stockholm in one of the detective stories of the Swedish writer Per Valle).
SPORT
On the basis of ZIM units, racing cars of the Avangard series were built.
CULTURAL ASPECTS
Since the 1980s ZIM on the movie screen embodies nostalgia for the post-war period and becomes a kind of symbol of the late Stalinist era (see Winter Evening in Gagra, 1985).
Restored to its original (authentic) state in the Molotov-Garage studio, a copy of ZIM appeared in the television clip "Clouds" by the Ivanushki International group. ZIM also appeared in the clip "Moscow Bit" of the group "Bravo".
Currently, some restored copies of ZIMs are successfully used as wedding limousines, and also actively participate in various retro car shows and filming of historical films (“Driver for Vera” and many others).
ZIM is mentioned in the work of the Strugatsky brothers “Monday begins on Saturday” (“Here ZIM is riding along the road, and I will crush him ...” What physical strength is contained in these lines! What clarity of feeling! ”)
Another GAZ-12 ZIM can be seen in the movie "Austin Powers: Goldmember" in the memoirs of Dr. Evil and Austin Powers.
- Even during the period of established production, a maximum of 6 ZIM vehicles per day were produced. In total, over a ten-year period from 1950-1960, about 21,000 pieces were produced.
- The alligator hood of the GAZ-12, thanks to the special design of the hinges, opened both to the left and to the right; it could even be removed.
- Despite the huge size of the car, the driver's seat was cramped due to the desire to free up space for an official passenger.
- The car could move off in any of the available three gears of the transmission (at the same time, a categorical prohibition to move off in direct gear was even separately prescribed in the operating instructions). Over time, a leak opened in the fluid coupling due to wear of the corrugated copper seal with graphite rings. The repair was not an easy task - the pleated seal was in the category of a large shortage. Car owner N. Farafonov from Alma-Ata came up with an effective method to eliminate this drawback - instead of turbine oil, 6.5 kilograms of refractory grease (Litol24) is pumped into the fluid coupling with a grease gun - the unit works reliably and durable even with a defective seal. This does not affect the operation of the fluid coupling in any way, except that in winter the smoothness of the ride decreases somewhat.
- The design of the GAZ-12 was given such great attention during the development process that Andrey Lipgart temporarily transferred his workplace to a group of design artists; it should be noted that the success of this approach was complete - even today ZIM's style looks impressive.
- The radiator grille of the GAZ-12 at first glance looks similar to the grille of the Cadillacs of the 1948 model year; in fact, it is only superficially similar (in shape and number of cells), but has a different design, different proportions, and when compared, it creates a different impression of the front of the car.
- The red "comb" on the hood of the GAZ-12 had decorative lighting, which was turned on at night.
- Graphical alignment of the body sections in the drawings gave such a surface that gave the correct - smooth and without breaks in the light layers - highlights, this effect was additionally improved through experiments on models illuminated by various light sources; painting a body designed with such a calculation in modern paints - “metallic”, which fundamentally does not give the right glare, is technical barbarism; the same applies to almost all cars of the 1940s and 50s, the body surface of which was designed for non-metallic paints, and a clear, correct glare is an essential part of the visual perception of the car.
- Smooth contours of the body were not easy, the mating surfaces on the conveyor were leveled with light-alloy solder (as was the case all over the world on top-class cars in those years). According to some reports, up to 4 kg of tin was spent on each body. Therefore, during body repair work, it was necessary to substitute a container for draining molten tin by electric welding.
- In the 60s, some car repair enterprises (especially in the Baltic states) built pickup trucks based on ZIM, presumably their carrying capacity could be up to 750 kg and possibly more. In addition, in Riga in 1971, a hearse was made by turning the ZIM into a pickup truck.
