In May 1948, the Molotov Gorky Automobile Plant received a government assignment to develop a six-seater passenger car, which, in terms of comfort, economy and dynamics, was to take an intermediate position between the prestigious ZiS-110 and the mass Pobeda (although the concept of "mass" was somewhat arbitrary in relation to "Victory", which cost 16 thousand "then" rubles and for this reason remained a pipe dream for 99% of the citizens of the USSR). All work, including the release of the "zero" series, was given 29 months - a period unprecedented for our automotive industry. To meet it, it was necessary either to completely copy a similar foreign car (the American Buick was strongly offered to the plant), or to create your own, making the most of the units available at the plant in its design, primarily the engine. And to the credit of the gas designers, headed by Andrey Alexandrovich Lipgart, despite the powerful pressure from the leaders of the Ministry of the Automotive Industry, the second option was chosen. Looking ahead, we note that the creators of ZiM managed to borrow about 50% of engine, transmission and chassis parts from the then-produced GAZ-51 and GAZ-20 Pobeda.
The choice of the "independent design" option was Lipgart's desperately bold step - after all, it was precisely in those days that the production of Pobeda had to be suspended due to "childhood illnesses", which angered Stalin, who ordered the removal of the chief designer of GAZ. The leadership of the Minavtoprom managed to "put things on the brakes" and keep Andrei Alexandrovich in his post. But now, in the event of a failure to launch a new machine in a series, Lipgart risked not his position, but his head ...
Emblem gas 12 ZIM The most acceptable engine for a relatively large car, produced at GAZ, was an in-line lower-valve "six" with a working volume of 3.48 liters, developed back in 1937. After the war, she appeared on trucks GAZ-51 and GAZ-63. The power of the truck-mounted engine was 70 hp. It was possible to increase it without compromising the reliability of the motor to a maximum of 95 "horses" - obviously not enough for a car of the planned dimensions, which has a conventional frame structure.
And then the Gorky residents took a step that had no analogues in world practice - they used a load-bearing body structure on a six-seater car with a wheelbase of 3.2 m. This made it possible to reduce the curb weight of the car, in comparison with the frame "classmates", by at least 220 kg. The body became the most important constructive element in the creation of the new GAZ, because if it had not been possible to solve all the problems that arose during its design, one could forget about putting the new car on the conveyor within the deadline.
To test the power unit and chassis, a "platform" was created, which was an elongated "Victory". The first Soviet "stretch" was obtained by replacing the middle pillar and part of the roof with a 0-centimeter insert.
The engine power was increased - by expanding the intake channels, using a dual carburetor and increasing the compression ratio to 6.7: 1, which ensured stable operation of the engine on standard gasoline with an octane rating of 70. As a result of design improvements in the engine, the car was provided with good economy (fuel consumption did not exceeded 18-19 liters per 100 km of run, which for that time was a very good indicator for a car with a curb weight of 1940 kg) and fairly high dynamics (maximum speed - 125 km / h, acceleration time to hundreds - 37 seconds). A relatively low number of revolutions corresponding to the maximum power - 3600 min-1 - led to almost silent operation of the engine.
For the first time in the domestic automotive industry, ZIM used a hydraulic clutch instead of a flywheel, through which torque was transmitted from the crankshaft to the clutch drive. The hydraulic clutch provided smooth starting at second speed without the danger of turning off the engine if the gas pedal was not pressed enough and allowed the car to move without gear shifting in the speed range of 0 - 80 km per hour. The first gear was engaged only when starting on a hill or when driving in difficult road conditions; straight third was used on the highway.
The open-type cardan transmission consisted of two shafts with an intermediate support, which made it possible to reduce their diameter and lower the front swing point of the cardan to the limit. In combination with the hypoid main gear, this design made it possible to lower the axis of rotation of the cardan shaft by 42 millimeters, to place it under the cabin floor (by the way, even, without a protruding tunnel).
Another innovation that first appeared on our cars was 15-inch wheels (before Winter, Soviet cars had at least 16-inch rims). Reducing the diameter of the wheels required the use of a new type of drum brakes - with two pads and two brake cylinders.
If we are talking about wheels - two words about their suspension. It was independent at the front, on wishbones with coil springs, at the rear - on longitudinal semi-elliptical leaf springs, which were shot-blasted to increase durability. The front suspension was equipped with an anti-roll bar. Shock absorbers were installed hydraulic, double action.
When developing the bodywork, the focus was on ensuring its strength and torsional rigidity. The designers managed to solve this problem, which is evidenced by the fact that during the test runs, a high tightness of the body was noted, which made it possible, in particular, to overcome fords up to 550 mm deep without water entering the passenger compartment. With a 1500-kilometer run on rural roads, which took place in summer at air temperatures up to +37, dust did not penetrate into the cabin either.
In accordance with the task, the car was supposed to have 6 seats, but the designers found the opportunity to accommodate three passengers in the back seat. For this, the niches of the rear wheels were moved apart, increasing their track to 1560 mm (the front track was 100 mm less). This decision required the expansion of the tail section of the body, which was done due to the protruding wings of the rear wheels. From a design point of view, this made it possible to break the monotony of the long sidewall, making it more dynamic.
The body housed three rows of seats. The middle ones (the so-called strapontens) could be folded and put away in the back of the front seat. At the same time, unprecedented space was freed up for the legs of passengers sitting in the back (the distance between the backs of the front and rear sofas exceeded 1.5 m). The front seat was not adjustable, so there was not enough space for a driver of solid build.
The steering wheel did not have a servo drive, but it was quite easy to drive the car - the gear ratio increased to 18.2 in the steering mechanism and the large diameter of the "steering wheel" helped. By the way, with a length of just over five and a half meters (5.53), ZiM had a turning radius of only 6.85 meters.
The salon was richly decorated for that time, supplied with a three-band radio, a clock with a weekly plant, an electric cigarette lighter, and ashtrays. In addition, there were lights on the dashboard that signaled a tightened hand brake and an increased (more than 90) water temperature in the cooling system.
Interesting features of ZiM were the hood, which opens to any side or can be removed at all (the locking handles were located on the left and right under the dashboard), as well as a curved (for the first time in our auto industry) rear window. And finally, it was on the front of the Zim body that the now well-known emblem with the image of a deer, the symbol of Nizhny Novgorod, first appeared.
On November 7, 1949, a prototype GAZ-12 took part in a festive demonstration in Gorky. Three months later - on February 15, 1950 - the car, as was customary, appeared before the heads of state. They liked the car, even Stalin, they say, could not resist praise. However, having learned that Lipgart was the chief designer of ZIM, he threw out with displeasure: “Why not punished?”, Meaning the “puncture” with Pobeda.
The leader's remark was remembered. In December 1951, the holder of three Orders of Lenin and two Red Banners of Labor, the winner of five Stalin Prizes, the last of which was received for ZiM, Andrey Alexandrovich Lipgart was removed from the post of chief designer of GAZ, and a few months later he was sent as an ordinary engineer to UralZiS. Only after the death of Stalin in March 1953, Lipgart was returned to leadership work (though not at GAZ, but at NAMI).
In October 1950 (just in time!) The first industrial batch of machines was assembled in Gorky and their mass production began. Naturally, the new car was first of all sent to the nomenclature structures. Later, in a simpler version - the velor trim was replaced with leatherette - the car began to arrive in taxi fleets (the fare in ZiM was one and a half times higher than in Pobeda, which was then our main taxi car). ZiM was even allowed to be sold to ordinary citizens, but, we emphasize, it was the 50th, the country was just rising from the post-war ruins, and it would be ridiculous to assume that some hard worker would be able to pay 40 thousand rubles for a car. gas 12 ZIMV In 1951, three prototypes of ZIM with a four-door chaise-type body were manufactured in Gorky. The car did not go into the series - the strengthening of the body, associated with the "removal" of the roof, led to an excessive weighting of the car for a 95-horsepower engine, and its dynamic performance turned out to be unsatisfactory.
In the same year, on the basis of ZIM, the assembly of ambulances (GAZ-12B) began, which had a glass partition behind the front seat, two folding chairs located one after the other, and a stretcher that was pulled out and pushed into the car through the trunk lid.
Immediately after the start of production, the GAZ-12 caused a stir among officials. The first secretaries of the regional committees had the ZiSs they were supposed to, and they reacted with restraint to the appearance of a new car. On the other hand, the deputies of the "firsts" passionately desired to transfer from the modest "emoks" and "Pobeds" to much more representative ZiMys. The struggle for possession of the Gazovsky flagship took on such forms and such scope that the magazine "Krokodil" (supervised by the Central Committee of the CPSU) was forced already at the beginning of 1952 to publish a caustic feuilleton "Stop! Red Light!" for the sake of getting a personal Zim.
In the summer of 1957, GAZ lost in its name the name of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Molotov, who fell into disgrace. The "top model" of the plant received the official "name" GAZ-12; in 1959 it gave way to "The Seagull" (factory index - GAZ-13), and the following year the production of sanitary GAZ-12B ceased.
In just ten years of existence, 21,527 cars of the ZiM and GAZ-12 models were manufactured on the assembly line. ZiM became the same symbol of that time as the film "Kuban Cossacks" or "Stalin's" houses ...
Here he is in front of me, stretched out low and impressively over the gray concrete. You can immediately see: the car is not so-so, you can’t put anyone in it. And at the same time, it is not as strict and monumental as its older "nomenklatura colleague" ZIS-110 limousine. In terms of appearance, ZIM, with its rounded shapes and soft lines of windows, is much more democratic. Actually, in fact, he came out like this - and this is his first "zest". Created as a personal car for high-ranking officials (from the secretary of the regional committee to the minister), this 5.5-meter sedan with three rows of seats also worked as a taxi and was even sold relatively freely to private individuals! For half an hour I will imagine myself as one of these "private traders" - after all, I want to drive, and ministers and party functionaries traveled in ZIM exclusively on the back sofa.
huddle
To be precise to the end, privately owned ZIMs were also usually driven by hired drivers. Still, the buyers of this model were wealthy people - famous artists, scientists, writers, military officials and other representatives of the Soviet elite. After all, the price tag that adorned the car in the Moscow auto shop could impress anyone: 40 thousand rubles! Well, consider me a trendy metropolitan journalist of the sample, say, the year 1950.
Photo by Andrey Vladimirov
I pull the handle extending from the body, and after it a heavy door leans on me. I grab it with my hand and dive inside. To get into the salon, you don’t have to bend down much - it was not in vain that the car was designed for responsible comrades, whose dress code included an invariable hat.
But what nonsense - there is no more space ahead than in Pobeda! The sofa tightly built into the body, of course, is magnificent in itself - both wide and soft, and the upholstery is what you need, but you actually have to cling to the steering wheel.
"Baranka" is huge, if you take it "at nine and three o'clock", it seems that you are trying to hug a huge globe. This is good - it means that spinning in parking lots will not be particularly difficult. The clutch and brake pedals are exactly like on Pobeda - tight, insensitive, and you also have to strain your back to squeeze them out. The floor accelerator is a usual pleasant thing, and a big move here is rather a plus.
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On the left, from under the dashboard, a powerful handbrake lever sticks down, also a copy of Pobedov's. The thing is doubly necessary, since we have a transmission fluid coupling on ZIM, which, like the early “automatic machines”, does not allow you to slow down the car in the parking lot with a gear. A thin gearshift lever flaunts under the steering wheel on the right - how easy and soft it goes! Why, for example, on the “four hundredth” Moskvich was it so impossible to set it up? True, the lever travel from top to bottom is huge, and it’s lucky that you need to switch infrequently - but we’ll talk about the second “zest” of ZIM later.
basking
The rear doors open in an unusual way even for the 1950s - against the move. The sofa is far behind the doorway, and I did not find it convenient. But inside, in the back of the cabin - definitely a real kingdom of comfort and coziness. Fabric upholstery is everywhere (I ask you not to confuse my “private” car with a taxi set upholstered in leatherette!), A deep soft sofa with armrests, small windows and wide “partitions” between them create a downright homely atmosphere. It’s better not to recline a couple of additional strap-on seats - they take up a lot of space, plus their metal frame introduces an element of some kind of bureaucracy.
A Soviet citizen could not find such space and such a homely atmosphere in a passenger car anywhere else. But, of course, having got used to the role of a picky Soviet "major", I will say that there is even more space in the ZIS-110 "member carrier" - both in width and in height. In any case, once, with a faulty straponten, I had to sit in the cabin of the “one hundred and tenth” on an ordinary Viennese chair, which the driver grabbed for me right in the lobby of one provincial regional committee ...
Officially, the car was declared as a six-seater. I don’t know how they thought at GAZ in the 1950s, but I wouldn’t take the driver into account: three of us can easily sit in the back, plus a couple of people - on folding ones, and one more - next to the driver. Behind the first row seat, a partition is clearly asking for, separating the driver from the “VIP compartment”, but it is not there, despite the fact that all other parameters allow us to consider the ZIM a limousine. Behind - the mentioned armrests, three ashtrays, and even a hint of its own climate control in the rear zone is available, in the form of a personal supply of warm air from the "stove". And in case of heat - sliding door windows and turning windows, including the rear ones.
Understanding
However, from the plush comfort of the aft compartment, I return to the tightness of the driver's post. I studied the instructions for handling the fluid coupling the day before, so ... I immediately start looking for the starter button! Yes, yes, this is the 1950s, comrades, and the fashion to start the engine by turning the ignition key had not yet come. On my early copy, the start button is located near the accelerator, and I press on it with my foot.
The engine starts a little like a truck, the starter turns hard, which is not surprising - after all, the in-line 90-horsepower "six", albeit with modifications, was borrowed from. His work at idle is interesting - a massive body hides all vibrations, only an almost imperceptible even rumble comes from the front. Pressing the accelerator is accompanied by a soft push of the body and increased sound.
So, the clutch is on the floor, with a long confident movement I turn on the gear (by the way, the second one, as the instructions recommend) and, not particularly caring about accuracy, I release the clutch to the end. I press the accelerator once, the second - a little deeper, and ... Nothing happens. Yeah, just by properly pressing the gas pedal, I make the car slowly move forward. I drown the pedal literally to the floor, the speed increases, the acceleration too. I sharply release the accelerator, press again - no jerks in the transmission. “It has long been possible to have a third one,” the owner suggests.
Let's swim!
I switch to the highest third gear and again notice that the way I handle the clutch does not affect the movement and the car as a whole (and, being unaccustomed to coordinating the work of large pedals, it turns out not very delicately). The engine is still barely audible and rumbles softly somewhere in front, from below - no jolts, no dynamic jerks. This is another feature of ZIM, due to the presence of a fluid coupling between the motor and the clutch.
But the smoothness of the transmission is just a side effect of this unusual device. For the sake of this alone, no one would fence the garden with the introduction of such an innovative and unusual unit as a fluid coupling into the design. Its main advantage or, if you like, its purpose is to minimize the need for gear shifting. And this goal has been achieved - sometimes it seems that in one gear - second or third - you can drive at least a whole day. The second is more for the city, although the third allows you to move at city speeds without twitching, jerking and other signs of an engine “choking” from low revs. The first gear is used extremely rarely, it is like a kind of "downshift" necessary for starting off with a full load on the hill.
It is significant that the fluid coupling quite successfully replaces the "automatic" box in the "plug" mode. When you need to slow down briefly and immediately go again, you can not turn off the second gear, but only release the gas and slow down to a complete stop, and then release the brake pedal and, increasing the speed, go again. Interestingly, the acoustic comfort in the cabin is almost always at the same level: a low-speed engine (maximum power - at 3,600 rpm) due to the fluid coupling does not experience significant loads in transient conditions, and therefore works mostly "without straining".
This flexibility and smoothness of the transmission is in harmony with the smoothness of the ride as a whole. The suspension of ZIM at that time was the most ordinary: an independent spring in front, a dependent spring in the back. And here and there - shock absorbers, still lever, but already double-acting. There is an additional anti-roll bar at the front, but in fast corners the car still rolls impressively. Yes, about turns. The steering wheel is not at all heavy on the move, and the steering accuracy is surprisingly good.
Over bumps, the car just floats. The salon is so “abstracted” from the road that you don’t always understand whether the wheel has hit the pit or you successfully “missed”. Here, of course, not only the softness of the springs and springs in combination with long levers plays a role, but also the long base (3,200 mm), and the ratio of sprung and unsprung masses, which is advantageous due to the large body (curb weight 1,940 kg).
We remember
Another feature of ZIM as a nomenclature car is its, if I may say so, democratic character. Not only could a car be bought in a store, but it also served in an ambulance, in a taxi, and even worked as a minibus! Thanks to this, a lot of ZIMs have survived to this day, because cars decommissioned from taxi companies and ambulance stations were sold to ordinary citizens at a residual price. The luckiest of them fell into the hands of restorers in time, who gave us the opportunity to admire these technically perfect and expressive cars today.
name ban
Why does the car have two names, both of which are abbreviations? From the very beginning, the GAZ-12 index was purely official, internal to the factory. After being put into production, the machine received the trade name "ZIM" - i.e. “Plant named after Molotov”, as GAZ was called at that time. But in 1957, the party and statesman Vyacheslav Molotov fell into disgrace, and the plant was deprived of his name. The car began to be called by the factory index GAZ-12, the letters "ZIM" on the nameplates were replaced with "GAZ". Moreover, they say that some especially zealous "users" of the sedan changed them even on their old, previously released cars ...
Hastily
Oddly enough, this completely successful and even bright car was designed, one might say, hastily. For some reason, the need for a domestic car for high-ranking party and state officials arose unexpectedly; there were no models of this size (between 5.5 and 6 meters in length) and capacity (six passengers and three rows of seats) even in the shortly before approved type of the model a number of the Soviet automobile industry.
When the Molotov Plant received a government order for the production of a “middle” (by then standards) class car, less than 2.5 years remained before the appointed date for its production on the conveyor. Andrey Lipgart, the chief designer of the plant, found himself in a difficult situation. Then he had not yet "answered" for the "childhood illnesses" that led to the forced stop of its production for a year, and here is another impossible task. Understanding the problem, management from the Ministry of Automotive Industry recommended a quick copy of one of the Buick models, which was also in stock. But it was a frame, and this meant additional loss of time for fine-tuning and launching into production.
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.
GAZ 12 ZIM
Engine capacity: 3.5 l
Condition: not broken
Title owners: 4+
Engine power: 90 HP
The car is under restoration.
In contact with
He received a government assignment to develop a comfortable 6-seater car for state and party officials. All work, including the release of the "zero" series, was given only 29 months. In order to meet such a deadline, it was necessary either to completely copy a similar foreign car, or create your own, using the units already available at the plant, primarily the engine, to the maximum. The American car Buick Super was offered as a foreign analogue, but it was abandoned. As a result, the creators of ZIM managed to borrow about 50% of parts, such as the engine, transmission, and chassis from cars of their own production - GAZ-M20 and GAZ-51.
Design and construction
The car body had to be designed with a memorable appearance and characteristic shapes. It was decided to abandon the frame structure, since a car of this design would weigh too much and would not have sufficient dynamic performance. As a result, the car received a load-bearing, frameless body, which at that time was not typical for cars of this class. The body of the GAZ-12 ZIM car was famous for its tightness, evidence of this is that during the test runs the car could overcome fords over half a meter deep, and water did not get into the cabin. During a test run in the countryside at an air temperature of +37, dust did not penetrate into the cabin either.
GAZ-12 "ZIM" was distinguished by an interesting design of the hood - a one-piece stamped hood could open in any direction, and if necessary, it could be easily removed at all. The car had three rows of seats. It is curious that the middle row folded and retracted, forming additional space for passengers sitting on the back sofa.
As a power unit, it was decided to supply an upgraded version of the 6-cylinder GAZ-11 engine with a working volume of 3.5 liters. This upgraded engine produced 90 horsepower, achieved through an aluminum cylinder head, increased compression ratio, no rev limiter, new intake piping and a two-barrel carburetor.
Especially for the GAZ-12 ZIM car, an original three-speed gearbox was developed, which for the first time in the history of the Gorky Automobile Plant received synchronizers in 2nd and 3rd gears, and the gearshift lever was located on the steering column. The car could start from any of the three gears, however, the factory recommended starting from the second gear, and using the first one in difficult road conditions and on slopes.
The interior trim for those times was considered high-quality and rich, there was a three-band radio, a clock, an electric cigarette lighter and an ashtray. There were lights on the dashboard that signaled an increased temperature of the water in the cooling system (over 90 degrees) and a raised hand brake. The floor in the cabin was flat, without a protruding driveshaft cover
Modifications
Modification for a taxi service with artificial leather trim. The front seats were separate, instead of a radio, a taximeter was present on the dashboard. GAZ-12A were used mainly as fixed-route taxis, including on intercity lines. The cost of a trip on a ZIM was one and a half times higher than a trip in a Pobeda car, which at that time was the main taxi car, because of this, relatively few GAZ-12A cars were produced. This modification was produced from 1955 to 1959.
Sanitary version of ZIM, which was mass-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.
GAZ-12 "phaeton"
Non-serial car with a 4-door chaise-type body. In 1949, two experimental samples were made, but they were not brought to mass production due to difficulties in ensuring the required rigidity of an open monocoque body.
GAZ-12 Hearse
Not a factory alteration of ZIM, there was a single copy in Riga.
There were also racing modifications, such as Avangard-1, Avangard-3, Avangard-8 and KVN-3500 built by enthusiasts using GAZ-12 units and assemblies. The engine power of some cars reached 150 horsepower, and the maximum speed was 271 km / h.
Photos
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.
