OJSC AMO ZiL, known fully as the Public Joint-Stock Company – Likhachov Plant () and more commonly called ZiL (, was a major Russian automobile, truck, military vehicle, and heavy equipment manufacturer that was based in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, Russia. The last ZiL vehicle was assembled in 2012. The company continues to exist only as real-estate development site, on which a new urban district will be built by the

LSR Group LSR Group (russian: ОАО "Группа ЛСР") is a Russian real estate development, construction and building materials company. LSR Group is one of the leaders in the real estate and building materials in Russia. The company headquarter is l ...

construction company.

History

The factory was founded on 2 August 1916 as the Moscow Automotive Society or AMO (). The factory was completed in 1917, just before the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, and was built south of

near

Moscow River The Moskva (russian: река Москва, Москва-река, ''Moskva-reka'') is a river running through western Russia. It rises about west of Moscow and flows roughly east through the Smolensk and Moscow Oblasts, passing through centra ...

in Tjufeleva grove. It was a modern building with the latest in American equipment and was designed to employ 6,000 workers. The plans were to produce Fiat F-15 1.5-ton trucks under license. Because of the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

and the subsequent

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

, it took until 1 November 1924 to produce the first vehicle which was shown at a parade on 7 November, the

AMO-F-15 The AMO-F-15 was a light truck based on the Italian Fiat 15Ter at the AMO-plant in Moscow in the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s. It was the first Soviet truck to be produced in the first series, with a total of more than 6,000 units made betwe ...

. Nevertheless, the factory still managed to assemble trucks bought from

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in 1917–1919. On April 30, 1923 the factory was named after an Italian communist

Pietro Ferrero Pietro Ferrero (; 2 September 1898 – 2 March 1949) was the founder of Ferrero SpA, an Italian confectionery and chocolatier company. His company invented Nutella, a hazelnut-cream spread, which is now sold in over 160 countries. Ferrero Roch ...

, but in 1925 was renamed to First National Automobile Factory (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: 1-й Государственный автомобильный завод). 2 years later in 1927

Ivan Likhachov Ivan Alekseevich Likhachev (June 15, 1896 - June 24, 1956) - Soviet statesman, one of the organizers of the Soviet automobile industry. He is known as the director of the Moscow 1st State Automobile Plant (now the I.A.Likhachev Plant). Member of ...

was appointed as a head of the factory, a person whose name the factory bears from 1956. In April 1929, it was agreed on to expand the plant to build Autocar 2.5-ton truck models. In 1929—1931, the factory was re-equipped and expanded with the help of the American A.J. Brandt Co., and changed its name to Automotive Factory No. 2 Zavod Imeni Stalina (ZIS or ZiS). After

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...

denounced the cult of personality of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

in 1956, the name was changed again to Zavod imeni Likhachyova, after its former director

Ivan Alekseevich Likhachov Ivan Alekseevich Likhachev (June 15, 1896 - June 24, 1956) - Soviet statesman, one of the organizers of the Soviet automobile industry. He is known as the director of the Moscow 1st State Automobile Plant (now the I.A.Likhachev Plant). Member of ...

. ZIS 101 (1938) 1X7A8090.jpg,

ZIS-101 The ZIS-101 was a limousine produced by the Soviet car manufacturer '' Zavod Imeni Stalina''. It was introduced in 1936. Its chassis was reverse-engineered from a Buick 33-90, except for the front suspension, engine, exhaust and battery carried ...

(1936) ZIS 102 A (1941) 1X7A8092.jpg, ZIS-102 (1937) ЗИС-Спорт в Музее автомобильной техники УГМК (Верхняя Пышма) 02.jpg, ZIS-101A Sport (1939) XXVIII выставка Олдтаймер-галерея ЗИС-110 «Такси».jpg,

ZIS-110 The ZIS-110 is a Soviet limousine from ZIL introduced in 1946. The 110 was developed from the reverse engineering of a 1942 Packard Super Eight during 1944. The first five prototypes were completed by August 1945. It was powered by a 6-litre, ...

(1945) ZiS-110B in Museum of technique 2016-08-16.JPG, ZIS-110B (1949)

ZiL lane ZiL lanes (also sometimes called "Chaika lanes") are lanes on some principal roads in Moscow dedicated to vehicles carrying senior government officials. Known officially in Russian as ''rezervniye polosy'' ("reserved lanes") notably but not excl ...

s—road lanes dedicated to vehicles carrying top Soviet officials—were named after the car. The ZiL limousines were the official car that carried the Soviet heads of state, and many Soviet Union allied leaders, to summits or in parades. The limousines were flown to international summits as, for example, in 1987 and 1990 to Washington, D.C. for President Mikhail Gorbachev's official state visits. ZiL had a history of exporting trucks to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, a trade resumed in the early 21st century. The ZiL factory is portrayed in a 2014 documentary, ''The Last Limousine''. ZiL-111G in Ilya Sorokin's Oldtimer-Gallery, 21 March 2010.jpg, ZIL-111G (1962) ZIL-114-limo.jpg,

ZIL-114 The ZIL-114 is a limousine from the Soviet car manufacturer ''ZIL'' introduced in 1970 to replace the ZIL-111 series which was gradually becoming out of date. In almost all respects, the ZIL-114 improved on the 111, 111A and 111G models. The engi ...

(1967) Zil-117 convertible.jpg, ZIL-117 convertible (1971) ZiL automobile - 13April-Rehersal-Alabino.jpg, ZIL-4104 convertible (1981) ZIL 41047 (1990) 1X7A8072.jpg,

ZIL-41047 The ZIL-41047 is a limousine built by Zavod Imeni Likhacheva, ZIL of Russia. Production of ZIL models ceased in 2002 due to their previous customer base turning to more modern Western vehicles. Some last ones were built before year 2017. Descrip ...

(1985) After the final ZiL limousine was built in 2012, the Moscow factory administration stopped truck production and the company was declared bankrupt in 2013. ZiL still exists as a legal entity, but produces no vehicles. In 2014 it was announced that the factory site will be turned into a residential development. Most factory buildings were dismantled in 2015. The factory's equipment and other automotive assets were auctioned off to a new company, "MSTs6 AMO ZIL". It employs 47 staff, mostly former ZiL workers. The company took part in the

Moscow International Automobile Salon The Moscow International Automobile Salon or MIAS (russian: Московский Международный Автомобильный Салон) is the biennial auto show held at Crocus Expo in Moscow, Russia. The show is scheduled by the Organi ...

2016. After the building of "MSTs6 AMO ZIL" was demolished in 2020, it was believed that the company ceased to exist. However, it was reported in 2021 that MSTs6 continued to operate. Its staff and equipment were moved to the Moscow Oblast.

Awards

* In June 1942 the VMS was awarded the first

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration ...

for the excellent organization of the production of ammunition and weapons. * In October 1944 the plant was awarded the Order of Red Banner of Labour. * In 1971 the plant was awarded the Order of Lenin for the third successful implementation of the Eighth Five-Year Plan. * In 1975 the plant was awarded the

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (russian: Орден Октябрьской Революции, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on October 31, 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferr ...

for the successful completion of works on creation of capacities up to 200 thousand cars per year issuance.

References

Literature

* *

External links

* �
Official MSTS6 ZIL website
* �
Official ZiL website

From Soviet Russia With Love
- article about presidential limousines made by the company {{Authority control Bus manufacturers of Russia Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1916 1916 establishments in the Russian Empire Russian brands Soviet brands Companies listed on the Moscow Exchange De-Stalinization Car manufacturers of Russia

History

Awards

See also

References

Literature

External links