The ZIL-4104 was a

limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment. A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a prof ...

built by

ZIL 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, Russia. The la ...

from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, when it served as the transport of the elite of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. It is estimated that no more than fifty cars were produced each year. Originally designated ZIL-115, the ZIL-4104 was an update of the

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from the Soviet car manufacturer ''ZIL'' introduced in 1970 to replace the ZIL-111 series which was gradually becoming out of date.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 ...

with which it shared the same

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

and over half its mechanical components. Despite sharing the same chassis, the ZIL-4104 was as much as 314 kg (692 lb) heavier than the 114. Limusina ZiL-115 - San Petersburgo-007.jpg, Limusina ZiL-115 - San Petersburgo-001.jpg, ZIL-115 (year 2018) Limusina ZiL-115 - San Petersburgo-008.jpg, Mechanically, the ZIL-4104 also improved on the 114. The

pushrod A valvetrain or valve train is a mechanical system that controls the operation of the intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine. The intake valves control the flow of air/fuel mixture (or air alone for direct-injected engines) ...

V8 engine of the 114 had its stroke increased from to . With a bore, this meant the capacity increased from to , which was throughout the model's lifespan one of the world's biggest passenger-car engines (Cadillac offered a engine, enlarged to ). This engine developed 315 hp SAE Gross at 4,400 revs per minute and a substantial at 2500 rpm. The car weighs , is long, wide, and high. Among its special features were special laminated windscreen and triple-layered windows, supposedly offering protection from

radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...

in case of

nuclear attack Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear wa ...

, plus duplicated systems, including dual

ignition Ignition may refer to: Science and technology * Firelighting, the human act of creating a fire for warmth, cooking and other uses * Combustion, an exothermic chemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidant * Fusion ignition, the point at which a ...

, two 74-

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batteries in parallel, and two fuel pumps. The console and dash were covered with

Karelia Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for ...

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

thick, and the rear seat controlled radio (a ''Riga'' receiver), power windows, heater, and air conditioner; in the console in front was a ''Vilma''

cassette player A cassette deck is a type of tape machine for playing and recording audio cassettes that does not have a built-in power amplifier or speakers, and serves primarily as a transport. It can be a part of an automotive entertainment system, a part of a ...

. The fuel tank was and the car used leaded 95

octane Octane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula , and the condensed structural formula . Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers, 2,2,4-Tri ...

petrol, getting . By 1984, a new three-speed

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...

had replaced the much outdated two-speed type that had been used by ZIL dating back to the first

ZIL-111 The ZIL-111 was a limousine produced by the Soviet car manufacturer ZIL in 1958–1967. It was the first post-war limousine designed in the Soviet Union. After tests with the shortlived prototype ZIL-Moscow in 1956, which gained a place in the ...

in 1958. As

official state car An official state car is a vehicle used by a government to transport its head of state or head of government in an official capacity, which may also be used occasionally to transport other members of the government or visiting dignitaries from ot ...

s, the ZIL-4104s were "built under conditions of strict secrecy" and were "maintained in closed garages by a special division of the

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

", with everyone involved in building and servicing them sworn to secrecy.Thompson, p.220.

Variants

*ZIL-4104: Base model. Also known as ZIL-115; produced 1978-1983. *ZIL-4105: Armored version of ZIL-4104. *ZIL-41042: Ambulance version. Also known as ZIL-115A. *ZIL-41043: As ZIL-41042 except with communications equipment. *ZIL-41044: Short wheelbase convertible version. *ZIL-41045: Restyled ZIL-4104. Produced 1983-1985. *ZIL-41046: Radio car version. *ZIL-41048: ZIL-4104 with automatic climate control. Produced in 1984. *ZIL-41051:Armored version of ZIL-41045.

ZIL-41044 and ZIL-41042

In the later years of the 4104 production run, ZIL introduced two derived models based on the 4104 chassis and the shortened

ZIL-117 The ZIL-117 is a luxury sedan built by ZiL in USSR and first presented at the Autoprom (precursor of the Moscow International Motor Show) in 1977. Debuting in 1971, it was derived from the earlier ZIL-114. Design of the ZIL-117 began in 1968, w ...

chassis not previously used with the 7.7 litre engine. *The 41044 was a shorter-wheelbase

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

. Unlike previous ZIL convertibles, it had only two doors but otherwise it was typically ZIL. *The 41042 was a rare station wagon produced by ZIL, but the few examples built were used as

ambulances An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...

for general secretaries in the Soviet Union.

Notes

Sources

* Thompson, Andy. ''Cars of the Soviet Union''. Somerset, UK: Haynes Publishing, 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zil-4104 Cars of Russia 4104 Cars introduced in 1978 1980s cars Luxury vehicles Soviet automobiles Flagship vehicles Limousines Hearses