GAZ-12 ZIM

Make:	GAZ
Production period:	1950 to 1960
Class :	Luxury car
Body versions :	sedan,taxi,ambulance,limousine
Engines:	Gasoline: 3.5 liters (70 kW)
Length:	5530 mm
Width:	1900 mm
Height:	1660 mm
Wheelbase :	3200 mm
Curb weight :	1800 kg

The GAZ-12 ZIM  is a luxurious car of the Soviet GAZ built from 1950 to 1960. 

History

The GAZ-12 ZIM was initially manufactured in 1950, and it was enormous and opulent because the party's and state's top leaders wanted a new large and prestigious car. The GAZ-12's self-supporting body was mostly based on the GAZ-M20 Pobeda, with a proportionally longer, wider, and strengthened floor pan. The GAZ truck program's long-stroke six-cylinder in-line engine had an aluminium cylinder head with (at the time outmoded) standing valves. He used a hydraulic and dry clutch, a mechanical three-speed synchromesh gearbox with steering wheel shifting, and a propeller shaft to connect the back axle to his performance. The front wheels hung individually on double wishbones . On all wheels there were hydraulically operated drum brakes.

The ZIM is stylistically and technically similar in concept to contemporary US automobiles and had a similar to the models similar no less comfortable as well as rich equipment. A novelty was the electrically heatable rear seat and the self-resetting turn signal lever on the steering column. The wood grain painted dashboardwith a number of control instruments and a car radio was also part of the standard equipment. There were leather seats and precious woodCoverings. The sedans had three side windows and six seats, a little later came in a very small number (probably only five copies) produced four-door convertible , which was designated by the factory as Phaeton . In addition, there was also a version as an ambulance , but with the limousine body, the interior of which was redesigned to suit the purpose - where the stretcher had to be loaded and unloaded via the boot lid open at the top. There was no wagon version .

During the 1946 published ZIS-110 , a replica of the US-American Packard 180 of the pre-war period, which was manufactured on the Soviet Union acquired original Packard manufacturing facilities, the highest representative of the state was reserved (including in heavily armored version also Joseph Stalin himself ), the GAZ-12 ZIM was more of a car for the middle and upper management of the nomenklatura . The ZIM was exported because of the high price only limited, including some copies to Poland , Czechoslovakia and the GDR In Czechoslovakia he was to replace the Tatras of the prewar period, but was due to the poorer performance and the initially not fully satisfactory quality workmanship no greater appeal. In 1955, instead, the newly developed Tatra T 603 was introduced. In the Soviet Union, however, the car was widely used and saw many years of use even after the end of production. It was also used by the militia , these vehicles were painted dark blue with red side stripes and provided with a red flashing light on the roof. In 1960, the production of all three versions of the GAZ-12 ZIM ended after a total of 21,527 pieces.

 The existing power is still acceptable for a quiet and comfortable locomotion today, because the engine is elastic and therefore does not need to be changed so often the aisles. The Suspension comfort can certainly convince despite the rear rigid axle on leaf springs .Because of the hydraulic clutch, which produces a sliding frictional connection with increasing engine speed, the clutch must be operated only for engaging a gear and for upshifting and downshifting; However, it can, for example, in 3rd gear, the vehicle braked from any speed to a stop and, without being coupled, be restarted. In conjunction with the smooth-running engine, this constructive solution achieves an impressively low interior noise level and outstanding elasticity. One disadvantage is that this does not allow the drive train to be blocked mechanically. That means, even on the steepest slope you have to rely on the action of the handbrake.

The GAZ-12 was built a a sedan, taxi, ambulance and four-door convertible Phaeton versions. 21,527 copies were produced in three versions. Successor was from 1959 the much more modern GAZ-13 Chaika.