ZIS-115
The ZIS-115 is a Soviet built armored version of the ZIS-110 limousine, designed and built especially for Joseph Stalin. 32 of the cars were manufactured between 1948-49. The heavily armored car's design was based on the American 1942 Packard Super Eight. The car weighed over 4 tons, windows made of glass nearly 3 inches thick (each of which weighed over 200 kg (441 lb)) were powered by a hydraulic system. Its 6.0-liter (366 cubic inches) straight-eight engine (an upgraded version of the ZIS-110 engine) generated 162 horsepower with a top speed of 75 mph. Stalin, extremely paranoid of assassination, always rode in the rear of the car, seated between two armed bodyguards. He never rode in the same armored ZIS two days in a row, and frequently changed the route driven from his home in Kuntsevo to the Kremlin. After Stalin's death in 1953, the armored ZIS limousines continued to be used for many years by successive Soviet leaders. Today, several of the cars are owned by private collectors and museums around the world.
| ZIS-115 | |
|---|---|
 Stalin's ZIS-115 at the Technikmuseum Sinsheim | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | ZiS |
| Production |
|
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Armored limousine |
| Body style | 4-door sedan |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related | ZIS-110 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 6.0L ZIS-115 I8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 3,760 mm (148.0 in) |
| Length | 6,000 mm (236.2 in) |
| Width | 1,960 mm (77.2 in) |
| Height | 1,730 mm (68.1 in) |
| Curb weight | 4,200 kg (9,259 lb) |