ZIL-41047

ZIL-41047 at a glance

ZIL's limousines were never built for sale: they were ordered by the state for official use, so cost was secondary to quality, prestige and safety. The ZIL-41047 updated the ZIL-41045 with a more modern, angular look while keeping its proven chassis and engine. The plant's wider story is told in the history of ZIL, and its trucks and cars are in the ZIL catalogue.

From ZIL-4104 to ZIL-41047

The ZIL-41047 grew out of the ZIL-4104 limousine of the late 1970s and its update, the ZIL-41045 of 1983–1985. Its chassis and engine had been designed with a large reserve of strength, so there was little technical need to change them. The motivation for a new look was largely political: from 1985 the Soviet Union had a younger leader who travelled abroad far more often than his predecessors, and his official car was expected to look modern and dynamic next to Western limousines.

The first ZIL-41047s appeared in 1985–1986 with a clean, angular design. Technical updates followed in stages: the V8 received contactless ignition, the automatic gearbox inherited from the 41045 was strengthened in 1988, especially its freewheel clutch, and the car moved to 16-inch wheels. Mechanically, the ZIL-41 family remained very close to the original ZIL-4104 throughout its life.

Design and exterior

The ZIL-41047's body has a long bonnet, a rear overhang of about 1.5 metres and a large boot. Compared with the 41045, it received a new grille, rectangular Bosch headlights with small wipers, more vertical front indicators at the corners of the wings, tail lights spanning the full width of the rear, and electrically adjustable mirrors mounted at the corners of the side windows instead of on the doors; the front quarter-light windows disappeared. Rubber plugs in the front wings cover sockets for flagstaffs. The fuel filler is hidden behind the rear number plate, and the bonnet mascot retracts when pressed. Ground clearance is at least 170 mm.

Hand-built quality

Each car was assembled individually rather than on a production line: workers from each department came to the car as needed, and assembly took about five and a half months. Body panels were shaped by hand on oak templates, fitted in place and finished with tin solder. The paint consisted of 9–15 coats of nitro enamel, each dried and polished, and the final coat was applied only after a running-in test of up to 2,000 km. Interior trim and equipment were tailored to the intended user.

Interior and equipment

The cabin seats seven in three rows, with two folding seats in the middle row against the partition between the driver and the rear compartment. Front seats are trimmed in leather; the rear compartment uses velour or plush, with walnut or mahogany inserts. The rear bench is electrically adjustable, and the partition, windows and audio system are operated from the rear armrests. Separate climate control units serve the driver and the passengers, a compartment between the front seats houses government communication equipment, and the instruments sit under conical glass covers that prevent glare.

Sound insulation is about 5 cm thick, and the parking brake is applied with a foot pedal. The first cars used imported Belgian glass, later ones Soviet-made laminated glass, and the three-layer glazing helps keep the cabin temperature stable. Each passenger has an individual reading lamp, and lamps on the lower edge of the door armrests light up when the doors open.

Engine and transmission

The aluminium V8 uses a four-barrel carburettor. The automatic gearbox, inherited from the 41045, was strengthened in 1988; it has a mechanical hill-holding device that releases automatically when the car moves off.

Chassis, steering and brakes

The front suspension is independent, with transverse arms, a 28 mm torsion bar and an anti-roll bar; the rear axle hangs on long asymmetric semi-elliptic leaf springs (1,550 mm) with polyethylene interleaves. Telescopic dampers are fitted all round. Steering is ball-and-nut with hydraulic power assistance. Brakes are ventilated discs, 292 mm at the front and 316 mm at the rear, with a dual-circuit hydraulic system in which each circuit acts on all four wheels. The 16-inch wheels wear special tyres with reinforced sidewalls and a sealing gel, designed to keep running after punctures.

Dimensions

ZIL-41047 versions

The armoured versions were built around a welded armour capsule with bullet-resistant glass, and only a small number were made. Their multi-layer fuel tanks could seal small holes by themselves and were designed to resist fire and explosion, and the special run-flat tyres were said to withstand several bullet hits. The ZIL-41072 "Scorpion" escort car of 1989 had wide side steps, handrails inside and outside the body, a roof hatch and a rear window that could be opened instantly, so that security officers could react quickly. Today such special versions are found mainly in museums and private collections. The rarest regular model is the five-seat ZIL-41041: its wheelbase is 580 mm shorter than the limousine's, and only 30 were built. The ZIL-41042 ambulance, painted black like the limousines it accompanied, was nicknamed the "Black Doctor". The ZIL-41044 parade convertible has a power-operated soft top that opens or closes in about 20 seconds and side-window frames that retract automatically; it was used for military parades and ceremonies.

Legacy

The ZIL-41047 was the last of the classic Soviet-designed state limousines. Its successor, the ZIL-4112R, followed, but by the 2000s many official customers had switched to Western limousines, and the family ended in 2010 after 234 cars. Surviving ZIL-41047s are now rare collector's cars. For comparison with Western limousines, see the Rolls-Royce Phantom and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class; more cars of the era are listed among Soviet classic cars.