Soviet Convertibles: From the ZIS-102 to the Last ZIL Parade Phaetons
Soviet convertibles fall into two groups: a few thousand open versions of ordinary cars, such as the Pobeda and Moskvich cabriolets of 1949–1953, and tiny batches of parade phaetons built by ZIS, ZIL and GAZ for military reviews and state guests. The rarest, like the ZIL-111V with 12 cars, were made in numbers smaller than many prototypes.
Key takeaways
- The first series-built open limousine was the ZIS-102 of 1938–1940, a convertible ZIS-101.
- The GAZ-M20 Pobeda cabriolet (1949–1953) was the most common Soviet open car, with 14,222 built.
- Parade cars followed each new limousine: ZIS-110B, ZIL-111V and 111D, GAZ-13B, GAZ-14-05 and ZIL-41044.
- After the early 1950s, factory convertibles were no longer offered to private buyers; later open cars served parades and state guests.
Why open cars were rare in the Soviet Union
The Soviet car industry was planned around a handful of models, and every body variant had to justify its tooling. Convertibles need a stronger floor, extra bracing and hand-fitted roofs, and they sell in small numbers even in open markets. In a planned economy where private cars were scarce, the factories had little reason to build them.
Two kinds of demand still existed. The first was the post-war wish to make cars more attractive, which produced open versions of the Pobeda and the Moskvich-400. The second was ceremonial: military parades, state visits and official celebrations needed a large open car in which a commander could stand. That demand produced every Soviet convertible built after 1953.
Soviet convertibles timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1938 | ZIS-102, an open four-door version of the ZIS-101 limousine, enters production (to 1940) |
| 1947 | ZIS-110B phaeton joins the ZIS-110 range (built to 1958) |
| 1949 | Pobeda cabriolet and Moskvich 400-420A cabriolet appear |
| 1953 | Pobeda cabriolet ends after 14,222 cars |
| 1960 | ZIL-111V convertible, 12 built in the early 1960s |
| 1961 | GAZ-13B Chaika convertible built in 1961 and 1962 |
| 1963 | First ZIL-111D, the open version of the updated ZIL-111 |
| 1982 | GAZ-14-05 parade cabriolet production begins (15 cars to 1988) |
| late 1970s–1980s | Open ZIL-41044 built on the shortened ZIL-117 chassis |
The first open limousine: ZIS-102
The ZIS-101 was the first large Soviet limousine, built from 1936 to 1941 in more than 8,000 examples. Its body was designed by the American Budd Company, and its 5.8-litre straight-eight produced up to 81 kW (110 PS); the improved ZIS-101A of 1939 had 85 kW (116 PS).
The ZIS-102 was the four-door convertible version, produced from 1938 to 1940. According to the old 1cars text, open ZIS-102s led the columns of armoured vehicles at the main parades until 1953, and no example is known to have survived. We found no independent source for that last claim, so it should be treated with caution.
Cabriolets for private buyers: Pobeda and Moskvich
The GAZ-M20 Pobeda was one of the first Soviet cars with a unitary body. Between 1949 and 1953 GAZ built a cabriolet version, catalogued as GAZ-20B-31. It was a "cabrio coach": the doors, window frames and side panels stayed in place, and only the fabric centre section of the roof folded back. That kept the body rigid without heavy reinforcement.
With 14,222 cars, the open Pobeda made up, by our calculation, about 6 % of the 235,999 Pobedas built from 1946 to 1958. It used the standard 2.1-litre side-valve four with 37 kW (50 PS), so performance was the same as in the saloon.
The Moskvich-400, a small car derived from the pre-war Opel Kadett, gained its own cabriolet, the 400-420A, in 1949. Its 1,074 cc four produced 17 kW (23 hp). Production figures for the open Moskvich are not reliably documented. After these two models, no Soviet factory offered a convertible to private buyers again.
ZIS-110B: the post-war parade phaeton
The ZIS-110 was developed from the 1942 Packard Super Eight and built from 1946 to 1958. All versions together, including saloons, came to 2,089 cars. It had a 6.0-litre straight-eight with 104 kW (140 hp), a three-speed manual gearbox, a 3,760 mm wheelbase and an overall length of 6,000 mm.
The open ZIS-110B phaeton was built from 1947 to 1958. After 1953 it became the main parade car, and Nikita Khrushchev used it at official reviews. One was given to the Albanian leader Enver Hoxha. The old 1cars text credits the ZIS-110 with independent front suspension, hydraulic brakes, a built-in radio, hydraulic window lifters and direction indicators, unusual equipment for a Soviet car of the 1940s.
ZIL-111V and ZIL-111D: twelve plus eight
The ZIL-111 replaced the ZIS-110 in 1958. It had a 6.0-litre V8 with 150 kW (200 hp) and a two-speed automatic gearbox with a torque converter, a layout similar to Chrysler's PowerFlite. Its styling followed mid-1950s American cars, especially Packard.
Only 12 open ZIL-111V cars were built. The old 1cars text dates them to 1960–1962, after which convertible production stopped. When the ZIL-111 was updated in December 1962, with quad headlamps and a wide chrome grille, a new convertible followed: the first ZIL-111D was finished in 1963. About eight were built; half were painted grey, and all carried microphones for speeches. One was given to Fidel Castro.
Chaika convertibles: GAZ-13B and GAZ-14-05
GAZ built the Chaika as a slightly smaller official car. The GAZ-13 (1959–1981, 3,179 built) had a 5.5-litre V8 with about 143 kW (195 hp gross) and a push-button automatic. Its four-door GAZ-13B convertible was made only in 1961 and 1962 for official parades, and its exact production figure is not documented.
The next Chaika, the GAZ-14 of 1977, had a 5.53-litre V8 with 162 kW (220 PS) and 451 Nm and a three-speed automatic; 1,114 were built until December 1988. Its parade version, the GAZ-14-05, was ordered in 1978 and built from 1982 to 1988 in only 15 examples. Regional military districts used them for their own parades. According to the old 1cars text, they had a reinforced frame and body, a stronger cooling system and a more reliable ignition than the saloon.
The ZIL-41044: last of the open ZILs
The last Soviet parade convertible came from the ZIL-4104 family. The ZIL-4104 (originally ZIL-115) was built from 1978 to 1985, just 106 cars, with a 7.7-litre V8 of 235 kW (315 hp gross) and 608 Nm. In the later years of production, ZIL built the open ZIL-41044 on the 4104 running gear and the shortened ZIL-117 chassis, which had not carried the 7.7-litre engine before.
The old 1cars text adds that these phaetons were painted only in grey, to match the shade of the military greatcoats worn by the officers riding in them. Their closed relative, the ZIL-41047, stayed in production into the 2000s.
Key figures of Soviet open cars
| Model | Years built | Open cars built | Engine | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZIS-102 | 1938–1940 | not documented | 5.8 l straight-eight | up to 81 kW (110 PS) |
| ZIS-110B | 1947–1958 | part of 2,089 ZIS-110 | 6.0 l straight-eight | 104 kW (140 hp) |
| GAZ-M20 Pobeda cabriolet | 1949–1953 | 14,222 | 2.1 l four | 37 kW (50 PS) |
| Moskvich 400-420A | from 1949 | not documented | 1.1 l four | 17 kW (23 hp) |
| ZIL-111V | early 1960s | 12 | 6.0 l V8 | 150 kW (200 hp) |
| ZIL-111D | from 1963 | about 8 | same V8 as the 111V | 150 kW |
| GAZ-13B | 1961–1962 | not documented | 5.5 l V8 | about 143 kW (195 hp) |
| GAZ-14-05 | 1982–1988 | 15 | 5.53 l V8 | 162 kW (220 PS) |
| ZIL-41044 | 1980s | very few | 7.7 l V8 | 235 kW (315 hp gross) |
Older ratings are gross figures; for conversions between kW, PS and hp, see the 1cars power converter; to weigh these outputs against kerb weight, use the power-to-weight calculator.
How the open bodies were engineered
Most parade cars were not new designs but saloons with the roof removed. That required extra strength in the floor and sills, because the roof and pillars normally carry part of the load. On the large ZIS and ZIL cars, the heavy separate chassis frame made this easier, and the old text notes that the GAZ-14-05 had a reinforced frame and body.
Parade use also asked for features no private car needed, such as the microphones fitted to the ZIL-111D and a cooling system that copes with long periods at walking pace, which the old text mentions for the GAZ-14-05. With batches of eight to fifteen cars, these were workshop projects rather than production-line models.
Collecting Soviet open cars today
Because so few were built, Soviet parade convertibles rarely change hands, and many survivors belong to museums or state collections. Pobeda cabriolets, built in the thousands, are the most accessible today: compared with the 12 ZIL-111V cars, more than 1,000 times as many open Pobedas were made. The ZIL-41044's 235 kW was over six times the Pobeda's 37 kW, while the parade ZIL weighed far more; collectors who want a usable open Soviet car should look for a Pobeda, and leave the parade cars to museums.
For collectors, the cars also show how the Soviet industry borrowed from American design: the ZIS-101 body from Budd, the ZIS-110 from Packard and the ZIL-111 transmission from Chrysler's ideas. To see how the leaders' closed cars developed, read Cars of Soviet leaders, and browse more vintage cars in the 1cars classics section.
FAQ
What was the first Soviet convertible?
The ZIS-102, produced from 1938 to 1940, was the first series-built Soviet convertible limousine. It was an open four-door version of the ZIS-101 with a 5.8-litre straight-eight engine and was used at major parades.
How many Pobeda cabriolets were made?
GAZ built 14,222 Pobeda cabriolets between 1949 and 1953. They kept the saloon's side frames and had a folding fabric roof section, and they used the same 2.1-litre engine with 37 kW (50 PS).
Which Soviet convertible is the rarest?
Among parade cars, the ZIL-111D (about eight built) and the ZIL-111V (12 built) are among the rarest, together with the 15 GAZ-14-05 cabriolets. Exact figures for the ZIL-41044 are not documented.
Could ordinary Soviet citizens buy a convertible?
Only briefly. The Pobeda and Moskvich cabriolets of the late 1940s and early 1950s were civilian cars. After that, every Soviet open car was built for parades, state guests or official use and was never offered for sale.
Why were Soviet parade cars painted grey?
According to the old 1cars text, the late ZIL parade phaetons were painted grey so that they matched the colour of the officers' greatcoats. Half of the earlier ZIL-111D convertibles were also finished in grey.
