The stately ZiL is being offered with no reserve and the current bid stands at US$50,000 (RM229,000). — Photos from bringatrailer.com
SAN FRANCISCO: A boxy Russian ZiL limousine which is believed to have been part of the official fleet used by former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev is up for auction in the United States.
The battleship-sized black car was registered to the automotive department of the President of the Russian Federation as recently as 2001.
The stately ZiL is being offered with no reserve and the current bid stands at US$50,000 (RM229,000). The auction ends on July 25.
Online auction house Bring a Trailer said the ZiL features tinted triple-laminated windows, 16-inch wheels, four-wheel disc brakes, air conditioning and front bucket seats. It is powered by a huge 7.7-litre V8 petrol engine that would be more at home in a truck.
The rear bench seat is adjustable, there are rear jump seats for bodyguards, a loudspeaker, a siren, flashing emergency lights, front and rear telephones, rear audio and climate controls along with a Russian-made Radiotehnika stereo, and a Vilma cassette player.
The car was bought by the current owner in 2014 and the brake system was overhauled in 2022.
The ZiL-41045 is offered on dealer consignment at no reserve with a scale model of the car, an owner's manual, concours awards, spare parts, Russian license plates, and a clean New Jersey logbook.
Zavod imeni Likhachyova (ZiL) produced limousines exclusively for Soviet government officials, and the 41045 model was a revised version of the 4104 that was produced from 1983-1985.
