Stalin's car

Like Al Capone, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin drove around in custom armored cars. The first luxury armored car for the Soviet party-government elite was made in the late 1940s at the automobile plant N.A. Stalin, later renamed after Likhachov.

The armored ZIS-115 was produced over 1946-47. In all, 32 examples were produced, primarily for Stalin. ZIS-115 did not differ much from its prototype ZIS-110, but has a central fog lamp, two special alarm lights, larger tyres without whitewalls, big rear fenders for big wheels and externally clouded window glass.

The thickness of the window glass in the ZIS-115 reaches 75 mm (3 inches). It is 6 meters long, weighs 4,280 kg and could reach 120 km/h, however, its fuel consumption was high: 27.5 litres per 100 km (8.6 miles per US gallon). ZIS-115's armor protection was called “armor capsule”, a single armor cover, sheathed with body panels from the outside. Some of the ZIS-115 cars were equipped with air conditioners.

Stalin never used the same car two days running and he constantly changed routes. Drivers were always very nervous, but they always had a "green light” on their way.

A long restoration has been given to one of the armored limos in the “Retromechanica” workshop. Experts assert this ZIS-115 is the last one which conveyed the Soviet tyrant.