The unique and the very ordinary cars of Soviet and Russian leaders

On Monday, May 17, Vladimir Kozhin, head of the presidential property management administration, told the Ekho Moskvy radio station that Russian state leaders would soon be able to swap their foreign cars for Russian-made ZIL limousines. This RIA Novosti photo collection shows which cars Soviet leaders used in the past and those that Russian leaders use nowadays.

The country’s leaders are strictly forbidden to drive ordinary cars, except for special cases.

The president receives a special, one-of-a-kind car, assembled specifically for the head of state. The car’s body must be armored and withstand at least the explosion of a hand grenade and a round of 7.62 mm ammunition. The windows must also be bullet-proof and up to 48 mm thick. The car must have special reinforced tires for protection against a chemical attack. Photo: September 15, 2009. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Red Square before meeting with participants of the Valdai International Club at the GUM department store.

Vladimir Lenin rode in an armored Rolls-Royce (in the photo). Only two Rolls-Royces used from 1922 to 1924 remain today. The first Rolls Royce for Lenin, the Silver Ghost model, was purchased for 1,850 pounds in 1922. The second Rolls Royce was uniquely designed with rubber tracks instead of the rear wheels and broad skis covered with iron instead of the front wheels. Lenin used the car to travel to his Gorki residence in winter. The Putilov Plant in St. Petersburg (then Petrograd) transformed the Rolls Royce into a Russian sled to allow it to drive through snowdrifts. The car’s speed was limited to 20 km/h after such a “tuning”, but Vladimir Lenin was satisfied with it. Photo: the Rolls Royce that Vladimir Lenin used in 1921 and 1922.

Josef Stalin loved giant and luxurious American Packards. In 1933, many Packard Twelves with 12-cylinder engines and Phaeton convertible bodies were purchased. The car had a 7.7-liter engine with up to 180 horse power. Josef Stalin got one of the cars with a standard 160-h.p. engine. Photo: a 1933 Packard.

In 1936, the first four ZIS 101 Soviet limousines were manufactured. The first serial model was presented to Josef Stalin.

In 1936, the first four ZIS 101 Soviet limousines were manufactured. The first serial model was presented to Josef Stalin. However, the Soviet leader was not impressed by the gift since his Packard Twelve was more spacious and technically advanced. He later passed it on to his daughter Svetlana. Photo: Josef Stalin, Vyacheslav Molotov, Anastas Mikoyan, Sergo Ordzhonikidze and Ivan Likhachyov with the new ZIS 101 near the Kremlin.

When Nikita Khrushchev came to power, all the armored cars were removed. After the decisive 20th Congress of the Communist Party, during which the dictatorship of Josef Stalin was denounced, ZIS, or Stalin Plant, was renamed as ZIL, Likhachyov Plant, and Nikita Khrushchev started using the new ZIL-111.

Nikita Khrushchev was more open to the public and preferred convertibles. A ZIL-111V with a folding top was used for welcoming honored guests. It was a ZIL-111V that took Yury Gagarin to the Kremlin in 1961.

Leonid Brezhnev was the only Soviet or Russian leader of the 20th century who loved, understood and appreciated cars. Photo: the 1973 Nissan President. The Japanese Prime Minister was driven in the first version of this car, and the second one was manufactured specifically for Leonid Brezhnev. He once gave U.S. President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger a ride through Moscow’s streets in the Nissan President.

The ZIL-114 is considered to be a classic of the Soviet automotive industry. It was one of the finest handmade cars: each component had the body number labeled on it. The car was equipped with an automatic gear box and electric windows. The window between the driver and the passengers was also electric. The car even had satellite communication equipment.

General Secretary of the Communist Party’s Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev in a Chaika convertible during the Soviet Government delegation’s visit to Hungary.

Boris Yeltsin’s ZIL-117 presidential limousine was called “the last symbol of the government of the USSR.”

Vladimir Putin’s collection of cars included an armored Mercedes 600 Pullman. The car is 6.2 m long, weighs almost three tons and is powered by a 6-liter V12 engine with 400 horse power. It has a video camera attached to the back for the driver to see what’s happening behind the car. The details of the car’s communication and safety systems remain a strictly held secret.

From time to time, Vladimir Putin drives his rare 1956 GAZ, which is painted in ivory and has an automatic gear box, chromed steel wheels and a leather interior of the same color as the body.

In 2009, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin showed off his newly bought Niva car. The car is called the Lada 4x4 Jungle and is manufactured in limited quantities by AvtoVAZ’s sports cars division.