Automotive History Online

ZILlogo

ZIL

Zavod Imeni Likhacheva More commonly called ZIL (or ZiL, Russian: Завод имени Лихачёва (ЗиЛ) — Likhachev Factory) is a major Russian truck and heavy equipment manufacturer, which also produced armored cars for most Soviet leaders, as well as buses, armored fighting vehicles, and aerosans. The company also produces hand-built limousines and high-end luxury sedans in extremely low quantities, primarily for the Russian government. ZIL passenger cars are priced at the equivalent of models from Maybach and Rolls-Royce, but are largely unknown outside the CIS and production rarely exceeds a dozen cars per year.

The factory was founded in 1916 as Avtomobilnoe Moskovskoe Obshchestvo (AMO, Russian Автомобильное Московское Общество (АМО) — Moscow Automotive Enterprise). The plans were to produce Fiat F-15 1.5 ton trucks under license. Because of the October Revolution and the subsequent Russian Civil War it took until 1 November 1924 to produce the first vehicle, the AMO-F-15. In 1931 the factory was re-equipped and expanded with the help of the U.S. A.J. Brandt Co., changed its name to Automotive Factory No. 2 Zavod Imeni Stalina (ZIS or ZiS). After Nikita Khrushchev denounced the cult of personality of Joseph Stalin in 1956, the name was changed again to Zavod Imeni Likhacheva, after its former director Ivan Alekseevich Likhachev.

If you have a Photo of a ZIL and would like to see it displayed here.
Please send it to us and help contribute to Automotive History Online.

Contact Us Home Russianlist Links Site Updates

Much of the material on this website is in the public domain and has no copyright attached to it. Original articles & Photo's appearing herein are subject to copyright. Please don't copy stuff from this site without asking; it may belong to someone! Material on this website is presented solely for historical research and educational purposes only. Any trademarks appearing on this site are the sole property of the registered owners. No endorsement by the trademark owners is to be construed, nor was any sought. The products, brand names, characters, related slogans and indicia are or may be claimed as trademarks of their respective owners. The use of such material falls under the Fair Use provisions of intellectual property laws.

If you enjoyed the site we ask that you check out our sponsors.