ZIS-115

The ZIS-115 is a Soviet-built, armored version of the ZIS-110 limousine, designed and built especially for Joseph Stalin.^[1] A total of 32 of the cars were manufactured between 1948 and 1949. The heavily armored car's design was based on the American 1942 Packard Super Eight. The car weighed over 4 tonnes, with windows made of glass nearly 8 cm (3 in) thick (each of which weighed over 200 kg [440 lb])^{[citation needed]} were powered by a hydraulic system. Its 6.0-litre (366 cu in) straight-eight engine (an upgraded version of the ZIS-110 engine) generated 162 hp (119 kW) with a top speed of 121 km/h (75 mph).

ZIS-115
Overview
Manufacturer	ZiS
Production	1948–1949 32 built
Assembly	Soviet Union: Moscow (Likhachov Plant)
Body and chassis
Class	Armored limousine
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	FR layout
Related	ZIS-110
Powertrain
Engine	6.0L ZIS-115 I8
Transmission	3-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	3,760 mm (148.0 in)
Length	6,000 mm (236.2 in)
Width	1,960 mm (77.2 in)
Height	1,730 mm (68.1 in)
Curb weight	4,200 kg (9,259 lb)

Stalin's ZIS-115 at the Technikmuseum Sinsheim

Stalin, wary of assassination, always rode in the rear of the car, seated between two armed bodyguards. He never rode in the same armored ZIS two days in a row, and frequently changed the route driven from his home in Kuntsevo to the Kremlin. Usage of this vehicle was seen in other countries, as Stalin donated a ZIS-115 to Chairman Mao Zedong due to the lack of armored Chinese vehicles suitable for the purpose of transporting high-ranking officials.^[2] After Stalin's death in 1953, the armored ZIS limousines continued to be used for many years by successive Soviet leaders. In 1955 Nikita Khrushchev donated two of these vehicles (which are on display in the Slovenian museum Bistra) to Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito.

Several of the cars still exist, owned by private collectors and museums around the world. Russian leaders had some in their official garage until 1994.