52 replies to this topic

[Rainer Nyberg]

Maybe some of our Russian TNF members can provide som additional info on a Soviet sports car called ZIL-112S . It was painted blue and therefore got the nickname: "Golubaya Raketa", The Blue Rocket.

The appearence was similar to an AC Cobra. Powered by a 6-litre 280PS ZIL-111 V8 engine according to a period magazine. It sported GRP bodywork, disc brakes at the front and had a De Dion rear axle.

It was built in the Likhachev factory in Moscow.

First apperance seems to have in 1961 although the magazine first seem to have heard about it 1963.

Some images below shows the ZIL-112S.

Maybe someone has more info on the race history and production numbers of this car.
Additional photos, would also be welcome.




Viktor Galkin sitting in his ZIL-112S.

[anjakub]

ZIL 112S was prepared in factory ZIL in two examples. Designer V.Rodionov.
These automobiles were used modified engines ZIS-110. One V8 with a volume of 6 liters and with the power of 230 hp, another - respectively 7 liters even 270 hp. Depending on engine the speed varied from 260 to 270 km/h.
Automobile in comparison with ZIS-112 had very short wheel base (2190 mm in 112S against 3760 mm in 112), weight 1300 kg (112 - 1450 kg).
At the steering wheel of ZIL 112S Oleg Zharkov in 1965 became the champion of the country. Both machines were now in the Riga automobile museum.

[Flicker]

Here are some pics and info (in russian) about ZIL-112...
Motorsport in the USSR

[Alexey Rogachev]

I'll translate these pages into English this evening - please wait Now, I can only say that Zharkov's name was not Oleg, but Gennady. The first time when ZIL 112S appeared on racing track was in November 1961 at Luzhniki, Moscow. In 1963, Viktor Galkin was 3rd in Soviet group V championship; in 1964, Zharkov took the same place in F5 (F. Libre) championship, and the next year he won it, as Andrzej has just said. I don't have any information on the racing achievements of these cars in 1966-68, but in 1969, they raced in Soviet F1 championship - without any success, however. Also ZIL works drivers established three national speed records in group 10 (from 5000 to 8000 cc) - the distance was 500 m, with dead start. The best result, shown in 1970, was 112.606 km/h (Nikolay Razinchev).

[Aspelund]

As far as I remember from and old journal article, on of the 112-s was soon crashed after the purchase by Riga Museum. Someone (Viktors Kulbergs maybe?) wanted to have a go on Bikernieki circuit in Riga, but by some reason he crashed and broke his leg(s).

Last time I saw 112S in Riga museum, it was painted white. Earlier (I think) the same car was red.

If you want, you can write to Riga museum, they are very helpful.

Tarmo
Estonia

[Holger Merten]

Originally posted by Flicker
Here are some pics and info (in russian) about ZIL-112...
Motorsport in the USSR

Hey Flicker, I thought you had left TNF and wouldn't come back again, were are you in our Silver arrows and post war discussions about the Silver Arrows discussions?

[Rainer Nyberg]

Thanks for the replies, it might be worth a visit to Riga and check it out ;)

[Holger Merten]

Yes and have a look at the Auto Union C/D hillclimb replica there. Or any AU details you could find there, like engines, frames and so on.

[Alexey Rogachev]

I think it's time to post something on ZIL 112S to this thread because I see that people have started discussing Auto Unions here So here are four images that I have found in my home PC:

1. ZIL 112S - chassis #1.


2. ZIL 112S - chassis #2.


3. ZIL 112S - chassis #1 with streamlined body on Baskunchak salt lake in July 1962.


4. Scheme of ZIL 112S.

[Alexey Rogachev]

Here is a list of all race results of 112S that I'm aware of:
Moscow Spartak Council Trophy Luzhniki 12/11/1961 group B Viktor Galkin 2nd 81.7 km/h
USSR Championship, round 1 Nemanskoe Koltso 27/7/1963 group V Viktor Galkin DNF
USSR Championship, round 2 Minskoe Koltso 3/8/1963 group V Viktor Galkin 1st 113.0 km/h
? Luzhniki 27/10/1963 group V Gennady Zharkov 1st
Vakarines Nauenos Trophy Valakampai 10/5/1964 Sportscars & single-seaters Gennady Zharkov 1st
Vakarines Nauenos Trophy Valakampai 10/5/1964 Sportscars & single-seaters Boris Kurbatov 2nd
USSR Championship, round 1 Nemanskoe Koltso 25/7/1964 F5 Gennady Zharkov 1st 126.7 km/h
USSR Championship, round 2 Nevskoe Koltso 1/8/1964 F5 Gennady Zharkov 6th
Spartak 30th Anniversary Trophy Luzhniki 25/4/1965 F1,F2,F5 Gennady Zharkov 5th
USSR Championship, round 1 Nevskoe Koltso 25/7/1965 F5 Gennady Zharkov 3rd
USSR Championship, round 2 Nemanskoe Koltso 1/8/1965 F5 Gennady Zharkov 1st 128.2 km/h
Golden Autumn Trophy Borovaya 25/9/1966 group G Valentin Bogatov 2nd
USSR Championship, round 1 Borovaya 15/6/1969 F1 Valentin Bogatov 5th

Three all-Union speed records were set by 112S (0.5 km, dead start):
16/4/1967 Nikolay Zhdanov 101.6 km/h
13/10/1968 Valentin Bogatov 104.9 km/h
11/10/1970 Nikolay Razinchev 112.606 km/h

Also works ZIL team made an attempt to set a 1-km running start speed record on Baskunchak salt lake in 1962, but the salt crust wasn't solid enough that year, so that attempt failed.

[angst]

Originally posted by Flicker
Here are some pics and info (in russian) about ZIL-112...
Motorsport in the USSR

I wish I had the slightest inkling of the Russian language. It seems there was alot more motor racing going on in Russia than I had ever dreamt of. Some interesting looking cars on the linked web site.

[Pavel Lifintsev]

I wonder why neither Alexey nor Andrzej didn't mention ZIL-112S has never been called The Blue Rocket. It had various colour schemes (based mainly on white or red) but never was painted blue. In fact the car nicknamed ''Golubaya Raketa'' was the very first ZIS-112 (ZIS was the name of ZIL factory before 1956) from 1952 (picture below), not only because of its sky blue colour but also due to unusual aerospace body style. Not very original in fact as it was a more massive and less elegant copy of the 1951 Buick Le Sabre concept car designed by Harley Earl who was impressed by F-86 Sabre jet fighter shape.


ZIS-112 as driven by Boris Kurbatov and Vladimir Tamakhin at the 1952 USSR Championship. IMO it was rather The Blue Locomotive!

The project ''112S'' started in 1960. It was high performance sports car powered by modified limo engine. Vasily Rodionov (b. 1909, d. 1992), ZIL chief designer in 1942-1973, made the car lighter and smaller than any of its predecessors. Body design was inspired by Ferrari 250 TR ''Testa Rossa'', a really good choice, but its shape was too complicated for accurate reproducing so in general ZIL looked like a mix from some contemporary European sports cars. The first 112S chassis was finished in early autumn 1961, the second one appeared one year later. Well thought-out cinematic of suspension, proportional weight distribution, changable gearbox ratios, powerfull engine, four-wheel disc brakes provided the car very good performance / handling abilities and made the 112S the fastest Soviet sports car ever.

Some technical specifications for each of two built 112S chassis (incl. data of SRA version) can be found at this webpage.

Below are some contemporary photos I've found in my archive (click to enlarge).


Chassis no. 1


Chassis no. 2


Both cars together (left – no. 1, right – no. 2). A man in the hat presented on both photographs is Sergey Glasunov, head of ZIL sports car division.


Speed record attempt on Baskunchak salt lake.
First photo: mechanic Pavel Kolesnikov at the wheel of streamlined ZIL-112S.
Second photo (left to right) : Sergey Glasunov, mechanics Pavel Kolesnikov and Jury Kuzyakov.
Third photo (left to right) : driver Gennady Zharkov, Jury Kuzyakov, Sergey Glasunov, Pavel Kolesnikov.
Fourth photo (left to right) : Sergey Glasunov, Gennady Zharkov (at the wheel), Pavel Kolesnikov.

Another shot I have was taken a bit later, probably in the 70s:

Again chassis no. 2. Turning indicators and number plates make clear the car has been allowed to road use! What is beyond me why it was registered at Voronezh (note BPH letters on a plate), far away from Moscow. Was it sold to a non-works team or even to a privateer?! I wonder if anyone's able to enlighten this?


Finish at the Rigas Motormusejs. It's the same 112S as in the previous photo, painted red (shot was taken in 1998). If they own two cars they can change them from time to time so it explains what Tarmo said.

P.S. Rainer, could you please indicate in which magazine you have found those photos in your first post to this thread? Was there some extra information?

[anjakub]

Originally posted by ru.
I wonder why neither Alexey nor Andrzej didn't mention ZIL-112S has never been called The Blue Rocket.

ru., I saw only white and black photos of ZIL 112S and one colour photo of red model in scale 1:43. Now I'm looking for this model for my collection models of soviet and russian record and sports cars.

[Alexey Rogachev]

Andrzej, I guess you meant these photos of ZIL-112S scale model:

[Rainer Nyberg]

.ru, I am at work now, but will provide you with information about the sources when I get home later this evening.

I can say that the pictures are sourced from a monthly Swedish Motorsports magazine. Will tell you exact issue, and make a scan of the article itself, later this evening, if you want to.

[anjakub]

Thanks Alexey, I don't see photos of ZIL-112S scale model, but I know Igor Denisovets webpage.

[Pavel Lifintsev]

Originally posted by Rainer Nyberg
I can say that the pictures are sourced from a monthly Swedish Motorsports magazine. Will tell you exact issue, and make a scan of the article itself, later this evening, if you want to.

Rainer, that would be great! I am particularly interested in what foreign magazines wrote on Soviet racing cars those days. Sometimes I find really wonderfull things like the one below, appeared in "The Motor" soon after Soviets successfully launched a spaceship with two dogs on board in 1960.


''They're in for a little surprise at Goodwood'' by Russell Brockbank.

Maybe coincidence but in 1954 GAZ tested this unbelievably similar record-braking SG3 car wit jet fighter engine!



Yeah, and sorry if pictures do not appear - it's because of my free web hoster.

[Alexey Rogachev]

Originally posted by .ru

Maybe coincidence but in 1954 GAZ tested this unbelievably similar record-braking SG3 car wit jet fighter engine!

...of course, driven by a works GAZ driver Mikhail Metelev, not by a dog

[Rainer Nyberg]

The article appeared in Illustrerad Motor Sport issue#12 (December) 1963.

It was adapted from article written by Boris Olshevsky . Boris is also seen driving the car on the first picture.

ru., send me your e-mail address to rainer@nyberg.com and I will mail the scans to you.

[Alexey Rogachev]

One more photo, taken from 'The Biography of Fast Wheels' reference book:



This is ZIL 112S racing at Nevskoe Koltso on July, 27, 1969 (4th round of the USSR F1 championship). Car #65 is driven by Yuri Andreev (Estonia 9 Wartburg, 991 cc), #37 and #7 are Volga-powered single-seaters built by amateur drivers from Leningrad (2445 cc). Please note that ZIL 112S engine capacity was 6959 cc...

[Alexey Rogachev]

Few days ago I wrote a letter to Rigas Motormusejs, asking to make clear the post-70s history of two 112S. Today, I received an answer from Valdis Klavinš, the fundkeeper of the museum. He has written that one of ZIL 112S was crashed indeed during the tests before an oldtimers race in the mid-80s - this car was exchanged for ZIS 101 later, and its further lot is unknown. The second 112S is still exhibited in Rigas Motormusejs, painted white after a slight renewal (it was red earlier). The number plates with 'BPH' letters weren't related to Voronezh, but they were gave out in order to take part in a foreign oldtimers race.

[Aspelund]

Here is another strange little creation from Soviet Union, a car called Tartu-1. It was built in 1963-1964, using parts from Volga Gaz-21 (engine) and gearbox from ZAz-965. Engine was in the middle.



Tarmo

[Alexey Rogachev]

Why do you call Tartu-1 sportscar 'strange little creation'? It was only a copy of Cooper Monaco, and I have never seen anyone calling Cooper Monaco strange...

[Rainer Nyberg]

Found this image - taken in Czechoslovakia 1987 - of an ZIL-112S.
It had Soviet Union plates "28-29 BPH".

[Alexey Rogachev]

Rainer, thank you very much - very valuable photo!

[Rainer Nyberg]

I found another picture. Not a ZIL-112S though, anybody who can put an ID to this creation?

The picture was taken in Leningrad, 1961.

[Tomas Karlsson]

In 1954 the Finnish driver Pentti Keinänen entered a ZIS 120 for the Eläintarhanajo at Helsinki. He didn't start though. What kind of car could that have been?

[Alexey Rogachev]

ZIS 120 was not a car, but a six-cylinder truck engine I think that you meant ZIS 102, a pre-war superior class phaeton:



Rainer, I guess your request is directed to me first of all, isn't it?;) But this time - shame on me! - I cannot identify this sportscar So as to cover for myself I can say that in the 60s, there were several tens (and perhaps even more than hundred!) of 'home-made' sportscars, built by amateur drivers and based on mass-production Moskvich and Volga cars. Usually they didn't have any name, as I just wrote more than year ago in 'Car Name Origins & Oddities' thread (http://forums.autosp...113#post1693113), and this makes their identification even more difficult.

Going by some indirect signs and very vague argumentation, I can say that it may be a Moskvich-powered car either by Oleg Butyrsky or by Alexandr Zaydelov.

Here are some shots of the same car, taken at Kaunas circuit in 1961:

[VDP]

Seemsto be a copy of the packard, or should I say the same car with american tools

[Alexey Rogachev]

Yes, early ZIS/ZIL limousines and their open-body versions were designed under the great influence of American cars.

[VDP]

Alexey
T.Roosevelt asked or ordered that the US company give all the tools to Staline for building an ersatz or an original car, the only change was stars on the wheel caps. The first cars were build and finished in august 1945.

Robert

[VDP]

sORRY CONFUSION WITH ZIS 110

[Alexey Rogachev]

I guess that you quote the three-volume book by Michael Sedgewick, but he didn't have reliable information on ZIS 110 and had to retell rumours. All equipment necessary for the production of ZIS 110 was researched and built by ZIS itself. Its designers took a Packard only as an origin and didn't strive towards making its exact copy - and ZIS 110 really wasn't.

[Rainer Nyberg]

Originally posted by Alexey Rogachev
Rainer, I guess your request is directed to me first of all, isn't it?

Well, I know you are a frequent visitor to this forum, and an Eastern Europe expert, so...;)

At least you managed to find a film of the car, and that wasn't bad...!

But I understand, and Soviet is not the only place where, homebuilt special's , eigenbau's - or what ever you call them - existed, and still exist today...at club level, at least.

One curious thing is that the race car is parked by the sidewalk, on the city street, complete with race number and without (visible) registration plates...

He must have had friends in high places....

[Alexey Rogachev]

I doubt whether he really did - most of Leningrad amateurs were drivers and mechanicians from taxi stations, who hardly could make an acquaintance of high-ranked people There is another explanation, which seems to me to be more believable. Motorsport was very popular in Leningrad, and when racing events were held at Nevskoe Koltso, all the city lived for it, and cars of participants were easily recognized by almost everyone. Perhaps the local police simply shut its eyes to the absence of registration plates on the car...

BTW, in the 80s Valter Kaarneem, a racing driver from Tallinn, drove his Estonia single-seater in his everyday life...

[Tomas Karlsson]

ZIS 120 was not a car, but a six-cylinder truck engine I think that you meant ZIS 102, a pre-war superior class phaeton

Well I didn't mean anything, Zis 120 is what the program of the Helsinki race says Keinänen had entered.
I very much doubt that it was an 102 either. It wouldn't fit in together with the Ferraris and Coopers.

[Alexey Rogachev]

Was it a F. Libre race?

[Tomas Karlsson]

Yes. The other cars were a couple of F2 Coopers, one 1100 Cooper, one Ferrari 625, one Ferrari Mondial and five Ford V8 specials.

[Tomas Karlsson]

I guess it must have been a Zis 112. Or are there any more sports models to choose from?

[Alexey Rogachev]

There were six types of ZIS/ZIL sportscars built, namely: 112/1 (1951), 112/2 (1954), 112/3 (1955), 112/4 and 112/5 (1957), 112S (1961). But none of them could be driven by a Finnish driver in Finland as the only car of each type was built, all of them were constantly used in various national racing events by works drivers, and after the end of the racing career each sportscar was junked immediately (except 112S) - not mention that most of them were designed and built after the obscure Helsinki event.

[Bob Riebe]

I first read about the ZIL on the internet about five years ago, what a surprize to find all the info about it here.

Is the V-8 based on the Packhard V-8?
I know there are aluminum versions of the ZIL V-8 now, when were the first alloy version made?
Bob

[Scribe06]

Originally posted by Alexey Rogachev
Was it a F. Libre race?

A Formula Libre race was one where cars were literally able to run free of a formula, if you will. Simply that any sort of car could participate.

[Alexey Rogachev]

Originally posted by Bob Riebe
I know there are aluminum versions of the ZIL V-8 now, when were the first alloy version made?

ZIL 112/4 and 112/5 were equipped with engines which cylinder blocks were made of cast iron and heads and pistons of aluminuim alloy; the first engine with aluminium alloy block appeared in 1961, being installed at ZIL 112S.

[Tomas Karlsson]

There were six types of ZIS/ZIL sportscars built, namely: 112/1 (1951), 112/2 (1954), 112/3 (1955), 112/4 and 112/5 (1957), 112S (1961). But none of them could be driven by a Finnish driver in Finland as the only car of each type was built, all of them were constantly used in various national racing events by works drivers, and after the end of the racing career each sportscar was junked immediately (except 112S) - not mention that most of them were designed and built after the obscure Helsinki event.

Well the connections between Finland and Soviet Union were a bit complex in those days. So I don't find it strange at all, if ZIS wanted to make some type of promotion.
And I wouldn't call the international Helsinki event "obscure". It was the biggest Scandinavian event in those days, attracting large crowds and several foreign drivers. It was the closest international racing came to Soviet.
The car was entered as a reserve car. So it wasn't regarded as a high-profile entry and I don't even know if it showed up. It's hard to think of a race with "the Blue rocket" together with a yellow Ferrari 625....
We'll have to dig a bit deeper here...

[Tomas Karlsson]

It seems as the Helsinki car never showed up, if I have managed to translate the Finnish text...

[Alexey Rogachev]

Originally posted by Tomas Karlsson
Well the connections between Finland and Soviet Union were a bit complex in those days. So I don't find it strange at all, if ZIS wanted to make some type of promotion.

It's very unlikely... The Central Automotoclub of the USSR became a member of FIA only in 1956, and till that year there were absolutely no contacts with foreign motorsport people and organizations. Furthermore, ZIS racing team never needed any promotion of its motorsport activities as they built sportscars just in order to test some experimental units, such as engines, suspensions, plastic bodies and so on, therefore racing and winning wasn't their end in itself.

I think it was ZIS 102 that made an entry in Helsinki - it might be a piece of trophies of the war between Finland and Soviet Union in 1939-40. After all, Keinänen might make up a racing ZIS-based 'special', keeping its original name.

And I wouldn't call the international Helsinki event "obscure". It was the biggest Scandinavian event in those days, attracting large crowds and several foreign drivers.

I called that race 'obscure' only because of the obscure ZIS entry

[Tomas Karlsson]

A ZIS-based special sounds as the most likely option. I'll go for that.
The Finns had a lot of problem importing new sportscars, but that didn't stop them from racing. They built a lot of specials from anything they could get their hands on. From your information I think we can assume that it was a home-made sportscar with a ZIS engine.

[Alexey Rogachev]

Originally posted by Tomas Karlsson
The Finns had a lot of problem importing new sportscars...

Why had they? In 1961 the Finnish team that raced in Leningrad was armed with best British racing cars, viz. Cooper T42, Cooper T56, Cooper Monaco, Lotus 20, Jaguar D. Seven years (from 1954 to 1961) changed the situation very much - or was Curt Lincoln's team only an exception to thå rule?

[Tomas Karlsson]

Seven years (from 1954 to 1961) changed the situation very much - or was Curt Lincoln's team only an exception to thå rule?

Seven years changed a lot! I am no expert on Finnish post-war politics and economic situation, but I do know that there was a lot of strange and complicated affairs to get foreign racing cars into the country during the 50ies. They had to have special import licences from the governement and the first cars (Allards, Jaguars and Cooper F3 cars) were imported through the national motorsport federation.
I think Lincoln had a Swedish passport, so it was a lot easier for him.

[Alexey Rogachev]

This image, which was found in the one of the 1962 issues of Road & Track, is from the very first race of the ZIL 112S (November 1961, Luzhniki, Moscow). But what was the 'Old Yaller' which the caption mentions? Can anyone enlighthen my ignorance, please?