Speaking of copying American designs... the head of body design for the English Standard company reported that near the end of WW2 the owner of the company instructed him to begin sketching some new models for the postwar period. This in spite of the fact that under government regulations, no new work was permitted at that time. So all such work had to be done under the table.
The boss wanted him to look at the latest American design trends, as the US had the newest cars - they did not stop producing new designs until 1942, compared to 1939 for England.
He went to the part of London where the American Embassy and military headquarters were located. There he sketched the latest American cars, in fear of being arrested by the police as a spy, with his sketch pad in his hands!
The result was the Standard Vanguard. This car has a vague resemblance to the Fords and Plymouths that inspired it, but what it looks most like is a bathtub Packard that started smoking too young!
The Standard Vanguard:
http://www.motorbase.com/vehicle/by-id/1118/ The designer was accused of copying American cars. Which in a sense was true. But as he said, "If you want to call the Vanguard a copy, then all cars are the same".
It is possible the ZIS designers followed a similar process at about the same time. If the US had the latest and best luxury cars, it only made sense for the designer of the ZIS to study the state of the art before sitting down at his drawing board.
This is quite a fascinating study. Over the years, practically every car maker has been "inspired" by someone else and in many cases it is possible to trace the influence from one to the other.
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