The SAAB analogy might not be entirely apropos...

Pardon the slight aside, but as a SAAB owner for over 40 years (since August 1971) I'm concerned that the correct facts are out there... SAAB 9-3s have been rolling off the lines in Trollhattan for over a month, are currently for sale in Sweden and Holland, and will additionally be in full production for the Chinese market in a new factory there later this year, utilizing the current 9-3SS body/chassis with some updates, and will be released by SAAB/NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden, a Swedish/Japanese/Chinese consortium with expertise in new battery technologies) as a full-electric/gas car ala Chevy Volt in about a year, with a completely new car/chassis to be released in 2015/6. The local Scandinavian/Euro and Chinese markets are targeted initially, other markets subsequently. Don't count SAAB out, the new electric vehicles will be ground-breaking in the cutting-edge tradition of SAAB.

(Svenska Aeroplan AB)... SAAB: always capitalized, like BMW.

BTW SAAB re-sale prices have held steady, and not heavily discounted. Some good deals on 2011s a year ago, but not now.

For details consult:http://www.saabsunited.com

What products are available for replacing/restoring the, what's been commonly labeled, "Reynolds Wrap" aluminum foil trim found on '56 Patricians? Are any available as sheet stock, ie: not pre-cut? Am looking for a silver aluminum metal foil for the side trim insert on my '58 Chrysler which is very similar to the Patrician stuff... thanks in advance for any info.

What a cool video! Almost makes one wish to be "Back in the USSR"! The only word I caught, being ignorant of Russian, was "Americanski", so maybe the narrator was comparing the 114 to some American car? The instrument panel is very unique in appearance.

Gorbachev's car looks almost the same as Brezhnev's, except for details like the upright formal grille. The 111-G has a front design somewhat reminiscent of a '65 Dodge Polara, while the 114 is somewhat similar to a "fuselage body" Imperial. They didn't have Packard for inspiration any more!

Have you ever ridden in or driven any of these cars Gerd? It must be an experience very few have had. Since when as a kid I saw the '55 Packard-appearing ZILs, I've always been totally fascinated by the big and impressive automobiles of the Soviet elite. There was nothing like them in Europe in the '50s and 60s, the closest thing, big M-Bs and Rolls, were not at all like American cars, but the big Soviet cars of the Party elite certainly were.

Yes I believe that one looks like the car I was thinking about, Gerd. More modern looking than the '55 Packard-like ZIL, but not as new or as angular as the one that Gorbachev had. Were there other models between this 111-G and Gorby's car? Someone should publish a picture/text book in English: "The Complete History of Cars of the USSR and Russia" with photos, facts and specifications!

Amazing poster above... is a copy of it available anywhere? That would be superb addition to the garage "office".

Thanks Gerd, that is some big hunk of metal. What a shame that such big and impressive cars are no longer made there. What is the largest car still being made in Russia today? (Or do they just import them from the West, M-B etc?)

So then what was the (earlier?) car that, to me, looked similar in front to something like a 1970 Dodge, without the big formal grille of this one shown above?

That link picture is somehow touching. One thinks of the many who died for that.

Asked about modern ZIS, Chaika, &/or the Gorby-mobile... or has this been answered elsewhere?

The '57 300C or '58 NY'er convertibles that we had back in the '80s (jpeg pic won't load?).

I like diesels and we had a Peugeot 504 Diesel wagon back in the '80s as well. Wish we had common-rail 4 cyl turbo-diesels available here in cars and trucks, Jeep Cherokee is supposed to get one.

As to Ford p/u torque figures, apples to apples: the PowerStroke diesel V8 has 1152 nM. I'm a Mopar guy: Dodge gas 6.2l has 580 nM torque, and the Cummins diesel (world's largest diesel maker of engines over 200hp) has about 1084 nM. The "small" Ram 1500 (ie: Dodge) now has a new EcoDiesel V6 by VM Motori with 570 nM torque. GM ruined the US auto diesel market with their junky converted Olds V8 gas-to-diesel engine in the late 70s, making diesel acceptance here very difficult, except in trucks.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all, may there be Peace on Earth and Good Will to ALL people!

On that note, please excuse the slight departure from Packard orthodoxy, but I love this! (note the signature!)

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My rule of thumb is to just replace all caps as a matter of course.. the old saying in vintage radios is that the caps have already failed, or they're about to... they're cheap enough, the main deterrent is labor/time.