Packard Forum Index » ZIS, ZIL, and other Packard Cousins!

Most restorers will correct factory mistakes, and use modern materials such as paint that were not invented when their car was made.

All in the interest of making a good job.

If they are interested in show judging then the car must be as perfect as possible if it is to have a chance to win.

Not everyone is happy about this trend to "over restore" cars. But how do you stop someone from preparing too well for a contest? You might as well tell athletes not to train so well for a game.

In recent years there has been a trend to preserving original cars if possible, even though the paint is dull and cracked, the chrome dull and the upholstery worn in spots.

Friends of originality say you can restore a car 100 times but it is only original once. They admire a shabby original car more than an over restored car even though to the casual viewer the restored example is much nicer and obviously cost a lot of money.

Are you suggesting they cut two cars in half and welded the front of the Packard to the back of the Chrysler?

I find this unlikely. The shapes of the bodies would not come near matching for one thing. For another, why waste 2 very expensive imported cars?

It is much more likely they built the body from scratch.

I was surprised to see all those pictures of American luxury cars. The surprise was that they spent all that money, not that they coped American designs.

My guess is that one of the higher ups inspected and rode in the various cars, and said " Make a car with the front of the Packard and the back of the Chrysler. The Chrysler has the best roomiest rear compartment and you-know-who loves Packards".

If you inspect the photos closely you can see that the contour of the body is different between the Russian car and the Chrysler even though the silhouette is practically the same. The shape of the Russian car continues the Packard body side contour to the rear where it blends in with the rear fender.

The 2 body shapes (Packard and Chrysler) harmonize rather well although the result is a very conservative style, but that may be what suited the taste of the senior bureaucrats they were built for.

The "Chop shop" method in the USSR engineering program is nothing new, but this kind of chopping two maybe even 3 cars and butting them together would be a challenge. Its not only combining the size differents, floor pans etc its also mounting the body in to a suitable frame.
I have no doubt that chopping and rewelding different parts together is possible but in my opinion it was used on prototype cars. Remember that after WWII the USSR had no experts or engeneers who knew how to assemble and design as in thous days standards a modern car. Later in the 50s there came a new generation of engineers and they started designing cars them selves and chopping was no longer so much of a deal.

Oh I should have known better that NAMI was all behind this
All the pictures Gerd posted I have seen before, looking at them makes me think that there was a army of engineers there.

The Packard/Chrysler hybrid appears to be a hand built prototype of the kind all car makers build. No doubt they produced several experimental models on the way to the final design. Didn't you show a picture of another prototype that resembled a toned down 1953 Cadillac? I'm sure I saw one someplace.

Gerd Im not sure about the motorama show, because I previously had never heard of it. If a ZIS car was there present I can imagine the faces of the reporters who saw it at first hand and where amazed that how could they ever build something like that?

But other cars later won also prizes on car fares and shows

Looks like Gregory Peck looking for Moby Dick, but I don't see you at the rail?

Happy motoring in some area of the Soviet Union.

John S

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I prefer this Ahab, Ahab!

Whit is a rare color regarding ZIS 110 usually they are black, but Gerd do you know where there other shades used as well beside these?