In the photo taken after the night attack on Lviv, a damaged but still recognizable car is visible – the GAZ-12 “ZIM”. This Soviet executive sedan was produced by the Gorky Automobile Plant from 1950 to 1959 and was a status symbol for the party and government elite of that time.
The incident was reported by journalist Oleh Radyk, writes “The Fourth Studio”. Over the years of production, approximately 21,500 such cars were assembled. In the Soviet hierarchy, the ZIM occupied an intermediate place – below the “government limousine” ZiS-110, but above the more mass-produced “Pobeda”.
The design of the GAZ-12 was noticeably inspired by American Buick and Cadillac models of the 1940s – in those years, Soviet industry closely monitored foreign trends and actively borrowed ideas.
Today, the ZIM is considered a true rarity. Restored specimens can cost from $10,000 to $50,000, and for many collectors, it is not just a car, but a piece of history.
Unfortunately, the night attack in Lviv destroyed not only residential buildings, the buildings of the “Lviv Polytechnic” and dozens of modern cars.