HAVING PULLED DOWN an iron curtain over Europe after the war, the USSR became ultra-secretive, regarding even trivial enquiries about its cars from Westerners as industrial espionage. Hence we knew only the little that the few who visited could find. Yet still we were interested, not least because the Soviets claimed to be making great inventions and advances.
The USSR had three factories producing four models in 1953.
From Moscow came a compact economy saloon – or rather from Rüsselsheim, the Moskvitch 400-420 being a Kadett copy made by tooling stolen from Opel’s home.
GAZ’s M20 ‘Pobeda’ was the first original post-war design, which we defended from accusations of copying. The neatly styled saloon boasted unitised construction, a 49bhp water-cooled 2.1-litre four, independent front suspension and hydraulic brakes all round.
An undeniable copy, though, was Moscow’s ZIS 110, its body and 137bhp 6.0-litre straight eight being very Packard. It was for top communists only – Stalin, Mao, Kim and Hoxha all driven in one.
The newest of the four was the ZIM 12. For lesser officials, it had a modern body but a vintage spec, including a 94bhp 3.8-litre six.
“The general picture is steady expansion,” we concluded, “but there is no sign that the Soviet citizen will be given any choice of cars. He will take what he can get, according to his value to the state and his position in society.”
KRIS CULMER
Aston Martin unlucky not to win first-ever WSC race
The fourth 12-hour endurance race at Florida’s Sebring airfield was momentous, being round one of the inaugural FIA World Sportscar Championship season.
Most of the 81 cars entered were American or British. The fastest on pure pace were the three DB3s from Aston Martin and Cunningham’s sole Chrysler V8-engined C-4R and on formula the little DB HBR Panhards and Osca MT4s.
Rain during practice showed the concrete surface could get “phenomenally slippery”, so we felt it was fortunate that race day proved to be fine and hot.
Reg Parnell’s DB3 was first to move but stalled, leaving him dead last, and then to add injury to insult he was squeezed off, smashing into a marker barrel.
Peter Collins was having better luck in his DB3, duelling with John Fitch in the C-4R, and after an hour Parnell had passed everyone to sit behind them in third.
After three hours they came in. Collins gave the lead car to Geoff Duke – who promptly
