This is the idea that's in my mind for a rather long time. We all know many racing and sports cars from 'major automotive countries', while tons of machines from, say, Asia or Eastern Europe remain unknown. What if we could exchange some information in this section? I know, some people here would consider this thread a waste of future material for puzzles, but some other members would consider it interesting, wouldn't they?
To start with and to give you a direction, here is my first contribution.
One of the most successful Soviet racing cars, ZIL 112 S, appeared in 1962. As most of Soviet sports cars, 112 S used parts from production Soviet cars, for example front suspension was taken from GAZ 21 Volga, though the rear suspension was fully original. However, as well as disk brakes on all wheels (rear brakes were settled down to a main gear). Of two cars built, one had the V8 6-liter engine providing 230hp, and another - 6,95-liter V8 capable of 270hp, both developed from ZIS 110 unit. Depending on the engine, the 112 S could run 260-270km/h. Just as the enignes, transmissions were taken from ZIS 110, too, but redesigned slightly to apply lightened aluminium carter. Compared to earlier 112 modifications, 112 S had shorter wheelbase (2190mm) and less weight (1300kg).
Driving the 230hp car, Viktor Galkin came 3rd in 1963 Soviet championship, and in 1965 the 270hp 112 S won the championship with Gennadi Zharkov at the wheel.
In 1962 one of the cars received a brand-new more closed body and a pallet, covering all the technical elements from below for breaking a Soviet landspeed record. The 112 RG, as it was named, was taken to Astrakhan' region to race on Baskunchak salt lake. But that year Baskunchak was washed by the rain (which, in fact, was almost never seen there), and the 112 RG reached 200-230km/h only - tyres couldn't run faster on such surface.
The second attempt was taken at just built 14-kilometer Dmitrovski autorange. That time ZIL guys planned to beat a record of average speed during the 24h race (don't know whether the car should've been 112 S or 112 RG, in fact later rebuilt back into 112 S), but as the car and the track were prepared, the winter began, and no record attempt could be taken. Next year ZIL direction considered building racing cars an unnecessary capital waste, and switched to another spheres.
Long time both 112 S cars were standing somewhere at the factory and later found their places in Riga automuseum both painted in wrong colors - red and cream-white, though an original ZIL livery was white and blue for both of the cars. Nowadays one of them is still in Riga, while another found its way abroad - into the hands of some car collector in Sweden.
The first two pictures show a standard ZIL 112 S, while the third one features a record-prepared 112 RG.
Pictures were taken from the article in Autopilot magazine.
