Look Familiar?

[HealeyRick]

Just got this is a Burt Levy email. Look familiar?

 

[Keoke]

No but if you go to get one pick one up for me TOO!!

 

[Editor_Reid]

Interesting!

Does it pre-date or post-date the Healey streamliners?

(And what is it?)

 

[HealeyRick]

Austin_Healey Streamliner -1954:

Streamliner at top - 1962

 

[Editor_Reid]

So it's like someone's 1962 copy of the streamliners?

(I thought all of the "real" streamliners had been crushed by 1962, and the one in Levy's photos shows several differences from any of the streamliners I've seen. There's more to the story, no?)

 

[HealeyRick]

The 1962 streamliner was a factory effort. Here's the car in its unstreamlined body:

 

[CLEAH]

It's a ZIL.

 

[steveg]

It's an Auto-Union

 

[HealeyRick]

It's a ZIL.

Nice work, Hugh. A ZIL 112RG, to be exact. I suspect Kim Philby stole the plans for the Healey streamliner and handed them over to the Russkies working for ZIL. The story from https://www.autopuzzles.com/cfeature31.htm:

One of the most successful Soviet racing cars, the ZIL 112 S, appeared in 1962. As with most Soviet sports cars, the 112 S used parts from production Soviet cars. For example, the front suspension was taken from a GAZ 21 Volga, though the rear suspension was fully original, as well as disk brakes on all wheels (rear brakes were settled down to a main gear). Of two cars built, one had a 6-liter V8 engine providing 230hp, and the other, a 6.95-liter V8 capable of 270hp, both developed from the stock ZIS 110 unit. Depending on the engine, the 112 S could run 260-270km/h. As with the engines, transmissions were taken from ZIS 110, but redesigned slightly to employ lightened aluminum components. Compared to earlier 112 modifications, the 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 enclosed body and belly-pan fairing, covering all the mechanicals beneath the car, to attempt a run at a Soviet land speed record. The 112 RG, as it was named, was taken to the Astrakhan region to race on Baskunchak salt lake. But that year, Baskunchak was awash with rain - which, in fact, was almost never seen there - and the 112 RG reached only 200-230km/h. The tires couldn't run faster on such a surface.
The second record attempt was made at the just-built 14-kilometer Dmitrovski autorange. This time, the ZIL team planned to beat a record of average speed set during the 24h race. It’s not clear to this author if the car would have been the 112 S, or in fact the 112 RG, later rebuilt back into the 112 S configuration), but as the car and the track were prepared, winter weather began, and no record attempt could be taken. The next year ZIL management considered the building racing cars an unnecessary capital waste, and switched to another endeavors.

 

[Editor_Reid]

It's a ZIL.

But I thought Geoff called it a "100M" on page 79. (Sorry, sometimes I just can't help myself.)

 

[CLEAH]

But I thought Geoff called it a "100M" on page 79. (Sorry, sometimes I just can't help myself.)

Very naughty, Reid! If you are not careful Santa will not be bringing that grille badge...

 

[steveg]

Ha ha - the joke's on me! I didn't realize it seriously is a ZIL. I was--flippantly--referring to the Auto-Union in the background.

Wouldn't be too surprising if some of the Auto-Union personnel worked on the Russian racing cars, as A-U was in the eastern zone.