ZIL-4112R History

The ZIL-4112R was a final attempt to revive ZIL's role as Russia's state car builder. Development began in 2006 as a successor to the ZIL-41047, dubbed 'Limo Number One', with the goal of producing a modern presidential limousine. The project took six years to complete, and a single prototype was presented to the Russian government in 2012.

Powered by the same 7.7-liter V8 as its predecessors, the six-door 4112R weighed 3.8 tonnes and reached a top speed of around 201 km/h. The interior featured calf-leather upholstery and video screens to display exterior camera feeds when windows were covered. Despite its ambition, the design was criticized — including reportedly by President Vladimir Putin — for being too closely derived from the 1970s ZIL-4104 aesthetic.

The Russian government placed no orders, choosing instead to commission the entirely new Aurus Senat program (which debuted in 2018). The 4112R prototype remains the only example built, and ZIL was declared bankrupt in 2013, ending 77 years of Soviet and Russian state limousine production.