Stalin’s Limousine stolen in Moscow Christmas heist

By: Alex Affat, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 09.01.2020

Rare one-of-32 armoured Soviet-made limousines stolen in daring theft

On the night of December 26, the day after Christmas, six unidentified men broke into a private garage in North Moscow and stole a rare and unique Soviet-era vehicle by loading it onto a flatbed tow truck.

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The vehicle in question was a ZiS-115, a rare armoured limousine reverse-engineered from a 1942 Packard Super Eight; and believed to have been used by Joseph Stalin himself throughout the post-war period.

Just 32 examples were ever produced, and Stalin’s ZiS-115 is estimated to be worth around US$2.8 million, reported by local media.

Sprutnik News reports that the vehicle, which was not believed to have been in running condition, belonged to the head of security for a high-profile Oligarch, who is currently under house arrest in Ukraine.

The Zavod imeni Stalina (literally translating to: ‘Factory named after Stalin’) 115 was a modified armoured version of its more pedestrian ZiS-110, which was heavily inspired by the US-produced Packard.

The armour can withstand an FMJ-rifle calibre bullet fired from 25 meters away (glass included), and an underbelly grenade explosion; and sees the car’s kerb weight swell to a gargantuan 4.2 tonnes.

Local authorities are reportedly investigating.

UPDATE: Local media states that Stalin’s rare limo was located just days after the initial theft.

The car was later found and recovered in another Moscow garage. No suspects have been detained thus far, and authorities are unsure whether the vehicle was intended to be moved at a later time, or was simply abandoned amidst the high volume of reporting.

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