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The Soviet Union Once Tried To Copy The Buick LeSabre Concept

During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union were largely engaged in a battle of “anything you can do, I can do better,” when it came to arms, production and global policy. Even cars weren’t excluded from the one-upmanship, as Jalopnik highlights. That’s evident when taking a look at the USSR’s answer to the elegant 1951 Buick LeSabre concept car (pictured above).

The LeSabre concept took inspiration from aviation but was built on an existing Buick platform. It also introduced the world to some pretty experimental materials such as an aluminum body, wraparound windshield and an advanced supercharged V-8 engine. While the LeSabre looked elegant, the answer from the USSR looks decidedly utilitarian.

ZIS-112

It’s called the ZIS-112 and your eyes do not deceive you: it’s massive. Sometimes bigger isn’t always better. It weighed 5,400 pounds, was 18 feet long and even featured a rounded grille element similar to the Buick.

For the better, the ZIS-112 remained a concept car, while the LeSabre line would eventually go into production minus some of the more advanced features found in the concept car, which would go on to be driven by Harley Earl for 40,000 miles of its life. With each mile, Earl showed off what American design and ingenuity was capable of.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. Smithsonian Air & Space mag has an excellent full history of Stalin’s program to reverse-engineer build a B29, one of which they stole by keeping it after an emergency landing on their territory.

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    1. And in a somewhat related if not ironic turn of events, GM has been reverse-engineering German luxury cars from Mercedes-Benz and BMW for the last 12 years or so for Cadillac 🙂

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      1. And Mercedes bought the 1963 super duty tempest Bob Goldsmith drove to a several lap victory at the 63 Daytona 250.

        It was never seen again.

        Reply
  2. The ZIS-112S was the work of Valentin Rostikov and was first built between 1951 and 52 without the wraparound windscreen. Four appear to have been built with a twin carb V8 of 180 hp and had a removable hardtop.

    Prior to the copies of Packard designs, the ZIS-101 relied on early 1930s Buick components.

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  3. A real excellent graphic example of Free Enterprise and goverment run Socialisim.

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  4. Ever read any history book ever? Try the mag I quoted above: Smithsonian Air and Space. You’ll love it because the tone of authorship is right up your street, Colorado Air Force types everywhere on those pages. I can’t understand why you of all people Scott3, haven’t enjoyed this mag over the years.

    So let me help you out with history, again.

    In 1951, America’s best engineers and planners, like a Robert MacNamara, were busy working in corporate offices making profits in the boom years. America had sequestered Werner Van Braun and his Jupiter project, literally putting that pre-Saturn under wraps, actual canvas tarps in a shed. Von Braun and his team knew it could reach orbit, but Eisenhower wanted the American-led geophysics team’s rocket Vanguard favored because it was run by a university research team instead of war-pro’s like Von Braun. Vanguard performed as well as a DeLorean. It was America’s most embarrassing moment. Rockets came crashing down in flames nearly every day. The sea off Daytona FL was called the “Snark-infested waters” look it up. All this comes from Smithsonian-A&S, don’t call me fake because that means your calling the Smithsonian fake.

    Meanwhile, Constantin Tsiolkovsky’s crew were NOT making Buick copies. They were making Sputnik. Which whipped America into a frenzy so huge that Eisenhower created NASA and 10-times increased federal funding of university physics labs and profs, and raised expectations of science education in American Schools. American Education researchers quote Eisenhower’s increase of science education funding and effort as a major change in American culture for the better, to this day.

    See that? Sputnik beat us good. Eisenhower said so and made America great enough to beat them to the moon, which Kennedy claimed credit for and Eisenhower should have been more credited, because Eisenhower increased science education, which Kennedy didn’t. Soviets didn’t waste their best engineers on rocket-styling for their cars, like fins/fairing-noses/flame-taillights. Soviets used their rocket scientists to make, y’know, rockets!

    But forget all that history, which was thoroughly researched by US Air-Force Colonels in Smithsonian Air & Space Mag. Instead, laugh along with Scott3 as Russia overtakes us again.

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    1. FYI IF Russia takes us over it will be because of our incompetence of the last 8 years test got it rolling.

      Who pulled out our weapons from Eastern Europe? Who sold the rights to our uranium to them? Who left a vacuum in the Middle East Wu the the Arab Spring?

      Who did a rest that totaly empowered Putin and set him on the course we are on today?

      Who let him in Syria and drew a red line put in spit on and laughed?

      Who are the Democrates blaime for altering the Election by releasing e mails showing the Democrats influencing the election to stop Bernie? Who did nothing knowing this was going on before Trump took office?

      My friend there is no laughing as the last 8 years weakened the United States and gave power to Putin long before Trump even decided to run.

      Again it is not their technology but are incompetence and corruption by outside forces taking over the Democratic Party,

      Hmmm there is a dangerous old man out there working hard to make us a one world goverment and he preached from move on.org.

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    2. Right, except it was not Tsiolkovsky at the time, it was Sergei Korolev’s team who launched the Sputnik in 1957 and Gagarin in 1961. I’m of Russian origin myself (now immigrated to Canada), like it or not, and so I know what I’m saying.
      Regarding modern Russia (I just visited my relatives and childhood friends over there for a month in total) – modern Russia is an autocracy, heavily bound by corruption (especially on a higher levels) – unlike Soviet times.

      True recent corruption story written all over Russian internet: Russian federal security agency staff member was recently caught with one of the rooms of his condo equipped with bank vault-style door and fully filled with cash. Imagine the whole room filled with cash to the ceiling. These were not only “his” money, but a result of corruption chain among at least several people, himself included. That’s how it happens over there.

      So, no, current Russia has no chance to close the gap with US in technology in general, and even in rocket technology in particular. It feels what Musk does in space now is already more advanced than whatever Russia has to offer in rocketry.

      BTW, I drive Buick myself (it’s 2nd gen 2010 Buick LaCrosse), that’s why I’m on this website 🙂

      Reply
  5. Like the great philosopher Malcolm Reynolds said ” Half of history is hiding the truth”

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  6. Actually the car was not called the “Buick LeSabre” but the “GM LeSabre XP 8”. It was shown to the public together with the Buick XP-300. Only later the LeSabre would become associated with Buick once that name was used for a line of Buick cars, starting in 1959.
    The LeSabre and XP300 were technological masterpieces. They had a V8 with compressor, and used 2 types of fuel: gasoline for regular use and methanol when the compressor was engaged and high RPMs were reached. GM reported a measured top speed of 140 mph.
    The LeSabre was made of aluminum. It had electric seats with heaters, it had an automatic folding roof top when water drops were detected on a sensitive plate between the seats, and it had built-in jacks at each of the 4 wheels. It had an altimeter and the speedometer consisted of a rotating disk visible through an opening in the dash, so that the speed would be readily readable.
    Of course it also had electric windows, power brakes, power steering and automatic headlamps. And it featured a 12-Volt system. All that in 1951… Originally a Dynaflow was installed at the back of the car (close to the differential), but it was changed a few years later by an Hydramatic gearbox.
    It was shown the world around, and when it appeared at the Paris auto show in October 1951, it received a pair of crossed US/French flags on the rear fins.

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