NEWSBLOG: Return Of The Zil

REVIVING THE SOVIET ERA LIMO
James Ellingworth, Moscow

They were one of the most famous symbols of the Soviet politburo - vast, luxurious limousines for the dictators of the proletariat. At almost 21 feet long, Zil limousines dwarfed anything else on the Moscow roads as they sped down special lanes reserved for top officials.



They have, however, faded from view in recent years, and the number produced by the Zil factory, which usually specialises in buses and trucks, in the last five years has been precisely zilch.

Now they could be set for a comeback. Vladimir Kozhin, who is in charge of Kremlin property, has told Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy that President Dimitri Medvedev had issued "an instruction to investigate in detail the question of buying new Zil model cars for the presidential car pool". He did not say when the new Zils might be available.

Russia’s leaders currently favour top-of-the-range BMW and Mercedes cars, although Prime Minister Vladimir Putin owns a Russian-made Lada jeep for off-road driving. The current ageing stock of Zils is usually restricted to appearances at the annual Victory Day parade, where Defence Minister Dimitri Kosygin this year saluted the troops from the back of a convertible model.

FSN is PASSION for the PLANET's award winning news partner, providing global news from bureaus worldwide.

You'll find more world news stories, plus analysis from FSN at FSN REPORTERS BLOG .

To listen to hundreds of interviews go to http://www.passionfortheplanet.com/.