The name Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Soviet Union as it was known earlier, is alien to the new generation. The collapse of the Communist Party resulted in the disintegration of USSR into smaller countries and the beginning of a new world order. Gone are the memories of Josef Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, the leaders who ruled Soviet Union with their iron hands.
The USSR was the biggest supplier of armaments to Indian defence forces. From aircraft to artillery, from armoured vehicles to heavy load trucks, you ask for anything with the Made in USSR tag, the Indian forces had them.
Sunday saw people in Kerala-Tamil Nadu border watching in awe as a young vintage and classic car restorer drove a USSR built ZiL 131 truck retired from the Indian Army with the characteristic roar of a military vehicle. The 3.5 tonner Zil had joined the Indian Army in 1967 and was in service till 1982. This six-wheel drive truck could be used even as a mobile rocket launcher.
Doraiswamy Naveen, a vehicle aficionado based near Valayar in the border, bought it from a dealer who got the truck in an auction. “When I got the truck, some of the parts had been worn out and it took me a while to get the brake liner and clutch plater etc,” said Naveen explaining how he restored the truck to showroom condition.
“The ZiL trucks have been built for life long use. That’s the uniqueness of Russian technology. Only parts that get worn out need be replaced. This 3.5 tonner truck is a double axle vehicle with single leaf spring system which makes manoeuvring an easy job. There are six tyres and each of them is equipped with inflator. We need not go in search of service stations to fill them with air. Even if the tyres get punctured , there is a system which helps us to drive the vehicle till the nearest puncture specialist,” said Naveen about the ‘six-wheel drive’ truck which has joined the fleet of his classic and vintage collection.
But the ZiL will not idle away his time in the garage. Naveen is planning to use the truck as a recovery as well as a carry away vehicle which would help him to ferry vintage and classic cars from far away locations to his restore shop. The truck has a diesel tank of 500 litre capacity. “You may require Rs 40,000 for a single fill. I am yet to check the mileage but it is not that important. A vehicle like this who has seen many actions has its own importance,” he said.
ZiL stands for Zavod Imeni Likhachyova which went bankrupt following the disintegration of the Soviet Union. In its heydays, the company used to manufacture ZiL limousines for the exclusive use of the rulers and polit bureau members of the Communist Party of Soviet Union . The USSR and Indian communists had claimed that they were the Soviet equivalent of Rolls Royce and Mercedes Benz. The ZiL 131 in possession of Naveen got a number of red salutes in the Kerala side of the border on Sunday. “It is as comfortable and safe as driving a modern car,” Naveen says about his new “toy”.