At one of the early hubs of experimental vehicle development, the ZIL plant became a focal point for a bold idea. Here, engineers kicked off the creation of a new base vehicle, the ZIL-169, powered by a then newly developed ZIL-645 diesel engine. The project sought to blend innovation with the proven reliability that a base model could provide, aiming to push the limits of what a heavy workhorse could achieve on the road and in industrial settings.
The original plan anticipated that the ZIL-645 engine would reach series production in 1981. A great deal of effort went into fine tuning and exhaustive testing because it marked the first diesel engine produced under the ZIL umbrella. The goal was not just to make a powerful engine but to ensure it would function reliably across different terrains and operating conditions, a challenge that demanded meticulous calibration and rigorous durability trials.
As work progressed, developers encountered a bottleneck: prototypes of the ZIL-169 were advancing slowly. The factory faced shortages of testing machines, and the equipment that was available often proved inadequate. In some cases, failures traced back to the evolving design of new components and assemblies, with humidity in the design causing unpredictable behavior during trials. The result was a period of painstaking trial and error as the team sought to stabilize performance and build confidence in the new engine’s integration with the chassis.
Confronted with these hurdles, the team explored a pragmatic workaround. They chose to place the new diesel engine into a known, solid platform that could carry experimental equipment without compromising basic stability. This approach produced a set of test vehicles that journalists and testers began referring to as mules. The term captured the idea of a proven body carrying experimental, under hood technology, allowing observers to evaluate real-world behavior without the risk of destabilizing a fresh chassis from scratch.
In parallel with this exploration, progress continued on another variant in 1975. The ZIL-130G-169 project combined the established ZIL-130 chassis with the new diesel powerplant and a distributor-type gearbox. The update also brought a significantly modernized cabin, a move aimed at improving driver comfort, visibility, and ergonomics while preserving the dependable core of thevehicle. The result was a completely different ZIL profile that reflected both traditional strengths and new engineering directions. The story behind this evolution is explored in the accompanying video.
- Engaging history awaits those curious about ZILs that pushed boundaries. There are other ZIL-130 variants that many won’t have seen yet, each with its own story of design and testing.
- The publication Behind the Wheel is available on Odnoklassniki, offering additional perspectives on this era of engineering.
Video: YouTube / CAR HISTORY