The restoration of the ZIL-127 intercity bus in Moscow has reached its conclusion, and the vehicle will be unveiled at the Special Purpose Garage Museum within the VDNKh complex. This milestone was reported by Retrobus: direct injection, a Telegram channel known for its detailed findings on historic Russian transport.
ZIL-127 buses rolled off the Moscow assembly lines between 1955 and 1961, with a total production run of 851 units. They were designed for intercity service and proved to be versatile workhorses on the Russian road network. The interior boasted 32 comfortable seats for passengers, arranged for long-distance travel with an emphasis on passenger comfort. Powering the vehicle was a YaAZ diesel engine, displaced seven liters and delivering about 180 horsepower, mounted at the rear to optimize engine cooling and balance. The transmission paired a four-speed manual gearbox with this rear-mounted powerplant, enabling solid performance on a variety of routes. The bus bodywork used aluminum sheets, chosen for their light weight and corrosion resistance, which helped extend the vehicle’s service life in challenging climates.
As of 2024, four ZIL-127 units are known to survive in different museums and collections. One relatively operational example has been preserved in Tallinn, serving as a tangible link to mid-20th-century Soviet intercity travel and the engineering approach of the era. The Tallinn survivor offers visitors a rare glimpse into the daily life of long-distance bus travel during the 1950s and 1960s, illustrating how design choices—such as rear-engine layout and aluminum cladding—impacted performance and maintenance.
There were earlier reports of a passenger bus in Chelyabinsk that burned within a park-related area. While the incident altered the local landscape of preserved vehicles, it also underscored the fragility of historical assets and the importance of careful stewardship when restoring or displaying vintage transport. The recent Moscow restoration signals a renewed commitment to restoring and presenting the ZIL-127 as a key artifact in the broader story of Soviet and postwar automotive engineering. The forthcoming presentation at VDNKh will provide enthusiasts and researchers with a clearer view of how these buses operated, how maintenance was performed, and how such machines influenced regional travel patterns during their era.