If I were a sultan … A hundred wives? Chur me, chur! Today’s sultans and divorced with one – such times. But cars are a different matter! And a hundred, and two hundred. Most-most! And as I understand Leonid Ilyich)) His love for good cars began back in the 38th year, when the first secretary of the Dnipropetrovsk regional committee Brezhnev was “allocated” Buick-90 Limited.
Then, in general, loved American cars – as you
know, Stalin traveled to the Packard.
But Buick was not bad at all …
One way or another, but from that moment on
Leonid Ilyich could not indifferently look at good cars.
The next foreign car Brezhnev became the
legendary Chevrolet Bel Air, a massive car, not preuminous, however, unusually
popular in the mid-50s in distant America.
In the spring of 1955, the head of the USSR,
Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, staying on a visit to Vienna, ordered to buy
several good cars — as gifts for those who particularly distinguished
themselves before the party and the government. Therefore, in April of the
same year, a white-green Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe Hardtop was bought in
the cabin of Berhard Daneka – with a “mediocre” engine producing 170
hp. and a manual transmission, although at that time in America, cars with
“automatic” were considered to be a special style.
Khrushchev knew that the head of the Communist
Party of Kazakhstan, Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, did not like the soul of
thoroughbred high-speed cars. Nikita Sergeevich decided: “Let
Brezhnev raise the virgin lands and support me at the XXth Congress – then I
will return him to Moscow and present Chevrolet.” So it happened.
But even such a chic gift didn’t please the
future general secretary for long – the “luxurious” Bel Air was not so
luxurious. For example, windows were the usual mechanical – the servo was
not offered even for a fee. Chevrolet is not a Cadillac. However,
let’s not guess the reasons, but the handsome BelAir was presented to daughter
Galina, who at that time was married to circus artist Yevgeny Milaev.
Yevgeny and Galina did not remain in debt – and
in 1960, Opel Kapitan L. sedan was brought to Leonid Ilyich from touring
Germany.
A Chevrolet later still returned to his father’s
garage. After divorcing, Galina took him with her, although by that time
he was already pretty battered. After some time this car, through the
mediation of the famous pilot Alexander Pokryshkin, was sold to the chief
engineer of one of the Dnipropetrovsk factories.
This car was lucky – already in our time,
enthusiasts found it in an unconscious state, and breathed new life. The
photo is the same machine after the restoration.
After Opel Leonid Ilyich pleased handsome
CHRYSLER 300 (1966)
The fate of this beauty was tragic. In
1986, from the Maxim Gorky film studio, was bought by Ezhiev Muharbek
Ismailovich, who at that time lived in SOASSR. In 1992, during the
Ossetian-Ingush conflict, it was burned by marauders after an unsuccessful
attempt of theft. The only thing that remains of this car are the keys and
documents.
The real pearl of the Brezhnev collection was
the Maserati Quattroporte. In 1968 it was one of the most powerful and
expensive four-door sedans. It could accelerate to 230 km / h and had a
V-shaped eight with a powerful 290 hp. engine. This car Brezhnev
received as a gift from the leadership of the Italian party.
Well, and what is the collection without
Rolls-Royce? It would not be Lenin at all))
Leonid Ilyich had two Rolls-Royce Silver
Shadows. One “ghost” was presented to him by the “great
friend of the Soviet Union” by entrepreneur Armand Hammer, and the second
by Queen Elizabeth II
According to one version, the royal gift was
broken by Leonid Ilyich near Zavidovo, according to another, official, the
driver of the Garage for special purpose is to blame. Broken
“ghost” is in the Riga Museum …
A year later, the Chancellor of the Federal
Republic of Germany presented another car to Brezhnev. This time it turned
out to be a 6-door limousine from a Mercedes model 600 model. The series of
these cars was strictly limited. They were made only seven, and 6-door –
two, one of which went to Brezhnev, and the second – the emperor of Japan.
In May 1972, the visit of US President Richard
Nixon to Moscow was expected. On the eve of the trip, the USSR Ambassador
to the US Anatoly Dobrynin privately told Nixon: “Leonid Ilich would like very
much to receive as a gift a Cadillac Eldorado car.” The car was made by
special order for three days. On the fourth day, the “Cadillac”
for L.I. Brezhnev was flown to Moscow by a US Air Force transport plane.
Henry Kissanger recalls:
“Once he led me to a black Cadillac, which Nixon
presented to him a year ago on the advice of Dobrynin. With Brezhnev at
the wheel, we rushed at high speed along narrow winding rural roads, so that we
could only pray that some policeman would appear at the nearest intersection
and put an end to this risky game. But it was too unbelievable, because
here, outside the city, if there was a road inspector, he would hardly have
dared to stop the car of the General Secretary of the party. Fast ride
ended at the pier. Brezhnev placed me on a hydrofoil boat, which,
fortunately, he did not drive alone. But it seemed to me that he should
beat that speed record set by the general secretary during our car trip. ”
Lincoln Continental 1972 was another chic
American in the General Secretary collection.
This car was also donated to Brezhnev. The story was as follows: during Nixon’s visit to the USSR, Brezhnev saw the limousine of the US President, and had the imprudence to wish himself the same.
Luxury blue sedan was presented to Brezhnev at
Camp David. The car was also unique, like all the others – there was a
climate control unit, power seat adjustment and a stereo system. When
Brezhnev saw this supercar, he was very happy, and decided to ride her
immediately, along with Nixon.
“I gave him the official gift of his visit to
America – the dark blue Lincoln-Continental custom assembly. The
inscription on the dashboard was engraved: “For a good memory. Best
wishes”. Brezhnev collected luxury cars and therefore did not try to
hide his admiration. He insisted on testing the gift immediately. He
got behind the wheel and enthusiastically pushed me into the passenger
seat. The head of my personal guard turned pale when he saw me sit
inside. We rushed along one of the narrow roads that run around the
perimeter around Camp David. Brezhnev was accustomed to freely move along
the central streets of Moscow, and I could only imagine what would happen if a
secret service jeep or marines suddenly appeared around the corner on this
one-way road. In one place there was a very steep descent with a bright
sign and the inscription: “Slow, dangerous turn”. Even when I
was driving a sports car here, I pressed the brake to get off the
road. Brezhnev was traveling at a speed of over 50 miles (80 km) per hour
as we approached the descent. I leaned forward and said: “Slow descent,
slow descent,” but he did not pay attention to it. We reached the end of
the descent, piercingly screeching tires, when he slammed on the brakes and
turned. After our trip, Brezhnev told me: “This is a very good
car. He’s great on the road. ” “You are a great driver,” I
replied. “I could never turn here at the speed you drove.” Diplomacy
is not always an easy art. ” I pressed the brake to drive off the
road. Brezhnev was traveling at a speed of over 50 miles (80 km) per hour
as we approached the descent. I leaned forward and said: “Slow descent,
slow descent,” but he did not pay attention to it. We reached the end of
the descent, piercingly screeching tires, when he slammed on the brakes and
turned. After our trip, Brezhnev told me: “This is a very good
car. He’s great on the road. ” “You are a great driver,” I
replied. “I could never turn here at the speed you drove.” Diplomacy
is not always an easy art. ” I pressed the brake to drive off the
road. Brezhnev was traveling at a speed of over 50 miles (80 km) per hour
as we approached the descent. I leaned forward and said: “Slow descent,
slow descent,” but he did not pay attention to it. We reached the end of
the descent, piercingly screeching tires, when he slammed on the brakes and
turned. After our trip, Brezhnev told me: “This is a very good
car. He’s great on the road. ” “You are a great driver,” I
replied. “I could never turn here at the speed you drove.” Diplomacy
is not always an easy art. ” the tires shrilled shrilly when he slammed on
the brakes and turned. After our trip, Brezhnev told me: “This is a very
good car. He’s great on the road. ” “You are a great driver,” I
replied. “I could never turn here at the speed you drove.” Diplomacy
is not always an easy art. ” the tires shrilled shrilly when he slammed on
the brakes and turned. After our trip, Brezhnev told me: “This is a very
good car. He’s great on the road. ” “You are a great driver,” I
replied. “I could never turn here at the speed you drove.” Diplomacy
is not always an easy art. ”
The Japanese note in this
automobile symphony is the Nissan President. The first copy was an
official car of the Prime Minister of Japan, and the second was made
specifically for L.I. Brezhnev. It was on Nissan that the Secretary
General once drove around Moscow President Nixon and Secretary of State
Kissinger. From here the joke went: “Do you see who their driver
is?”
With its volume of 4.4 liters and weighing more than two tons, the car accelerated to 195 km / h. At the same time, fuel consumption with an installed automatic transmission was only 15 liters / 100 km, which was a great innovation for those times.
But not a single foreign cars. Were in the
garage at the General Secretary and cars of domestic production. For
example, the famous liftovannaya “Volga”, which Brezhnev went on the
hunt. Here it is – a prototype and forerunner of modern crossovers!
Not without “The Seagull”, where do
without it? At first it was the “Seagull” GAZ-13
And in December 1976, the collection of Leonid
Ilyich was replenished with a new car – the representative GAZ-14 Seagull.
The headrests and armrests of the comfortable
seats were covered with natural wool or leather, mainly from the English brand
Connolly – the supplier of Aston Martin, Bentley and Rolls-Royce. The
middle row of seats was folding and, if necessary, easily folded in niches in
the backs of the front seats. There were two options for upholstery: beige
and dark green.
Electric windows, cigarette lighters, four
ashtrays, a telephone, heated side door and rear windows, a high-end stereo
stereo receiver “Radiotekhnika” with a Wilma cassette provided convenience and
comfort to the “public servants”. Control of the radio receiver from the
remote control integrated into the rear seat armrests was basic – the driver
must put up with the tastes of the owner without complaint.
This is the love story of General Secretary and
Cars. The fate of rarities was different.
After the arrival of Gorbachev, the cars went to
different places. Wonderful Maserati came to Estonia. After
perestroika, he ended up in the hands of the security company Dolomit, which
consisted of former KGB officers who sold it to Margaret Thatcher. Broken
“ghost” is in the Riga Museum. Cadillac Eldorado can be seen in
the club “Autoamerica” in Moscow.
Until now, different cars from the Brezhnev
collection float here and there around the world. In Germany, the auction
was sold to Mercedes Brezhnev. In Moscow, once again resold the Nissan car
at an auction organized by Sotheby’s, although this time unsuccessfully.
It would be good to put them all together, right?)
Source: http://boltai.com/g/cccp/topics/43627923728/Lyubimyie-avtomobili-Leonida-Brezhneva/
