"The ZIL-117 Top—class Car" (1970) is a Soviet popular science and educational film made by the ZIL Film Studio. It is dedicated to the story of the creation, design and technical characteristics of the then-new five-seater government limousine.
The car was developed on the basis of the seven-seat ZIL-114, but featured a shortened wheelbase and a more dynamic, sporty character. The film demonstrates in detail the capabilities of the powerful 7-liter V8 engine, the operation of all car systems and elements of luxurious interior trim.
When creating the ZIL-114/117, Soviet design artists were indeed inspired by the American automobile school, but exclusively by the luxury segment, and not by muscle cars.:
The landmarks were the monumental flagships of Detroit: Lincoln Continental, Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham and Chrysler Imperial of the mid and late 1960s.
* From them, ZIL adopted strict faceted shapes, a smooth waistline, hidden optics on early models, and an abundance of chrome. However, this was not a blind copying (as in the case of the post-war ZIS—110 and Packard) - the body of the ZIL-117 was drawn from scratch and had its own unique proportions.
Luxury instead of Spartan sports
Unlike the Spartan muscle car showrooms, the ZIL-117 was equipped with the highest standard of those years: full-fledged climate control (air conditioning), athermal green glass, electric windows on all doors, central locking and high-quality leather or velour trim.