Russian ZIL E‑167: The colossal all‑terrain pioneer lost to time
If you plan a journey through the impenetrable Siberia, you'll need a robust vehicle capable of tackling any obstacle. For this purpose, the Russians created the ZIL E-167, but this giant remained at the prototype stage.
27 November 2024 08:04
The ZIL E-167 impressed with its dimensions: its length of 9 metres, height of 3 metres, and weight of 7,000 kilograms made it considered a giant even on the drawing board. To power this machine, not one but two V8 engines, each with a capacity of 7 litres, were designed for it. In the 1960s, this meant a modest power of 167 horsepower for each engine.
The ZIL was unique not only because of its power. It reached a speed of over 60 km/h on smooth surfaces. It was equipped with a tyre pressure regulation system, a winch, and six fuel tanks with a total capacity of 1,080 litres. It seemed like a lot, but it only allowed for barely covering 600 kilometres, which means fuel consumption of around 0.7 km/litre.
To navigate muddy or snowy roads without issues, it was equipped with very large wheels with a diameter of 180 centimetres, giving it a ground clearance of 75 centimetres. Of the three axles, two—the front and rear—were steerable, which made manoeuvring easier. It was so tough that if something stood in its way, it simply broke through it.
During testing, it was revealed that the vehicle performed excellently in difficult terrain; however, it encountered one problem—the transmissions struggled with transferring the drive, leading to continuous operational issues. The problem was that the system was quite complex because the two rear-placed engines separately powered the left and right side wheels (one engine per side). It was necessary to synchronize all of this properly.
The vehicle was initially well-received and was supposed to meet the needs of geologists, oil workers, and scientists who were to explore the northern regions of Russia. The cabin was so spacious that one could sleep and live fairly normally in it, and thus work.
Despite plans to purchase two more units, these intentions were never realised. The video below, which is the first part of a story about this impressive machine, explains more about it.
