| ZIL 113G/4305 | |
| Manufacturer: | ZIL |
| Production: | 1979–1993 |
| Successor: | ZIL-5301 |
| Class: | Light truck |
| Body Style: | 2-door pick-up truck |
| Engine: | (ZIL-113G) 6.0L ZIL-130 V8 (ZIL-4305) |
| Transmission: | 5-speed manual |
| Wheelbase: | 38801NaN1 |
| Length: | 52001NaN1 |
| Width: | 22001NaN1 |
| Height: | 20001NaN1 |
| Weight: | 32860NaN0 |
| Related: | ZIL-114 ZIL-41041 ZIL-133GYA |
The ZIL Cheburashka was a series of experimental light trucks that were built in very small numbers by ZIL in Moscow from 1979 to 1993. Made by combining a ZIL limousine chassis with the cab engine from a ZIL truck model, the truck earned the nickname "Cheburashka" due to its "funny" appearance, which had a long nose, low wide wings and tiny wheels, very reminiscent of the paws of an unusual animal.[1]
The first such high-speed light truck was built in 1959–1960, by combining the chassis and engine of a decommissioned ZIS-115 with the cab of the ZIL-157, alongside a wooden bed at the rear. This truck was built mainly for transporting 150-liter gasoline barrels during road tests of the company's limousines, such as the ZIL-111, for which the slow-speed ZIS-150 truck was not very adequate. Meanwhile, the ZIS-110, on which the ZIS-115 was based, would accelerate to 140 km/h, although its average speed on the highway did not exceed 80–100 km/h. This design thus made a reliable, small, and fast pick-up truck, with a payload of 1.5 tons. During the later years, this truck continued to be used by the company for various reasons, such as express transportation, delivering parts from out-of-town branches. It was used until the late 1970s.[1]
In 1979, it was decided to built a new vehicle of similair design, by combining the chassis and engine of the ZIL-114 with the cab of the ZIL-133GYA truck, this vehicle now had the designation "ZIL-113G", while it also received the nickname "Cheburashka" due to its "funny" appearance, which had a long nose, low wide wings and tiny wheels, very reminiscent of the paws of an unusual animal. The curb weight was 3286 kg, the overall dimensions were 5200x2000x2200 mm, the maximum speed reached 170 km / h.[1]
During the 1980s, two more such vehicles were built, albeit now using the chassis and engine of the ZIL-41041 alongside the cab of the ZIL-131 truck. During the 1990s, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the demand for 6-ton trucks such as the ZIL-130 started decreasing, and so ZIL decided that a new light-truck model was needed. Initially, three models were considered by competitive design teams. One was a version of the "Cheburashka", which now had the more economical ZIL-508.10 V8 engine, and the designation "ZIL-4305", alongside a pick-up truck version of the ZIL-3207, and a cab-over truck using Saviem parts, but a new cab. Both of these vehicles were very unconventional layout, and by 1993, a new solution was found, the ZIL-5301 "Bull", which used the cab of the larger and heavier ZIL-4331, albeit with a re-styled front end, and the chassis and mechanical parts of the Mercedes-Benz T2. As such, further development on the ZIL-4305 stopped.[1] [2]