# ZIL-130
The **ZIL-130** (ЗИЛ-130) was a two-axle, rear-wheel-drive cargo truck produced by the Likhachev Plant (ZIL) in Moscow from 1962, with mass production beginning on 1 October 1964, and it became one of the most numerous trucks of the Soviet Union. It replaced the ZIL-164 and remained in production, under the later index ZIL-431410, until the mid-1990s in Moscow and until the 2000s at the Ural Motor Plant, with more than 3.4 million vehicles of the family built.[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) • [2](https://www.amo-zil.ru/legendavto)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Moscow Automobile Plant named after I. A. Likhachev (ZIL), Moscow[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) |
| Production | First series trucks 1962; mass production from 1 October 1964; Moscow output ended 1994–1995; Ural Motor Plant (UAMZ/AMUR) continued to 2006–2010[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) • [3](https://www.amo-zil.ru/history) • [4](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/954564-zil-130-1979-test-i-video/) |
| Engine | 6.0 L (5,969 cc) four-stroke overhead-valve V8 petrol engine, 150 hp, derived from the ZIL-111 limousine engine[5](https://avtoexport.cz/katalog/p/zil-130) • [1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) |
| Payload | 4 tons in the original specification, raised during production to 5.5 tons, then listed at 5 tons, and finally 6 tons[4](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/954564-zil-130-1979-test-i-video/) |
| Total built | 3,402,317 vehicles of the ZIL-130 family from 1964 to 2006, including 2,059,974 ZIL-130 and 946,727 ZIL-431410[2](https://www.amo-zil.ru/legendavto) |
| Fuel consumption | Rated 27–29 L/100 km in steady highway driving, roughly 1.5 to 2 times higher in real service; about 10–11 t of gasoline per truck per year[6](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/953796-pochemu-voditeli-lyubili-bolshe/) • [7](https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/15232/dot_15232_DS1.pdf) |
| Distinctive features | First hydraulic power steering on a Soviet truck of this class, five-speed synchronized gearbox, three-seat cab with panoramic windscreen, light-blue cab with white front[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) • [8](https://muzeumgryf.pl/eksponaty/zil-130/) |
## Development
Work on the ZIL-130 began in 1956, when the plant received a central-committee technical assignment for a new truck with a 4-ton payload to succeed the unsuccessful ZIL-164.[6](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/953796-pochemu-voditeli-lyubili-bolshe/) • [8](https://muzeumgryf.pl/eksponaty/zil-130/) The first prototype was built in December 1956 and officially presented in 1959; the final design was approved in February 1961, and in September 1962 a series of five trucks entered trial service.[9](https://www.smartage.pl/zil-130-kultowa-radziecka-ciezarowka/) The first five pre-production vehicles were handed over for trial operation to the [Yaroslavl](https://www.edgepedia.org/yaroslavl) tire plant, and nearly series trucks came off the line in 1963.[2](https://www.amo-zil.ru/legendavto)
[Mass production](https://www.edgepedia.org/mass-production) could start only after a general reconstruction of the plant. In the fourth reconstruction ZIL built 140,000 square meters of production space and installed more than 3,000 units of technological equipment, and on 1 October 1964 the plant began mass production of the ZIL-130 without stopping output of the old model.[3](https://www.amo-zil.ru/history) • [1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) The original 1956 assignment had planned a [V6 engine](https://www.edgepedia.org/v6-engine) of 130 hp, but the first experimental engines were judged unsuccessful, and the truck instead received a V8.[4](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/954564-zil-130-1979-test-i-video/)
## Design and specifications
The ZIL-130 is a 4×2 truck with rear-wheel drive, a three-seat all-metal cab, and a wooden cargo platform with metal cross members and three drop sides.[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) • [10](https://djvu.online/file/1d1XvZpcA6N9L) Its engine is a V-shaped, eight-cylinder, four-stroke carburetor petrol unit with liquid cooling, 6.0 L displacement, and 150 hp at 3,200 rpm, with maximum torque of about 334 Nm at 1,100–1,400 rpm.[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) • [10](https://djvu.online/file/1d1XvZpcA6N9L) • [11](https://7globetrotters.de/zil-130) The engine came from the ZIL-111 limousine, lightly modified to run on low-grade petrol.[5](https://avtoexport.cz/katalog/p/zil-130)
Several features were new for a Soviet truck of this class: a hydraulic power steering, a five-speed gearbox with synchronizers on all forward gears except first and reverse, a three-seat cab (previous cabs seated two), windscreen washing, and an optional engine pre-heater.[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) • [2](https://www.amo-zil.ru/legendavto) • [10](https://djvu.online/file/1d1XvZpcA6N9L) The truck could tow a trailer of 8 tons total mass, and its cargo platform height matched a rail wagon floor, so goods could be transferred without ramps.[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) • [5](https://avtoexport.cz/katalog/p/zil-130)
Dimensions and weights varied slightly between sources and model years: length about 6.67–6.68 m, width 2.5 m, height about 2.35–2.4 m, and curb weight about 4.3 t.[8](https://muzeumgryf.pl/eksponaty/zil-130/) • [9](https://www.smartage.pl/zil-130-kultowa-radziecka-ciezarowka/) The rated payload was raised over time: the 1956 assignment specified 4 tons, engineers designed the chassis for 5.5 tons, the listed figure was set at 5 tons to extend the official service life, and late in production it was raised to 6 tons.[4](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/954564-zil-130-1979-test-i-video/) The frame was made stronger than that of comparable American trucks, because the designers expected operators to overload the truck.[4](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/954564-zil-130-1979-test-i-video/)
The cab's styling drew on American trucks of the mid-1950s, resembling the 1956 [Ford F-Series](https://www.edgepedia.org/ford-f-series) and [Chevrolet](https://www.edgepedia.org/chevrolet), and the prototype also recalled the International R series; the panoramic windscreen went into series production over military objections, since the all-wheel-drive ZIL-131 was unified with the 130 as far as possible.[9](https://www.smartage.pl/zil-130-kultowa-radziecka-ciezarowka/) • [12](https://www.zr.ru/content/amp/articles/927594-zil-130-istoriya-sozdaniya/) The most recognizable feature was the paint: a light-blue cab with a white front, which stood out among the green, black, and gray trucks then common on Soviet roads.[8](https://muzeumgryf.pl/eksponaty/zil-130/) • [9](https://www.smartage.pl/zil-130-kultowa-radziecka-ciezarowka/)
## Production history and variants
The ZIL-130 was continuously modernized. A modernized ZIL-130-77 with new cab facing, brakes, and tires appeared in 1976; the radiator facing changed after 1978 to meet a new standard for exterior lights; and the 1980 update was called ZIL-130-80.[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) • [2](https://www.amo-zil.ru/legendavto) In 1973 the truck received the USSR State Quality Mark, the millionth vehicle was built in June 1974, and the two millionth in 1982.[5](https://avtoexport.cz/katalog/p/zil-130) In 1986 the model was re-indexed as ZIL-431410.[5](https://avtoexport.cz/katalog/p/zil-130)
Production was spread across several plants. In August 1974 the Chita assembly plant began building the truck in a northern version with a liquid pre-heater, double glazing, an insulated cab, and a front winch.[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) From September 1992 the Ural Motor Plant (UAMZ) in Novouralsk built the truck as the 431410 with a cab unified with the ZIL-131, continuing under the AMUR name until 2006 by one account and until 2010 by another.[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) • [4](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/954564-zil-130-1979-test-i-video/) The last ZIL-130 left the Moscow conveyor in January 1995 according to the plant's own history, while other sources give 1994 as the end of Moscow production.[3](https://www.amo-zil.ru/history) • [1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/)
The family included hundreds of versions in 39 basic configurations. The main variants were the flatbed truck, the long-wheelbase ZIL-130G (wheelbase increased from 3,800 mm to 4,500 mm), the 130GU with an especially long 5,600 mm base, the 130V1 saddle tractor, dump trucks built by the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant (MMZ-555), the diesel-engined 133GY heavy truck, versions for northern and hot climates (130S and 130T), the gas-cylinder ZIL-138A running on liquefied gas, and fire trucks (AC-30), of which ten basic fire variants existed.[2](https://www.amo-zil.ru/legendavto) • [1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) • [5](https://avtoexport.cz/katalog/p/zil-130) On customer request the truck could be fitted with an economical English Perkins diesel of 140 hp.[2](https://www.amo-zil.ru/legendavto)
## Military and export use
Unlike the similar all-wheel-drive ZIL-131, the ZIL-130 saw limited military service, mainly as an airfield support vehicle (for example, carrying the APM-90M airfield navigation searchlight), medical, and communications vehicle.[8](https://muzeumgryf.pl/eksponaty/zil-130/) It was nevertheless used by the Soviet armed forces and [Warsaw Pact](https://www.edgepedia.org/warsaw-pact) armies for rear-area transport of personnel and army property on public roads, and its chassis carried cranes, radio-technical vehicles, command posts, field repair shops, tankers, fuel bowsers, and decontamination vehicles; interior troops used 18-seat enclosed bodies on the chassis.[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/) During the [Vietnam War](https://www.edgepedia.org/vietnam-war), ZIL-130 trucks supplied by the Soviet Union carried ammunition and food along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.[1](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/)
The truck was exported widely, sitting between the lighter GAZ-53 and the larger MAZ-500, KamAZ, KrAZ, and ZIL-133 in payload class.[5](https://avtoexport.cz/katalog/p/zil-130) In Cuba, from about 1980, the Martires de Giron plant in Havana converted imported ZIL-130s to Taino-license diesel engines, a conversion developed by the Spanish engineer Eduardo Barreiros, which roughly halved fuel consumption without loss of power.[11](https://7globetrotters.de/zil-130)
## Reputation and legacy
Soviet drivers preferred the ZIL-130 to its main companion, the GAZ-53. According to Sergei Kanunnikov, a columnist for the Russian motoring magazine *Za rulyom*, the ZIL was quicker, with a rated top speed of 90 km/h against 80 km/h for the GAZ-53, and its roomy cab, power steering, and smooth ride made it more comfortable; it was also considered strong, reliable, and easy to repair, and its petrol engine started more easily in winter than a diesel.[6](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/953796-pochemu-voditeli-lyubili-bolshe/) Its weakness was fuel use: the rated 27–29 L/100 km on the highway ran 1.5 to 2 times higher in practice, and a loaded truck could use 40–50 L/100 km.[6](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/953796-pochemu-voditeli-lyubili-bolshe/) • [8](https://muzeumgryf.pl/eksponaty/zil-130/)
The scale of the fleet was large enough to matter for national fuel supply: each ZIL-130 used an average of 10–11 t of gasoline per year.[7](https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/15232/dot_15232_DS1.pdf) The model's production run of roughly 54 years, from the 1956 prototype to the last AMUR-built vehicles in 2010, made it one of the longest-lived truck designs in production anywhere, and trucks in gas or diesel versions were still in service in the former USSR decades after Moscow production ended.[4](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/954564-zil-130-1979-test-i-video/) • [11](https://7globetrotters.de/zil-130)
## References
1. [Грузовой автомобиль ЗИЛ-130, Музей отечественной военной истории](https://www.kskdivniy.ru/museum/eksponaty/zil-130/)
2. [Легендарные автомобили АМО ЗИЛ, amo-zil.ru](https://www.amo-zil.ru/legendavto)
3. [История завода АМО ЗИЛ, amo-zil.ru](https://www.amo-zil.ru/history)
4. [Советский грузовик на дорогах XXI века: ретротест 45 лет спустя, За рулем](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/954564-zil-130-1979-test-i-video/)
5. [ZiL-130, AvtoExport katalog](https://avtoexport.cz/katalog/p/zil-130)
6. [Почему водители любили ЗИЛ-130 больше, чем ГАЗ-53, За рулем](https://www.zr.ru/content/articles/953796-pochemu-voditeli-lyubili-bolshe/)
7. [Every single ZIL-130 truck uses an average of 10-11 t of gasoline per year, ROSA P (US DOT)](https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/15232/dot_15232_DS1.pdf)
8. [ZiŁ-130, Muzeum Techniki Wojskowej GRYF](https://muzeumgryf.pl/eksponaty/zil-130/)
9. [ZiŁ-130 – kultowa radziecka ciężarówka, SmartAge.pl](https://www.smartage.pl/zil-130-kultowa-radziecka-ciezarowka/)
10. [Автомобили ЗИЛ-157К, ЗИЛ-130 и ЗИЛ-131. Руководство по эксплуатации, 1986](https://djvu.online/file/1d1XvZpcA6N9L)
11. [ZIL-130: Sowjetischster LKW aller Zeiten, 7globetrotters](https://7globetrotters.de/zil-130)
12. [Легендарный ЗИЛ-130: все его американские родственники, За рулем](https://www.zr.ru/content/amp/articles/927594-zil-130-istoriya-sozdaniya/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Road transport › Trucks and trucking › Commercial trucks and manufacturers › Truck manufacturers, engines, and components*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license