ZIL

The Likhachev Plant — ZIL, earlier ZIS and AMO — was the oldest car factory in Russia, founded in 1916. It started life as the Moscow Automobile Society (AMO), building trucks under licence from Fiat. After reconstruction in 1931 it was renamed the Stalin Plant (ZIS), and in 1956 the Likhachev Plant. It built the legendary ZIS-5, ZIL-130 and ZIL-157 trucks, as well as buses and top-class limousines for the Soviet leadership. The plant made an enormous contribution to Soviet industry, defence and transport. Vehicle production ended in 2013 and the site was handed over for city development.