Zil 131 with Gaz Surface-to-Air Missile Transporter and SA-2 Missile

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In the uneasy peace following the Second World War a new threat overshadowed relations between East and West, that of nuclear war.

In the early 1950s the United States Air Force rapidly accelerated its development of long-range jet bombers carrying nuclear weapons. With tactical air-to-air refuelling, the USAF B-47 bombers and longer-range B-52s could penetrate into Soviet airspace, bringing the threat of war ever closer. Consequently, the Soviets initiated the development of improved defences, developing what became the S-75 high-altitude air defense system, built around a surface-to-air missile with command guidance.

This program focused on producing a missile which could bring down a large, non-manoeuvering, high-altitude aircraft. After a prolonged period of testing, the missile was first seen in public at the 1957 May Day parade in Moscow. The system soon gained international notoriety when an S-75 battery, using the newer, longer-range and higher-altitude version of the S-75 missile, shot down the U-2 spy plane of Gary Powers overflying the Soviet Union on 1st May 1960 - much to the horror of the Americans who had no idea that Russian technology was up to such a feat.

To deploy these missiles, the Soviet Union needed a substantial heavy-duty truck and trailer. Introduced in 1967, the ZiL-131 was a general purpose 3.5 ton 6x6 truck used extensively by the Russian military. It was designed and manufactured by truck builders ZiL (Zavod imeni Likhachova), based in Moscow. Coupled to a Gaz trailer, this provided the necessary ‘muscle’ to move the missiles to their launch sites.

The Zil 131 was built on a substantial steel chassis powered by a 6,969cc V8 petrol engine developing 150bhp which gave it a maximum speed of 50mph. The engine was coupled to a 5-speed manual gearbox giving the vehicle all-wheel drive, however the front axle could be disconnected on paved roads. Production ceased in 1994 with nearly 1 million of these rugged machines produced. Despite its age the ZiL-131 is still widely used by the Russian military today, as well as by many of their allies.

Thought to date from around 1965, the Stondon Collection ZiL was spotted by a family friend of the Saunders who had travelled to Berlin to witness the tearing down of the infamous wall in 1989. Astonished to see the missile launcher built into part of the wall, he phoned John Saunders to ask if he fancied it for the museum.

A deal was duly struck and the whole rig made its uneventful way across Europe until it finally arrived in Hull. "Ere,"’ the Port Authorities said in alarm as they pulled back the cover, "you can’t bring that in". After a lot of convincing that the SA-2 missile would never do what it was designed for, it was reluctantly released from quarantine and sent on its way to Bedfordshire where it has remained to this day. A magnificently menacing Cold War relic, it now needs an enthusiastic new owner to restore it to its full Soviet era glory. 

This lot will be available to view at Stondon Museum (SG16 6JN) on Friday 5th June. Although this vehicle will be offered for sale at Brightwells (HR6 0DE) it will need to be collected from Stondon.

Due to where the vehicle is currently stored, collection may not be possible for up to 4 weeks after the auction.

PLEASE NOTE:This lot has been WITHDRAWN; due to Section 5(e) of the 1968 Firearms act. We hope to offer this item at a later date.