11. GAZ 12 ZIM
You could easily mistake this car for a 40’s Cadillac or Chrysler limousine. To all but the most knowledgeable car enthusiasts, this car looks totally American, but it isn’t. It is a Russian GAZ 12 ZIM. It was one of the first big post-war sedans they produced for high-ranking members of the communist party, as well as taxis and ambulances. And obviously, they styled it after American models of the period.
In fact, the Russians never denied using Cadillacs or other U.S. cars as inspiration for the development of their own vehicles. They presented the GAZ 12 ZIM in 1950 and they equipped it with a 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine with just 95 HP. The performance was slow, but this comfortable cruiser didn’t need to be fast. The car stayed in production until 1960 and they built more than 21,000 of them. Interestingly, this is one of the rare Russian high-class cars that ordinary citizens could own.