In 1932 in the design-engineering department of the Plant named after Stalin (Zavod imeny Stalina – ZIS) a modernized variant of the truck AMO-3 was developed, which was in its turn an improved model AMO-2, a license copy of American Autocar 5S. The chassis and the engine underwent the modernization, at that the engine power was raised from 60 up to 73 hp, thanks to which the load-carrying capacity grew from 2.5 till 3 tons. That vehicle was put into series in 1933 under the designation ZIS-5. The ZIS-5 became the ancestor of the whole truck family holding up on the assembly life for 15 years. From 1933 till 1948 there were 532,311 items of the ZIS-5 produced. The trucks of the same type were made in Ulyanovsk and Miass. The simplified model of the ZIS-5V with a wooden cab and angular fenders was manufactured from 1942 till 1945.
Curb weight, kg – 3,100
Length, mm – 6,060
Width, mm – 2,235
Height, mm – 2,160
Cylinder number - 6
Displacement, l – 5.56
Power, hp - 73
Speed, km/h - 60