WORLD : Raisa’s Soviet Limousine Stalls as Husband Woos German Industry

Raisa Gorbachev, whose husband is seeking cooperation in modernizing Soviet industry during his visit to West Germany, showed the reason why today--her car wouldn’t start.

As the wife of the Soviet president chatted with a typical West German family in their modest apartment, her chauffeur battled with the ignition of her huge Soviet-made Zil limousine.

Ironically, the apartment overlooked the Stuttgart works of the luxury auto maker Daimler-Benz.

“They (Soviet leaders) should have a few of the old Mercedes 600s,” said one local man, referring to a venerable product of the local factory.

His remarks echoed a headline in the mass-circulation Bild newspaper: “Give Gorby a Proper Car!”

The late Soviet leader Leonid I. Brezhnev was known for his love of cars and was given a West German model on one of his visits to the country in the 1970s.

A huge cheer went up from the crowd of several hundred onlookers, not just for Mrs. Gorbachev as she emerged from the apartment building, but also for the big black armored Zil as it sputtered to life.