The team was founded in 1997 after Torpedo Moscow, which played in the Russian Top Division, became a property of SC Luzhniki and was not related to the automobile plant anymore.

The club won promotion to the Premier League in 2000.

In the beginning of 2003, due to inability to finance a Premier League team, ZIL had to sell first 55 percent,[1] and two months later all remaining stock to Norilsk Nickel.

[2] Metallurgy giant renamed the team FC Torpedo-Metallurg, and a year later used it to form a new club, FC Moscow.

At the same time, ZIL created another team in the Third Division which was originally known as FC Torpedo-RG and was later renamed back to FC Torpedo-ZIL Moscow.