Let’s get back to the story right away: I got a tip from a friend about two Hongqi state limousines gathering dust at a parking garage in north Beijing. Last time I discussed the first car, now it is time for the second. Sadly, it was in a worse shape than the first. Happily, I met the owner.
The Hongqi ‘Red Flag’ hood ornament. The frame is made of metal, the red inside of hard plastic. The tip of the flag pole was very sharp! Mind your fingers with that one.
The Hongqi CA770 was manufactured exclusively for the Chinese government. The giant state limousine arrived in 1966 and production continued all the way until 1981. Total production stands at 847 cars.
Power came from a 5.65 liter four-stroke water-cooled carbureted V8 engine. Output was 223 hp (164 kW). This power gave the CA770 a top speed of 165 km/h and a fuel consumption of 20 liters per 100 kilometers. The motor was mated to a 2-speed transmission. The CA770 is a giant car: 5980/1990/1640, with a 3720 and wheelbase is 3720. Curb weight is a super heavy 4930 kilo.
As I explained in the previous post, all Hongqi CA770’s went straight to the government. However, after service for the state some were sold to private buyers. Whether this was legal or not is still a subject of much debate in China. And that was clearly still a problem here.
The owner, a young man in his early 40’s, told me the two Hongqi cars were given by the government to his father, who was in the government as well. He didn’t specify that any further but my girlfriend (now wife) understood that his dad worked in a high position in the vehicle-control & maintenance department of the central Chinese government. This department was responsible for maintaining and operating all cars used by the central government and by the local Beijing government.
The three red flags stand for: Socialist Construction, Great Leap Forward, and Peoples Commune, the three main government programs at the time. The badge is a work of art. The frames of the flags are made out of metal again, and the flags themselves out of plastic.
The owner also told us the name of the functionary who actually used this very car. He made us promise not to reveal this name to anyone. Well, I won’t, even if I could. This was years ago and I have since forgotten the name. Maybe my wife still remembers, but I’d better not ask. He also showed us the real license plates. They were in the trunk. I wanted to take a picture. He very clearly told me not to, so I didn’t. The yellow CA770-31 plates are not real.
Flagpole attached to the bumper.
Naturally I asked the owner what he was doing with these two rare Hongqi limousines. He explained he couldn’t do much with them. He had no legal title, so he couldn’t register the cars or sell them on. He seemed quite nervous during the entire conversation, which lasted about half an hour, so I didn’t press him any further.
The interior was well-preserved. There is a 3-seat bench in front. The dash of this car is made entirely out of wood. Parts of the door trim were missing. The steering wheel is huge and thin. This particular car is of a later date than the other one but the owner didn’t know the exact years of production.
The front bench was covered by a dollar towel. Thanks America, but t didn’t keep the dust out.
The rear bench for the VIP’s. Door panel missing again. Windows surrounded by wood panels. The fabric of the bench is in an amazing condition.
The CA770 is a state limousine and thus fitted with a sound proof divider, located in the middle of the front bench. The divider is a thick isolation glass, the top is visible in the top of the bench. The divider is in downward position here. There are two jump seats, which were used by body guards or other assistants.
The chrome parts were all in place but in dire need of a careful cleanup. The famous taillights, shaped after classic Chinese lanterns, were in good shape. The chrome ribbed panels on each side of the license plate area are often gone or broken on semi-abandoned examples, but they looked solid on this car.
Sadly however, somebody had been kicking at the bodywork just under the badge, probably in an attempt to open the cargo compartment. Later on I asked the owner about this, but he denied all knowledge of any kick or damage.
That was a recent shoe print down there! The lock looked forced as well. The rear had a complex badge with Hongqi (红旗) in ‘hand written’ Chinese script and below that Hongqi in Latin script.
Oddly, the CA770 was surrounded by large piles of roof tiles, which belonged to the owner as well. What did the good man not own in this garage..? He can be seen in the background, behind the D-pillar, next to a pile of tiles.
The windshield was literally ‘covered’ in dust. I had so many more questions for the owner but he was in a hurry, real or imagined. He made us know he had told us everything he wanted to share, so we took our leave.
My friend regularly checked on the cars and kept me posted. They remained in the garage for another two years or so and then they were suddenly gone. That’s how things go in China with this sort of cars. With misty ownership and misty owners, they can indeed disappear in a sudden mist.