Exploring China's Wild Automotive World
Exploring China's Wild Automotive World
Here’s a super cool R129 Mercedes -Benz 300 SL, seen at a car market in the far north of the Chinese capital, Beijing. The speedy Benz looked fantastic, finished in Blue-Black Metallic (Blauschwarz), paired with light grey plastic “Sacco” panels. It…
A super pretty Nissan Cefiro V6 sedan, seen at the Lido Hotel in northern Beijing in June 2015. It was part of a small fleet of four Cefiros, which was a fantastic sight. All four were in great shape and…
Here’s a beautiful E36 BMW 318i, seen in November 2019 at a second-hand car market in Beijing. The Bimmer was in perfect shape, finished in Montreal Blue and fitted with its factory alloy wheels. The E36 is extremely rare in…
A beautiful V8-powered Hongqi Qijian CA7460L2 stretched limousine, seen at a car market in western Beijing in December 2019. It was cold, but I got all sweaty when I saw this super rare Chinese-American machine. The shop’s owner was a…
This is a Hongqi CA7180A2EL1 stretched limousine, seen in the far north of Beijing in March 2012. The gentleman cleaning the car was the driver, waiting for his boss to come back from his business. Initially, he completely ignored me…
The Voyah Taishan is a typical Chinese luxury SUV: gigantic, high-tech, in-your-face, and loaded with bling. I saw this Gilded Purple example in southern Beijing in the spring of 2026. There’s much to tell:
Here’s a 212 T01, seen at a car market in east Beijing in the summer of 2025. It looked great in Breeze Blue, with big off-road tires and a night-light on the front fender. It has a 4×4 powertrain with…
Here’s a Mitsuoka Galue-II, seen at a car market in Beijing in 2025. It looked fantastic in dark black, with its shiny bumpers and white-wall tires. The car was slightly modified, with a lower ride height, bigger wheels, and a…
This is a JAC Kunspeed ET9 at a JAC Commercial Vehicles dealership in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China. I had never come across the Kunspeed before, so the moment I spotted it, I rushed over like a madman. The staff gave…