About China's Coolest Cars
A very pretty and very clean Nissan Fengshen Bluebird EQ7200 SSS, seen on a sunny day at a car wash in Beijing in 2010. The good Nissan was in a perfect shape, just washed, painted in a wine red shade with factory multi-spoke sporty alloys. As you can see it has a Dongfeng badge on the grille, not a Nissan badge.
Continue reading “Nissan Fengshen Bluebird EQ7200 SSS Is Red Under The Chinese Sun”
All red cars look like a Ferrari. Case in point: this Volvo C70 coupe that I saw in Beijing in 2010. The C70 is one of the best-looking cars ever, period. And in red, it is just brilliant.
A very nice Plymouth Sundance, seen back in the great autumn of 2012 in Beijing. The vehicle seemed in fine condition, painted in white with a red brown stripe over the sides. Note the odd placement of the antenna.
A beautiful black Lincoln Town Car, seen on a snowy day in front of a Buick dealer in China. The big Lincoln had some trouble down at the rear axle but looked otherwise okay. The blue 京A·U0448 license plate is as old as the car, and indicates this Lincoln was one of the very first privately registered cars in Beijing.
The second generation Lincoln Town Car was made from 1990 until 1997, and some were officially sold in China by General Motors. Power came from a 4.6 liter V8 engine with an output of 210 hp. The motor was mated to a 4-speed automatic, sending horses to the rear wheels. This generation Town Car was also the basis for the Hongqi CA7460 series.
Here we have a slightly modified sixth-generation Cadillac Sedan de Ville, seen in a residential compound somewhere in east Beijing in 2010. The Caddy was fitted with a set of ultra bling alloys, wide tires, and a fake 京A·00006 license plate.
Continue reading “Cadillac Sedan de Ville And Yunbao YB6470 Wagon In China”
A very clean FAW Jiabao CA6350JE2P80A microvan, seen on a muddy road on a rainy day in Beijing. The old van was in a pretty good shape, standing on cool steel wheels and with the original factory stickers still on.
Continue reading “FAW Jiabao CA6350JE2P80A Microvan Is White In China”
That day in 2010, I went to a new-energy show in Beijing. Local hero Beijing Auto Industry Corporation (BAIC) had a big booth on the show with all sorts of Beijing-branded concept cars, including two EVs.
BAIC was on a roll those days. They had just purchased the rights to the Saab 9-5 and Saab 9-3 from General Motors, including the 2.0 and 2.3 turbo engines. The Beijing C71 was a concept car based on the Saab 9-5. It got a modernized new front, a new rear, new badges, and new wheels.
A silver Kia Pride sedan with some slight damage on the door, seen on the parking lot of the Poly Theatre in central Beijing in 2011. The Kia Pride was made in China by the Dongfeng-Yueda-Kia joint venture. Continue reading “Dongfeng Yueda Kia Pride Sedan In China”
A very cool FAW Jiefang army tanker truck, seen on a highway to the north of Beijing in 2011, carrying a load of fuel. The characters on the side say: fire and smoke forbidden. In case there would be a fire anyway, the truck is equipped with a tiny red fire extinguisher.
Interestingly, part of the exhaust pipe sits under the front bumper, likely to keep heat away from the cargo. The right mirror is truly gigantic so the driver can keep a good eye on the tanker area. Army tucks like this are a common sight on China’s endless highways, always neatly washed and painted in a dark shade of army green.
First Auto Works (FAW) is one of the oldest and largest car making conglomerates of China. Jiefang, or Liberation, is a brand making a wide range of trucks and vans. They made their first truck, the Jiefang CA10, way back in 1956.
A mildly modified Brilliance Coupe, seen in a village up in the mountains to the north of Beijing. The car stood parked in front of a restaurant. It was made pretty with an extra body kit, a red grille, orange window frames, two fat exhaust pipes, and a set of racy alloys.
