Archive for the ‘China Car History’ Category
Spotted in China: a very early FAW Audi 100
Published on August 12, 2012 by Tycho de Feyter
My catch of the day I went to the Auto Tuning Car Show in Beijing. On the parking lot of the exhibition center I found this 100% perfect Audi 100, made in China by the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture. The C3 Audi 100 was made from 1988 until 1999, this fantastic black example is a very early car.
Spotted in China: Beijing-Jeep 2500
Published on August 9, 2012 by Tycho de Feyter
Here we have a very fine and very black Beijing-Jeep 2500 seen on a second hand car market in south-west Beijing. The 2500 was a China-only version of the Jeep Cherokee, which was made in China by the Beijing-Jeep joint venture from 1984 until 2009. The 2500 was made from 2003 until 2006.
Introducing the only Binzhou Pride 3-wheeler in the World
Published on July 19, 2012 by Tycho de Feyter
No this ain’t no Photopoop of some futuristic 3-wheeler from planet Pluto’s third moon. This is very real. Introducing the completely mad, one and only, Binzhou Pride 3-wheeler prototype! One giant wheel at the back, to smaller wheels up front, and painted in flashy orange. What a machine.
Spotted in China: Geely MR notchback
Published on July 18, 2012 by Tycho de Feyter
Here we have a very rare Chinese automobile. This is the Geely MR notchback, based on the Geely MR hatchback, which was based on the Tianjin Auto Xiali, which was a licensed copy of the Daihatsu Charade. Geely got a license, some say in an illegal way, from Tianjin-Xiali to make the hatchback. Geely then designed a sedan, also called MR, and this notchback, designated JL7131.
Tianjin Auto also made a Xiali sedan but Geely didn’t get a license for that one, both sedans are quite different. Back to the MR notchback JL7131, the subject of this story.
Spotted in China: Ford Tempo, and a History how it got there
Published on July 13, 2012 by Tycho de Feyter
Here we have a very interesting vehicle, seen on a parking lot in Beijing. This is a Ford Tempo GL, made in the US from 1984 until 1994. This white car is a second generation example which was made from 1988 until 1994. Ford never officially exported the Tempo to China so how did it get here? I have seen many Ford Tempo’s in Beijing over the years. One could be a diplomat’s car, two too, but ten? No way! There had to more to this Tempo-thing in China, and there was…
China Car History: the extended Tianjin Xiali sedan
Published on July 11, 2012 by Tycho de Feyter
The Tianjin Xiali was based on the Daihatsu Charade. Tianjin Auto obtained a license to make the Charade hatchback and sedan in China. Production started in 1984 and continues with basically the same car until today, now called the Xiali N3.
A less well-known chapter in the Xiali history is the extended Xiali sedan which was made from 2003 until 2006. The sedan was extended by 8 centimeters around the B-pillar to create more space for the passengers in the back. Call it a cheap limo! Not that unusual in China, Chery made one too…
Spotted in China: Guangzhou-Peugeot 505 SX2
Published on July 8, 2012 by Tycho de Feyter
Here we have a very rare Guangzhou-Peugeot 505 SX2 sedan, seen on a car part market in northern Beijing.This fine automobile seemed abandoned and was possibly used for amateur-racing. The 505 is becoming a very seldom sight on the roads of the capital, thanks to cash-for-clunkers schemes and ever stricter environmental regulations. This all might be fine for penguins but it ain’t good for making stories!
Spotted in China: Hongqi CA7460 with a Radio
Published on July 3, 2012 by Tycho de Feyter
Here we have a very fine and very black Hongqi CA7460, seen in Beijing by reader Kael, thank you for the pics! The Hongqi (Red Flag) CA7460 was based on the third generation Lincoln Town Car and assembled in China by First Auto Works, the owner of the Hongqi brand. The CA7460 was made from 1998 until 2005 and was primarily meant for government use, some examples however ended up in private hands.
Spotted in China: a Beijing BJ130 in blue
Published on June 17, 2012 by Tycho de Feyter
I was very happy to find this very old and very blue Beijing BJ130 in Beijing, yesterday on a very hot and sunny afternoon. This BJ130 was not riding anymore but it was still used as a sorta storage facility on deflated wheels. Well, that’s still better than scrapped!
China Car History: the Hongqi CA 7220 EL1
Published on June 8, 2012 by Tycho de Feyter
This is the brilliant Hongqi CA 7220 EL1, a stretched version of the Hongqi CA 7220, which was based on the Audi 100 which was made in China by the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture. FAW is also the owner of the Hongqi-brand (Red Flag). This particular car is very interesting because the CA 7220 EL1 was officially only made in 1997.
But the logo on the grille, a ’1′ in a circle, arrived in 1998, replacing the old ‘winged 1′. The logo on the wheels however is still the winged 1, meaning this must be a rather unique 1998 CA 7220 EL1. Hongqi in those days, wasn’t very precise with this sorta thing, and that makes the brand’s history even more interesting…
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