A very pretty Shanghai SH760A, seen on a local auto show in Beijing in 2012. The classic Chinese sedan was in a perfect shape, painted in a period shade of yellow-beige, with all the original chrome and white wall tires.
The Shanghai SH760A was the successor of the Shanghai SH760. It was made from 1974 until 1980 by Shanghai Auto Works, a company that later morphed into SAIC. Design-wise the SH760A was clearly inspired by the 1958 Mercedes-Benz W128 220SE. Power came from a 2.2 liter ‘Jinfeng 685’ inline 6-cylinder petrol engine, good for 90hp and a 130km/h top speed.
Under China’s state-controlled economy at the time, Shanghai Auto Works had to build “mid-cadre” sedans, whereas Hongqi was building the enormous state-limousines for the top-cadre. This is probably why the early Shanghai cars are less known outside China than the Hongqi cars. The Shanghai sedans were, for example, used by local party leaders and by leaders of state-owned enterprises.
It was still a stately car with some interesting design elements, like the enormous boot, the subtle fins, the rounded rear bumper, and the very straight-up windows fore and aft. Note the Shanghai (上海) badge on the boot lid.
After service in government, many of these Shanghai sedans were sold on to the private market, which at the time was yet very small. Fortunately, quite a lot of SH760A’s have survived and are now in private collections and museums. Every car museum in China has at least one example on display.
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