Three super fresh trees, seen on a classic-blue diesel-powered truck on a highway south of the Chinese capital in April 2011. Trucks carrying trees are a returning occurrence in spring in Beijing when trees from plantations in the suburbs are brought into town for planting. Green city!
Author: Harry Helmsman
Hyundai Tucson Urges To Apologize In China

A black Hyundai Tucson, seen on a highway south of Beijing in April 2006. The Hyundai has a very interesting sticker on the back, saying, in English and Japanese: “Japan apalogize to NanKing!” with the date 1937.12.13. Continue reading “Hyundai Tucson Urges To Apologize In China”
Beijing-Jeep Cherokee XJ In White In China

A fully loaded Beijing-Jeep Cherokee XJ in China, seen in a residential area in north Beijing sometime in 2008. At the time it was a very popular vehicle in the Chinese capital and there were loads of shops that sold all sorts of accessories.
Continue reading “Beijing-Jeep Cherokee XJ In White In China”
Volkswagen Citi Golf CLX Is White In China
A super cool Volkswagen Citi Golf CLX, seen on a snowy winter’s day in 2009 in the faraway Tongzhou District in east Beijing, capital of China. The good Volkswagen stood parked on a corner near a public gym, complete with two table-tennis tables! That day, nobody was playing.
Continue reading “Volkswagen Citi Golf CLX Is White In China”
RHD Nissan 180SX Drift Car Times Three And Some Other Nice Cars

Here we have three (03) right-hand drive Nissan 180SX sporty cars, seen on the Golden Port race track in Beijing, capital of China, back in 2007. In China, folks drive on the right side of the road, so why did we we have these righties there?
Continue reading “RHD Nissan 180SX Drift Car Times Three And Some Other Nice Cars”
Beijing-Hyundai Sonata Police Car In Beijing
A very pretty Hyundai Sonata police car in Beijing, painted blue-white with large lights & siren unit on the roof. I saw it in 2005 near Tiananmen Square, parked on a narrow street.
The fourth-generation (EF) Hyundai Sonata was the first generation Sonata that was made in China, by the Beijing-Hyundai joint venture. Production started in 2002 and continued all the way, with various updates, until 2017!
The police car has the 2.5 liter V6 under the bonnet, which was good for 164 hp and 225 Nm. The gearbox was a 4-speed automatic. The China-made Sonata was also available with various other engines, including a 2.0 and a 3.0 V6.
A Silver W126 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL In China

A very beautiful Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL in China, seen at a small car restoration shop north of Northern Section of the Fifth Ring Road in Beijing. The great Mercedes was in very good shape and fully original.
Continue reading “A Silver W126 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL In China”
An Old Isuzu Television Bus In Beijing

An Isuzu television bus, seen under a flyover of the Third Ring Road in Beijing in 2005. It looked like it had been there for quite a while. The yellow 京A license plate is very old and ultra rare.
A Blue W460 Mercedes-Benz 280 GE In Beijing

An absolutely perfect Mercedes-Benz 280 GE, seen in a repair shop on a car market in the south of the Chinese capital Beijing. The blue G was in mint-condition and totally original inside and out.
Continue reading “A Blue W460 Mercedes-Benz 280 GE In Beijing”
A Beijing Water Tank Truck In The Forbidden City In Beijing

A Beijing BJ130 water tank truck, seen inside the Forbidden City in Beijing in 2004. The truck belonged to the Forbidden City’s own fire department and stood in a somewhat faraway area of the enormous palace complex.
The truck comes with yellow inner-headlights, tiny narrow wheels, mirrors on the front-front fenders, and superbly basic 5-yuan reflectors on each side of the grille.
The Beijing BJ130 was manufactured by Beijing No.2 Auto Works from the mid-1970’s until the late 1980’s. It was powered by the famous 4-cylinder North 492 gasoline engine that was used in many vehicles made in those days. The engine was mated to a four-speed manual.
Until 2010 or so you could still see these great trucks standing around in the older areas of Beijing but these days most are gone and forgotten. I don’t think our fire truck is in the Forbidden City anymore, but at least she will be remembered!