About China's Coolest Cars
And 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.
Going back to Tiananmen Square in 2011 I met these interesting camera vans. They look kind of funny but they actually are fully mobile police camera vehicles, able to control and inspect large areas of town. Continue reading “Hongma Camera Vans In Beijing”
Before I bought my Beijing-Jeep Cherokee BJ7250 in 2004 I checked out several other vehicles, most of which were other Cherokees. It was my favorite. Most second-hand cars were sold in giant open-air markets.
It was there that I found this great Beijing-Jeep Cherokee, painted in factory purple and powered by the 4.0 liter six and with four-wheel drive. It had very old blue 京A license plates and it was modified with a slightly raised suspension, big wheels, and shiny alloys.
Continue reading “One Beijing-Jeep Cherokee I Almost Bought”
In December last year I posted a long post on my 1998 Beijing-Jeep Cherokee BJ7250 City Special. I took those photos in 2013. After some digging I found a set of photos of my Jeep in November 2004, nine years earlier, taken on the very first day she was mine. I proudly stand behind the door.
Continue reading “My Beijing-Jeep Cherokee XJ When I Just Bought It”
That day in 2008 I was on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. It was an exceptionally busy at the square. Workers were preparing the giant space for the traditional October celebrations and for the start of the Olympic Games on October 8.
An ultra rare C126 Mercedes-Benz AMG 560SEC, Spotted in China on a rainy day on a parking lot near an apartment building in central Beijing. The German monster was in very good shape, a bit dirty and dusty, but what do you expect in the capital..? Otherwise completely original, with a smooth body and paint, all parts in their places, and no bad or bruises.
Continue reading “Ultra Rare C126 Mercedes-Benz AMG 560SEC Is Black In The Rain In China”
A wondrous white Beijing Auto Senova D320 sedan, seen on the streets in Beijing in 2013. The Shenbao D-Series was based on the first-generation Saab 9-5. Beijing Auto bought the rights to the first generation Saab 9-3 and 9-5 in 2009 from General Motors, then the owner of Saab. The deal included the Saab-developed 2.0 turbo and 2.3 turbo engines.
Continue reading “Beijing Auto Senova D320 Is A Sort Of Saab In China”
Here we have a Nissan 350Z sporty car, seen at a parking lot of an apartment complex in east Beijing in January 2013. I remember i as a cold cold day! Did the Nissan give me any warmth? Sure she did!
Continue reading “A Lime Green Lowered Nissan 350Z In China”
A very beautifull Hongqi CA7221 L long-wheelbase limousine, seen in front of the building that housed the best hot pot restaurant in the world, in 2005.
Earlier on, this restaurant was located just outside the back gate of my apartment building. Later on, when popular, they moved 200 meter, to a new location on the second floor of a new office building, which was where I saw the Hongqi.
I remember feeling very annoyed about the restaurant moving that far away. Really, I came there like twice a week, always taking friends, ordering shiploads of beer. It was my place. And then they moved 200 meters away from me…? In the end, I continued going there until they were suddenly gone in 2014.
Back to the car. The CA7221 L was based on the standard Hongqi CA7220. The CA7220-series in turn was based on the Audi 100 that was made in China by the FAW-Volkswagen joint-venture. FAW (First Auto Works) is also the owner of the Hongqi (Red Flag) brand.
On the picture, you can see the car’s driver reading a newspaper, waiting for his boss to finish his meal. The entrance to the building is guarded by a Chinese lion-dragon creature. Red band around its neck indicates a festivity, like the opening of a new restaurant, or other such fun.
From the days Jaguar was cool: a Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas 4.0-V8 Supercharged, seen on an ice cold winter day in Beijing in 2018. The great Jag’ looked great in black and Beijing dust!
Continue reading “Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas 4.0-V8 Supercharged Is Black In Beijing”