About China's Coolest Cars
This is one of my first real automotive spots in China: a beautiful blue Jiefang CA1o water-spraying truck. I saw it at the old Worker’s Stadium in Beijing in the summer of 2003. I arrived in China in the spring, found myself an apartment, and from then on, I was outside for 90% of my time, discovering cool stuff.
Continue reading “A Jiefang CA10 Water Spraying Truck In Beijing In The Summer Of 2003”
Here we have an Audi A8L Horch, as seen in an Audi dealer in China. The enormous German limousine looked mightily impressive. The Horch comes with loads of extra bling in the grille and bumper, shiny forged pothole rims, and darkened windows. The Horch was displayed right below an equally enormous light unit, taking center stage in the dealer’s building.
Continue reading “Audi A8L 60 TFSI Horch Is A China-only Luxury Limousine”
An ORA Ballet Cat in west Beijing in the summer of 2024. The car had a massive presence in a quiet residential area. It looked great in a soft-tone color combination called ‘Golden Wind and Jade Dew’.
The Chinese EV market is booming, with new brands launching every day. But not all survive, competition is fierce, prices are down, and consumers can choose between trillions of cars and brands. One brand that didn’t make it was SiTech. I met a white SiTech DEV1 in Beijing.
Continue reading “FAW SiTech DEV1 Is A Rare Chinese EV From A Brand That Is Now Dead”
Here we have a couple of super cool electric cleaning tricycles, seen in Beijing in the winter of 2019 under a bridge on the mighty Second Ring Road. The vehicles were unattended and unguarded, so I was able to conduct a thorough inspection.
Continue reading “The Ruiqing S13 Is A Cool Electric Cleaning Tricycle In Beijing”
Earlier, I wrote a story about the launch of the Spyker supercar brand in China in 2004. This story is about Spyker in 2008, at the Beijing Auto Show. I was kindly invited to walk around the booth to look at these beautiful machines that mixed speed with art.
Continue reading “Spyker At The 2008 Beijing Auto Show In China”
A massive Buick Roadmaster sedan, as seen on a car market in the far east of the Chinese capital Beijing. The Roadmaster was in poor shape, with rust and busts and missing parts, but it wasn’t beyond restoration.
Continue reading “Buick Roadmaster Is A Classic American Sedan In China”
Here we have a Daihatsu Dario Terios, seen in Beijing with license plates that seemed as old as the car. The Dario Terios was in reasonable shape, painted dark blue and gray, and fitted with sidebars and original five-spoke wheels.
Continue reading “Daihatsu Dario Terios Is A Rare Small SUV In China”
A Mercedes-Benz 220E sedan, seen on a car market in west Beijing in the great summer of 2023. The old E was painted in a beige shade, and it looked remarkably well for its age, with a smooth body, shiny chrome, no rust or large busts, and most of its original wheel covers.
Continue reading “Mercedes-Benz W124 E-Class 220E Makes Beige Almost Sexy In China”
This blue beauty is a Honda Fit Saloon, with black license plates, as seen in the far west of the Chinese capital Beijing. The Fit was in fine shape for its age. The paint was slightly fading, but I didn’t see any rust or busts, and it still had the original wheel covers.
Continue reading “Honda Fit Saloon With Black License Plates Is A Japanese-Chinese Compact Sedan”
