About China's Coolest Cars
A dark blue Volvo 960 sedan, seen in the Sanlitun embassy district in Beijing in 2011. License plate is an early one too, 陕A·00547 from Shaanxi Province. Judging by the the number, this was one of the very first privately-owned cars in that province. Continue reading “An Early Volvo 960 In Dark Blue In Beijing”
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”
A fantastic Maybach 57, seen in Beijing in 2011 on a side road of the Fourth Ring Road. The long-wheelbase Maybach 62 limousine is not uncommon in China but the shorter 57 is quite rare. Whenever I see a Maybach from those days I am always surprised by how huge they actually are. Even the 57 is 5.7 meters long, 1.98meters wide and 1.5 meters tall.
The car that I met was painted in black over dark gray. At first I thought the sporty alloys where after-market but they were actually standard in China on the 2009 and 2010 model years. Power came from the mighty 6.0 twin-turbo motor, good for 640 hp and 1000 Nm. Price in 2009 started at 5.38 million yuan. The Maybach 62 started at more than double that; 12.98 million in the same year. That made the 57 look like a great deal!
In anyway, the Maybach name is still very popular. China is the largest market worldwide for the new common Benz-based Maybach line.
A pretty red Shanghai Maple JmStar Meilu SXE7130, seen near the Marco Polo Bridge in Beijing in 2011. The Shanghai Maple brand has a somewhat confusing history. It began in 2000 when the Shanghai motorcycle maker JM Star moved into car making.
Continue reading “A Rare And Red Shanghai Maple JM Star Meilu SXE7130 In China”
A beautiful black Buick Skylark GS, seen on a sunny day in the great summer of 2011 in central Beijing. The Skylark was in a very good shape and clearly a daily driver.
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”
A very stealthy FAW Besturn B70 sedan, seen in 2013 on a bicycle lane in my very own street in Beijing. The fine vehicle is wrapped in a very interesting carbon-fiber matte black, as if the whole body is made of carbon-fiber. The area under the bumper is made black but the alloys are standard.
Continue reading “FAW Besturn B70 is Carbon Fiber And Matte Black In China”
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 Mitsubishi Montero SUV, seen on a compound parking lot in north east Beijing in 2013. The Montero was totally dressed up for heavy all-terrain work, with a winch, heightened suspension, fog lights, bonnet air ducts, and a snorkel.
Continue reading “Mitsubishi Montero Is An Endurance-Rally Car In China”