About China's Coolest Cars
Here we have a black Volkswagen Santana GLi sedan with black 京A license plates. I saw this great old Volkswagen in the Chinese capital Beijing in the summer of 2018. It was in good shape, clearly taken care of, with a clean body and the original 7-spoke alloy wheels. It is a time capsule, in a way.
Continue reading “A Perfect Black Volkswagen Santana GLi Sedan With Black Plates In China”
Here we have a wondrous white Volkswagen Santana Variant, seen in the Chinese capital Beijing in the summer of 2023. The good Santana was in perfect shape, it looked almost like new, with a super clean body and the original alloy wheels.
Continue reading “Volkswagen Santana Variant 1.8 Is Almost A Classic In China”
A pretty white Volkswagen Santana 2000 GSI sedan, seen in the north of the Chinese capital Beijing in November 2017. The good Volkswagen was painted in a classy shade of white with slightly darkened windows. Even in 2017, the Santana 2000 was fast becoming a rare car. This one was in need of some love but in a great overall shape.
Continue reading “Shanghai-Volkswagen Santana 2000 1.8 GSI Is An Old-School Chinese-German Sedan”
A Volkswagen Santana 2000 police car, seen at a police show in 2011. I always loved to go to police equipment shows in China to check out new police cars. I went there just for fun, but there were also real coppers shopping for new wheels. Naturally, they arrived with their own police cars, like this Volkswagen Santana 2000.
Continue reading “Volkswagen Santana And Passat Police Cars In China”
Here we have a pretty Volkswagen Santana sedan, seen in the far east of the Chinese capital Beijing in 2019. The good Santana was in a fine shape, a bit battered up perhaps, but that is part of the appeal of these great old cars.
Continue reading “An Early Volkswagen Santana Sedan In China”
A dark blue Volkswagen Santana Variant, seen near Ikea in Beijing in 2009. The license plate reads 京E·04444. In Chinese culture and tradition, 4 is a very unlucky number, comparable with 13 in the West.
Most people therefore prefer to avoid a 4 on their license plate, fearing bad luck. The driver of this car is not so superstitious, he got himself four fours! That’s bad luck².
The Volkswagen Santana Variant station wagon was made by Shanghai-Volkswagen from 1987 until 2013, yes you read that right. It was a very popular carrier and today it has achieved somewhat of a cult status. Deservedly so!
Also note the Sinopec 2008 Olympics sticker on the left side of the window, this was for a nation-wide sponsored competition in 2007, just before the start of the Beijing Olympics. Whoever had the sticker on their car could win huge prizes. There was a TV show about it and what not.
Also, in the background, a Beijing subway train.
This big black barge is a Volkswagen Santana Vista 1.8, the last of the Brazilian Volkswagens in China. The Santana Vista was the successor of the Santana 3000, which in turn was the successor of the Santana 2000.
Continue reading “The Santana Vista Was The Last Of The Brazilian Volkswagens in China”
A black Volkswagen Santana 2000 1.8 GSi, seen on the road in the Chinese capital Beijing. The old Volkswagen was in a reasonable shape, but clearly in need of some work and love.
Continue reading “The Volkswagen Santana 2000 1.8 GSi Was A Sporty Sedan For China”
A virgin white Volkswagen Santana 2000, with black bumpers and half-doors. The good Santana was in a very good shape, probably the best of kind that I have ever seen.
Continue reading “The Volkswagen Santana 2000 Is A Chinese-German Sedan With Brazilian Roots”
