Like our reader Wei Tian already mentioned, we still have to describe the jeeps made in Beijing and Tianjin which were the predecessors of the famous Beijing BJ212.
At the end of the 1950s, the tensions between China and the Soviet Union mounted. During the fifties the People’s Liberation Army used the Soviet GAZ 67 and GAZ 69 as army jeep. A Chinese replacement was wise.
The Beijing Auto Works got the assignment to develop Chinese cross country vehicles. It started in 1961 with the design of the BJ210 open jeep. Production started in 1963 and about 300 were made. The engine was the 492Q, strongly based on the Russian GAZ engine, in use in the GAZ M21 Volga.
The BJ210 had no doors. A four-door version was named BJ211. Except for a picture of the prototype, I have never seen another photo.
The military found the BJ210 too small, wanted a bigger jeep with metal doors. Beijing Auto started to develop a bigger cross country vehicle, the BJ212, ready in 1965. In the mean time the production of the BJ210 was transferred to the Tianjin Auto Works. Tianjin started mass-production: from 1965-1978 nearly 14.000 jeeps were made.
The two-doors version (with soft doors) was an exact copy of the BJ210 and it was called Tianjin TJ210C. A 1300kg jeep, using the 492Q engine, a length of 3427mm, wheelbase 2050mm. You could drive 103 km/h. Fuel consumption (br!) 15 litres for 100km.
Tianjin developed a new four-door version, named TJ210E. This model was more popular than the TJ210C two-door version. The technical details were quite the same as the ones of the two-door. Only the car was a bit heavier: 1340kg.
Note that the TJ210E had the direction indicators on the mudguards.
The front door had an interesting curvature. It looks like the front and rear door are the same.
Any cars left??
Yes of course.
Mr. Luo Wenyou has in his wonderful museum a 210C. It has no dataplate. Luo says it is a Beijing, but I think it is a Tianjin TJ210C.
Mr. Bai Guang of Linqing has a Tianjin TJ210E. Mr. Bai is also the proud owner of a Haiyen SW710 and a Dongfanghong BJ760. Strangely, in the press, his car is named TJ211. I don’t know why. In 2013 the car took part in the Beijing-Shanghai Veteran Car Rally.
I know of the existence of another TJ210E. But I don’t know the museum where the car is hosted. Who knows more?
More pictures and information in my history document “Cars and 4x4s from Beijing and Tianjin”.
As always we hope that you can correct or complete what we have written! Please send your review.
Many thanks!
It is outstanding contribution to Chinese vehicle history!!! especially for light duty off road vehicle.