The First Auto Works Dongfeng CA71 Was China’s First Car

This beautiful red sedan is First Auto Works Dongfeng CA71, officially known as ‘China’s first car’. It was born in 1958 on the special request of Mao Zedong, who demanded a Chinese state limousine. I met it at the Beijing Classic Car Museum to the far north of the capital.

The Dongfeng CA71 was manufactured by First Auto Works (FAW) in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province. About 20 CA71’s were made, and there are just two known examples alive today.

This is the second known example, currently on display at the Hongqi Factory Museum in Changchun. It is better preserved and in a better shape than the car in Beijing.

There are some differences: the Beijing car’s hood ornaments are gold, the Changchun car’s are silver. The Beijing car has no fog lights, the Changchun car has. The wheels on the Beijing car are very simple, while those of the Changchun car are well-designed and crafted.

The license plates however are exactly the same: 2∗42406. That is because both the Beijing car and the Changchun car want to mimic the car in…

… this famous 1958 photo, where FAW engineers are showing the Dongfeng CA71 to Mao for the first time, in the Zhongnanhai government compound in Beijing. Same license plate, but the font is different. The wheels are different again, and it has no fog lights.

A period photo of the car that was shown to Mao. The decision to task FAW with building the Dongfeng CA71 was made in April 1956, by a meeting of the Polit Bureau of the Standing Committee, chaired by Mao himself.

In 1957 FAW’s deputy design director Shi Qihe and chief engineer Hu Tongxun were summoned to Beijing to discuss specifications. They went back to Changchun and went to work, and on May 12 1958 the first CA71 was ready.

Design-wise it was loosely based on the first-generation Simca Vedette, which was made from 1954 until 1958. At least one Vedette was shipped to China to serve as an example.

The 2.0 (1930cc) liter four-cylinder engine was based on the design of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz M121. In the CA71 it developed 70 horses, which was good for a 128 km/h top speed. It was thirsty though, drinking 9.5 liter of petrol per 100 kilometers.

Size: 4560/1755/1530, and wheelbase is 2700.

A period color image, showing another car, again with different wheels but… with fog lights! Back now to the car in the museum:

The Dongfeng name in characters on the bonnet, topped by a fierce Chinese dragon, traditionally a symbol for potent and auspicious power, and thus a fitting decoration on a state limousine. The ornament’s name was Jinlong, or Golden Dragon.

Dongfeng means East Wind, and refers to the then-popular saying the east wind prevails over the west wind, which in propaganda-speak meant that the eastern Communist states were stronger than the capitalist West.

And this Dongfeng has nothing to to with the present-day Dongfeng Motors. It is the same name with the same characters, but Dongfeng Motors was only established in 1992. Before that is was called Second Automobile (SAW) Works, second only to First Automobile Works (FAW).

The text, in gold colored characters, on the front fender reads ‘China First Auto Works’.

The interior is simple and functional, with a front bench instead of two seats. It has a rather long column-mounted shifter and a large clock in front of the passenger. In the background through the window you can see a backdrop of that very same photo with Mao inspecting the CA71.

The rear bench. Because of the wide benches and the roomy interior the CA71 was rated as a six-seater!

Design mixed American, Russian, and European influences. The rear was very American, with giant tail fins and a heavily chromed bumper.

The bulbs inside the light unit are shaped like a traditional Chinese lantern. FAW would continue this tradition with the subsequent Hongqi-branded range of state limousines.

A silver star and another Dongfeng badge, written in red characters on a yellow background. The badge itself is housed in a chromed casing with sharp points on each end.

There wasn’t really a production line at FAW in those days. All cars were more or less handmade, clearly visible here at the shape of the grille and bumper.

But the basic shape of the Dongfeng CA71 stayed the same over its short production run. FAW didn’t experiment with long-wheelbase versions, and neither did they attempt to build a parade-car variant.

The beautiful First Auto Works Dongfeng CA71.