In October 1994 a strange company showed its plans. It was the Beijing Golden-Thunder Classic Motors Co. Ltd. They were planning to produce an Austin-Healey 3000 replica, 100% of the production was meant for export to the USA. They didn’t apply for a license to sell the cars in China. A factory was planned in Liqiao, Shunyi, not far from Beijing. They opened a post box at the Jianguomen International Posts Office in Beijing.
Not sure about the American side of the story. The company must have been a partnership between a US company and a Chinese partner. The proposed car resembles strongly the Austin Healey Sebring wide body replicas made by American companies in the 1980s. Especially the ones made by Classic Roadsters Ltd. in North Carolina, founded in 1979. This company made Sebrings over many decades.
About the Chinese side: The car had a Chinese name, Jinlei (yes, Golden Thunder) and the model was named GT5000. On the bonnet there was a logo telling this, and there was added: USA/CHINA.
The car was available with a choice between two engines: a Ford V8 302 4942cc and a Ford V8 352 5765cc in combination with a 5 manual or 4 automatic Ford gearbox. Sizes were 3980x 1770x 1240mm (with hardtop 1350). Weight was less than 1000kg.
Though the car was not allowed in China, it was offered in an advertisement in a Beijing newspaper in 1996. But clearly with an export purpose: a price in US dollars: 35.800 dollar.
Chengde 2003. Photo Felix Bai.
China was not China if there was a car left in China. My dear friend Felix Bai found one in 2003 in Chengde, a car owned by a then unknown mr. Luo. How can things change! Mr. Luo Wenyou is now the owner of the most important collection of Made in China cars, exhibited in his museum in Huairou.
And the Jinlei GT5000 has a good place in this museum. According Luo, there are two remaining cars of the Beijing Golden-Thunder adventure: one in his museum and the other in the US. I don’t know if two was the complete production: after the brochure and the advertisement nothing was heard anymore and we would have forgotten the car if it was not thanks to mr. Luo that there is still a copy left!
