The second floor of the Taishan Classic Car Museum consists mainly of cars from China and the USSR. Everything from old Hongqis to an example of almost every Shanghai model and all sorts of glorious Soviet metal.
The Tractors
But we start, again… with some tractors.
Dongfanghong 28 Tractor
The Dongfanghong 28 tractor was the first mass produced Chinese tractor. It was manufactured by the Changchun Tractor Group, a subsidiary of the First Tractor Works, in a brand new factory in the great city of Changchun in Jilin Province. The tractor was designed and developed by the Changchun Tractor Research Institute of Changchun City, and the Jilin University of Jilin City, in Changchun Province (click here for more about this tractor).
Xinjiang Hongshiyue Tractor
Weifang Taishan Tractor
The Soviets
GAZ-12 ZIM
The GAZ-12 is a limousine produced during the Soviet Era. Unlike other large cars from the Soviet Union this one was available to the public, though only an elite few could afford it. Just 21,527 were built and fair number of them ended up in China. Power came from a 3.5 liter straight-six engine making 95hp, hooked up to a 3-speed manual gearbox with a hydrodynamic fluid coupling. There were initially plans to badge engineer a Buick but designers chose instead to design a completely new car that then became the GAZ-12.
FSO Warszawa 200
The 200 was essentially a license-built version of the Pobeda though in 1957 some changes were made to the Polish built car including a restyled front end and an increased compression ratio for the engine.
The Taishan Classic Car Museum has two Warszawa 200’s.
FSO Warszawa 204 (223)
In 1964 the Warszawa 200 was updated and turned into a more conventional 4-door sedan called the 223. A new 4-cylinder engine was offered and a diesel was offered in export models.
The Taishan Classic Car Museum has two of these cars.
GAZ-21 Volga
The GAZ-21 was the first car to carry the famous Volga name, named of course after the mighty Volga River. Renowned for its ruggedness and in particular its rustproofing, the GAZ-21 lasted over three generations (series) between 1956 and 1970. All GAZ-21’s (except for the extremely rare V8 versions) were powered by a 2.4 liter 4-cylinder M-21 petrol engine that made between 65hp and 85hp depending on model year and trim level. This was in fact the same engine that once powered the mighty Beijing Jeep – the BJ212. The GAZ-21 was once a common sight on Chinese roads thought nowadays the ones that are left are either abandoned or in museums. The Taishan Classic Car Museum has three GAZ-21’s.
The first GAZ-21 on display is a Second Series export model, produced sometime between 1959 and 1962.
The second GAz-21 on display is a rather unique stretched version. I couldn’t find any evidence of a stretched GAZ-21 being produced from the factory but I know that this is 1 of 2 such GAZ-21 limousines owned by the museum, the other one is in storage at the Weifang Museum. If anyone knows something about these cars please let me know!
The third and final GAZ-21 is a beautiful Third Series car. According to sources no GAZ-21 ever left the factory like this but one was painted in this colour scheme that appeared in promotional material.
GAZ-24 Volga
After the GAZ-21 came the GAZ-24. The GAZ-24 was actually almost identical size-wise to the GAZ-21, in fact the GAZ-21 was actually slightly longer. You can still find GAZ-24’s in more rural parts of China though as with most old cars the majority are abandoned, though two years ago I did find a later car in very good condition in Lijiang, Yunnan province that was still registered and road legal. Powering the GAZ-24 4-cylinder petrol engines of 2.4 liter and 2.5 liter displacements depending on model year and a very V8 at one point for the KGB. Transmission options were a 4-speed manual for 4-cylinder engines and a 3-speed automatic for the V8. The Taishan Classic Car Museum has two GAZ-24’s
The second GAZ-24.
GAZ-31029 Volga
Produced between 1992 and 1997 was a later version of the original GAZ-24 family. There were various 4-cylinder petrol engines available and transmission options were a 4 or 5-speed manual depending on the engine chosen.
UAZ-452
In production since the 1960’s, the UAZ-452 is an icon of the Soviet and Russian automotive industry. Though it has been slowly updated over time with new engines and trim pieces, the basic formula of a van body on top of an SUV chassis has remained unchanged. Early examples were powered by the same 4-cylinder petrol engine as the GAZ-21 and consequently the BJ212.
The Chinese
Hongqi CA770
The Hongqi (Red Flag) CA770 was a giant sedan made exclusively for the Chinese government, only 847 cars were produced in its long life from 1966 until 1981. The Hongqi CA770 was based on a new platform, the body work however was designed in China by First Auto Works, or FAW, the owner of the Hongqi brand. The design sought to combine ‘modern’ elements with traditional Chinese elements. For modernity FAW looked to the United States. Loads of chrome up front, very square greenhouse, and small tail-fins at the back. The Chinese elements come back in the grille which was shaped as a Chinese fan and the rear lamps which were shaped like Chinese lanterns. Power came from a 5.65 liter V8 that was related to the Russian ZIL 111 and Tschaika (GAZ) M13 engines. The Taishan Museum has three CA770’s on the second floor.
However, this particular CA770 likely does not have its original powertrain because ticking up from the floor is the gear lever for a manual transmission. It is likely that this CA770 has had its original V8 replaced with a diesel engine or possibly some other engine. Unfortunately I was unable to look in the engine bay even with the help of museum staff due to an issue with the bonnet latch release.
The second CA770.
The third CA770.
Hongqi CA771
The CA771 is the shortest CA77x series Hongqi ever made and was only produced between 1967 and 1971 with 129 being produced. The CA771 was intended for provincial military leaders who were not worthy of the bigger CA770 but also not so low ranked that they had to make do with a BJ212. The bodywork was designed in China by First Auto Works (FAW), the owner of the Hongqi brand. The Ca770 and CA771 share the same Russian-derived 5.6 liter V8 with 215hp.(source)
Hongqi CA773
The Hongqi CA773 was a slightly shortened version of the CA770 (shortened by 40 centimeters) and was made from 1969 until 1976, in seven years 291 cars were produced and for Hongqi that is mass production. The CA770 in turn was based on the 1950′s Chrysler CA 70 for which First Auto Works (FAW) obtained the rights in the early 1960’s, FAW is the owner of the Hongqi brand. The engine for the CA770 and CA773 came from the Russian derived V8 as well, a mighty 5.6 liter V8 with 215hp. (source)
Hongqi CA630
Just in case you thought that Hongqi only made big limousines, here’s something a little different. The CA630 was a minbus designed for VIP transport and was produced from 1980 to 1987. Intended customers were the Chinese central government, local governments, state-owned high-end hotels, and state-owned high-end travel agencies. The CA630 could seat a maximal of 19 people including the driver and a guide, depending on configuration. The V8 engine has a capacity of 4.52 liter and an output of 165hp. Transmission is a four-speed manual, sending power to the rear wheels. Top speed was rated at 100 kilometer per hour. This is 1 of 2 CA630’s owned by the museum, the other is stored near the Weifang museum. Be sure to check out Tycho’s brilliant article on the CA630 here.
Dongfeng CA71
The First Auto Works Dongfeng CA71 is 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. Dongfeng means East Wind, and refers to the then-popular saying the east wind prevails over the west wind, which meant that the eastern Communist states were stronger than the West. For more on the CA71, be sure to check out this article on Tycho’s visit to the Red Flag Cultural Pavilion in Changchun!
(The authenticity of this particular car is debated, replicas exist in other museums in China though often it is not made clear that they are indeed replicas).
Shanghai SH760
The Shanghai SH760 was made by Shanghai Auto Works, later renamed Shanghai Auto, today better known as SAIC, the Shanghai Auto Industry Corporation, joint venture partner of General Motors and Volkswagen. The SH760 was made from 1964 to 1974. Power came from a 2.2 liter Jinfeng 685 six-in-line petrol engine with 90 horses and 147nm, which was good enough for a 130km/h top speed. The SH760 was design-wise inspired by the 1958 Mercedes-Benz W128 220SE, but the Chinese designers added some interesting extra’s such as the chrome strip running from the headlight over the front fender to the center of the front door. (credit) The Taishan Classic Car Museum has two SH760’s.
The second SH760.
Shanghai SH760A
The Shanghai SH760A sedan was made from 1974 to 1980 and was essentially a heavily facelifted SH760 with some minor engineering and trim differences.
Shanghai SH7231
Undoubtedly the ugliest of all the Shanghai sedans, the SH7231 was really the last hurrah for the Shanghai sedan, though not the for the Shanghai brand as I will discuss in a moment. The SH7231 was mechanically still very similar to the original SH760 but used lots of components (steering wheel, taillights etc) from the Volkswagen Santana that killed it. It was manufactured from 1987 until 1991.
Shanghai Station Wagon
This is an EXTREMELY rare station wagon version of the Shanghai SH7231 sedan. These station wagons were actually coach-built by around 5 different companies that each produced slightly different versions, distinguished by their unique rear end designs. I have only seen 1 other Shanghai wagon in the Huairou Classic Car Museum north of Beijing. This particular wagon was produced by 上海申联专用汽车联合公司 (Shanghai Shenlian Special Purpose Vehicle Co. Ltd) and had the model designation SQL5020. I will cover more on these Shanghai wagons at a later date when I have more research completed on them. Did you notice that the rear lights on this car are from the Peugeot 505 wagon? This particular car was built in 1991.
Shanghai SH1020SP Pickup Truck
The SH1020 SP was manufactured from 1990 until 1994, in small numbers and in various variants, mostly hand-built so they are all different. The SH1020SP was the last Shanghai branded vehicle to be produced as production of the SH7231 sedan ended in 1991 so the pickup soldiered on for 3 years before the Santana finally hammered the last nail into its coffin and finally killed it.
Beijing Jeeps
The Taishan Classic Car Museum has several BJ212’s and also some of their derivatives.
The first BJ212.
The second BJ212.
The Bj2020SAJ
The German
Mercedes-Benz V123
The mighty V123 needs no introduction. Of course it is the stretched version of the W123 sedan but most interesting of all it the Chinese made one that this museum has. This 230E is one of 828 W123/V123’s assembled from CKD kits by FAW in the late 1980’s to replace the government’s fleet of old Hongqi limousines that were too thirsty and expensive to run.
This 250 is an imported example that, according to the museum was one of a batch of 250’s imported in 1985 for government use.
Volkswagen Passat (B2) Station Wagon
One of the more unique and unusual cars in the museum is this Volkswagen Passat Station Wagon. Of course the famous Volkswagen Santana was essentially just a B2 Passat so the station wagon version of the Santana is still quite common, but an equivalent Passat is an almost impossible sight though there were some in China before 1985 when production of the Santana started.
The rest
Motorcycles
The second floor of the museum has various motorcycles on display.
[…] Part 2 […]
[…] Part 2 […]
The Dongfeng. Isn’t that an early 60s Opel Rekord P2 that they’ve built it around?