Jeeps made before the production of the BJ212.

The most important Chinese cross-country vehicle is the Beijing BJ212. Developed in the early 1960s, in production since 1965. Yes, still in production!! The introduction was during the mass-movement Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, chairman Mao using it to inspect the Red guards.

But there were others, earlier. China’s first jeep was a real Jeep copy, made in Tianjin by the Tianjin Auto Assembly Works. Designed together with an interesting station wagon, which was a real ‘woody’ and a bus. The first jeep was ready on September 14, 1951.

Presented to chairman Mao in honor of the National Day, October 1st 1951. Two or three were made, I am not certain. The jeep was based on the American Ford GPW, there were a lot left by the Guomindang in 1949. The engine was home-made, named 5341.

The second initiative is quite unknown.  Three jeeps were developed by the Wuhan Auto Spare Parts Works. They were shown on September 25, 1952.

This date and the names of the three jeeps suggest that they were presented at the National Day 1952, a year later than the Tianjin jeep.

In September 1957 the Shanghai Auto Works brought out, under the noise of a lot of fire crackers, their own jeep, the formal name is unknown. I call it the Shanghai 58 prototype. The engine was the CN-050 made by the Nanjing Auto Works (2120 cc, 58hp). At least two were made.

The Shanghai 58 prototype was followed by the production model, in January 1958. In June 1958, already 200 were made. According recent government statistics, in total 622 vehicles were made, from 1958- 1963.

The production model was clearly a copy of the Jeep CJ3A. Some sizes: wheelbase 2060mm, LxWxH 3550x1460x1900mm, curb weight 1185kg, max. speed 100km/h.

Another initiative from Wuhan. The Wuhan Fire Fighting Machinery Works made jeeps. I have no details, but happy enough there are pictures, thanks -as always!- to the unsurpassed Oliver Barnham. Also the years of production are unknown, somewhere between 1958 and 1968. There are versions named Yangzijiang, they have an emblem on the bonnet.

Other models were named Changjiang (name in characters on front) and made by the Wuhan No. 2 Automobile Works.

Another straight Jeep copy. The Chongqing Wangjiang Machinery Works and the Chongqing Changan Machinery Works made together the Changjiang 46 jeep. The introduction took place at April 5, 1958. The jeep was a copy of the Jeep CJ5. The Changjiang 46 participated at the National Day 1959. From 1958-1963 1390 units were made.

The tools to produce the Changjiang 46 were shipped to Beijing in 1963 and formed the base of the production of the first Beijing jeeps.

Weight 1150kg, wheelbase 2057mm. LxWxH 3486x 1504x 1720mm. Speed 115-120km/h, engine made by the Xiangjiang Machinery Works, 2.2-litre, 75hp. Bore and stroke 79.37×111.12mm. These are also the data of the classic US Jeep ”Go Devil’ engine, so it is certain that the engine was a 100% copy. Tyres 6.00×16.

In April 1958 the Jinan Auto Works together with the Jinan Automobile Repair Works and the Jinan Automobile Spare Parts Works unveiled the Huanghe cross country vehicle.

Here we have a complicated situation. At least three different cross country vehicles are named Huanghe (Yellow River). I will introduce them all three. The first is most certainly the car which was shown in April 1958. It is called Huanghe CH-04 in the nice little handbook which I discussed before. On this photo here under the same vehicle is named Huanghe QJ-04.

The CH-04 is a bit heavier than the vehicles here before: 1525kg. Wheelbase 2300mm, LxWxH 3850x1850x2030mm. Speed 90km/h, engine the well-known Yuejin CN-050 from Nanjing, 2120cc, 52hp.

The second version  has a grille with vertical stats. This vehicle is referred to as Huanghe JN220. Reports say that this jeep too was made in April 1958.

The third seems to be smaller and is completely different. It is also called  Huanghe JN220.

Another Jeep copy is the Hongqi (Red Flag) made by the Fuzhou Machinery Works.

The sizes are different from the Changjiang 46 jeep: LxWxH 3632x1626x1829mm. The engine is the same. The jeep saw its light in July 1958.

The Bayi (8.1, I suppose the first of August, the foundation day of the People’s Liberation Army in 1927) is made by the Sujiatun Auto Repair & Assembly Works.

Nowadays Sujiatun is a part of Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning. This 4×4 shows similarities with the Russian GAZ 69. Introduction took place in July 1958. Bayi had its own version of the CN-050 engine, made by the Sujiatun factory. The sizes were not given , the weight is 1100kg. Tyres 6.50×16.

The Dongfanghong (The East is Red) made by the Jilin Engineering University is from September 1958. Equipped with a two-litre engine (1997cc) delivering 52hp. Wheelbase 2800mm, LxWxH 4260x1530x1820mm. According the little book the vehicle could host 13-17 people, which seems quite a lot to me.. A small plant was planned to produce 50-200 units per year, but was never realized.

The Xinxing (New Star) 4×4 cross country vehicle saw its light in October 1958. It was made by the Nanjing Xinxing Auto Repair Works.

The Xinxing weighted 1540kg, used the 2120cc engine (probably the CN-050 from the Nanjing Auto Works), measured LxWxH 3850x1850x2030mm, with a wheelbase of 2300mm. Max. speed 90km/h.

From Shenyang a ‘glass-steel jeep’, made in 1958 by the Shenyang Fiberglass Works together with the Shenyang Auto Assembly Works. The name is Weixing (Satellite).

The Hongxing, a pure GAZ 69 copy, was made in 1958, month unknown. Only 1025kg, 3850x1850x2030mm with a wheelbase of 2300mm. Engine: see above, 2120cc. Tyres 600×16. Made by the Qiqihar Hongxing Auto Repair & Assembly Works.

ANY CARS LEFT?

Yes, there are three Changan made Changjiang 46 jeeps. One in a Chongqing Military Museum. I have tried to find more about this museum, but in vain. Yes, there is a war museum in Chongqing.  And a Stillwell museum.  But an after-war military museum? I haven’t found it. Tycho has written about this vehicle.

The second car is owned by the Changan Auto Company. Changan shows it at auto shows.  When seeing it I was afraid that it was a replica. Easy to make, with Jeep CJ5 parts. But since I have seen the engine, I am certain that at least the engine is original. Probably the whole car. It has the registration 1390-0028 on the bonnet.

There is another car, a look-alike with the registration 1390-0029.

I was afraid this was the same car as number 0028, but here the text on the engine is different:

LIKE ALWAYS, whenever you have comments, something to add, you miss something or whatever: please leave your comment!