The Chinese Mercedes S-Klasse

During the late 1970s Shanghai Auto Works worked in two directions: developing a successor for its SH760/SH760A saloon and filling in the gap between the Shanghai saloon and the Hongqi limousine.
We have seen already the bigger models (SH762/SH763) developed during the Cultural Revolution.

This story is about  the Shanghai SH771, according my opinion a wonderful project which flirted with the Mercedes Benz W116 S-Klasse (1972-1980).

Only recently I received these two photos of the first two prototypes, made in 1974. (These pictures are published in a little Chinese book called “Hongqi”, Chinese Workers Press, 2016, ISBN 978-7-5008-6568-1/K-552, page 312, the cars mistakenly called ‘Hongqi test cars’.)Shanghai SH771, prototype 1974.

A 5-meter long car, of which the first photos shown outside China were published in the French magazine Auto-Journal 1978 (No. 6, April 1), made by Serge Voros when visiting the Shanghai Auto Works together with Serge Bellu.
The Serges noticed that the SH760 is still made by hand, the SH130 (the small truck) is assembled on a line and that a new factory is under construction. And they meet the SH771: ‘a car of international sizes and pretentions’. 

The car resembled the ‘flagship luxury sedan‘ Mercedes Benz S-klasse, series W116. It was even bigger: S-Klasse (length x with x height) standard version 4960x1870x1410mm; biggest version 5060x1870x1430mm, SH771: 5330x1990x1640mm. Wheelbase S-Klasse 2865/2965mm, SH771: 3070mm.

Two years later Oliver Barnham visited the factory, which is still producing the SH760A. And there is the car again, he meets the SH771, still not in production.

During the years more pictures show up (yes how nice is internet!). Only five registrations: 08-05146, 08-05147, 08-12049, 08-12050, 08-18022. There are pictures with more than one car, with even three:

Numbers of cars made? There is a source telling us: 30 cars. I would guess it is more about 10 to 20.

Any car left? YES! Here we are lucky, SAIC (Shanghai Auto Industry Corporation) has a small collection of old cars. I found those in 2003 in the old SAIC building, 489 Weihai Road, Shanghai. One of the cars is a SH771!

I opened the bonnet.

And surprisingly: there is the 5650cc Hongqi V8 engine. 165kW/ 4000rpm, torque: 412Nm/ 2800~3000rpm. Good for 180km/h but consuming 18L/100km (!).

Here a nice detail:

And the logo, a beautiful torch!

Here something remarkable: none of the other cars have this torch logo.

There are two other logos: the Shanghai name in Chinese characters (08-05147, 08-12049, 08-12050) and a horizontal emblem (08-05146, 08-18022). Only the SAIC exhibition car has the torch logo.

So I end like I always end: please comments!

More about car production in Shanghai here: Shanghai, saloons from the artisan era.