About the History of Cars in China
This is the most ugly station wagon I know. Yes, as automotive historians it is not expected from us to give our private opinion about the design of a car. But the EQ6400PL, well have a look for yourself.
Continue reading “The Dongfeng EQ6400PL Baolai Xideng station wagon.”
The People’s Liberation Army (Jiefangjun) no. 5720 Works in Wuhu City, Anhui Province switched to civil vehicle production in the 1990s, like so many military factories.
This is the Fenghuang, the Chinese Phoenix. He is different from the Western Phoenix, the bird that rises from its ashes. The Fenghuang is the chief of all birds. Originally the Feng part of Fenghuang was the male, the Huang the female, nowadays the bird is regarded as feminin. The Fenghuang is multi-colored; black, white, red, yellow and green.
Continue reading “The Fenghuang, the Chinese Phoenix and other ornaments.”
Reading the wonderful Russian website www.autoar.org I asked if they knew anything about Russian GAZ M20 Pobeda’s made in China or in North Korea.
As you know, I have written about the Chinese Pobeda here, and about the Korean Pobeda here.
Continue reading “GAZ M20 Pobeda made in China and North Korea.”
In an earlier post, I have written about the Shanghai Horse Bazaar & Motor Co. Ltd.(龙飞汽车马车行, SHB).
The SHB was one of the most important of the Shanghai body builders in the 1920s and 1930s, but there were many others. Thanks to the Oriental Motor magazines of 1920-1921 I could make an inventarisation.
Nearly three years ago I showed you some photos of cars which were more or less unknown to me. I asked you to help me, since then I have made not much progress. I have found another picture of the Shanghai SH760A with the round headlamps, a picture which seems to suggest that it was a prototype made by the factory.
And, at the 70 years PRC exhibition in the Shanghai museum last year, the museum had replaced their ugly fake Shanghai SH761 parade car by a real one. I am happy with that one!
May 2013, 36 new Pyonghwa’s…
The history of Pyonghwa part 2 (after the end of the joint venture, 2012-today).
Of course we had to wait what was going to happen after the withdraw of the Moon section. A new partner was not obvious. It would also be hard for the North Koreans to continue without foreign money and technology.
At the 16th Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair, the DPRK surprised with 36 (!!!) new Pyonghwa models. A clearer study of the vehicles confirmed that they were all Chinese made vehicles, rebadged with Pyonghwa logos and names.
The history of Pyonghwa part 1 (the joint venture with mr. Moon, (1999-2012).
The urge to have an automotive car-making industry led at the end of the 1990s to an interesting joint-venture between the North Korean state, represented by the ‘Ryongbong company’ and the South Korean ‘Unification Church’ of referend Moon, represented by the Tongil Group.
Sun Myong Moon, born in North Korea in 1920, founded the ‘Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity’ in 1954. Moon visited Kim Il Sung in 1991.
Toyota production by Beizhi. Brochure collection mr. Bai Guang.
When Japan invaded China it needed the shortest supply lines, and it was for that reason that the Japanese regime encouraged truck assembly at several places in China. These factories assembled Japanese trucks for military and also for civilian use.
So after describing the American influenced Minsheng (Zhongshan) and the assembly of the German Mercedes, I will write here about the third country involved in the 1930s-1940s Chinese truck production.
Continue reading “Japanese trucks made in China before and during the Second Chinese-Japanese war.”
Two side windows or three side windows? Beijing Limousine, 1958.
This is a difficult subject. With my friend Robert Jablonski I have a heavy discussion about the existence of a long wheelbase version of the 1958 Beijing Limousine (first generation).
I have written before about this car.