Today in China Concept Cars the Geely Chengbao. It was unveiled on the 2005 Shanghai Auto Show and it was inspired by classic sportscars. The name ‘Chengbao’ means castle in Chinese. Continue reading “China Concept Cars: Geely Chengbao”
Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: Dadi Auto
Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF): Dadi Auto, a somewhat crazy brand that made a series of station wagons and sedan in the early 1990’s and a series of SUVs and pickup trucks in the late 1990’s and 2000’s.
Continue reading “Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: Dadi Auto”
Our draftsmen.
During our research we unearth a lot of old car photos of bad quality, or photos that give us only some details of the cars we introduce to you.
We get help from friends. They make drawings to enhanse the photos. Sometimes we ask them, sometimes they volunteer.
I want to thank them. To honour them, we give you an overview of these draftsmen.
The Dongfeng EQ6400PL Baolai Xideng station wagon.
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.”
Anhui Wei’er Small Cars
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.
The Fenghuang, the Chinese Phoenix and other ornaments.
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.”
GAZ M20 Pobeda made in China and North Korea.
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.”
China Concept Cars: The 1999 Patac Qilin
Today in China Concept Cars the Patac Qilin, an attractive compact passenger car that debuted on the June 1999 Shanghai Auto Show
The Qilin was an interesting vehicle, a five-door hatchback with a slightly higher ground clearance than normal. Gray panels made it look a lot like the later ‘cross’ vehicles, which became very popular in China in the early 00’s. So Patac was far ahead of time! Continue reading “China Concept Cars: The 1999 Patac Qilin”
The Shanghai Body Builders of the 1920s
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.
China Concept Cars: The 2003 Hafei Saibao
This sporty beauty is the Hafei Saibao, a very cool Chinese concept car. The Saibao, meaning Leopard, debuted on the 2003 Shanghai Auto Show. It was designed by Pininfarina and partially based on the Lotus Elise.
Continue reading “China Concept Cars: The 2003 Hafei Saibao”