Mao Zedong’s car: The Hongqi CA770
How a slow, heavy ceremonial oddity became the symbol of luxury for an entire nation
Hi there. And once again, welcome back on Iron Masters.
Last time we’ve talked about the car that motorized the vastest country in the world, the Lada Ziguli. Today, perhaps unsurprisingly, we’re moving to a country that has always maintained a friendly relationship with Russia, Of course, we’re talking about China, the nation that has quickly rose to the Olympus of economic super powers in a staggering short amount of time.
Now, I’m sure most of us would never even consider China as car maker. To be blatantly honest, it wasn’t until its recent economic boom that car businesses began to pop up like mushrooms.
Though, to be fair, I’m sure most of you guys are familiar with the tiny Chung Li truck that has been all the rage in the past couple of years, its popularity is mostly tied to the fame and know how of the channels that presented it to us. (Donut Media and WhistlinDiesel are shining examples of what I’m talking about)
And yet, that’s not what we’re talking about today. Because a little, cheap truck that owns its fame to internet sensations cannot represent the Republic of China like it really deserves.
No. If we’re talking about icons, of cars that really have meant and that still mean something to China, there is only vehicle that fits. Of course, I’m talking about Hongqi CA770.
I know. Unless you’ve read about somewhere, it’s a pretty obscure car to come across. And yet we state for sure that, for a multitude of reasons, it’s the most important car in Chinese history. Why?
Let’s dive in.
First and foremost, Hongqi (literally red flag in Chinese) is a luxury brand launched in 1958 and still active to this day (though it did chase production from 1981 to mid-90s). It is perhaps fitting of its name then that its cars were only offered to high rank officials of the communism party, which I remind you are dead loyal to the five starred red flag.
It shouldn’t surprise us, though.
Back then China was a very different country than it is today. Most of the population, the vast majority of it from the working class, didn’t have the necessary funds, or perhaps even the care, to acquire a car. Not that they had much choice. With the economy tightly controlled by the government, that wasn’t a matter up for debate.
For high rank party members instead, things were fundamentally different.
Unlike the rest of the poor bastards that had to somehow scrape by, those important men had to be available at all times, as communism and its fight against the western world was about at its peak. It is mainly for state purposes then, and perhaps even a little bit of personal prestige, that this brand was founded.
Speaking off, some of you might have noticed that the year of its founding coincide perfectly with the start of a historic context known as The Great Leap Forward. (For those of you seeking further information about it, you can find out more at this link: https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/chinas-great-leap-forward/) Don’t be swayed. That is no coincidence.
You see, the government wanted things done as soon as possible. So the prototype of the fist model under the brand Hongqi was just a reskinned Chrysler Imperial. The CA72, the model that preceded the CA770, was then styled after the ZIL-111, a soviet car. It didn’t matter that the Zil, while being soviet, looked like a copy of most American models in production in those years. The important thing was staying true to their soviet believes.
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It is with that kind of background that, the moment the CA72 ceased production in 1965, that CA770 made its debut. And what a debut.
Now, the CA770 was available in different configurations, all of them deserving their just analysis. But for the sake of getting things straight, let’s take a look at the most important ones, the standard and the extended limousine.
Of course, given the importance of the project, the CA770 was a standard luxury sedan used by the government and party leaders. You can immediately pick that out if you ever step inside one. The long and spacious interiors were designed for comfort and imposing presence. Sadly, given the intrinsic nature of communism, it’s quite impossible to single out the person responsible for such design choices. The only thing we know for certain is that somehow, somewhere, the First Automobile Works was the business who curated the project.
As far as colours are concerned, the CA770 wasn’t offered applications. As a matter of fact, most of them were painted red, be it Burgundy or Crimson, as a way to state once again the greatness of communism. Less common than that, but way more appealing in today’s standards, Black or White were also an option, White being the rarest as it was only used in ceremonies.
It is with that attitude to impose and impress that the interiors were assembled. From the large use of high-quality leather, plush seats with a high level of comfort, wood and chrome accents to remark the elegance and prestige of the car meant to be represent China and its evolving and successful industry, everything was neatly assembled. As far as colours offered, they’re the same as the bodywork, the only exception being Dark Brown.
As we can see, despite being built surrounded by communism, it was a car that had the right mindset to appear strong, and maybe even sticking. Not as sticking, and quite surprising if I might add, as the engine mounted under the bonnet.
I must admit that I was caught completely off guard. Like, almost shell shocked. Why? Well, nestled under the hood of this limousine, of which Mao Zedong was particularly fond off, there is a V8 engine, one of which is 352 cubic inches Ford Windsor.
Shocked? I was too.
Never, not even in a million years, I would have thought to find an American engine under the hood of the car that was for all intents and purposes the official car of the Chinese communist party. After all, America and China have never really seen eye to eye on…pretty much anything really.
Honestly, I’ve got no clue how exactly did a Ford V8 end up mounted under a Chinese car. A state one at that.
What I know for certain is that it didn’t offer much in terms of performance. With 220 Hp and 400 Nm of performance available, it was never the right engine for such a behemoth of a car. Especially if paired with a two-speed transmission like in the earlier models, which was thankfully replaced with a four and five speed transmission.
As it is customary on Iron Masters, I would have talked about tuning options, both on performances and looks alike. But this car really isn’t meant to be tuned in any, single way Sure, you could upgrade the carburettors to modify fuel efficiency; perhaps even upgrade the exhaust. But that’s about it. And for what?
The Hongqi CA770 isn’t meant to be modified. It’s one of those vehicles that must preserved and driven as it is if you ask me.
That said, it’s highly unlikely any of us will ever one one.
If you’re interested in owning one of those cars, you’ll have quite a hard time ahead of you. With a produced number slightly higher of 1.000 under a span of 15 years, the surviving cars are either preserved, or treasured by the owners. And even when they miraculously end up for sale, most are in China.
So, most likely you won’t buy one. The Hongqi CA770 is an expensive and difficult car to acquire. It’s going to be a time consuming project to even search for one. Still, the CA770 is a vehicle that represented an entire country. One that’s still shrouded in a veil of mystery. And perhaps that’s its strongest appeal.
Until next time.
P.s. If you’ve got any cars, motorcycle, or any other thing that has a motor in it that you want me to write about, please let me know!
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