Beijing CB4

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Beijing
Beijing CB4 front 3 quarter.JPG
CB4
Production period: 1959-1962
Class : Upper class
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Petrol engines :
6.0 liters
(188 kW)
Length:
Width:
Height:
Wheelbase :
Empty weight :

The Beijing CB4 is a luxury sedan from the Chinese automobile manufacturer Beijing Automobile Works , which was produced in very small numbers from 1958 to 1962.

History of origin

Beijing Automobile Works (BAW), based in Beijing , was founded in 1953. BAW initially manufactured accessories for Chinese vehicles, mainly carburetors, fuel pumps, headlights and smaller sheet metal parts. In 1958, BAW began producing its own passenger cars. The first model was a small sedan with a 1.2 liter rear engine that was modeled on the VW Beetle and was sold as Jinggangshan under the Jinggangshan brand until 1960 .

In the same year, BAW also developed a large representative vehicle on its own initiative. In July 1958 - a month before the Hongqi CA72 developed by the China FAW Group (FAW) - BAW presented the prototype of a four-door convertible with a body in contemporary American style. Some documentaries describe the car as a Phaeton . The model name was Dong Guang (German: "The East Glows"). A little later, BAW also produced a closed version of the Dong Guang, of which a total of three or six copies were made.

The production models of the four-door sedan, which was named Beijing CB4, were created on the basis of the Dong Guang. The CB4 could not prevail against the Hongqi CA72. Its production ended in 1962. Since then, the Hongqi CA72 and its successor CA770 have covered the representative vehicle segment. In 1964 BAW started production of the Beijing BJ212 off-road vehicle , which was manufactured in large numbers and made the company internationally known over the years. In the 1970s, BAW tried again with the Beijing BJ750 to establish a passenger car; however, the model was only produced in very small numbers.

Model description

The Beijing CB4 was a four-door sedan with two rows of seats. It was shorter than the Hongqi, which had a very long passenger compartment and was equipped with an additional, fold-out row of seats in the rear.

There is little information about the technology of the CB4; the model is also considered a “mystery” in specialist literature. Unlike other contemporary constructions, the CB4 was neither publicly exhibited nor did those responsible provide details.

According to contemporary reports, the Beijing Cabriolet was powered by an eight-cylinder gasoline engine based on the design used in the Hongqi CA72. In the case of the convertible, the engine output should be around 250 hp. In the automotive literature it is often, but not consistently, assumed that this engine was also used in the CB4 sedan. One source specifies its displacement with approx. 6.0 liters, another deviates from this from a six-cylinder engine with 150 hp.

There is no information on the chassis of the CB4 in the literature. A source reports that the CB4 had power steering and was fitted with unreliable, overheating-prone suction air brakes.

The style of the CB4 was based on contemporary American automobiles. The CB4 had double headlights and a panoramic windshield at the front . A special feature was a kink in the belt line in the area of ​​the rear doors. Observers recognize a resemblance to Buick vehicles from model year 1958. Overall, the CB4 looked more modern than the Hongqi CA72, which was presented at the same time and whose design was based on a Chrysler design from 1955.

production

The Beijing CB4 was manufactured from 1958 to 1962 in a total of 22 copies. According to consistent information in the automotive literature, there is only one vehicle left today, which is on display in Changchun .

literature

  • George Nicholas Georgano (Ed.): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile . Volume 2: G-O . Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , pp. 795 (English).
  • Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930-2003 , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007

Web links

Commons : Beijing CB4  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ George Nicholas Georgano (Ed.): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile . Volume 2: G-O . Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , pp. 795 (English).
  2. ↑ a b c d Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930–2003 , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007 , p. 89.
  3. ↑ After Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930-2003 , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007 . On p. 91 two different photographs are reproduced, each showing three Beijing limousines. From an observer's point of view, it cannot be determined whether both photographs show the same cars.
  4. ↑ a b c Illustration and brief description of the Beijing CB4 on the website autocade.net (accessed on June 7, 2016).
  5. ^ George Nick Georgano: The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars 1885–1968 .
  6. ^ FAW Announces Plan to Revive Hongqi Limousines. www.chinaautoweb.com, August 10, 2010, accessed June 6, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930-2003 , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007 , p. 91.