Hongqi CA770

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Hongqi
Hongqi CA770 (1974)
Hongqi CA770 (1974)
CA72
Production period: 1965-1981
Class : Upper class
Body versions : Pullman limousine , convertible
Engines: Otto engine :
5.6 liters (155 kW)
Length: 5980 mm
Width: 1990 mm
Height: 1640 mm
Wheelbase : 3720 mm
Empty weight : 3290 kg
Previous model Hongqi CA72
successor Hongqi CA7560

The Hongqi CA770 is a representation sedan that the Chinese automobile manufacturer First Automotive Works (FAW) produced from 1965 to 1981. The model was only available to state institutions and the leadership of the CCP and was used regularly at public events until the 1990s. Numerous details on technology and production have not been clarified. On the basis of the CA770, the models CA771 , CA772 and CA773 were created , which differ from the CA770 mainly in terms of their lengths.

History of origin

First Automotive Works (FAW) began producing trucks based on Soviet designs in 1953 . With the Dongfeng CA71 mid-range sedan , which was a replica of the French Simca Vedette , the company's first passenger car was created in 1958, although it did not get beyond the prototype stage. That same year, FAW presented a developed at the initiative of the party leadership representation sedan, which the brand name Hongqi ( abbreviation :红旗; for older transcriptions also Hongki or Hongshi, German: Red Flag ; English official "Red Flag") received. The Hongqi CA72 was the beginning of the 1960s, the only mass-produced luxury car in China, the signal output from Beijing Automobile Works developed competitive model Beijing CB4 displaced. Around 200 copies of the CA72 were made by 1965. In 1965, the successor model appeared with the Hongqi CA770, which technically largely corresponded to the CA72, but had a revised body. The CA770 stayed in the range for 15 years. Hongqi developed some stylistically independent prototypes for a successor model during this time, but they did not go into series production. After a ten-year break, the outwardly partially redesigned Hongqi CA7560 appeared with the support of Volkswagen and Audi .

Model description

Compared to its predecessor, the lines are more objectified: Hongqi CA770

The Hongqi CA770 was based on the CA72 presented in 1958, which - depending on the source - was either a replica of the 1955 Chrysler models or a copy of a Soviet ZIL-111 .

The Hongqi CA770 adopted the technology of the CA72 without any changes. It had the same steel ladder frame with additional cross bracing. At the front, the wheels were individually suspended on wishbones and coil springs , while a rigid axle with leaf springs was used at the rear . As drive served as already used in the CA72, 5.6-liter eight-cylinder gasoline engine type Hongqi 8V100Q , which according to some sources declined to a Chrysler design. Its output was increased to 220 PS (162 kW) compared to the CA72. The cylinder bank angle was 90 degrees; the crankshaft had five bearings. The mixture of the 7.7: 1 compressed engine was prepared by means of a double carburetor. The power was transmitted to the rear wheels via an automatically switched two-speed gearbox. However, some sources indicate a three-speed automatic.

The body of the CA770 was redesigned. The designers tried to make the car appear lower and more elongated than its predecessor. The flanks were smoother, the trim strips were positioned differently and the wheel cutouts were redesigned. The grille was made simpler; it consisted of 40 vertically arranged chrome struts. The bumpers, which were still chrome-plated, no longer had horns. The trapezoidal structure had four side windows. There were three rows of seats in the interior; a total of eight seats were provided.

Special body versions

Over the years, Hongqi manufactured a few examples of the CA770 with special body versions:

  • The Hongqi CA770J was a full convertible on the uncut chassis of the CA770. The vehicle was used at parades for representation purposes. In the passenger compartment there were handles so that the passengers could stand with the top down. FAW made five copies of the model from 1965 to 1972. Three of them still exist today. One copy, which was given the designation CA770JG, was equipped with an additional glass plate in front of the passenger compartment to protect the passengers.
  • The Hongqi CA770TJ was a landaulet version of the CA770. While the driver's area was fully clad, there was a folding top over the passenger compartment. In 1984 Hongqi made two copies of this model. The occasion was the 35th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
  • In the 1970s, three copies of the CA770 received a station wagon body. The cars designated as CA770L remained in the factory.
  • From 1972 to 1975 a total of three vehicles were built as ambulances (Hongqi CA770H). The basic structure of the notchback sedan was retained, but the trunk lid was raised significantly.
  • Three copies were given a pickup body.
  • A funeral vehicle based on the CA770 was planned but not implemented.

Production and distribution

The Hongqi CA770 was at the FAW plant in Changchun ( Manchuria produced) by hand. Production was not continuous. Rather, if there was a need, small series were launched abruptly. From 1965 to 1981 FAW produced a total of 847 copies of the CA770.

Only a few copies made it to Europe and into private hands. A CA770 was shown at an exhibition in Cologne in 1975.

Derived models

On the basis of the CA770, a few other models were created that differed from the CA770 mainly in terms of lengths and the number of seats.

  • The Hongqi CA 771 was a four-door sedan with two rows of seats and a shortened wheelbase that was manufactured from 1967 to 1971. The rear doors were hinged at the front. The C-pillar was directly connected to the rear doors. During this time, depending on the source, 127 or 129 copies of the CA771 were made.
  • The Hongqi CA772 was an armored version of the CA770. The weight of the car was 5000 kg. Of this model, 12 were made, all of which were made in 1972.
  • The Hongqi CA773 was a four-door sedan with two rows of seats that was positioned between the longer CA770 and the shorter CA771 according to its length. The rear doors - unlike the CA771, but just like the CA770 - were hinged at the rear, and there was another window between the rear doors and the D-pillar. From 1969 to 1976 Hongqi produced a total of 291 units of this model.

literature

  • Beijing Automobile Museum (Ed.): Red Flag. 60 years of Chinese Automobile History . Brochure for the exhibition in the Cité de l'Automobile, Schlumpf Collection, Mulhouse (November 6, 2014 to March 30, 2015).
  • Roger Gloor: All Cars of the 1950s, 1945–1960. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1st edition 2007. ISBN 978-3-613-02808-1 , page 377 (“Chinese Passenger Cars”).
  • Roger Gloor: All cars from the 1960s. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1st edition 2006. ISBN 978-3-613-02649-0 , page 304 (“Red Flag, Hongki”).
  • Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930-2003. Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007 .

Web links

Commons : Hongqi CA770  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Tycho de Feijter: CarPorn the Chinese Way: Hongqi CA770 state limousine, Times Two. www.carnewschina.com, December 17, 2013, accessed June 17, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Beijing Automobile Museum (ed.): Red Flag. 60 years of Chinese Automobile History. Brochure for the exhibition in the Cité de l'Automobile, Schlumpf Collection, Mulhouse (November 6, 2014 to March 30, 2015), p. 5.
  3. ↑ Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930-2003 , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007 , p. 75.
  4. ^ A b Roger Gloor: All cars of the 50s, 1945-1960 . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1st edition 2007. ISBN 978-3-613-02808-1 , p. 377.
  5. ^ FAW Announces Plan to Revive Hongqi Limousines. www.chinaautoweb.com, August 10, 2010, accessed June 6, 2016 .
  6. ↑ Weijing Zhu: The Red Banner of China's Auto Industry Rises Again. www.theworldofchinese.com, July 21, 2013, accessed June 6, 2016 .
  7. ↑ a b Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930-2003 , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007 , p. 85.
  8. ^ A b Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930-2003. Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007 , p. 77.
  9. ↑ a b Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930-2003 , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007 , p. 117.
  10. ↑ a b c d Auto Catalog No. 25 (1981/82), p. 218 f.
  11. ↑ Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930–2003 , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007 , p. 114.
  12. ↑ a b Tycho de Feijter: Spotted in China: Hongqi CA771 Sedan. www.carnewschina.com, February 19, 2016, accessed June 17, 2016 .
  13. ↑ Roger Gloor: All Cars of the 60s . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1st edition 2006. ISBN 978-3-613-02649-0 , p. 304.
  14. ↑ a b Tycho de Feijter: The Hongqi CA770J Parade Car of the Beijing Classic Car Museum. www.carnewschina.com, December 28, 2015, accessed June 17, 2016 .
  15. ↑ Auto Catalog No. 22 (1978/79), p. 145.
  16. ↑ Beijing Automobile Museum (ed.): Red Flag. 60 years of Chinese Automobile History. Brochure for the exhibition in the Cité de l'Automobile, Schlumpf Collection, Mulhouse (November 6, 2014 to March 30, 2015), p. 28.
  17. ↑ Tycho de Feijter: Spotted in China: Hongqi CA770JH state-limousine ambulance. www.carnewschina.com, October 15, 2014, accessed June 17, 2016 .
  18. ↑ a b Auto Catalog No. 25 (1982), p. 63.
  19. ↑ Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930-2003. Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007 , p. 79.
  20. ↑ Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930-2003. Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007 , pp. 79 ff., 85 f.
  21. ↑ a b Beijing Automobile Museum (ed.): Red Flag. 60 years of Chinese Automobile History. Brochure for the exhibition in the Cité de l'Automobile, Schlumpf Collection, Mulhouse (November 6, 2014 to March 30, 2015), p. 32.