Dongfeng CA71

The Dongfeng CA71 (simplified Chinese: 东风CA71; traditional Chinese: 東風CA71[1]) is a medium-sized limousine made by the Chinese automobile manufacturer First Automotive Works (FAW) and produced in small numbers in 1958. It was the first passenger car to be produced entirely in China.[2]

Dongfeng CA71
A CA71 on display at the Beijing Classic Car Museum.
Overview
Manufacturer	First Automotive Works (FAW)
Production	1958
Body and chassis
Class	Luxury car
Layout	FR layout
Powertrain
Engine	1.9 L M121 I4
Transmission	3 speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,700 mm (110 in)
Length	4,560 mm (180 in)
Width	1,755 mm (69.1 in)
Height	1,530 mm (60 in)

History of development

The Dongfeng CA71 was developed by FAW in Changchun (Manchuria). FAW was founded in 1953 with technical and financial support from the Soviet Union. It primarily produced commercial vehicles, especially heavy trucks based on the Soviet model. In 1958 China launched the Great Leap Forward Campaign, which was aimed at catching up with the Western industrialized countries.[2]

From 1958, several Chinese plants, including FAW began to design passenger cars for civilian use.[3]

The Dongfeng CA71 was used for a number of propaganda campaigns and some included Mao Zedong. About 30 Dongfeng CA71s were produced. Because the CA71 was small, the Hongqi CA72 was the preferred state limousines. Middle officials tended to use the smaller Fenghuang (Shanghai SH760).[4]

Design

The Dongfeng CA71 was modeled on two foreign vehicles. The chassis is stylistically similar to the Mercedes-Benz W120 as was its 1.9 litre four-cylinder in-line engine. The body was based on the French Simca Vedette, although its actual shape is closer to the similar sized Ford Zephyr Mk2 of the same era. This was possibly due to Ford's relationship with Simca at the time.[5]

Chinese detailing included a golden dragon motif on the bonnet grill, and elements of a Chinese lantern design on the taillights, like the Hongqi CA72. The engine is stated to have produced 70 hp (52 kW) while the top speed was 130 km/h (81 mph).

FAW's Deputy Design Director, Shi Qihe, and Chief Engineer, Hu Tongxun directed the project.

Production

The first prototype of the Dongfeng CA71 was completed on 12 May 1958. Various test drives followed in the summer. Several more copies were built in 1958. The car was hand made with the sheet metal being hand-braided. Only two examples are known to still exist. One is kept at the Hongqi Factory Museum in Changchun and the other in the Beijing Classic Car Museum.

References

1. "中国第一辆国产轿车——东风CA71" (in Chinese). FAW Group. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
2. Beijing Automobile Museum (Hrsg.): Red Flag. 60 years of Chinese Automobile History. Broschüre zur Ausstellung in der Cité de l’Automobile, Schlumpf Collection, Mulhouse (6. November 2014 bis 30. März 2015)
3. George Nick Georgano, The International Encyclopedia of the Automobile, Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1
4. Maurice A. Kelly: Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930-2003, Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 9781845843007
5. Simca History, retrieved 15 October 2018