CarBrandLogos archive · Hongqi · 1965

HongqiCA770

The state limousine of Mao's China, hand-built for a customer list of one.

Photo: Morio · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Hongqi history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Hongqi CA770, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The CA770 took over from the CA72 in the mid-1960s and became the definitive Chinese official car: a long three-row saloon with occasional seats, built slowly by hand at Changchun and issued rather than sold. It kept the fan grille and lantern tail lamps that had been established as the marque's visual language, on a squarer and more imposing body.

1967 Hongqi Limousine · Kzaral] · CC BY-SA 2.0

Design and engineering

Mechanically it continued with a 5,655 cc V8 and a four-speed automatic, though later variants used a Ford Windsor V8 as supply and expertise shifted. Armoured versions were produced for the most senior passengers, and the model appeared in every official photograph and motorcade of the period, carrying visiting heads of state through Beijing.

Hongqi Cabriolet · Prince Roy from Vientiane, Laos;cropped by uploader Mr.choppers · CC BY 2.0

In production

Production of the main model ran from 1966 to 1981, with derivatives assembled in small numbers as late as 1999. The CA7225LH nominally succeeded it, but the CA770 remained the car the brand was measured against, and its proportions were consciously revived when Hongqi returned to flagship building with the L5.

Hongqi CA 770 - 05 · Anna Frodesiak · CC0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1966–1981

Engine

5655 cc 8V100Q V8 engine

Technical specification

The CA770, in detail.

Production: 1966–1981; Variations built until 1999
Class: Luxury car
Layout: FR layout
Engine: 5655 cc 8V100Q V8 engine; V8 ; 5766 cc Ford small block engine#351W; Ford Windsor V8
Transmission: 4 speed automatic
Assembly: China: Changchun
Manufacturer: Hongqi (FAW)