Engineering:Beijing CB4
| Beijing CB4 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Beijing Automobile Works |
| Production | 1958-1962 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Luxury car |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Transmission | 2-4 speed automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 3,200 mm (126.0 in) |
| Length | 5,542–5,548 mm (218.2–218.4 in) |
| Width | 2,004–2,006 mm (78.9–79.0 in) |
| Height | 1,675 mm (65.9 in) |
| |uk|Kerb|Curb}} weight | 2,159–2,289 kg (4,760–5,046 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Dongfanghong BJ760 |
The Beijing CB4 is a luxury limousine that was produced by Beijing Automobile Works in limited numbers from 1958 to 1962, as the company's first full-size limousine. The model has 2-rows of seats, meaning that it is slightly shorter than the competing Hongqi CA72, which was based on the Chrysler Imperial to some extent, although it was very much its own vehicle.
The Beijing CB4 was stylistically based on the 1955-1956 Buick Special, after Liu Ren (a member of the CCP) saw the popularity of Buicks among Chinese government officials, and demanded Beijing Automobile Works to create a similar model.[1] The vehicle was intended to compete with the Hongqi CA72, which started getting produced some months earlier, however, it was not very successful and in total, just 22 vehicles were produced, out of which only 1 survives to this day. One of the reasons that the vehicle was not very successful is likely because it consumed much more fuel than the CA72, so in 1961 the company started producing the lighter and more economical Dongfanghong BJ760, which was based on the design of the GAZ-21 Volga vehicle.
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