Hongqi CA630

The Hongqi CA630 was a VIP minibus made by Hongqi, the passenger car marque of FAW, from 1980 to 1987. CarNewsChina describes it as designed for VIP transport, with the Chinese central government, local governments and state-owned high-end hotels and travel agencies as its intended customers. It carried at most 19 people including the driver and a guide, depending on configuration. A 4.52 litre petrol V8 of 165 horsepower sat just behind the front axle and drove the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox, for a rated top speed of 100 kilometres per hour. There were many variants: the base CA630 seated 17, and lettered versions added air conditioning, extra thick windows, a strengthened chassis, a television broadcast fit, right-hand drive, environmental testing, police use, an additional fuel tank or an ambulance body. A longer CA640 seated 21 in base form but appears to have been extremely rare. A 1982 CA630A with air conditioning survives in the Dalian Classic Car Museum.