It’s not just Panthers that get some love around these parts. TTAC contributors Murilee Martin and Tycho de Feyter have both expressed admiration for the Hongqi CA770 “Red Flag” limousines made by China’s FAW (formerly First Automotive Works) and used as state automobiles from the mid 1960s into the 1980s. A few years back, FAW introduced the massive, 21 ft long Hongqi L9 (aka CA7600L), with styling heavily influenced by the vintage Red Flag limos. Since then, a slightly shorter version, the L7, has been used for foreign heads of state when visiting China. Last year the L7 went on sale to the public for the first time when a Red Flag dealership opened in Beijing’s elite Jinbao shopping district. Now, even a greater number of wealthy Chinese will be able to show up government officials in their mere Audi A6s. At the recent Beijing auto show FAW introduced yet a smaller version of the limousine, the L5, to the retail market and businessman Wang Zhonghua, who owns a chain of furniture malls in China, paid $4.9 million yuan, about 800,000 U.S. dollars, for the first one.
The L5 is still a large car, 5,555 mm (218.7″) long with a 3,435 mm (135.2″) wheelbase. It’s powered by the same 408 hp six liter V12 engine as in the bigger Red Flag cars. The V12 is backed by a six speed automatic transmission. Inside is white leather, aluminum, and wood, along with multiple flatscreens and reclining seats for the buyers, who will likely be riding in the back.
Tycho, who graciously let us use these photos from Car News China, says that the target customer is a patriotic Chinese businessman who is bored with Rolls-Royce Phantoms and Bentley Mulsannes. If you’re one of those folks, or if you want something impressive to have when you’re at your pied a terre in Beijing (there are no export plans at the moment), you can expect to wait about three months for delivery, since the cars are handmade.
The expansion of the Hongqi Red Flag lineup is to be expected. FAW invested over $300 million to overhaul the brand. Since the 2009 revival of the brand, Hongqi has delivered over 500 Red Flag limos to government bodies in China. Whether patriotism will overcome the stigma that domestic brands seem to carry in the retail Chinese market remains to be seen.
Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, a realistic perspective on cars & car culture and the original 3D car site. If you found this post worthwhile, you can get a parallax view at Cars In Depth. If the 3D thing freaks you out, don’t worry, all the photo and video players in use at the site have mono options. Thanks for reading – RJS
If I was the figurehead of South Korea, I’d be proud to have an EQUUS motorcade.
If I was the head of Japan, I’d be proud to have an LS600 motorcade.
If I was the Chinese premiere, I’d have the designer of this monstrosity jailed – right next to the Fa Lun Gong protesters.
Says the guy with a 300 as his avatar.
I’d be proud to have a 300 motorcade or a Jeep motorcade.
I believe in the product.
You will too if you make the mistake of getting in my way on my roads.
> You will too if you make the mistake of getting in my way on my roads.
MURICA! F YEAH!
BIGTRUCK IN 2020!
A CHRYSLER IN EVERY HOME.
Time for a Model S the size of a W222 – flagship.
Time for the Imperial concept from 09 or whenever to be in production.
We don’t care how you Italians do it with your Fiatslers over in Italy, this is America, seems like our President is driven about in a Cadillac as our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ intended. God Bless the U.S.A.!
Figures though. It looks like the overweight bastard love child of a 300 and a BMC Landcrab.
I think the “head of Japan” (Both the PM and the Emperor) have Toyota Centuries, not LS600s.
Correct. They have a specially made Imperial Crown Century limousine.
In Japan, more likely a Toyota Century motorcade than an LS one.
This car is amazing if you know the history behind it and it looks exactly how it should look.
The price is a little silly but it’s meant to be super exclusive.
If I was a billionaire I’d buy one and drive around blasting dong fang hong at maximum volume, hahaha
I wouldn’t pay $800,000 for ANYTHING “made in China”.
Not even a ChengDu J20.
I’d say “把它给我便宜点”
我给你万美元
Thing is 100’s of Americans do every year (spend more then 800k on a china built product). Here is just a small sampling of million dollar plus yachts made in China and sold here.
Grand Banks
Marlow
Eastbay
Nordhaven
Choey Lee
Flemming
Ocean Alexander
Krogen
So it is possible to get people to pay it.
I concur. What else isn’t made in China these days?
British tea.
True. The tea leaves are from Sri Lanka and containers are made in China.
It’s like a DTS-L with a fake 1950’s front on it. It’s ghastly.
So, the Chinese have figured out how to to make a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham d’elegance for $800K, I’ll bet Cadillac would be willing to whip-up as many as they’d like for a whole lot less
http://www.mcsmk8.com/96-BRHM-BLK/HR/96-BRHM-06.JPG
It could be just me but that interior does not look particularly luxurious from those (admittedly low resolution) photos. It was this sort of weird wood(-like?) trim on the dashboard with a few iPads thrown into the front and back. For an $800,000 car, the leather or the carpet does not look particularly inviting either. I have to say, British marques generally do a better job of designing retro luxury cars.
> It could be just me but that interior does not look particularly luxurious from those (admittedly low resolution) photos.
This isn’t really meant as a competitive luxury car as much as something for the nouveau riche to show off nostalgia of their youth.
Yahoo auto has much higher resolution photos of a tan interior L5. As far as I can tell, it’s the equal of a Phantom and Mulsanne, and innovative in interior design. I can see Bentley and Rolls Royce copying the central LCD instrument cluster.
I’d post the link, but I’ve had crummy luck cutting and pasting in WordPress.
Correction, it was BBC.
http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20140424-meet-chinas-most-expensive-car
I like it because it is a cartoon mash-up of American luxury.
I agree, some of it is over the top, but it’s at least interesting looking. The sides are a bit too “heavy”, it actually needs another size up in the wheel department to fill the openings or a different style.
Looks like a 50’s Ford cross bred with a Rolls and a current Chrysler 300, with a touch more current BMW/Rolls on the inside. The Chinese, as usual, copied the best(?) aspects of certain things and turned it into something.
Did reading this make you want a DTS again? It did for me. Luxury III/Performance.
As they always say, it’s the inside that counts.
Only ugly people say that.
Someone fed meth and krispy kremes to a ’56 Continental.
Mmmm…meth and Krispy Kremes…
LOL
Well, once you understand that it’s not a sport sedan or “four door coupe” but a limousine, the design is very decent for the purpose. I’d tone down the tail lights and dump the ’57 Ford headlights, but the rest of it does what a limo is supposed to do. It seems a bit narrow for three across in the rear, assuming a Chinese higher-up would want two of his favorite, er, daughters with him.
Who’s ya daddy?
Nice ride, except instrument panel shall be placed in front of driver instead in the middle.
Somehow I doubt the person buying this car cares at all about the driver’s comfort. I have to admit that I would love to have a car like this with my own driver.
It’s growing on me in away. It has a presence, character, and the design theme is consistent throughout the car. I think some of the current Toyota designers could learn something from the L5.
It is UTTERLY tasteless, and shows no restraint. The current Toyota designers could learn something from their own Century.
“It is UTTERLY tasteless, and shows no restraint.”
That’s the CHARM of it! It’s not as tasteful and restrained as a 1958 Imperial Crown Southampton, but what is?
Its like the ultimate James Bond villain car.
I’d drive the hell out of that thing.
It looks a lot better than Cadillac’s “Beast”.
I have to admit, I love the headlights.
This thing just sort of has that vibe of being what Stalin would order if he were still alive… Massive, laden with chrome, and beautifully hand-built, but at the same time slightly menacing. Of course rather than a Packard it’s simply a Lincoln this time around. Even the red flag emblem is very similar to the ones on old Joe’s car if you look it up. For all that, this Chinese homage to a Mark II is definitely more handsome looking than anything Lincoln currently offers…
Decimal error… I think 4.9 million yuan is more like $80.
I’d buy it for that ’cause it has a decent greenhouse and I wouldn’t begrudge having to swap out the headlights for some 6024s.
No new car is worth that much money, none, period.
But, slap a Lincoln badge on it, a 5.0 under the hood, and sale it for around $50k, and it totally starts to make sense.
From the back and sides it’s very hot-rod Lincoln. I kinda like it.
I couldn’t resist:
https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=43902118&trk=spm_pic
It conveys authority and power. It’s distinctive enough (are those LED rings in the headlights?) to be recognized immediately in the rearview of lesser auto’s in its way. V12, soft leather, recliners with acres of legroom. As long as the HVAC is flawless it’s perfect.
If I’m in charge in China, and my car cost $800k, you better damn well close the road before I arrive. The proletariat will not view my personal conveyance.
Bloated Farina redux from premier Chou En-lai’s Peugeot 404.