The Chinese "clone" UAZ"469": the Beijing 4x4
The UAZ "469" has also a Chinese "cousin", different in the coachwork, but very similar in the mechanical part, and produced by the Beijing Jeep Corporation (above, the brand). The Beijing "212" (second pic above), like the UAZ "469", was presented in the early 60s, and produced after some year. The base is the same of the "469" (same 2500 cc. engine, four cylinders), but even simpler than the UAZ: until the early 90s, the gearbox was still with only three speeds!
Produced only for the Chinese army until some year ago, the Beijing are now produced also for the civil market. Above, the new versions, called "2020" (first, second and third pics above; in the fourth pic, the beautiful "2020 Kuangcao ST"), with several improvements, as the alloy wheels, the front disk brakes, new shock-absorbers, colllapsable steering column, lighter clutch and...a gearbox with 4 speeds (at least, not three!). With 85 hp, the factory declares a "rapid" acceleration in 16, 5 seconds...but from 0 to 60 km/h! The Beijing produces also the Jeep Cherokee under license, and the "Heroic", a Jeep-based 4x4; therefore, curiously, Soviet and American production are still both present in the Beijing s range of models (see the page about the Chinese cars). |
