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China's first limo and Chinese leaders

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"In the sixties and seventies, being driven in a Hongqi car ranked alongside visiting Chairman Mao and staying at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse as one of the highest privileges for foreign dignitaries," Luo said.

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin travels in a Hongqi sedan to review troops at the 50th anniversay of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1999. [Photo/ Xinhua]

In 1961, Indonesia's former President Sukarno paid a visit to China. During the welcome ceremony along the Tian'anmen Square, he stood on the Hongqi CA72 Cabriolet to salute people. But due to longtime standing, he felt tired and stepped onto the seat sitting on the back.

"It could help him look like standing," Luo said, "and Premier Zhou Enlai noticed what's happened."

Afterwards, Premier Zhou called for making a review car in which leaders and guests could either stand or sit.

One year later, the FAW developed a car that fulfilled Zhou's requirement. In the car, the reviewers could press a button and escalate the seat. Helped by this, they could be seen as if still standing.

Luo did not tell whether this kind of car has been used by other reviews after that.

But he collected a special car which witnessed Zhou's fight with bladder cancer.

"There is only a stretcher behind the driving cab," Luo introduced, "Premier Zhou could lay on the stretcher."

"The window was covered by curtain in order not to be recognized when it was driven among the fleet," Luo disclosed.

Luo Wenyou was born in the countryside in north China' s Hebei Province and lined his pocket by running a transport company, a karting site and an automobile repair shop since the age of 24.

He took fresh crack at collecting world classic cars from 1978 when private car was still a rarity in China's street, and has poured in tens of millions yuan into his "cause" up to now.

"I can' t exactly count how much money I have put in. The cars are priceless for me," said Luo.

His life was intimately entwined with Hongqi since 1998, when Louis Vuitton Classic, one of the world's largest free classic-car rallies, landed in China.

Luo drove the three rows of seats Hongqi CA770 in the rally from Dalian to Beijing as the only Chinese player.

He had almost 60 classic cars to choose from for the rally, including many high-performance world-level limousines.

"But I chose the Hongqi because a Chinese player should drive his own Chinese car in the game," he said.

As Luo's first Hongqi car, the V8-engined CA770 has a lesser-known legendary history. "The previous owner of it is Nie Rongzhen."

Nie (1899-1992) was a prominent Chinese Communist military leader and one of ten Marshals in the People's Liberation Army of China.

Luo said he forgot how many times he was moved to tears during the game. "Many witnesses shouted 'long live China, long live Hongqi'," he recalled.

Wherever he arrived, people lined the roads, cheering and taking photos with the Hongqi "in a display of respect and pride to Chinese-made vehicle".

"The rally changed me from a common classic car fan into a responsible lover of Chinese-made limousines, especially the Hongqi," Luo said.

"Since then, I have dreamt of letting more people know the history and value of them," he continued.

Luo sold his businesses and house after the rally and immersed himself in China' s classic car collection. His "craziness" used to anger his family, but nothing would stop him.

In 2005, he went to Beijing to build a classic car museum, only to find his love for ancient vehicles being cold-shouldered.

After spending eight million yuan, Luo's private museum, a two-floor building of 3,000 square meters, finally opened in 2009. But he also changed from a multi-millionaire to a church mouse.

"It takes a certain strength to collect these cars, and an entirely different kind to let people know their existence and value," Luo told.

His initial purpose was to show people the history of Chinese classic cars as well as the nation. Unexpectedly, only a few school children and individual travelers visit the museum. It fails to make ends meet now.

"My sources of income are from tickets (50 yuan per person) and car rentals for exhibitions and movies. It is far from enough to cover the maintenance and repair costs," Luo said frowningly.

Many well-to-do people offered to buy his 10.08-meter Hongqi over the past years, but he rejected the deals.

Equipped with a refrigerator, air conditioning, TV, telephone, leather sofas, the super long V8-engined vehicle is placed outstandingly in the museum and capable of holding ten passengers.

"How could our country produce such a great limousine in 1970s? Its technology and design are so amazing that even now it's not a possibility for many countries," he said, declining to say how it came into his possession.

According to FAW research institute, Luo's lengthened Hongqi was ordered by Chairman Mao in the early 1970s. But when the car completed in 1976, the same year Mao passed away, it failed to emerge and be used.

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