The 1974 Hongqi CA770. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn]
As an important highlight of the 2024 Shanghai Auto Culture Festival, the Classic Car Parade is set to roll out in Shanghai this May Day holiday, carrying out antique car parades in the core area of Jiading New City, Country Park, villages of rural tourism, to connect the public with the heritage of automobile culture closer to the public.
Visitors will be treated to a unique spectacle this upcoming holiday as 10 classic vintage cars from the Shanghai Auto Museum, including the 1974 Hongqi CA770, the 1948 Chrysler, and the 1967 Alfa Romeo, will form a parade to roam through the places.
The Classic Car Parade, introduced in 2017, has gained widespread acclaim among visitors. Notably, the 1948 Chrysler and the 1967 Alfa Romeo, which have not participated in parades in recent years, will "reappear" during the auto culture festival.
"During the auto culture festival, we welcome citizens and car enthusiasts from around the world to get up close with these classic cars and experience the charm of vintage classic cars," said Zhang Min, project manager of the Classic Car Parade.
The meticulous preparation for this grand parade involves a professional team's careful maintenance. At the museum's workshop, the vehicles undergo thorough repair and maintenance to ensure the safety and stability of the parade.
Hu Huigang, the museum's vehicle management manager, emphasized the importance of restoring and maintaining vintage cars to their original factory condition, highlighting the process as akin to preserving cultural artifacts.
The vintage car maintenance procedures at the museum encompass two distinct tiers: full maintenance, which includes cleaning, waxing, and polishing on a quarterly basis, and partial maintenance, involving the periodic replacement of essential fluids such as oil, water, and anti-freeze, typically performed every six months to a year. Hu expressed a profound sense of fulfillment in the restoration of these vintage cars to their original condition with his own hands.
The 1948 Chrysler. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn]
The 1967 Alfa Romeo. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn]