Illegal Muscle Cars: How Enthusiasts Are Recreating Forbidden Classics in China

With all the discussion around China’s automotive industry, it’s easy to gloss over the fact that all of it is still very new in the grand scheme. Cars have not been as ubiquitous for as long in China as they have in the rest of the world, and, historically, the government’s perspective on classic cars was basically that nobody should have them. However, a group of renegades don’t seem to be big fans of that stance, to the point that they’ve taken matters into their own hands to produce new cars that don’t exactly look it.

A video from the YouTube channel Everything Electric APAC dives into the fascinating world of FullGood Motors, a company in Beijing that actually started out of a local motorcycle club that dates back over 30 years. FullGood began with a mission to bring a vision of Americana to China’s streets— almost like Mitsuoka in Japan—though the company has had to approach that in a rather roundabout way due to the law.

Generally speaking, you can’t import any old car to China. There are special allowances for vehicles at least 100 years old, believe it or not, but as this AutoWeek explainer from 2024 spells out, good luck trying to ship a ’60s Mustang across the world to drive it on their streets. Motorists are also pretty much forbidden from modifying existing vehicles, which is why an enthusiast who fancies a hot rod can’t just turn their ride into one.

Bearing all this in mind, FullGood took a different strategy. Six years ago, it reached out to BYD and contracted the country’s biggest automaker to design a custom body for one of its electric sedans, making it look like a first-gen Corvette. BYD did it, and FullGood christened the car the Dolphin SS. With a fully modern interior and a shell obviously designed to accommodate the frame of a passenger EV, there’s absolutely no way the Dolphin SS would fool any Vette fanatic, but it is clearly a thoughtful tribute, especially in a country where the real article is forbidden.

However, this exercise was just that—not exactly a process that FullGood could replicate at scale. Since then, the motorcycle club-turned-boutique automaker has started formally working with the Nanjing government as well as Jinlong, a company that typically makes buses, to bring its nostalgic ideas to production.

And boy, does FullGood have some ideas. One is a modern Volkswagen bus, called the Summer, that makes the ID.Buzz look positively depressing. It has three side doors and seats that can sit on rails, allowing for placement anywhere in the cabin, and swivel in place. That one is apparently the closest to production, and will reportedly be drivable in the coming months.

The very mean FullGood Hot Rod. Everything Electric APAC via YouTube

It’s also still developing the Dolphin concept, with a newer version that has rear seats and second-row doors that are actually rear-hinged. But FullGood’s wildest proposal looks fit for a ’30s gangster, wearing a badge that simply reads “Hot Rod.” By the way, if you head to the LA Auto Show in November, there’s entirely a chance you could see one or several of these in person, as the company expects to have a presence there.

Are these cars perfect masterpieces beyond critique? No, I wouldn’t say so—especially not with their interiors making almost no effort to hide that they’re brand-new, modern cars wearing retro costumes. I’m not jealous that these vehicles don’t exist on our side of the world. That said, it’s extremely commendable how far this group is willing to go to build cars that look like the ones they wish they could drive. There’s clearly an incredible spirit behind what FullGood is trying to do, and, with any luck, maybe Beijing’s roads will look a little more colorful and fun in the coming years as a result.

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