Luo Wenyou is the owner of one of the biggest collections of classic Chinese cars, having around 200 vehicles that range from Mao Zedong’s stretch limo to utility vehicles like a fire truck.
Luo is also the owner of the country’s first private museum of classic cars, located in Beijing’s northern Huairou district, giving visitors the chance to learn more about the early automotive culture in China, CNN reports.
One of the highlights of his collection is of course Mao’s Hongqi stretch limousine, the only one of its kind, which was never used by him as he died before it was completed. “The car technicians were excited, and wanted to produce the longest car as a gift for Mao,” Luo says.
Luo’s passion for cars made him sell his fortune, which included three successful businesses, in order to start his collection and build a museum around it, to showcase China’s frequently overlooked automotive culture.
What’s most fascinating though is hearing him talking about the early days of private car ownership in China, with only a few cars on the road and police officers giving signals as there were no traffic lights.
Watch James Wasserman’s documentary about Luo and his unique classic car museum below.