When was the last time you were at a flea market? I mean a real, genuine, piles-of-weird-stuff flea market? I feel like it’s been too long for me. Part of why I think this is because I can still see bits of floor in my basement office/workshop that isn’t currently covered by car parts or a 40-year-old computer or video game console, which is a problem flea markets can be quite good at addressing. Also, there’s the fact that one of our Autopian members, who goes by the name Dogapult (who also once
send me an amazing T-shirt
from
Madagascar’s best carmaker
I discovered an impressive Video CD at a Chinese street market.
posted it on Discord
This Video CD (a format worth discussing, as we’ll cover later) serves as a promotional or introductory piece for the Santana 2000 GSi from Shanghai Volkswagen. The vehicle showcased is essentially a second-generation VW Passat produced through VW Brazil.
The entire peculiar existence of these obsolete Passats in China is quite intriguing; in numerous aspects,
China’s manufacturing output of VW Santana models
served as a blueprint and played an instrumental role in establishing the groundwork for China’s entire automotive sector. Initially, they produced Santanas using completely knocked down (CKD) kits starting in 1983, manufacturing around 10,000 units by 1986, with only 6% of components being sourced domestically. However, by 1995, this number had surged to 89%, largely due to the swift expansion of local automobile part manufacturers driven by the ambition to maximize domestic production within China.
The Santana was updated a number of times, still on the same basic B2 Passat platform that started in 1981. The Brazilian variant used to make the Chinese Santana was then modified further by Shangai-VW in 1991,
acquiring an extended wheelbase and broader rear doors
The modifications that made these vehicles particularly appealing for taxi use. The specific model highlighted in this video is known as the Santana 2000. It features a 1.8-liter engine capable of producing 99 horsepower.
This particular video called “Dogapult” states that the content was discovered on a VCD, short for Video Compact Disc—a storage medium introduced back in 1993. This technology allowed around 74 minutes of video to be stored on a standard CD using the new MPEG-1 compression method. The VCD gained significant traction primarily in Asian countries and certain developing regions. Over time, however, it became obsolete due to factors such as easily accessible writable CD burners facilitating widespread piracy. Later on, DVDs and Blu-ray discs took over thanks to their superior picture quality and larger capacity for extended movie lengths. Thus, the existence of VCDs stands out as an interesting relic from those times!
[
Ed note:
I still have a sleeve of VCDs of the show ‘Sports Night’ somewhere.
– MH]
Here’s what Dogapult had to say about his score:
I’ve got a treat for you guys. I bought a VCD while in China at a flea market. It was an introduction to the VW Santana 2000 GSi. I will admit, I used some AI here, but had it transcribed in Mandarin, and then translated to English.
There might be an additional version of this video available somewhere online, though I find that unlikely.
translated
One. This is significant because you aim to grasp all the subtle details in this 20-minute clip showcasing a calm gentleman dressed in a suit meticulously examining each part and aspect of the Santana 2000 GSi.
Sure, feel free to take a look. It’s rather oddly comforting:
It’s not an
exciting
The video holds a similar kind of attraction as many others.
MotorWeek
In each episode, a quiet individual operates all controls of a vehicle by pressing every button, pulling every lever, and twisting every knob.
Additionally, it features thrilling segments like the Wheel and Tire luxuriating in a field of grass scene:
…and the exciting Gonna Push The Window Lock Button subplot:
…and then there’s simply impressive driving scenes showcasing what appears to be an urban landscape with more polluted air than we see in China nowadays:
It’s an intriguing discovery—a genuine relic from a specific time period—and considering how far China’s automotive sector has come, it’s particularly captivating. Given where China stands now in the automobile industry, one can’t help but see the significant role played by that seemingly straightforward compact car featured in the clip.
Thank you for sharing this, Dogapult!
The post
One of our members discovered a rare and soothingly ordinary video CD about the VW Santana at a Chinese flea market.
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