No country loves guns like the United States. Hell, we have 44 million more of them than we have people. We’re a nation of pistol-shaped cigarette lighters, shotgun-barrel wedding bands, and daily mass shootings. Yet somehow, we’ve been beaten to gun-ifying our automobiles by China, which has built a 1,000-horsepower SUV with door handles that crib from one of the most iconic handguns in history: the Colt M1911.
Thes handles are found in the Dongfeng M-Hero 917, part of the brand’s Mengshi (translation: “warrior”) lineup of off-roaders. They effectively sprang from reverse-engineered Humvees, though like the rest of the Chinese auto industry, they’ve matured into high-tech EVs. In the case of the M-Hero 917, that means a choice between a Hummer EV-rivaling 1,069-hp quad-motor electric drivetrain or range-extended EV propulsion like the upcoming Ram 1500 REV. But let’s not dwell long on the powertrain, because we’re here for the firepower hidden in its doors.
There’s no buts about it: those door handles are clearly modeled after the Colt M1911. Chambered in .45 ACP, the handgun has seen service around the world for more than a century, and remains a popular choice with gun owners today. From the shape of its slide, with its offset ejection port, to its two-riveted wooden handgrip, the M1911’s shape is recognizable anywhere. It takes an effort not to see one here, where the only out-of-place element is that shape toward the rear of the “slide.” It looks more like the safety on a Browning Hi-Power, though they’re broadly similar-looking guns, and Dongfeng’s designers may have been inspired by both. That “never back down” inscription also sounds a lot like stand your ground.
On one hand, I’m surprised China incorporated these styling elements first, as they don’t have the same relationship with the M1911 that we do. At the same time, it’s a recognizable, evocative design, one that American automakers probably couldn’t come near without getting a cease-and-desist. China, meanwhile, doesn’t play by the rules of basic intellectual property law, and Dongfeng is state-owned. A lawsuit would probably go as far as… well, a .45 ACP into the door of a Tesla Cybertruck.
There’s a lot of other fun, less militaristic stuff going on in the M-Hero 917’s interior, from the play and pause buttons on its pedals to its satisfying drive selectors. It’s too bad Americans are scared of Chinese cars, because this Dongfeng (and the country’s many impressive pickups) would be interesting to take for a test drive. Odds are you agree if you’ve bothered reading this far—though if it were my money, I’d be chasing down the 4G63T-powered Jeep Cherokee pickup to build the strangest sand rail you’ve ever seen.
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