Mini classic-car/modern classics meetup

On the same day BMW-SG had their ///M showroom meetup, there was to be another gathering of car enthusiasts later in the day. A number of classic-car and modern-classic appreciators had a small meetup and here are some of the cool cars which showed up. Heading up the modern-classics camp, we have a Porsche 993 Carrera RS, an Audi Ur Quattro (the only one remaining in Singapore), and a BMW E36 M3.

The RS looked particularly stunning.



Quattro wasn't far off either. It was totally gleaming in the sunlight.

E36 M3 looking splendid as well.

Mk 1 Golf Cabriolet had a nice interior.


And this E34's engine is really just so clean.



Representing the classics,one car i've never seen before in my life and never thought to exist locally was this really cool Plymouth Valiant Barracuda. The 'Cuda used to spend its life along the beaches of Bali but has now rolled up its sleeves for the City life of Singapore.







This Triumph GT6 is really beautiful too, its really quite small compared with modern machines though. Looking inside, is like looking into a time machine.


Shortly after, this massive circa '38 Buick Series 90 Limited rolled in and it dwarfed everything around it. It is BIG. Note the difference in size with the Mercedes SL parked in front.



There were a couple more other mentionable cars which i did not take shots of, a Porsche 964 and a 930, a Saab 900 Turbo Cabriolet, a mini, a couple of Triumph Sunbeams and an MG. It really is refreshing to see these cars out in the open rather then hidden away in someone's garage. Let's hope more of these classics appear on our roads in the future.

Retrospective: Ben's E90 and the journey of my E30

Continuing on the contributions i added for BMW-SG, here's a feature on Ben's E90 330i. This car has evolved alot more ever since this feature and has one tight in-car-entertainment system installed. Read more about Ben's car here»

And another E30, this time, my own personal ride before i bought the '36. A short topsy-turvy journal of how it started off from this:

And gradually became:

Before finally evolving to...

Whitey is now under the care of my father and brother who works at SPH. Maybe you might spot it there one day. Read more about the E30 here»

Retrospective: An E30, a Z4 and a holiday in Bali

Thinking back a couple of years ago, when i first started contributing to BMW-SG, i never realised it would one day land me in the seat of the latest Ultimate Driving Machines to hit our local shores. I consider myself truely fortunate and blessed to everytime i put my hands on the wheel of another brand new BMW. What gave me the chance to do this now, were some articles i contributed and am sharing now with you readers. Here, (and in the coming updates) will be a collection of some of my writeups for the local BMW community. I hope you enjoy reading them as i did writing them.


My very first contribution was on an ol'favourite of mine, the everlasting E30. Being an ex-E30 driver/part-owner, writing about this car was a true delight. I think from what i gather, this car has either been sold to a local collector or it has been exported out to the US of A. The amount of work undertaken on this car is really intense. Read more about it here»


Another stunning steed couldn't be more different as Alpine white Z4 shows. Truely modern in everyway, but with as much attention to detail to the build as the earlier car. This car tore up the local streets and tracks with it's charged up heart beating under the long sleek bonnet. Read more about it here»


A little bit of formality to end off this post, apologies for the late update due to all the work i have had and also took some time off for a trip to Bali last week. Garage36 will (hopefully) be powering back up with more new stuff soon!

Tokyo Auto Salon 2010: Hako-Ste "Hakosuka+Stagea"

So, you're a car lover, but not just any car lover. You are a Wagonist, but at the same time, you happen to like classic cars, but also at the same time, you want some modern power. What do you do? Personally, i can identify with someone like that. My guess is the folks over at Roadster Garage have the same inclinations when it comes to cars, shoehorning RB26 powerplants into numerous cult JDM classic sports cars. But that's just too conventional. How about doing something really different.

How about, combining the front and rear ends of the Hakosuka Skylines with the body of the previous generation Stagea? The result is pretty crazy, but at this year's Auto Salon, the boys from the garage have done it and it's called the Hako-Ste.


Taking the front and rear ends from the old Box-Skyline, coupled with extensive custom bodywork to produce what i think is a very unique automobile. One of my favourites of the show (probably #02 right after the FT86).

I even managed to talk to one of the staffers and he happily lifted up the bonnet to show off the Hako-Ste's heart. An RB26 sat inside proudly, eliminating any doubt of this car's power potential.


Almost all the body panels on the car has has some work done to it sans the roof. Even the sides have been sculpted to flow with the lines of the Hakosuka. It's very imnpressive and totally awesome.

Sitting next to the Hako-Ste was a curious looking Willys jeep.

I stood there for quite some time just taking in all the awesomeness of this crazy project. Props to the boys from Roadster Garage!

Classic Wagonist with a lust for power around the World rejoice!

Cool Classics at Tokyo Auto Salon 2010

The Tokyo Auto Salon has always been known as THE place to be to see the latest trends and technologies in the World of automotive tuning, but take a walk down the halls and you will see a number of classic automobiles from a time when the internets never existed and when cars could just be cars without the need for "eco" legislation. Compiled here are my classic car highlights of TAS2010. I might have missed out a few whilst trying to cover the Auto Salon, hopefully i got most of them.

My favourites? These 2, the pair of 240Zs from Rocky Auto. A shop specialising in bringing these classics to life! These 2 Fairladies though have been breathed upon by the Goddess of Fairladies, giving them probably the widest wheelarch extensions to fit the phattest of wheels powered by the all-might RB26. When i first saw these 2 on Speedhunters, i went wild just looking at the pictures. To be able to feast my own eyes on them is just pure ecstasy.


Check out how deep those dishes are.


Can't beat the RB26.

Beautiful wheelarches wrapping them phat wheels.

The white one in particular gets my vote for being truly tits hot.

Showing that not all cars had to be fiery racers, this fully restored 240Z looked like it just came out of the factory back in the 70s.



Perfectly clean, just the way you like it.

How about another car from the same marque? Here are the GTRs.




Star Road had an immaculate example sitting proud on stands with mirrors underneath for showgoers to take in all the detailed work that has gone on, in this Work-Equipped "Hakosuka".



Biko Works were showing a classic GTR that looked ready to go on the tracks.

You prefer fastacks? Here are some KPCG110 GTRs for you.


This one above, needed just a tad more work to be finished.

Or not, it was actually a car undergoing restoration work. Check out the how it looked before it was rescued!



Here's a better example, a full on proper KPGC110 GTR restored to glory by the people at Rocky Auto once again.

What's under the bonnet you may ask?

RB26!!! Try taking this on at the traffic lights!!!

How about the AE86? No Auto Salon can be complete without these cult cars. With a strong Worldwide following and new parts still being made for them, they are a favourite for those who enjoy going through life sideways. Let us work our way through some of the AEs of the show. Starting off with a clean example at Toyota.


This particular car was placed right behind the FT86. The Initial D-ish cup of water was inside too.


Moving on up, a beautiful red Levin from Impulse. With a carbon hood and carbon rear hatch, this AE looked stunning!


Check out that engine bay.


The wildest looking Hachirokus of the show belong to Custom Garage SPEED. Showcasing not just one, but two of these fully N2 kitted machines.



Loving those classic deep deep deep Watanabes.

There were a number of other beautifully built classic cars at the show are even i have trouble identifying all of them.


My guess for the above is a Datsun Bluebird, and the one below, no idea.


It DID have one of the cleanest interiors i've ever seen. Very very well done custom.


American Muscles were well represented with Camaros and even a Mach 1 Mustang.





The Mach 1 was on sale at the show.


Not all were to everyone's taste though, but still worth showing you folk. Here's a green Mk3 Supra.


That's it for my coverage of the classics! Thanks for reading!