Garage36

Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 - The P-Cars

2012-01-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

Porsches seem to be a staple diet of the Japanese, walk down the streets of Central Tokyo and chances are, a Porsche will drive by almost every 10 minutes. With so many Porsches porking around, it was somewhat strange to not see many 911s at the Auto Salon.

Old is gold as some say, and Goodyear had a lovely RUF at their booth. You just can't beat an old school 911.

Especially one in RUF trim and 2 hot models standing alongside.

FatLace had a super sexy RWB, christened the "Spearmind Rhino". More on this car in a future post.

The current trend of aftermarket modifications seem to be targetted more at sedans and SUVs/MPVs, so no surprises that the P-cars featured at the Auto Salon consisted mostly of Panameras and Cayennes. The Panameras benifitting the most from these aftermarket additions. Making them go from looking pretty hideous to being actually pretty. HRE had a white Pan-am...

...and Wurde displayed a black one.

Even Junction Produce brought out a Panamera. Can't VIP a Porsche? Think again...

Techart showed off 2 Cayennes...

...while Hamann made do with one.

Most of the 911s on show were competition cars as the above Itasha'd 911 from Dijon Racing showed.

As always, you can never go wrong with the Hankook girls.

Read more:
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: The BMWs
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Audi & VW
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Volvos
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Mercedes-Benz
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Porsches

Tokyo 2012 Day 1
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 1: Sushi-Dai & Ginza
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 2: Toyota Megaweb
Tokyo 2012 Day 3 - Tokyo Disneysea!

Tokyo 2012 Day 3 - Tokyo Disneysea!

2012-01-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

On a nice and crisp morning of our 3rd day in Tokyo, we headed off to Chiba for Tokyo DisneySea. A short rapid train ride on the Chuo line to Tokyo station and a quick transfer (with a stop at Newdays for onigiri) to the Keiyo line got us onto another rapid ride to Maihama where the Tokyo Disney Resort awaits.

I've never been to Disneysea before and had high hopes from what i've read online. I was not to be disappointed, Tokyo Disneysea is totally awesome from the get-go.

They were celebrating their 10th anniversary and had additional shows and merchandise to reflect this occasion.

From the immersive atmosphere of the park, the awesome rides and the amazing shows. It was for sure, well worth the money spent on admissions.

I even got my usually squeamish girlfriend onto a few thrill rides. She enjoyed the roller coaster.

But less so on the Tower of Terror, which in my book is THE best ride of them all.

You sort of get an idea of what is about to happen when you see this while in the queue.

Here is when they let you in on the back story, it was mostly in Japanese but the visuals are enough to clue you in.

I enjoyed it alot more then my girlfriend...

There are shows going on throughout the day and they are all on a grand scale, this one made really good use of kites.

The entire park is themed and seperated into different sections, this particular one was modelled after an Undersea theme from The Little Mermaid movie. They built it underground too and that gave it a really good under-sea feel. Awesome.

Even the toilet signs are themed.

There is just soooo much to see and do here that to cover everything in a single day would be impossible. We went on a good day with minimal crowds and minimal queues but we still could not finish off everything that we set off to do. Although we did do most of em.

If i was to choose between Disneyland and Disneysea? No contest, Disneysea hands down. It truely has something for everyone to enjoy.

Here's us "Under the Sea".

After watching the last show of the day, we finished up by buying merchandise and set off back to Shinjuku for dinner at the Funabashi Honten tempura joint.

Sadly, it wasn't as great an experience as i remebered. We were late and had the last order, so the last dish we had was really oily. Maybe the chef was in a rush to close up, but still...

Read more:
Tokyo 2012 Day 1
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 1: Sushi-Dai & Ginza
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 2: Toyota Megaweb
Tokyo 2012 Day 3 - Tokyo Disneysea!

Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 - Mercedes-Benzos

2012-01-25T07:23:00.000-08:00

The Japanese love their cars and the Japanese love their Mercedes Benzs. With plenty of decked out Benzs scattered around the show floor, there was much to see for the Mercedes fans.

Veilside had one of the biggest if not finest selection of these German automobiles with a Premier4509 SLR taking center stage flanked by a pair of SL-Blacks.

Wald would come a close second with their showcase of their Black Bison'd SL and CLS.

The CLS looking particularly menacing in a satin black finish.

Elsewhere, Mansory showed off a G-Class

and the not very creatively named, JF (Japanese Forged) Wheels had an SL.

This Goldrush Rally SLS attracted quite alot of attention.

Lorinser had a CLS as well but i took more time to look at this little Smart fitted with some big ass wheelarch extensions and some really fat rear rubber.

Zees once again brought along their bedazzled S-Class.

And to round up my Benz coverage, a hunkered down satin white CLS from the awesome people at Fatlace.

Read more:
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: The BMWs
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Audi & VW
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Volvos
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Mercedes-Benz
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Porsches

Tokyo 2012 Day 1
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 1: Sushi-Dai & Ginza
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 2: Toyota Megaweb
Tokyo 2012 Day 3 - Tokyo Disneysea!

eGarage & Maiham Media: Tokyo Auto Salon 2012

2012-01-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

eGarage and Luke Huxham/Maiham-Media bringing an awesome awesome video showcasing highlights of the recently concluded Tokyo Auto Salon 2012. HD please.

eGarage.com // Tokyo Auto Salon from Luke Huxham on Vimeo.

Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 - Volvos?

2012-01-24T00:32:00.000-08:00

I never thought i'd see Volvos at the Auto Salon, and i'd never thought i'd actually like how they look! This Volvo pair from ERST shows how with the right wheels, Volvos can look pretty good.

Yokohama had a Volvo in their area too. It's somewhere in this picture.

Read more:
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: The BMWs
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Audi & VW
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Volvos
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Mercedes-Benz
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Porsches

Tokyo 2012 Day 1
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 1: Sushi-Dai & Ginza
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 2: Toyota Megaweb
Tokyo 2012 Day 3 - Tokyo Disneysea!

Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 - Audi / VW

2012-01-23T08:21:00.001-08:00

There were plenty of Audis on display this year at TAS, so i shall not waste more time and start posting plenty of pictures. I don't know about you but i find this itasha'd S5 rather amusing.

Blinged out R8 also deserves special mention for going into the details.

This A5 on HREs was a little more subdued.

Rieger kit looked pretty good on this Enthusiastic Audist's car.

Rowen had an R8 and A5 on their stand.

Some sticker applications worked better (or worse) then others as this Audi on Endless' booth shows.

VWs featured less though, with fewer GTIs on show then in previous years, but there was a new Beetle.

Read more:
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: The BMWs
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Audi & VW
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Volvos
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Mercedes-Benz
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Porsches

Tokyo 2012 Day 1
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 1: Sushi-Dai & Ginza
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 2: Toyota Megaweb
Tokyo 2012 Day 3 - Tokyo Disneysea!

Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 - The BMWs

2012-01-21T09:24:00.000-08:00

There were quite a number of BMWs on display at TAS this year and since my blog stemmed from my love of the marque, i shall start of my TAS postings with the cars from Bavaria!

ERJ Sports Development had a pair of fattened E90 sedans looking race ready with their "ZeroFighter" kit.

Laptorr's M3 was sitting close by.

Arma showed off their newly boosted Z4 sDrive23i. Up to slightly over 300 horses from 200 odd. Impressive.

I really liked the splash graphics on the sides.

Rowen also had a Z4 on their stand. They call it, the "White Wolf".

It was nice to see an E36 still on display.

This one had pretty cool silver carbon elements.

BBS had a 1M from Studie wearing their very sexy, very expensive and very lightweight BBS FIs. FI for Forged Individual.

How light? In 19" size, a wheel will come in at slightly below 7.4 kgs. Amazing.

Amongst all the BMWs on show, F10s were the choice of most tuners this year.

Work wheels had an F10.

So did 3D Design.

So did Studie. Showcasing an ACS'd F10.

Alongside another AC Schnitzer F10, this time in Touring form.

Hamann's contribution to the F10 party.

Kelleners Sport's F10.

Vorsteiner showed off an F10 as well.

Double trouble?

At Yokohama's stand, another F10 Touring from Studie. Looking pretty good in a satin sheen.

Breaking away from the F10 party, TP Checker had Ueno's BMW D1 machine on show.

There's Ueno!

Another BMW on BBS's booth, this time, an M3 sedan from Dort and again wearing those uber delicious BBS FIs.

If the BBS's are not to your taste, how about some lovely TE37SLs on this Sunbeam M3?

Or maybe these recently released TE37 Tokyo Time Attacks on a Craftsman M3?

This E90 was spotting with some dubious lighting appendages.

To finish off, an F01 spotting some interesting gold accents.

Read more:
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: The BMWs
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Audi & VW
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Volvos
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Mercedes-Benz
Tokyo Auto Salon 2012: Porsches

Tokyo 2012 Day 1
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 1: Sushi-Dai & Ginza
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 2: Toyota Megaweb
Tokyo 2012 Day 3 - Tokyo Disneysea!

Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 2: Toyota Megaweb

2012-01-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

First stop, the history garage. Two years ago, i made the trip here only to find it was closed. This time though, it was all open and i was all smiles! Just an awesome collection of cool whips. From tiny Toyota 800s to massive American Cadillac boats to the original Japanese sportscar legends, they had it all.

We were allowed to sit inside the tiny 360 to take photos.

You could sit inside the messerschmitt if you'd prefer.

Needs no introduction.

Lotus Elan.

Jaaaaaag.

Can't forget the BMW.

Lovely pair.

Back in time?

How to go broke really really quick. Visit this memorabilia shop.

Ahhhhhhhh...

Walk downstairs and you'll find even more lovely classics. I was floored to finally see a Toyota 2000GT in the flesh. Funny how small the car actually is.

240Z sitting next to a Mazda Cosmo. Awesome.

You won't see these too often.

Nor these... Grand daddy of all GT-Rs.

I share the same birth year as this Soarer.

Tiny Honda S800.

Even tinier Fiat 500. Or Luigi from Cars.

Just lots of awesome stuff everywhere!

Two legends being worked on inside a real garage.

Hachiroku!

Even the tailpipes get used in the deco of the cafe.

Right outside the cafe sat more cars. A Toyota GT-One, a Celica Rally machine, a Bluebird and a Toyota 800.

This Celica was still wearing it's battle scars.

Just so much to absorb in one short trip. I would love to return again. They do change the displays every once in a while so returning visitors will have a slightly different experience each time they visit.

They had a few Toyota 2000GT items on sale, i could only afford a sticker.

10,000Yen buys you this mystery bag containing a 1/18, a 1/43 and a 1/64. Total value is 20,000Yen. Only catch is you have no idea what cars they are. I was very tempted.

We also popped by a pet store right outside the History Garage. They had cute pups!

My girlfriend was tired out and headed for Starbucks while i ventured into the City Showcase. It was like one giant Toyota showroom.

You can open up almost all the cars and sit inside them.

Almost all...

I only wanted to get into the Century!

This is how Japanese bosses roll...

V12 baby!

Classic Toyotas were also scattered around.

Catalogues can be had for a small fee from vending machines. I grabbed a Crown Majesta booklet.

Just 2 stops away from the Megaweb is Super Autobacs Shinonome.

You don't see displays like this in your regular Autobacs.

Pick your poison. BBS, i choose you!

Unfortunately, the best bookstore in the world, Lindbergh has moved away from this location. In it's place is a section selling accessories for European marques. So all i bought from Super Autobacs this time was some stickers. I doubt i'd be returning since the bookstore was THE coolest part of this place.

And with that, we left Super Autobacs and Odaiba and made our way back to Shinjuku for some rest and dinner.

Coco Curry rice in Shinjuku is excellent!

Read more:
Tokyo 2012 Day 1
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 1: Sushi-Dai & Ginza
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 2: Toyota Megaweb
Tokyo 2012 Day 3 - Tokyo Disneysea!

Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 1: Sushi-Dai & Ginza

2012-01-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

Our second day in Tokyo started off early, wayyy early. We forced ourselves up at 5am, got dressed and headed straight towards the Tsukiji fish market for the boss of all Sushis. Sushi-Dai.

For the uninitiated, waiting times to get in can stretch up to 2 hours at times but almost everyone would tell you it is worth the wait. Sice we got there slightly early, we didn't need to wait too long. Here are some food pics. Om nom nom!!!

Above is fatty tuna, or Ootoro. Yummy.

Flounder.

Snapper.

Sea Urchin or Uni.

Mackeral.

Topshell. This one was still moving when served. Tasty though.

Tuna.

Baby shrimp.

Steamed eggs.

After breakfast we pottered around the fish market but headed back to the hotel shortly after for some shut eye again.

Next stop after our nap, Ginza. For some shopping and ambling about.

Hermes has a pretty cool glass building and there is an art gallery on the top floor for those interested. I got bored really quick and left.

Spotted this pink Pork.

Expensive fruits!

Fat cat statue.

We stopped by the Shiseido parlour to pick up some tidbits.

Even the no-parking signs get a dosage of good design.

Expensive chopsticks.

With Ginza done, we boarded the train and swapped over to the Yurikamome monorail line towards Odaiba for the Toyota Megaweb!

Read more:
Tokyo 2012 Day 1
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 1: Sushi-Dai & Ginza
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 2: Toyota Megaweb
Tokyo 2012 Day 3 - Tokyo Disneysea!

Tokyo 2012: Preview & Day 1

2012-01-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

After 2 years since my last trip to Tokyo, i finally headed back to JDM-land for the best ever car show in the world! This trip up was going to be different, since my awesome girlfriend was coming along, i planned for more sightseeing trips and less car-nerdy stuffs. Onward to day 1!

We arrived really early in Haneda and it was rather cold at 4°C. A short monorail and train ride into town and we were in Shinjuku!

It was still too early to get into our room so we left our bags at the lobby and went wandering around. Most of the shops were still closed.

Our first meal in Japan was simple fair. I drizzled my bowl with fried fluff.
We wandered around more after breakfast but since most stores were STILL closed, we popped into a Krispy Kreme for some hot cocoa and a bit of snooze...

Nearby our hotel (Best Western Shinjuku), was a Muji store with a cafe inside, they also had Muji Legos.

After checking in we went to explore Shibuya and saw these Alfa Romeo bikes, probably more reliable then the cars? hahaha...

And with a long day now drawn to a close, we settled in for some sushi at Sushi-Zanmai.

It was good, but we planned to hit Tsukiji the next morning for the real deal.

Read more:
Tokyo 2012 Day 1
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 1: Sushi-Dai & Ginza
Tokyo 2012 Day 2 - Part 2: Toyota Megaweb
Tokyo 2012 Day 3 - Tokyo Disneysea!

Goodbye 2011.

2011-12-30T20:56:00.001-08:00

Onward 2012!

Random shots: Hot Hako

2011-12-25T20:13:00.001-08:00

I finally found my very own Hakosuka! But on a much smaller scale.

The new 1

2011-12-24T07:14:00.001-08:00

While the previous 1 Series hatch was (wrongly) criticized for its dumpy looks and sub-standard interior, I was one of the those on the other side of the fence. I thought the 1s looked good, especially when fitted with M-sport bits and bigger wheels. It looked nice and squat, and when blessed with a 3 litre straight-6, drove like magic. The small footprint allowing you to pivot the car around you and dart into small gaps of traffic, while the beefy 3 litre oozes out 265 smooth horses. It even looked like a shooting brake, automatically giving it some cool kudos points.

But great drivability and the ability to put a smile on keen drivers alone will not sell cars, so BMW has redesigned the latest F20 1 Series to be more cushy and more eco, but how does it drive? The key word I keep coming up with when behind the wheel of the latest 1 Series is efficient, more on that later.

First up, the looks. I know it sounds strange but when I first saw pictures of the new F20 on the interwebs, I couldn’t help but think of that red angrybird. Those lights, angled towards the grill look rather like a pair of angry eyes, and the bigger kidneys protruding out like a beak. It didn’t help that it’s in red too. Overall the new car looks and is slightly bigger then the earlier 1. Those headlights make it look angrier too, a trend which most car makers are now going for. All new cars nowadays look really cross and the new 1 is no exception. I think color plays a big part in how the F20 looks. I spied a white one in the showroom and it looked doubly better. In this particular shade of red, a lot the surfacing and cut lines appear to be lost and that is a waste because when you do see those surfaced edges, it gives the car a much better feel. More dynamic in a sense, the way the lower sill raises up towards the kink of the rear windows, and the tapering shoulder line which run into the rear lights. It looks tidy no doubt, but somehow a little blobby in red.

Those bi-colored wheels don’t help either. Ditch those wheels and slap on some aftermarkets. It will look all the better for it.

I even made the photoshop above just to prove my point.

Step inside the car though and all negative sentiments about the angrybird exterior are gone. The quality of the redesigned interior is a big improvement over the older car and offer a much more up market feel. The way everything just comes together, build quality, materials, the way all sub controls are again, angled towards the driver. All feel and look very good. Small complaints I have here is the rim of the steering is a tad hard, and that although it comes with iDrive there is no sat-nav which is strange. Road noise does seep into the cabin at times and you are reminded that you are in BMW’s entry level model range. But overall, it is a nice place to be.

The biggest news for this car though has to be the engine, gone are the dawdling naturally aspirated 4 Cylinders. The new 1s now come with turbo power, even on the base 116i. Coming in at a 1600 cubics, the base 116i now puts out 136 horses, up from 120. But the bigger jump is in torque figures, 220Nm in the new car, up from 160. Meaning easier overtakes and quicker getaways from the lights. What is interesting though, is a similar engine this 118i form I am testing puts out 170 horses and 250Nm’s of juice. Make of this what you will but it gets the car going from rest to 100km/h in an officially recorded 7.5 seconds. That’s pretty good when you are behind the wheel and have to keep reminding yourself the engine is a 1.6. 250Nm’s of torque on tap from 1500rpms through to 4500rpms is also readily sufficient to propel the car away from most traffic on our expressways.

How does the car drive? Back to the word “efficient”. Not only in the way it sips petrol, thanks in part to BMW’s Start Stop technology which cuts off the engine when you are stationary and keep your foot on the brake and restarts if when pressure lifts off the brake pedal. It sounds more intrusive then it actually is though, because it reality, it actually isn’t. A small shudder upon the reigniting engine is a worthwhile trade for extra pocket money from petrol savings.

Another reason for this efficiency is something BMW calls Drive Performance Control. In short, you have 4 modes to choose how you want to commute. Comfort is the default setting, Sport for when you feel sporty, Sport+ when you feel extra sporty and ECO PRO, which is supposed to help drivers save fuel by limiting the use of the air-conditioning and dulling the throttle response. It even has a little gauge below your rev counter “encouraging” more eco-minded driving. In short, ECO PRO mode is for people who hate driving. I like my cars sporty with a touch of + once in a while, but let me tell you something, even with ECO PRO mode banned, the car still returned very good mileage. This I suspect due to that little charged 1.6 up front delivering a good dollop of returns for little outlay. Efficient is also how I would describe how the engine performs, It is not as soulful as a straight 6 and it gets a little raspy when you are pushing it. Power delivery is smooth but keep it in the mid range, pushing it up towards the red line yields less rewards. The F20 feels nicely planted on the road and is a very well behaved car with predictable but good handling, if a little bit harsh on the motorway.

Personally, and this is really my own personal view. The engine sometimes feels a little bit agricultural about how it does its job, this part is quite difficult to explain, but it just does. A prolonged period of driving might change my perceptions, but this is how I feel at the end of my short fling.

The new 1 Series, drives and handles well and does it’s bit to save you petrol. And with that fantastic interior, a great entry into the World of BMW motoring. The engine just needs a bit more pizzazz.

RWB in Super Street Magazine this month

2011-12-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

Go gets your copy now!

Random shots: Shakotan Mercedes?

2011-12-11T09:35:00.001-08:00

Spotted this Mercedes W114. It looked like it needed some work. The interior looked tired and the paintwork was faded. Good candidate for a shakotan revival? Or will the Mercedes fanclub hunt me down with pitchforks?

Toyota Hachiroku: Of tuners and photoshops

2011-12-11T08:48:00.001-08:00

With all the excitement surrounding the unveiling of the new Toyobarus, it didn't take too long for the photoshop to start flowing onto the internets. Even without the magic of photoshop, Toyota's TRD has already started to tinker with the Hachi, showing off two Sports Track Competition Package models at the recent 2011 Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival.

Dubbed N0 and N1. No information on what has been changed though but externaly, wheels, wing mirrors, GT-wings, and what might seemingly be a slight drop in ride height. Photographs of the TRD's from Jon Sibal's blog.

With limitless possiblities in photoshop, came an almost limitless amount of photoshop tuned 86's.

Some more extreme then others. Limited by only peoples' imaginations.

I really like this tribute to the Castrol Rally cars.

The stance movement representing. They are well are hella'here to stay.

Idlers Hachi anyone?

Or is TOP SECRET more your thang?
Most people went for photoshopped wheel swaps.

I had a go, slotting in some Super Advans.

Even Subaru's BRZ is getting 'shopped. Photoshopped images were found on the awesome FT86club's forums.

BMW's new 6 Series Gran Coupe is one sexy machine

2011-12-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

BMW has drawn the curtains off it's brand new model, the 6 Series Gran Coupe. As someone mentioned, "This is how BMWs should look like", and i agree. It is just stunning.

Random shots: X1 M-teched

2011-12-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

Spotted this X1 running full M-Tech apparel and slightly lowered. I'm liking it alot.

Subaru BRZ's marketing kicking it up a notch with Meisa Kuroki!

2011-12-01T05:43:00.001-08:00

The marketing folk at Subaru are shifting into high gear with the BRZ now featured in Meisa Kuroki's latest MV, Breeze Out. (BRZ... Brz... Breeze... geddit?)

Above images from Car Watch.

Subaru BRZ trailer

2011-11-30T07:16:00.001-08:00

Amidst all the hype surrounding Toyota's 86, Subaru has also launched their version of the Toyobaru and here in all it's online video glory, we have a beautiful CM of the BRZ. Makes me think of all the classic JDM sports car adverts from the past.

And here below is the first ever video test, although i don't understand any of it. He probably said it'6s badass and awesome.

Toyota Hachiroku in Gran Turismo 5

2011-11-30T07:14:00.000-08:00

Watch it in HD!!!

A short drive in the '86

2011-11-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

Lovecars.jp took the '86 out for a spin and made a short video. Engine is kimochi!

Videos: Presentation of the new Hachiroku

2011-11-27T07:16:00.000-08:00

Plenty of videos of the new 86. First off, driving scenes and an evolution of the concepts to production from Toyota Europe.

Out from Japan, a fan made video of the presentation and scenes from the 2011 Gazoo Racing Festival.

And straight off Toyota Japan, the presentation of the 86 and if you really have the time, a presentation of the car from Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada.

Goodbye FT86, Hello GT86!

2011-11-27T06:31:00.000-08:00

Today, the online car enthusiast community blew up with news of the FT86's production unveiling prior to the Tokyo Motor Show. Gone is the name FT86, replaced by the name GT86. The JDM model gets a cooler name, just simply, 86. Or in other words, Hachiroku.

Some early drive writeups have begun surfacing on the net, with Autocar magazine giving it the thumbs up and calling the driving experience a match for the likes of a Porsche Cayman. High praise indeed.

Fans of the original have been waiting a really really looooooong time for this. My personal favourite of the bunch is the white one rolling on BBS wheels.

Enjoy these photos of the car via Autoc-One.

No doubt many of Japan's top tuners are probably working on further enhancements for the 86 as we speak and i just can't wait to see the results at the next Tokyo Auto Salon.

Above image from Mr Ichiraku Toshi from uber cool Porsche shop, RWB.

Random shots: T-shirts

2011-11-20T02:58:00.000-08:00

My current favourite pair of Tees...

My second favourite pair of Tees!!! (Sorry RWB :( )

BMW.SG's 10th Anniversary Party "Our lovely ladies"

2011-11-20T02:39:00.000-08:00

For our 10th anniversary party, we at BMW.SG wanted to do it big, cool and with racequeens! (Although racequeens are the wrong term for these lovely lasses, the correct term being "image girls".) They did bring about some added sizzle and eye candy to our party. Big up from us at BMW.SG to our lovely four, Mabel, Amelia, Evangeline and May! We LOVE you all! (& no, we are not giving away their numbers!)

For more pictures of these lovely ladies (you perv) and more,
head over to our event's facebook page »

Subaru BRZ from L.A. Autoshow

2011-11-20T02:35:00.000-08:00

With Toyota's FT86 stealing all the attention with so many teasers and concepts, Subaru has now joined in the Concept party with their stunning BRZ.

With a big rear wing, larger wheels, larger brakes and sporting a brand new blue hue. The BRZ is shaping up to be probably Subaru's best looking car in a very very long time.

BMW.SG celebrates 10 Years! "The Cars"

2011-11-16T17:59:00.000-08:00

What would a BMW.SG event be if there were no cars? Here are just some of the interesting ones that happened to be there.

Long live the '36!

& the 46!

A few ///M's.

Nice big V8 6er.

BMW M5 + Wagon + Roof racks = WIN!!!

Even non-BMWs were present. Like some Audis.

A couple of Porks.

A prancing horse

A flower

This Atacama yellow M3 was specially prepared for our event. Atacama being a special order Individual color.

It had a cute perky butt.

And some nice shoes.

Another bum shot to round off this post.

To view more photos of the event, click here »

BMW.SG celebrates 10 Years! "The People"

2011-11-13T23:26:00.000-08:00

What a night it was and what a way to celebrate our 10 years of online/offline existence. Even up to the day of the event, most of us helping to put together the party were still running around trying to tie up all loose ends and setting up.

With the event soon to begin, we had some extra help from some very lovely ladies.

The kickass t-shirt.

Some of our participants were visibly more emotional then others when playing games.

More last minute work for our lucky draw.

We secretly bought flowers for the main lady who spear-headed this event.

For more event photos, head on over to our facebook page »

BMW.SG's 10th Anniversary Party "Preview"

2011-11-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

We very recently had our 10th year anniversary celebrations. Held over at the local M-car dealership, it was an awesome night of good food, great drinks and the best bunch of car enthusiast ever! While we get all our photos sorted, here’s a short clip to tide you all over.

BMW.SG's 10th Anniversary Party from louis soon on Vimeo.

BMW F20 1 Series parties into Singapore

2011-11-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

Local BMW dealership Performance Motors held the local launch of the F20 1 Series by throwing an awesome party where good food and drinks flowed freely into the night. Surrounded by (i kid you not) a throng of beautiful looking people, the new 1 Series was unveiled.

Unfortunately, with the lighting conditions setup to twirl and swirl with the music, getting a good shot of the new F20 was not going to be easy. To help you imagine how it will look, i'd say the front end might take some getting used to, the mid to rear we can easily aquaint ourselves with and the interior is an improvment over the old model by leaps and bounds.

Quality, fit and finish on the inside gives it a feel well deserving of the roundel badge.

I would post pictures of all the lovely ladies present (alot alot alot), but my camera exploded out of ecstasy.

Subaru drops in with the BRZ Concept 2011 (Finally!)

2011-11-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

After sitting in the shadow's of the Toyota FT86, Subaru has finally unwrapped the (virtual) covers off it's version of the FT sportscar, the BRZ. Has a much better rear light treatment over the Toyota i might add. For more pictures and information, head over to FT86club.com »

FT86 Revisited Again!

2011-11-01T07:40:00.001-07:00

With so much FT86 news coming out ahead of the final unveil, the latest juice off the net so far hashttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif been a full blown specs sheet covering everything from power to weight and even the different trim levels the FT86 will be offered in. Either someone from Toyota is going leak crazy with all these spy shots or maybe a good calculated move from Toyota to drum up all of us crazy fans. Either way, it works out for everyone!

Here's the lowdown (all info from the great guys at FT86club.com):
Boxer 4 DOHC, 1998cc.
HP: 147kw (200ps) / 200hp @7000rpm
Torque: 205nm (151 lb/ft) @ 6600rpm
Top spec manual is 1230kg, auto is 1250kg.
Low spec manual is 1210kg, auto is 1230kg.

High spec brakes: ventilated discs front and rear.
Low spec brakes: ventilated front, non ventilated rear.

Both spec have VSC, front passenger and front and rear curtain bags. Top spec has front LED, leather steering wheel, 6 speakers audio (low spec has 2 speakers), white rev counter with shift light and sport pedals. Top spec also has "smart entry and start".

Base halogens, optional HIDs on base trim, standard HIDs on high trim
LSD on all MT cars
Stability control standard
Only 2 speaker audio on base car

High Spec:
Has "high-quality fabric" (上級ファブリック).
Option for leather heated seats with Alcantara inserts.
Steel door sill insert / scuff plate (ステンレス製ドアスカッフプレート）
Interior metallic door handle inserts
Carbon fiber center console trim
Door courtesy light
Knee pad on console

The "Customize Grade" at the bottom is interesting:
"Customize grade" bare bones model is 1190 kg !!
Unpainted bumper
16 steelies (says ornament-included, guessing it includes the logo)
plastic steering wheel
NO A/C (only a heater)
Power door locks
Sunvisor (no vanity mirror)
No speakers

BMW.SG's October 2011 Meetup

2011-10-31T09:50:00.001-07:00

Been a while since we've had a good turnout. Yesterday was the exception.

A sweet E46 M3, these are getting rare locally with many exported out.

X6M brought along food and drinks.

Clean Cali turned up.

F430 roared in soon after.

Even friend who have moved on to "ahem" other marques showed up.

To round it of, an Exige that was hidden in the corner.

Random shots: Bookstore stash

2011-10-29T19:10:00.001-07:00

Got my magazines when the local bookstore had a 20% storewide sale.

FT86 Revisited

2011-10-29T02:02:00.000-07:00

With the production FT86 about to be unveiled in a couple of months time at the Tokyo Auto Show, little details of this much anticipated FR machine have started trickling out. Even early press reviews have started appearing onto the interwebs.

Just how good is it? Well, here's a quote from Dorikin himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya,
"The car (FT86) is not only FUN to drive, but in terms of quality and precision of handling, the car has very much surpassed any expectations I had. More easily put, if you had blind folded me and told me this was a new creation by BMW's M department, I would not even hesitate to believe you. It's that good."

For more press reviews, here are the links:
Car Magazine's FT86 Review
Autocar's FT86 Review
Car and Driver's Subaru BRZ Review

I'm sure as we get closer to the date of unveiling, more and more reviews will appear. So keep a close watch on this one. Latest brouchure shots via FT86club.com.

The Idlers

2011-10-28T01:41:00.001-07:00

Fatlace TV together with Maiham Media brings us this awesome feature on The Idlers of Japan.

A Second Wind. Driving the BMW 335i Sedan.

2011-10-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

A second wind is largely used to describe a phenomenon, whereby an athlete who is out of breath suddenly finds the strength to press on at top performance with less exertion. Could it be true of this 335i i have at my disposal?

With the latest 3 series now unveiled, perhaps it is time to take another look at the last of the E-designated 3's, the E90. It's been almost 6 years since the E90 was introduced, being the successor to the handsome E46, many critics again spoke ill of the new 3's Bangle-d styling, but like all of E90's contemporaries, it has aged considerably well. Losing the daffy duck kidney lips and procuring a leaner chiselled face during the process of it's lifespan.

This 3 Series i have with me though is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill 3 you see pottering around your neighbourhood. It also isn't JUST a license-killing Twin scroll boosted 335i sedan either. What this is in fact, is a fully kitted out 335i laden with BMW Performance Parts. The total sum of these parts alone will set you back a smigen over 40Gs.

Those BMW racing seats, cup and hold you into place tighter than Wonderbra's latest offerings. While you are stuck to your seat, grab hold of that lovely alcantara laced BMW Performance wheel, choked full of gadgetry you'd never imagine would be inside a steering wheel of a road car.

With a LCD screen staring right at you and delivering information you'll never really need (but is totally cool anyway) when driving down Orchard Road. Unidiectional G-force readings, lap timers, acceleration timers, vehicle information and a set of LEDs that light up as your revs build and blink furiously when it is time to shift up. Do yourself a favour and shell out for this wheel, if only to make you think you are behind the wheel of a full-fledged race car.

After you are done fiddling with the steering wheel (i took about half an hour), give the starter button a push and listen as the tweaked exhaust notes permeate into the cabin. It fires up with a bark and settles down into a slightly hollow fizzy burble. To be honest, it could do with more low end tones but i suspect the engineers left bassy beats out to cut out any droning noises when the car is cruising. You sort of wish there was a button which will allow more of that exhaust music to come into the cabin though, as it is now, people outside the car will get to enjoy the howl of the boosted straight-six more than the driver.

Speaking of which, when you finally step out of the car (after giving it a proper drive of course), apart from that lovely bodykit and those gorgeous 19inch wheels, you'd notice little bits of carbon extras ($$$) which set this E90 apart from the rest. The wing mirrors and the tail spoiler both sport the exotic carbon finish. All these parts come straight of the BMW Performance Parts options list, even those stripey stickers along the flanks.

How does this kitted up 335i drive? The regular 335i is already a very accomplished BMW and in tricked out "BMW Performance" form, is it any better? That will really depend on how you perceive "better" to be. The ride with a lower and revised suspension setup is harsher and you'd feel it. The throttle response with a slight power up is addictively er, responsive. Push the drumstick gearknob into sport mode and the gearbox does a good job of selecting the proper ratios to keep you in the powerband and allowing you to slingshot past all the pesky turbo-diesel taxis on the roads.

If you are the sort of driver who enjoys a good blast down your local roads and you enjoy talking to other people about the differences between under and oversteer, yes, you will enjoy these chassis enhancements.

If perhaps you are the sort of driver who prefers a car which doesn't jiggle your bottom and underwear too much, maybe you should leave the "Chassis upgrade" box unchecked.

That is the beauty of these Perfomrance parts, allowing you to customise your wants and giving you the choice to either go the full hog or just take in the bits you fancy.

If you ever find yourself to be in the lucky shoes of someone ticking off these parts, my choice bits would be that gorgeous steering wheel, all the exterior bits and paraphernalia, the chassis/power upgrades and those fancy stickers along the side. The 19-inch baller wheels although fabulous to look at, take too a bit too much off the ride and having to constantly look out for portholes might be tiresome in the long run. The wonderful Performance seats again, are a sight to behold, but at over 9 grand a pair, might leave your wallets feeling a little uncomfortable. They do a great job of holidng you in place when you are driving balls-out, but you don't drive balls-outs everytime you get behind the wheel. Glossy brouchures might make you think you do, but the reality is that 80% of the time, you are going to be stuck in traffic on your daily sojourn to the office and back wishing you'd have seats with a little more squish. Having to go through the look of incredibility on all passengers faces when you tell them you paid "HOW MUCH?" for non-electric setas might get boring after a while too. With these parts installed, this 335i will be pressing on at it's peak while shooting off into the sunset with tyres smoking and turbos boosting!

Performance Motors launches the F13 6 Series Coupe in Singapore

2011-10-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Local BMW dealership Performance Motors just launched BMW's new big coupe on our local shores.

The new shark-faced coupe sat under the covers in The Capella's ballroom.

With some lovely help, those sheets were pulled back and a short introduction by PML's boss man followed, we were all invited to take a look at the car for ourselves shortly after.

The new F13 6er will come in initially come in 650i and 640i guises. With the nicely sized TwinPower Turbo'd 4.4 powering the 650i and BMW's famously boosted 3-litre straight-6 going into the 640i.

Price start at "Jaw-dropping" and top out at "If you have to ask"

Cars my dad used to roll in

2011-10-17T06:56:00.000-07:00

While on the topic of photos of nostalgic cars in Singapore, i managed to find a few old photos of cars my dad used to roll in. Pretty awesome stuff.

Above are 2 Mazda Capellas (or RX-2 if you prefer), top white one is a sedan and the 2nd photo with my mum inside, is the Coupe. Imagine rolling 10inch wide rims and mad camber back then and telling the folks you're "Hellaflush". They'll probably beat you with a stick.

Here's a Ford Escort with my mum again.

Awesome Alfetta GTV.

Toyota A60 Celica with the cool flip up lights.

Mazda 929 Limited Coupe. Otherwise known as the Cosmo.

Datsun Nissan 280ZX Fairlady.

Porsche 928 (S1), was on loan from a friend. The aircon never worked but it was still awesome to sit in.

And a mystery photo from my mum, circa 1964. After some internet sleuthing, i found out it's a Nissan Cedric 30 Series Mark 1. The first Cedric ever i guess. I am sure there are a few more photos missing in the collection and hopefully i will be able to dig them up. Hope everyone enjoyed this short nostalgic post thanks to my dad.

A boosted 3 for the weekend

2011-10-15T09:18:00.001-07:00

With the latest F30 3 series now unveiled, what better way to celebrate then to take a seriously spec'd up 335i and give it a good spanking.

The New 3 amongst us

2011-10-14T08:29:00.001-07:00

The latest BMW 3 Series, the F30, has now landed with a longer, larger and lighter package. Behind those angry new lights lies 2 new turbo-charged engines. A 4-cylinder 2-litre (strangely named 328i) pushing out 245 horses with a peak torque figure of 258 lb-ft from 1,250 rpm (That'll be 350Nm), propelling it from 0-62 mph in 5.9 seconds. Pretty punchy for a 4 banger.

The range topping 335i receives BMW's much revered 3-litre straight six with a twin-scroll turbocharger strapped on. Giving 305 horses and 295 lb-ft (400Nm) of torque at 1,200 rpm. 0-62 mph in the 335i arrives in 5.5 seconds (335i).

Although i frown at giving a 4-banger 2-litre (turbocharged or not!) a 328i badge, i guess this is the direction cars are headed for. Emissions and enviromentalist be damned...

Nostalgic Singapore Car... Photos...

2011-10-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

On a local board where some of us gather to talk about old or interesting cars, someone managed to get hold of a scanner and put up these photos from the 90s (Guessing from the time/date-stamps). With cars here having a rather limited lifespan (usually 5-10yrs), it is interesting to see how things have changed in a little over 20 years.

Some nice details of an Alfa GTV above, followed by more "modern" 33s below.

A Rover sitting next to an E28.

And how the local BMW dealership's workshop (Performance Motors) used to look.

On initial launch, only 3 of these Mercedes SL's were allocated for the local market. I guess eventually, more made it over.

I'm guessing this was the local shop for Mercedes Benzo.
Hopefully i can dig up more local old car photos i used to have, will post them up once i find em.

A tribute to BMW Tourings, Part 4. Enjoy Wagoning!

2011-10-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

Since one of my previous articles started with an M5 wagon, i think it's only fitting to begin this one with the E61 M5. It also marked the first Touring penned by "The Bangle". Opinions on the design of the E60 sedan was sketchy if you asked me, but on a Touring body, the awkward rear boot treatment of the sedan was non-present and gave a much better balance and flow to the design.

While the previous E39 generation Tourings had to miss out on a Monster wagon, BMW somehow saw it fit drop their firebreathing V10 into a touring for it's successor.

Needless to say, wagon-fans rejoiced. Or rather, wagon-fans with deep pockets rejoiced. Nevertheless, the E61 M5 Touring is one hell of a machine.

Even if said generation of Touring wasn't from the M-Division, plenty of aftermarket parts meant plenty of customized examples.

The E90 3 series came along to replace the gracefully ageing E46, and again, critics of Bangle's design all went into a fit. After the initial hoo-haa settled, Bangle's "Flame Surfacing" proved BMW design was again, ahead of it's time, with rivals quickly slicing up the sides of their latest cars with mixed concave/convex surfaces reminiscent of Bangle's work.

Again, in Touring form, the 3' looked all the more better.

It also came out at a time when white became the "IT" color for tuned cars as shown above. Almost every tuner had a white car.

Looks awesome in red though.

BMW again did not make an M-car for the Touring so talented owners/garage builders and mechanics got to work again. Creating their very own M3 Touring.

It remains to be seen what the new incoming 3 Series will look like, but i'm pretty sure there will be a lovely wagon in the future.

Forging ahead now, is the latest BMW Touring, the F11.

Being a relatively new offering, tuned examples are only starting to trickle out. Some sexy ones are represented here. My favourite are from the land of JDM, Dort's and Studie's.

Sadly, the official word is that there will not be an M-Touring this time round as projected sales do not merit the costs of development. Sad news indeed. But as previous generations of BMW Touring owners show, what M-Division cannot or will not do, they are up to the challenge. And with that, i end my 4-part Touring tribute! Here's to Happy Wagoning!!!

Rauh-welt's "Number One"

2011-10-04T06:32:00.001-07:00

International massive appeal has now seen Nakai-san headed over to the UK for RAUH-welt's first UK creation. Dubbed, "Number One". I am in love with the color and the sound's not too bad either.

A tribute to BMW Tourings, Part 3. The Naughty Nighties.

2011-09-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

As we head towards the new era our present day BMW-styling, we take a step back to the days before someone with the last name "Bangle" started Bangling up the BMWs we love. The last pages of a chapter on classic BMW design.

The E39 5 series is still regarded as one of the best generation of 5's. Classic BMW looks and a great lineup of purring engines made it a cult favourite today.

BMW never officially released a Touring M5 for this generation, but there is a lone still-born prototype sitting in the depths of the M-factory.

Even the fuzz liked it.

Rounding off the 90s, the E46 represents what many consider, one of the most everlasting designs ever to leave the factory.

Take an E36, round of the edges and give it a sprinkling of 90s modernity and flair, you'll end up with the E46.

It even looks good in relatively stock form. This one wearing some tasty M-sport bits but otherwise, all original BMW.

Another hot favourite amongst the aftermarket crowd, any style you like, you'll be able to spot it on an E46.

Similarly with the E39 Touring, BMW never made an M3 version. With another lonely single prototype sharing space with her bigger E39 M Touring sibling. And with the end of the E46s, also came the end of the evergreen BMW styling we have come to appreciate. In Part 4, i'll bring us up to date with our present day Ultimate Touring Machines.

A tribute to BMW Tourings, Part 2. Rocking the 80s & early 90s.

2011-09-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

Moving on towards more modern machinery, we find ourselves towards to tailend of the 80s. Well, mostly 90s anyway. But to start off, the magnificent E34 (magnificent because i have one, though in sedan form). Again, these images are not mine.

What better way to represent the E34 Tourings then with a bonafide ///M-Wagon. Yessir, ladies and gentlemen, a station wagon with a 3.8litre M-division S38 engine that'll power you, your family and the dogs up to 100km/h in just below 6 seconds. Back in the early 90s, this was plenty of quick.

If you'd prefer Alpina, here's a lovely white specimen from Bangkok.

Even in non-M form, it still looks good.

The E36 generation of the 3 series has plenty of fans and with so many aftermarket parts available, customized examples can be found easily.

From cleaner OEM+ or Alpina styling...

...to more "dedicated" builds.

This next "Wagon" needs no introduction.

Although never officially christened a "Touring" or "Wagon", the awkward rear hatch design shouted "Shooting Brake" to car-enthusiasts around the World.

With an M3 engine under the bonnet producing awesome firepower, twitchy tail-happy handling, massive flared wheelarches AND a wagon-esqe rear hatch. Cult classic status was imminent.

Some call it the clown shoe, but if just those looks alone are not enough to convince you of it's badassery, watch the video below.

I go to bed at night dreaming one day of owning my very own Z3 M-Coupe.

And with dreams of a Z3 M-Coupe, i shall end Part 2. In part 3, i'll be bringing up the "tail-end" (Geddit?) of the 90s.

Random shots: Down by the street again

2011-09-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

Random shots down by the street again. This time, spotted an all blacked out AMG63. Love the gangsta grille.

A tribute to BMW Tourings, Part 1. All them wagons.

2011-09-26T07:34:00.001-07:00

No lying here, i'm a huge fan of wagons. I've always wanted to do a compilation of some cool BMW wagons (stock? lol!), so here goes. But before i begin, let me state for the record that i do not own any of these images. I just hope it is okay to share them. First up, above, in a lovely shade of tangerine, is a 2002 Alpina Touring. The 2002 Touring was probably the first ever BMW Touring but it wasn't a full on station wagon, rather it was a 3door hatch.

If your taste is more OEM+, all the way from Bangkok, is a Touring all decked out, "Turbo" style.

Some oddities appeared along the way, like this E23 Kombi. It wasn't called a "Touring", but it sure was a station wagon.

Alpina even had a go at it. Although i have no other information on this big blue load lugger. Most likely, as with all Alpinas, a bigger engine, oodles of torque and lots of leather inside.

Moving up the cool scale, we have the E28 Tourings, still not as common as the E30 Tourings but some owners have taken the initiative to liven things up abit.

Like this E28 sitting low and slow on fat AC Schnitzer wheels.

Finally, we have the E30 Touring, probably one of the best looking Tourings ever. Looking swell on it's own or if you prefer, slap on a set of Alpina or BBS alloys, drop the ride height a tad and you are set to go.

There was even an odd looking 2-door touring. But again, information on this is hard to come by, so just some pictures.

Funny looking no? It even had the rear hatch off a Mk1 Golf.

Looks good even on E36 Sunflower wheels.

BMW never made an E30 M3 Touring, but that didn't stop talented owners from trying and creating their own. Awesome.

Dori-dori action on a touring. End of Part 1.
In the next part, i'll put together more modern machinery.

2011 Singapore F1 GP practice sessions

2011-09-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

Was down at the night tracks this evening to lap up the F1 atmosphere and boy was it buzzing. So much so, my ears are still ringing hours after. Should have worn them earplugs.

With Vettel setting the fastest practice lap, it looks pretty good for Team Red Bull.

Even though these were practice sessions, there were no shortage of incidents, even Jenson Button ruined his car. (Above in the background)

I tried getting arty farty by taking b/w pics.

Off the track inside the hospitality suites. The food was awesome, the drinks were aplenty and some samba dancers even dropped by to chill in the aircon.

F1 weekend, here we go!!! Big thanks and lots of love to Performance Motors for putting this together for us lucky few. Bonus butt shaking video below:

BMW.SG & Munich Automobiles Tech Talk

2011-09-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since the last BMW.SG tech talk. So do register if you have the time. Very Limited Slots Available.

Sign up here »

Ratty-three-five-six

2011-09-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

>Purist look away!!!

Random shots: Last of the sporty 7s

2011-09-18T03:50:00.000-07:00

My favourite generation of the BMW 7 series, the E38. Strong, athletic and before they got all fat and bloated. Looks like the owner knows his stuff too. Techno violet paint and M-parallels. Bond's choice of BMW, my choice of 7.

Warm friday nights in Kallang

2011-09-17T03:01:00.000-07:00

Spent making new friends and chit-chatting with acquainted ones. The big 'ol 5 was pulled out of the carpark for the meet.

This little 2CV popped by for a visit.
Check out the interior. More spartan then a Lotus Elise.

Didn't really take much pictures (most of those i took turned out blurry too), not too great with night-time photography. Here's a couple of Hachis.

And an E30 to round things off.

Teaser

2011-09-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Coming soon...

Canibeat swag. Fatlace tag.

2011-09-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

Received my "Good Life" T-shirt and stickers from Canibeat this evening.

And representing from Fatlace. A couple of ill stickers. Awesome.

ขอบคุณครับ RWB Bangkok!

2011-09-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

The first RWB outside of Japan.
Nakai-san is an artist and this is his art, Bangkok style.

FT86 Concept II Frankfurt Teaser Yo!

2011-09-08T07:28:00.000-07:00

Will we see a further development of the FT86? Only a few more days to go for the reveal at Frankfurt!

RAUH-welt goes to Thailand

2011-09-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

The Making of RWB Bangkok Teaser. from TennXX on Vimeo.

Here's a teaser of the first RWB Porsche recently built in Bangkok.

English Option

2011-09-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

Got my copy of Option magazine english edition's issue 2. Still good, still good. Hope the peeps behind it keep up the good work.

DTM History

2011-09-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought, classical music and race cars going surprisingly well together. Relive the ol DTM days when road cars actually went racing in all their boxy glory.

Canibeat goodies on teh way!

2011-09-01T03:56:00.000-07:00

Not long now (hopefully)...

Shinji Yoshioka's Red Rauh-Welt 964

2011-08-30T19:09:00.002-07:00

RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF : Shinji's RWB 964 from Luke Huxham on Vimeo.

You rock Shinji-san!!!

Are you yellow enough?

2011-08-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

After being hit with yellow fever from that gorgeous atacama E92 at the M-showroom. I stumbled upon this awesome collection of Dakar yellow '36 photos from Edmond Wong.
Hope over to his photo album to view more deliciously yellow BMWs »

Rauh-Welt Begriff's Nakai-san

2011-08-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Fatlace TV x RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF : Nakai-San from Luke Huxham on Vimeo.

How can i not post this. It is just epic.

Old school sundays

2011-08-22T03:59:00.001-07:00

Another sunday afternoon kicking it old school with the unusual suspects. This time,we were joined by an Alfa 156 GTA (Although not old school, but still cool), and a little Daihatsu Charade Gtti. Don't see much of these running around anymore. We were bidding farewell to the Carina that is headed for the scrapyard. :(

Carina not going without a fight to the haters!

Namennayo! (That sorta means, don't look down upon me)

Celicas and Hachi's made up the numbers(ish).

JNC represent!

A familiar RX7

A little mini

A very rare Daihatsu in these here parts

And the GTA rounding it off. I missed out on some other notable cars as i had to run off early this time. As always, it's great to meetup with the old car folks, passion runs deep(er).

Hello Yellow!

2011-08-20T00:29:00.000-07:00

Dropped by the local M-car dealership this morning and they were in the midst of having a photoshoot for their customers' cars and i spotted this Atacama yellow M3 in the service area. I hope it's not a sin to like yellow cars.

Hella'stickers yo!

2011-08-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

All the way from USA

Gymkhana Four Powerslides our socks off!

2011-08-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

Just too awesome.

Most baller garage in Singapore?

2011-08-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

Most probably. This lucky fella was granted access into part of Tommie Goh's collection in Singapore. The pictures say it all. In case you are wondering, word has it that there is a basement garage to house the more 'normal' cars. Visit CelSydney for the full article »

Hot Version is back!!!

2011-08-13T02:42:00.000-07:00

af-imp's Super Carnival 2011

2011-08-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ignoring the eurobeat in the background, af-imp's Super Carnival held recently showcased some solid Euro-rides from Japan. Interesting to see how the stance movement has influenced how cars are done up even in Japan which up till now, has traditionally been the trendsetter for all things auto.

Sunday Afternoon Meets

2011-08-03T08:32:00.001-07:00

On most sunday afternoons, i'd probably be lazing around enjoying what's left of the weekend, but come every last Sunday of the month. I'd try to make it a point to drop by Kallang for BMW-SG's monthly gathering. Last weekend, we had quite a good turnout. With 3 brand new 1 M-Coupes dropping by as well. Enjoy the photos.

M3 shows off it's amazing load carrying abilites

Kitteh representin!

Return of the Shark: Driving the BMW 650i Cabriolet

2011-08-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had the pleasure of celebrating my 30th year of existence and without much fanfare (my personal preference), it was a lovely evening spent with the family and loved ones. According to what most people were telling me, turning 30 does come with some caveats, even the Government felt that my current form of identification needed changing and sent me a letter requesting for a new photograph. (Which reminds me, I need to search for that letter again.)

Some say, it all goes downhill from here. Some say, you stop counting once you hit 30 and every year after that, you can choose to stay 30. Sadly, my waistline has already gone past 30 year after year. As for those late night parties, forget them. I sometimes cannot even keep myself awake to watch the latest episode of Ancient Aliens. Partying is probably not that much fun now that I cannot tell young lasses that I'm still in my trendy twenties either. Oh my, getting on with age does seem to be somewhat dreary. But enough about me, here in the cusp of my hand, are the keys to a brand new BMW 6 Series. The first to carry the “F” chassis moniker in place of the usual “E”s.

If you discount the utterly beautiful sculpture of a car, the gorgeous E9 Coupes. The BMW 6'ers have been with us almost as long as I have. Longer in fact, as the first shark-nosed “E24” 6 was born in 1976. Making the series 6 cars a tidy 35 years of age. It had all the right boxes ticked, fantastic handling, a smooth straight-6 BMW engine, and a great looking body. This shark lasted 12 years and towards the end of it's life, was given the heart from the might BMW M1 and attained future classic status once production ended.

Fast forward almost 27-years into the future after the last Sharked '6 rolled off the production line (and skipping the much maligned 8's), came the resurrection of the 6. It handled well, and had more then just a straight-6. With the top-of-the-line M-car receiving a V10 powerplant. There was no wanting for power then. The main issue of contempt laid upon the car though was the styling. The slightly bulbous car lacked the elegance of previous generation of big BMW coupes. Most critics saved their volleys for the treatment of the backend and a whole generation of Bangle-butt jokes sprouted over the internets. Depending on who you talked to, the styling was somewhat a hit or miss. Over the course of it's life, little nips and tucks delicately tidied up the car and the last car was sent off the production line with it's dignity intact in 2010.

Which was why when the new one came out, I'd reckon what mattered most to everyone, wasn't how powerful it was going to be, it wasn't how complicated the suspension system is probably not how much the car will eventually cost. What mattered most, is how the car looks. This lot then probably had all their insides knotted for no reason then as the latest 6, again, ticks the main big boxes that defines a BMW coupe. The handling, the engine, and a great looking body.

Making a comeback after decades are the forward (slightly) angled kidney grilles. The makings of a shark. Although the car has gotten slightly longer, but it is now also lower and wider with an almost identical wheelbase as before. The size of the car does make itself apparent when you stand next to it, but visually, they've managed to hide the bulk of the car and the overall effect is very tidy. From the boat-like visuals just aft of the front wheel arches to that lovely cut-line running front the front vents to the rear lights and incorporating the door handles. The design does look like it has gone quite a long thought process to get where it is now. From certain angles, with the scallops on the bonnet, it almost seems as if, a piece of metal cloth was draped over the chassis and slowly pulled and tensioned towards the back-end where a lovely set of tail-lights are positioned.

Inside the car, it is just splendid. Leather all over, lovely stitching and a return to the driver-centric console missing from just one generation before. Everyone know is angled towards you with the biggest screen ever fitted to a car taking center-stage. Black panel technology for the climate and dashboard with a heads-up display for the pilot. By pilot, I do mean big jumbo-jet pilot. Because that is how you feel when you start the car, roll out of the carpark and have a turbo-charged 4.4 V8 nestling just under your right foot. With 610Nm's of juicy torque on tap (at just 1750rpms), it really does feel like you are about to take flight when you put your foot down. Official figures put the 0-100 time at 5 seconds but it sure feels a lot faster then that. In traffic, in-gear acceleration is even more astounding, unofficial figures means you go from “Wheee” to “Wooowwwo-shHIIHHHIT” once the 8-speed automatic does it transmission dance and drops a couple of cogs down. It really is a matter of brace, put your foot down, and wait for the downshift (how long a wait depending on the mode of attack, Comfort, Normal, Sport and Sport+), Warp Speed ahead.

It can get addictive, a big V8 does that to you. Just to hear that V8 clear it's lungs is reason enough to plonk the loud pedal down. Which brings me to one big issue I have with this car. For some reason, I just cannot hear it. There is a mighty V8 hidden under the bonnet somewhere but it is just so muffled, and that is a shame. For the price of the car, BMW should have thrown in some trick butterfly valves into the exhaust and allow the car the bellow with Sport modes engaged. It's nothing an aftermarket tuner can't cure after so much work BMW put into the car, you wish they'd let loose with the noise on this one.

When the straight roads end and some work is needed with the steering, it is a big car and feels bigger from the inside. The scallops on the bonnet so lovely to look at distracts slightly when judging the width of the car down a windy road. You sort of drive the car believing how wide it is then actually perceiving it with your eyes. Perhaps a longer period of time driving the car would improve my driving and perceptive skills but this was my observation.

With slightly more faith in the car after a few runs, I turned the car into corners and got into a nice rhythm of shifting the car from side to side. For a car this big, there really is no hiding the weight, but avoid pushing too hard into corners and work the car gently, it gives good feedback and excellent body control. The car is very tight and even working the brakes on uneven roads does nothing to unsettle the car. No vibrations nor rattles to be had, and once a clear straight stretch makes itself visible, that 610Nm's comes into play again.

Driving a car like that is somewhat a silly thing to do though, as clearly, this is primarily a Grand Tourer, made for blitzing through countries and decimating highways. It does this touring bit clearly, very well. Set your adaptive drive to comfort and just enjoy the scenery go by. Everything in the interior is just designed to cocoon you for possible long journeys. Great supportive seats which adjust is each and everyway, a lovely leather bound steering wheel, and a massive audio system.

With BMW opting for the conventional canvas roof option which is much better looking then a folding metal roof, quite a bit of noise does go through. But to be honest, if that bugs you, go for the coupe.

An awesome machine then this new 6. That is without a doubt. But at the current price of SGD$410,000 that is quite a large amount of money. I hope I don't get stick for this, but if you are in the market for a big BMW coupe/convertible, have a look at the slightly lower down the ladder 640i. I'd reckon you will have as much fun in the 640i as you will in the 650i. With the award winning 3-liter twin-scroll-charged engine inside, I think that is enough for the occasional bout of enthusiastic driving. If you really want to go the whole hog and want a big V8, it's hard to fault the new 650i, but for slightly less money, you can also pick up a used M6, which although aesthetically challenged, comes with 2 extra cylinders and that trademark V10 wail. Some food for thought there. Which car to choose? A problem I am sure many will love to have.

With 35years of advancement, the BMW 6 series has grown bigger, wider and now needs to drink and eat more. But at the same time, is even faster and more athletic then ever before. Who says you cannot have your cake and eat it at the same time? Unless of course you are me, and after 30 years can now only relate to the first set of traits.

BMW F12 650i "B-Sides"

2011-07-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

An alternative collection of photos i took of the F12 650i.

Top Gear "The Interceptors" Title sequence

2011-07-25T18:49:00.001-07:00

This is just too good to not share

Random Shots: E-Thirteh

2011-07-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Spotted this lovely little basketweaved' E30 near my workplace this afternoon. Still looking good after so many years.

Random Shots: Bosozo-Kitty

2011-07-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Am i bosozoku enough?

Option Singapore

2011-07-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

Just bought my copy of Option magazine Singapore. For SGD$13, it's pretty good. Lots of content and well worth the money spent! Let's hope the quality stays for future issues. (And not morph into a "Hot Stuff" magazine)

Companion for the weekend

2011-07-22T20:53:00.001-07:00

Nothing like a V8 to start your day.

BMW M3 DTM goes Audi (& Autobot) hunting

2011-07-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

BMW has just unveiled their latest (and meanest looking) DTM fighter. The M3 DTM Concept. Set to go Audi hunting soon, rumours has it the car was making funny mechanical sounds and was last seen chasing a red & blue truck down the highway prior to it's press launch. These rumours were quickly squashed.

Random Shots: Rollin Rollin

2011-07-14T08:58:00.001-07:00

1st time i'm looking at the E34 pound the pavement from outside.
I think it's not too shabby.

The Koon

2011-07-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

BMW's latest ArtCar, by Jeff Koons, is in town for a very limited period. Just a couple of days. I had the chance to drop by and take some shots to share.

RWB in Super Street magazine

2011-07-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

A short but sweet article on RWB is inside this month's issue of Super Street Magazine. Best quote from Nakai-san? "I am thinking only of the moment, I do not think about the future. I leave the car here and smoke about a thousand cigarettes, then i get inspired." True artist.

Random Shots: Man of great taste

2011-07-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

'nuff said'

Random Shots: Tully's

2011-07-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

Tully's is born (in illustrative form) :)

Random Shots: Personal Projects

2011-07-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

Been a while since i last did some car illustrations.
Here's a preview of something new. :)

Random Shots: Ninnnjaaaaaa

2011-06-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Finally took the time to sit in front of my throwing stars with a can of brasso, a cleaning cloth, some wax and lots of elbow grease. Eagle-eyed readers would spot the new watermark on the image above. Yes, i have my own URL! Yay! Pls. save the addy, Garage36.com

German Nostalgic Car!

2011-06-27T08:18:00.001-07:00

Something i've been thinking of doing for a while ever since i saw a "Japan Nostalgic Car" sticker. So, inspired by JNC, i went to create my own "German Nostalgic Car" label design. See if you can figure out the icons inside. What do you think?

Meeting up with the friendly "laupokchia" group

2011-06-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

Definition of the word "lau pok" according to TalkingCock.com:
Adjective to describe something as crappy or lousy...

i think not... Each and everyone of the cars that dropped by this afternoon for a R&R meet are definitely not crappy or lousy, but i guess it's just fun to call our cars "laupok" since they are from a different generation. A fantastic bunch of people with some really nice cars. Took some snapshops and here they are:
I took the chance to get some closer shots of the Mean Green Celica

Mean Green had friends today

Sweet FC

Even the FC had a friend...

...in the form of this tasty drop-top

A lone NA

Little mini

And the poor Carina that's headed to the scrapyard in a couple of months time, due to our Country's lousy and horribly expensive policy on keeping old cars.

E36 Jalop' reporting for duty

X-scaping The City - Part 2: Driving the X3 xDrive35i

2011-06-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

First impressions as it comes, is probably one of the aspects of your life where you pay quite a bit of attention to, when it comes to meeting new people, nailing a job interview or making a sales pitch. Imagine that, in just the first few minutes of meeting someone new, we would have already forged in our minds, either a positive or a negative reaction towards them. Such is the way we are wired.

Studies show that initial encounters are emotionally concentrated events which can overwhelm us. We walk away from such experiences with a first impression that is like a Polaroid picture, a head-to-toe image that develops instantly and never entirely fades.

How this happens is our brains create a composite of all the signals given off by new experiences, voices, appearances, postures and even handshakes, all form up into either a positive or a negative impression. Over time, of course, this impression could change, but if you are just meeting someone for a couple of minutes, that impression could last for quite a while. To make a good impression, you need to be particular over a number of things, you need to dress well and look presentable, you need to be clear when you communicate, you need to be a good listener, and you need to pay attention to your host or new friend. It seems like a lot of work, but get it right the first time and it'll all be worth it. A positive impression can lead to doors being opened for you, a negative one will lead you to the door.

All this leads up to the general impression (hehe), of cars being sold locally. If we, as everchanging human beings have it hard making a good first impression, imagine how hard those test cars have it. For most buyers, the longest time they'd have to spend with a brand new car is sitting in the car, inside the showroom floor. Would you like a test-drive sir? Here's a tried and tested route with no bearing on your daily routine. So for new car buyers, to truly gauge a car, it can be tough. A positive first impression counts. It counts for a lot.

My first car was an SUV, it was a big lumbering chunk of metal, with a ladder chassis, green paint and an extra gearknob behind the normal gearknob. Flop it around and it engages full time 4WD, flop it back again, it locks the differentials and puts the gears into an “off road ratio” setting. It all sounds very macho and off-roady, but on the blacktop, it rolled like a lorry, had tyres that almost slid the car off Benjamin Sheares Bridge and it broke down so many times, i had the tow truck driver on speed dial. I didn't like it very much. From that day on, i've never really liked SUVs, i never really got the point of them, i've always thought Station Wagons were just as good or even better in real life situations. As you can see, my very first SUV left a pretty bad mark on me till this day.

Which brings me to the new BMW X3 xDrive35i. On paper, it all looks pretty tempting, a twin scroll turbo-ed 3 litre straight 6. One of the best engines out there now, pulling out 300 horses when on song and for the main event, at just over tickover it punches out 400Nm's of torque. It sounds very sporty, it sounds really good, but it also is an SUV (or SAV as BMW likes to call it). Oh dear.

The previous X3 had a somewhat difficult beginning, it was loathed by reviewers, looked a bit strange on the front end and it somehow felt like it was trying hard to be an X5 but not quite there yet. So for this new one, BMW had a bit of work to do.

Now i've sampled a couple of the X-cars from BMW before, the X6 and the X5, so i do know that BMW can build some pretty formidable SAVs. I liked the X5, less so the X6. Even though the X6 drives like the clappers, and slingshots you through corners, i've always felt it abit of a handful in this space constraint country of ours, the X5 being slightly smaller, had better all round visibility, could fit more people and could carry dogs in the back. Perfect.

How does the new X3 fare? Well, for starters, it looks alot better. That fussy front end has been replaced with much bigger and broader set of kidneys. The sides have swoopy lines cutting into the bodywork tapering towards the back. The car sits almost angled to the front, even the window baseline sits leaning forwards. Imagine yourself lifting and hunching your sholders forward, something like that.

The new X3 is an all round bigger car then before, half an inch taller, over 3 inches longer, an extra inch wider and a little more ground clearance. Doesn't sound like much, but the overall effect is of a much more muscular vehicle. It's not that big a car though, moving through traffic, that commanding ride and seat height allows you to putter into little gaps where the X3's bigger brothers would have only got a wheel in. When traffic slows down and stops eventually, so does the X3's engine. With the first local introduction of BMW's Start-Stop function, the X3 cuts off the engine when the car is stopped and restarts it when you take your foot off the brake, all in the name of saving fuel and improving efficiency. It takes a while to get used to but isn't as intrusive as it might sound.

At this point now i should be going on about how i feel about the car, but to be honest, i couldn't put my finger on it. Yes there is that point and squirt engine, yes there are 3 modes to the suspension varying how stiff you want your ride to be and how fast you like your gearchanges, and yes it should all be pretty good. But i haven't really bonded with it yet, maybe that old ghost of my first SUV is still lingering inside me. It's good, but maybe just not to my taste. Yet...

With over 1000 kilometers of road to transverse ahead of me. There is no better way to do a road test, highways and by-ways combined, i expected the X3 to be a good car for the long journey, what i got instead, was an exceptional car.

We've gone through the appearances, so now we are after some substance, and substance doesn't come any better then that turbo-ed straight 6, first seen in the 335, there-after on almost every other BMW in the range. It is a gem of an engine, so flexible and versatile, oodles of torque when moving off it jackrabbits every other car at the stoplights. On the highway, the X3 pulls to unmentionable speeds with such uncanny ease you really do have to pay attention if you value your license. Right next to her bigger brothers, the X5 and X6, the little X3 with less weight to pull around easily takes the lead whenever the road clears up and goes through long sweepers without their inherent mass. All this in the default comfort setting too. I did try out the other, more “sporty” setups, but to be honest, there really is no need to. It does everything so well in “comfort” mode that you don't really need the suspension to be any stiffer, even the gearchanges, when you get used to the throttle modulation, doesn't really need a change of mapping. Maybe unless you are on a track, but otherwise, leave it in comfort and just enjoy the ride.

Off the highways, the X3 pounds the uneven pavement and pitted roads into submission. The X3 laughs at all road imperfections and only on the worst road conditions do you really feel anything. (Unless you are in “Sport” mode, where yes, you can feel little pebbles on the road.) Sitting inside, the X3 gives a commanding view of the road ahead and it is quite a nice place to be when stuck in traffic. Generous lashings of leather, lots of buttons to fiddle with, and a pretty good sound system.

With over 600 kilometers each way, as i approached the finishing leg of my return, i realised that the cars we get attached to, are probably the cars we share the most time with, the cars we share the most experiences in. As over time, you get to discover that little bit more about a car, almost like getting to know someone better over the course of time. And as my short, long drive drew to a close, i've grown really fond of the X3. The ghost of my first SUV? I left it at the door over 600 kilometers away.

Random Shots: Files O'receipts

2011-06-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Finished my 3rd file of receipts for the E36, moving onto a 4th. While the E34 gets started on a brand new folder.

Clarkson on drifting / wangan

2011-06-18T01:33:00.001-07:00

Never watched this before.

X-scaping The City - Part 1: Pangkor Laut, Malaysia

2011-06-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

What an adrenaline fueled weekend it has been, with full-on smokey sideways action over at Formula Drift, the Canadian GP and of course, the legendary 24hrs or LeMans over in France. With non-stop racing action happening back to back, i instead, chose to go on a different route, heading up north into Malaysia with almost 600km's of road awaiting in front of me, on a warm and rather early Friday morning. Destination, Pangkor Laut, with Performance Motors as we “Escape The City”.An event where BMW owners take a different approach to holidaying, taking their cars up for extended driving and bonding sessions.

My car for the trip? The new X3 with a stomping turbocharged 3litre in-line 6.

The route up to Pangkor would take us up and over Kuala Lumpur towards Lumut with various rest stops scheduled in between and with over 50 cars signed up, it was going to be one interesting sight. With all the X-series (and one 5-GT) being grouped together, you sort of got the feeling that blitzing the highways wasn't part of the agenda.

With safety and getting there in one piece being top priority, those lead-footed males in our group were probably not too pleased when we were the last to set off. Usually i am quite skeptical of these “driving” holidays, I've always thought there were made up of people who were not too comfortable with the idea of venturing up into a foreign land and were all too light-footed for my taste. I was quickly (pun-intended) proven wrong though. The drivers in my team, we made pretty good time and the X-cars ate up whatever asphalt thrown at them, smooth paved highways, broken, pitted, and pot-holed B-roads and the occasional gravel path, with some cheeky overtaking along the way.

When all other cars were slowing down for the uneven surfaces, the X-cars pounded the bumps into submission and rode on unruffled. When the roads opened up, our bigger engines sucked in more air and pumped out more power. When we needed to overtake, a commanding view of the road ahead gave us an unfair advantage over normal cars, and when the tight B-road corners came, a blockade of slow-moving traffic in front held us up. Pretty much making no difference to be in a sports sedan. Such is the reality of driving in real-life. One point I'd like to note is how well the drive leaders and sweepers kept everyone together and keeping the convoy tight. I've driven in numerous convoys and this is by far, the most synchronized of all. No doubt about it. No one was lost, no one was left behind, and gaps were few and far in-between. We all switched over to the left to give way and we were treated in kind by the locals when we were hauling up the highway.

With rest stops and meals scheduled into our drives, we were all very much well fed. Yong Peng gave us fish-balls and Kuala Selangor provided us seafood. The SUV contingent soon set-off again towards the Ferry Terminal at Lumut, passing some lovely roads we would probably never venture into if not for this trip.

A cliched phrase to use now would be “Getting there is only half the fun”, but to be honest, when i got there, (after a slow ferry ride over), i think the resort impressed me quite a bit more then our drive up. It is just lovely. Really really lovely. Privately-owned island lovely. (Unless your idea of the perfect holiday is a shopping trip in HongKong).

With emerald seas surrounding the beach, hornbills and peacocks greeting you when you wake up, it's just pristine. I can go on and on raving about how beautiful the resort is but you'll just have to experience it for yourself.

The sun was shining and we were all blessed with great weather throughout our stay. If there is one complaint, i have, it would probably be the length of the stay, how i wish we could have lingered on just another day. The beaches were lovely and the water was warm, what's there not to like? It was on the second night over dinner where you actually discover just how well friendships can form over long drives together. Swapping driving stories over food and or just some jolly good banter.

I would not have experienced this camaraderie myself had i not joined in the fun. There is just such a sense of kinship and togetherness amongst the participants and organizers, it can almost put a tear into your eye. As the night came to a close, some of us stayed on partying into the night, whilst others retreated into the comfort of our beautiful villas.

The last day would bring us up towards Ipoh for lunch before a long drive back to Singapore. Some made the decision to drive straight back, missing out on some really awesome Ipoh Hor-Fun. That stuff is simply delish. We also found our way to the famous "Tau Fu Fah" stall and packed away our desserts, well worth the queue. Stomachs and cars tanked up soon after, everyone back home.

Given another chance, would i do it again in the future? I will seriously consider it, if you are thinking of going for their future event, do give it a go. Slots get taken fast. My initial thoughts of the drive being a clinical and laid-back journey was proven wrong and the event itself wasn't as fuddy duddy as I'd thought, in fact, quite the opposite. It was a truly memorable experience. I made new friends, had a great (rather rapid) drive, ate alot of delicious food and stayed in one of the most beautiful resorts I have ever been to.

I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend, even with all the Fast & Furious races happening around the World. In MY world, there really is nothing better then lying down on a hammock by the beach or getting a relaxing massage next to the sea, just not having to think or worry about anything. With everything else sorted out by the wonderful people from Performance Motors and Wheels for Fun, i really didn't need to. In short, i had a great time.

Big thanks to everyone at Performance Motors, Wheels For Fun, all the convoy leaders/sweepers, the death-defying photographer (in the death-defyingly driven 650i), our 3 BMW Motorrad chaperones and everyone involved.

Evo magazine's awesome "Cult of the Turbo" video

2011-06-14T03:11:00.000-07:00

Wish it was alot longer then those 6 minutes.

Random Shots: Ratty Dat

2011-06-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

Probably not an intentional rat, but spotted a somewhat interesting old bang-up 120Y fastback on the way home from Malaysia. Does this count as a proper spot?

RAUH-Welt Begriff : Coming Soon

2011-06-13T00:27:00.000-07:00

RAUH-Welt Begriff : Coming Soon from Luke Huxham on Vimeo.

Purist look away!!!

Random Shots: Ciao Bella

2011-06-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Have not seen an Alfetta GTV for years. My dad used to drive one of these.
Lovely, and in good nick too!

B-Road Saturday Mornings

2011-05-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

At the early hour of 6am, when everyone else was asleep, 3 weirdos decided to venture up to Msia for some backroad driving fun.
Representing the funky 70s, a lovely TA22 Celica

From the outrageous turbo 80s, this FC RX7.
Sitting pretty at the fabled resting stop of all Rotaries.

Rounding off the trio, from the 90s, my ol' E36

Apart from a slight hiccup at the immigration checkpoint, it was quite a fun and enjoyable drive. Somewhere out there, i learnt that having a stiff suspension setup and a full bladder does not go very well together.

It was pretty cool to look from behind as the RX7 kept spitting out flames. I didn't even know i had this shot until i got home! Most of the time though, there'd be double the flames.

With such liberal use of petrol, RX7 had to go back to her rest-stop again.

Tummys and cars tanked up, we headed back home.

///Massive Bimmerfest 2011 coverage

2011-05-25T08:58:00.001-07:00

Bimmerfest 2011 has just ended and what a show. One of, if not THE biggest ever turnout with over 1000 cars sitting pretty in Pasedena. And without a doubt, one of the best coverage reports on Bimmerfest 2011, came courtesy of Canibeat.

With stunning photos by John Zhang and a some of the loveliest ladies to grace an autoshow. Can't beat that combination. The hot chick above? That'll be Amy Fay.

Shoot over to their site for the full monty »

For more pictures and videos, here are some links for you to waste hours away.
- Night Import's Bimmerfest 2011 coverage
- Jon S's photos
- AutoSpies Bimmerfest coverage
- Autoblog - Bimmerfest 2011 invades the Rose Bowl
- AC Schnitzer USA Coverage at Bimmerfest 2011 via CEC
- mkodama's photodump of Bimmerfest 2011
- Joe Sterling's X-country road trip to Bimmerfest!
- ThePoonTang Bimmerfest 2011 Pictures
- SoCal Auto Event Pictures
- eas | Nearly 200 Hi-Res Bimmerfest 2011 Photos
- Jlevi SW at Bimmerfest '11
- Amy Fay's facebook fanpage