Hi SF, I've an idea. Buy your next supercar in UK, go for the drive in that car, and ship it back to sg/my as a used import. Guess the various parallel importers might be able to help with the paper work. Might even make economic sense at the end of the day Happy motoring!
Hi Derek, Thanks for the enlightenment! This is indeed an excellent package. I noticed that all the prices are POA. Have you been on this tour? Any indicative prices that you are aware of? F458 is yummy..
Yeah, Smoothie went to the ground breaking ceremony and told me yesterday that it was a 3.5km track with 4 very tight corners almost like hairpins. Probably suit lighter cars. Anything above 1.5 tons is gonna find it too slow and tight. Track will apparently be run by the same group that does Suzuka so should be very professional. I definitely am very very excited about this- who needs golf when you have a race track at your back door!!!! Its about time...
Very looking forward to the new motorsports hub. Think it will be pretty packed with events when it's up!
I'm more interested in the race queens! But hey, they have a museum, hotel & watersports facilities too.
Parts for the belt change are cheap but the labour is the killer. So is that also at 50% discount? Belts, like that rubber in your wallet, have shelf lives esp in our climate. I think the manufactured date is stamped on the belt so as long as it is less than a year or so, it would be fine. Also note that non usage of the car is detrimental to belt life as it is stretched and left static which is no go.
Only way now is to get the exhaust back up to temp and ask Mrs. K to arm herself with the scrapper and get to work while you keep the revs/temp up!
Hill Engineering comes to mind with regards to tensioner bearings. I am using them and my water pump was rebuilt with parts from Superformance. How I love it when the pound is down .
haha, I know what I you mean. I bought a throw-out bearing from them for my 456 sometime back & don't even know when I'll be using it. Btw, I found a nicely patinated blue DB5 in Japan which is very reasonably priced. But the OMV tax is still a deal breaker here unless I keep it in Malaysia..... maybe we should all write a letter to transport minister & request for incentives for classics. Otherwise, all the beauties & money will be transferred overseas. There's also a 512BB for you from the Brunei garage. I'm waiting for the pictures on this car. Also a 208GTS on offer but LHD. Guess what guys, even China dealers are bidding on them!
Would you prefer a 365BB or a 512BB? Most easy to live with would be the 512BBi but 1007 were built as compared to just a few hundred for the 365s and 512carb cars. So while rarity is relative, the 365 is the rarest of the breed but probably the hardest to live with. Agree on that OMV thing which makes these cars so unattractive. BTW, I was ogling at the Orochi at AM today. That car is actually quite stunning esp from the side and back. Ok, the front may be the deal breaker depending on individual taste but for the price of a bare basic 911C2, you could have a head turner with a reliable engine at the back. What do you guys think?
Isn't it a little down on power, relative to its looks? I mean, it looks like it should have 6 million horsepower and 3 million newton-metres of torque. And the interior, once again, just doesn't really suit it's looks. But just for the wow factor, I quite like it
It is now a 3.3L supercharged Toyota engine which probably will not/never sound exotic. Yes, it would be underpowered relative to its looks and the interior for a 300k+ car with no pedigree/badging would be somewhat bare. Even the steering wheel is bare with no paddle shift, vol control or anything at all other than the horn. But the seating position is not bad, quite V12 Lambo like and the windows have the same treatment as the McLaren F1. And there is only 1 running on the road? Sold by previous agent.
Guess Singaporeans aren't really prepared for the looks. IIRC, I did see one running around in the past. Mitsuoka isn't doing too well over here right?
Well, we're not going to drive it daily & it won't be our only ride so I'd choose something more exotic & rarer for the sale of collection & investment. 365 is the one I would go for as it has better upside. Do you remember the car that I showed from South Africa? Don't know much about the Orochi?? Is this that organic looking car with an NSX chassis? 3.3 supercharged should be quite exciting if mated to a manual gearbox or something other than regular auto then the suspension set up+steering rack. Well, we all want something different so go for it if you like. I'm actually thinking of getting a cheap Honda with typeR engine & rebuild it with ITBs. It has a manual gearbox & 1.35ton. Factory spec was 220Bhp on a 2.2L vtec. But I'm running out of parking space!
Don't know about the NSX chassis bit but yes, it is that organic looking car. Really not bad looking from some angles but it lacks the red mist effect. If it was badged a Ferrari, sales would fly thru the roof, just like the NSX which is a very good car actually. The Orochi is an auto with overdrive. Problem is, the switchgear looks and probably are Toyota. Like that how to have red mist? I need sticky interior bits and fiddly switches to feel exotic . Will be going to Kent, UK to have a look at 2 512s that are on sale but price is quite ridiculous. Maybe now there is an Asian premium! One is going for 80 and the other is asking something like 90k pounds, very close to OSG's Dino.
Dude, if u can be my banker, I'd buy a Zonda! My friend just imported his own Phantom & has also bought 3 classics to be shipped in! So, if you have the moolah, u can buy buy buy! He did all the admin himself.
Yeah, good classic cars are staying buoyant in this climate & the weak pound (& now Euro) has attracted Asian buyers. As far as I know, Malaysians, HK, Thais are also shopping. Maybe even Indonesians & now my friend told me that Chinese dealers are also bidding for classics Strangely, I've seen few nice cars coming out from Japan. I didn't look @ the Mitsuoka properly so wouldn't comment. Most of them looks like styling job and played it safe with the hardware. It's a long term investment with little returns in car making business. I can only think of Pagani as one of the most successful boutique carmaker. Maybe Spyker too since they managed to buy Saab.
Looks wild and crazy on the outside which is good since that's the whole point, to attract attention. But the interior is disappointing and engine is relatively underpowered when you're paying this kind of money. Not to mention, brand recognition is next to nothing. Overall, I would say nice car to look at on the roads but not something I would like to own.
