Gorgeous Redhead!

I was too young to watch Miami Vice (the TV series) in the 1980s and back then, American TV haven't really hit Singapore in a big way. Well, I did watch Miami Vice (the movie) and was smitten with the gun metal gray F430. After a bit of Wiki-ing, I realized Ferrari and Miami Vice go WAY back, with the Daytona and Testarossa featuring heavily in the show.

So you can imagine my delight when I spotted one the other day (old Ferraris in Singapore are not so commonly driven out, compared to the newer F360 and F430) The design is more than 20 years old and yet it still looks so exotic: wide, low, 'cheese grater' cooling grilles looking oh so retro cool, did I mention wide?

Darth Vader's ride

Found this pics off the internet... I guess if his Death Star is destroyed, the Ariel Atom will have to do.
And his storm troopers trail him closely in a fleet of white Lotus Exiges... How cool is that?

Visit to ST Powered - RPS13 tuning

A friend's getting his RPS13 tuned by ST Powered's Furugawa-san today and after hearing so many good reviews of his tuning work (better power under the entire curve, durability, EVEN better fuel efficiency), I went down and take a look.

I am no expert at tuning but my understanding is that the more labour intensive and effective way to build the map is to do it up from scratch, one gear at a time, adjusting air fuel ratios and ignition timings a couple of hundreds rpm at a go, until redline is hit. The lazy way is to rev through at a go and using the base map established to backward adjust the numbers. The lazy way is also a good way to blow up your engine inadvertently...

From what I can glean, further Furugawa-san's handiwork is very meticulous, warming up the engine thoroughly before starting, constantly listening for knock through a headphone while tuning. Will post up my friend's dyno chart and a feature of his car when its out of the garage. Its running 256/264 cams, Garrett GT2871r turbo and it should be making 400ps at the crank easily. Stay tuned!


P.S. Spotted an ex Hotstuff cover car. The one and only Wisesquare-kitted S15 in Singapore. Check out the gorgeous carbonfibre front lip and carnards.This car packs a 2.2 Tomei stroker engine. Turbo is out of the car so I guess another turbo is on its way in...

5 generations of GTR in Japan...

Found this great blog written by an American enthusiast living in Tokyo. He drives a R33 and the above photo is a great example of the stuff they have. From the original Prince GTR to the current R35 lined up in the infamous Daikoku Futo.... Drools. I am pretty sure we can gather the R32 to R35 for a photoshoot. But no way on earth can we find a Prince GTR in Singapore... Sighs.

All Aboard the Love Bus!

I know this blog is about performance cars, but I can't stop myself from smiling when I spotted a vintage VW bus used as a bridal car. Certainly a more inspired choice than a bland E-series Mercedes. :)

Princess Powered RX8

Here's a standout RX8 - a clean bodykit (looks like Knightsport but I could be wrong), Emotion CR Kai rims, CF bonnet AND extra points for it is built and driven by a female! The flowers and angel wings graphics are the first giveaway that its built by the fairer sex...

The sign provides further clues. Note the cool carbon fibre door pillars.
Check out the stuffed toy beside the steering wheel.
All in all, kudos to the owner for putting together a tough looking RX8 that is still distinctly feminine.

Clean Stylin' Nismo S14

Tan Chong Motors (official distributor of Nissan in Singapore) brought in zenki S14s for sale between 1994 to 1999. With the drift craze not upon us yet in the nineties, sales of the S14 in the Silvia family in Singapore were poor, resulting in kouki S14s and S15s not officially launched in Singapore.

How the tides have changed... The 5-piece Nismo body kit that was factory-fitted in 1994(!!!), still tick all the right boxes in terms of functionality, form and fitment. The current owner got the car resprayed in a subtle but tasteful Maserati grey, with the entire look being period correct with extremely rare vintage 17 inch Super Star rims.


Finishing off the exterior are the 'Silvia wording' and 'S' emblems. These original items are must-haves for S14 owners and will cost a pretty penny to buy through Ebay. Power mods are mild as the particular car is an auto and the owner has no wish to grenade the gearbox.

The suspension is another story altogether. ALL the worn OE rubber bushings were refreshed with poly urethane Energy Suspension items, with an immense reduction in body roll, creaks and squeaks commonly associated with a car of this age. Cusco coilovers, front and rear strut bars further ensure that this S14 glides through corners effortlessly.


A neat exterior, choice handling mods and auto gearbox makes for a competent daily driver. Ease of use during the endless traffic jams in Singapore and sufficient ponies for high speed runs up the North South Highway when the need for speed arises... Motoring bliss!

Barbie Pink Evo X

Although the Evo X is getting a rather lukewarm reception so far by Singaporean enthusiasts, slowly but surely, we are starting to see a few modded examples. It wouldn't take much to stand out from the mostly stock-looking Evo Xs on the roads so far, but this owner is not leaving anything to chance...

Cue Barbie pink custom paint job, vented carbon fibre bonnet, black 5-spokes rims (I am guessing G Games or URAS) with matching pink lips, carbon fibre Ganador mirrors. Overall, I think the two tone look is carried off pretty well, though a carbon fibre GT wing should have been added as well, giving the overtness of the overall styling.


Last but not least, factory Recaros do a pretty good job of strapping in the owner's date...

Almost Extinct Panda Spotted!

It sucks to be living in Singapore sometimes when you are a motoring enthusiast, you can't import cars older than 3 years old so classic cars from the eighties, nineties and early noughties slowly dwindle in numbers through the years.

And when you see a fellow enthusiast keeping the faith and maintaining a 20 year car on the road, RESPECT! When its a Panda spec AE86 with classic Watanabe rims, DOUBLE RESPECT! Keep in mind that the average Singapore owns a new car for only about 3-5 years at the most...

Driving a Silvia with no traction control is one thing, driving a AE86 with no power steering, no ABS, no power windows, no power nothing, that's a totally different level of dedication to the motoring cause.