More than an old car #225: Chevrolet Optra

 

The beauty of car spotting on the road is that you never know what is going to appear next. I was just walking along the road when I spied a rather unique-looking grille on a car some distance away. Upon drawing closer, it suddenly hit me that I was laying my eyes on a relic that I didn't know still survived today, namely the pre-facelift 2003 Chevrolet Optra!

 

Originally sold as the Daewoo Lacetti in its native Korea, it was developed based on its predecessor Nubira before it was acquired by GM. GM Korea launched the car in 2002, with styling done by Pininfarina. Its name is derived from the Latin "lacertus", meaning "youthful". Subsequently, it began to be sold in worldwide markets, under various names like Buick Excelle in China, Holden Viva in Australia and Chevrolet Optra in the Americas, India and Southeast Asia. Cars in Southeast Asia are assembled in Thailand.

 

A hatchback and station wagon version were subsequently released in 2003 and 2004 respectively. There was also a facelift in 2004, where the three-slot grille was changed to a single grille featuring a horizontal bar. There was also another facelift in 2007 where the sedan received the same front end as the hatchback featured since its debut. The Optra was powered by a 1598cc GM E-TEC II inline-4 engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 172 km/h with an acceleration of 12.5 seconds [0-100 km/h]. It was 4500 mm long and weighed 1,240 kg, with a fuel consumption of 15.8 km/litre.

 

 

 

First and second facelift 

 

Production of the Optra ended around 2009 where it was replaced by the Cruze, though badge-engineered versions continued to be made up till 2024! Optras were first sold in Singapore in 2003 by Starsauto Pte Ltd, where it retailed for $74,988 with COE. Local reviews noted its relatively bigger size and thoughtful features like air-con glove compartment and front-seat shopping hooks, though it could get bouncy at low speeds. Interestingly, an Optra was won as a lucky draw prize as part of the Sentosa Island Mega Saver package in 2004!

 

While we still have quite a few of the facelifted Optras around, I had a soft spot for this pre-facelift model with the three grilles as my uncle used to own one. Seeing this survivor was surreal and naturally I made a run to the junction where it had mercifully stopped. Almost immediately, it drove away but I managed to preserve its existence in these two pictures. After researching a bit more, I realised that this manual pre-facelift unit is most likely the last one in the country; the vast majority were sold with automatic transmissions and other manual units in the market are the facelifted versions. 

 

I still cannot believe that my accidental sight of this car unlocked various childhood memories, and knowing that it was in the more rare manual transmission made it a lot special. It seems that this unit will be around for some time, hopefully you'll be able to catch a sight of it soon!  

 

More than an old car #224: Mazda RX2

 

Back then when I had more time, I often went to various car workshops around the country to just see what cool cars were there (which also makes up the majority of my content). Some places are relatively far, so I would not specifically make my way down unless I felt like it. It was one of those random days where I just decided to pop by, when I saw this rather curious 1972 Mazda RX2 being worked on. Initially, I did not recognise what it was but after doing a quick check, I realised it was a unicorn finding!

First introduced as the Mazda Capella, the car was positioned as an intermediate alternative to the smaller Familia and the larger Luce. Its name was derived from the eponymous star, which is the brightest in the constellation Auriga. The Capella originally featured rectangular headlights while rotary-powered versions were fitted with twin headlamps from 1971; rotary cars were sold as Mazda RX2 for export markets. 

Interestingly, the Capella was also assembled in New Zealand and South Africa, where the rotary cars became more popular than its non-rotary siblings. It was also a major component of Mazda's US expansion in 1971, but only the rotary version remained federalised (i.e. made legal) for 1973.

The RX2 was powered by a 1146cc Wankel 12A rotary engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 182 km/h with an acceleration of 9.4 seconds [0-100 km/h]. It was 4210 mm long and weighed 1015 kg, with a relatively thirsty fuel consumption of 15.9 litres / 100 km.

Production of the 1st-generation Capella ended in 1974 with about 116,000 made, where it was succeeded by the CB series. Certain literature consider the 1st-generation Capella to include the CB series, though other make a distinction. This particular unit was imported from the UK, where it was noted to be a barn find that had not moved since the 1980s. It was sold on eBay for 3500 pounds in 2012 and subsequently brought in, though it had not been seen in public until I came across it by chance! RX2s were not widely sold in the UK back then, making its existence really curious. Even in Singapore, they did not appear to have been brought in officially though a few were noted to have existed based on newspaper ads.

Cars back then were really made different, as seen in the level of details. I had not noticed the gold pinstripes only after I took the pictures, and it was a nice touch amidst the car's general run-down condition. The road tax disc was last updated in Oct 1977, which would mean this unit has been off the road for decades! The bigger mystery would be how this was found and brought into Singapore, especially when maintenance would not be straightforward. In any case, it has yet to be registered but I hope you may be able to see this rarity on the roads some day!

More than an old car #223: Toyota Prius (XW10)

Hybrid vehicles have become so mainstream today that it is hard to visualise how it stormed to the forefront. Over the course of automotive history, there were various attempts to create vehicles with hybrid technology, but ensuring it was mass market was a whole set of challenges. It was only until Toyota's brightest minds pooled together to create a revolutionary car, of which the 2003 Toyota Prius XW10 is a testimony!

The Prius began life as a concept vehicle, where it was first exhibited at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show; it featured the Toyota EMS (Energy Management System) drivetrain for the purpose of fuel-efficient driving. Environmentally friendly features included electric power steering, low rolling resistance tires and side moldings made from coloured resin.

It was subsequently released in 1997 as the world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle, under model code NHW10. The front grille and bonnet were seamlessly connected (a rare feature at the time), which helped to reduce air resistance. In addition, it was easy to get in and out of the car while making effective use of the interior space, which was an innovative package for a sedan at the time.

In 2001, it was upgraded with a more efficient hybrid engine and cosmetic additions for the export market such as a rear spoiler, along with a model redesignation to NHW11. NHW11 models were powered by a 1497 cc 1NZ-FXE i4 hybrid engine and fitted with the Toyota Hybrid System hybrid drivetrain technology (now known as Hybrid Synergy Drive). Essentially, an electric motor was mated to a conventional engine, which would kick in to provide more power when accelerating. This allowed the car to reach a top speed of 130 km/h with an acceleration of 13.4 seconds [0-100 km/h]. It was 4315 mm long and weighed 1265 kg, with a very good effective range of 18.5 km / litre.

Production of the 1st-generation Prius ended in 2003, where it was replaced by the more renowned XW20 series. The Prius XW10 was first unveiled in Singapore in 1999, and was officially sold here in 2001 by Toyota dealer Borneo Motors at a retail price of $128,988. Local reviews praised its fuel efficiency but noted that its prohibitively high price would only appeal to those who wished to make a statement. 

This unit is believed to be 1 of 2 remaining here, where the other one is actually used by our police force as a patrol car! It was most likely imported from the UK, due to the rear spoiler and chassis number designation. At some point in time, this Prius began to see usage as a private hire vehicle; I have seen it being used to drop off passengers. Although the Prius XW10 is not what people would imagine an iconic car to be like, it paved the way for others to fly. Who knows, perhaps you may be lucky to catch a ride in this unique piece of history one day!