More than an old car #102: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 3

Mention the words Lancer Evolution, and to the average Joe, it may convey images of souped-up cars and illegal racing by 'ah bengs'. For the car enthusiast, it is seen as a powerful car with decent performance, and one may bemoan the demise of the 'Evo' as Mitsubishi shifts its production to SUVs instead. However, as with old cars here, older Evos tend to be neglected by most people. To be honest, I did not really think much of them until I saw this 1995 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 3 GSR here!

The Evo is the 'high-performance' variant of the regular Lancer cars that we are more familiar with. It was built in limited numbers initially in order to acquire World Rally Championship homologation (ie to be able to compete in the rally races). Available in 10 different versions, they resemble their 'plebeian' cousins even though they were based on different chassis/platforms. Introduced in 1995, the Evo 3 differed from the previous editions by featuring more aggressive styling, side skirts, a large front bumper to introduce more air into the radiator and a larger spoiler, which was unusual for 'regular' cars at that time. GSR models were equipped with conveniences of a typical street car, such as power windows and a rear wiper.

The Evo 3 is well-known for its debut on Jackie Chan's film Thunderbolt, where it pulled off a series of cool stunts that most people would dream of. Interestingly, Jackie Chan had signed a contract with Mitsubishi, where its vehicles feature almost exclusively in his films. It was powered by the classic 1997 cc 4G63T i4 engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 180 km/h. It was 4310 mm long and weighed 1260 kg.

Production ended in 1996 with 8,998 GSR units made, where it was replaced by the more famous Evo 4. This unit has been in Singapore since the 90s and I believe it is the only one left here. Back then, Evo 3s were not that well-known outside Japan and this was thus parallel-imported. Having changed hands a couple of times, it has been subjected to an overhaul by the current owner, such as the retro 1996 International Swedish Rally livery that sets it apart with its burst of colour. As can be seen, it was previously in Scotia White paint before the livery added a nice classic vibe.

Fortuitously, this car does appear quite often at events, compared to when it was a 'garage queen' that rarely saw daylight. This unit joins an exclusive group of around 10 classic Evos that still exist here, do keep a lookout for them!

More than an old car #101: Suzuki Swift (Cultus)

It is common knowledge that Singapore is not a friendly place for cars, and this has led to the demise of many old family cars. Comparing pictures of street scenes in the 1990s and today, you will be hard-pressed to find any regular old cars that have persisted for so long, such as this 1991 Suzuki Swift (Cultus) here!

The Suzuki Cultus (badged as the Suzuki Swift in Singapore) was first introduced in 1983 as a replacement to the Fronte 800, which helped Suzuki to establish itself in the Japanese compact car market. The 2nd generation of the Cultus appeared in 1988, continuing the company's plan for an inexpensive 'global car'. Hatchback and sedan styles were available, along with engine capacities between 1 litre to 1.3 litre. Its global nature was proved by its success in the US as the Geo Metro, and in India as the Maruti 1000. This unit was powered by a 993 cc G10 i3 engine, weighed 820 kg and was 4095 mm long.

Production of the Suzuki Cultus ended in 2003, where it was replaced by a revamped model known as the Cultus Crescent. This unit is a facelifted model due to the grille gap, and remarkably there are still a handful that have survived till today, even though this one in question has been scrapped. It looks to have been well-maintained given that the stock wheels had been changed to a sportier type. The Swift was relatively affordable at that time and quite a number of people had this as their family/first car, due to its cheap maintenance expenditure.
I feel it is unfortunate that many people will forget that this existed here, so hopefully years from now people can have a walk down memory lane. Do keep a lookout for the remaining ones here!

More than an old car #100: Citroen HY

Many of you would be familiar with the concept of food trucks, as they are a staple in almost every large-scale carnival in Singapore. Sometimes if you are lucky, you can see the renowned VW Kombi too. Let me introduce you to this 1970 Citroen HY Van, a food truck that you would not see before!

The Citroen HY, also known as the Type H/H Van, was a panel van made starting from 1947. Pierre Franchiset, who was working in the body development department, is credited for coming up with this innovative design. Its name is derived from it being the 8th project that Citroen worked on, and eventually decided to produce it. Taking cues from its Traction Avant range of cars, it featured a uni-body design and had its engine pushed all the way in front, a feature that was unique compared to vans of that time. Furthermore, the wheels had independent suspensions, enabling it to take more weight than expected.

As with the 2CV, the HY was designed to be durable yet cheap for the masses. For example, the windshield was made in 1 complete piece as it was cheaper to do so, and the distinctive corrugated body work was inspired from the Junkers Ju bomber planes: the ribs added strength without adding weight, even to the point that a horse could be loaded into one! Its remarkable height of 1820 mm also enabled one to stand inside the van, which proved useful if one wanted to load/unload goods. Most HY vans were powered by a 1911 cc 4-cylinder engine, which allowed it to reach a top speed of 78 km/h. It was 4270 mm long and weighed around 1500 kg.

Production ended in 1981 with 473,289 made, remarkably over a long period of time. This unit is a post-1969 facelift model due to the squarish rear fenders, compared with circular ones before that. HY vans have entered cult status just like the VW Kombi, and it is very common to see them being converted to food trucks selling all kinds of "hipster" foods. However, none made it to Singapore originally, since practically all of them were in left-hand drive.

This unit, with its engine removed, was imported from Sweden and has found a new life becoming a coffee van. I believe most of you would not be familiar with this since none existed here previously, despite it being well-known in Europe. It's pretty unique to see something not so common, and do check this out if you have the time!

Miscellaneous classics #3: Nissan Cabstar F23

As a continuation of my old lorry appreciation posts, I will be sharing about one of the most common trucks on our roads. Nissan trucks have always been one of the crucial movers of our economy: the intermediate goods that contributes to the end product among our midst [such as barrels, ladders, paint cans], not to mention the ferrying of migrant workers that help to build our infrastructure that we take for granted. This humble 1998 Nissan Cabstar F23 has been through a lot, but none of you would recognise the importance it has in our history.

The Nissan Cabstar, or technically known as the Nissan Atlas in Japan, is a small and medium-duty truck sold by Nissan Motors. The Cabstar name was used to refer to another series of trucks made between 1968 to 1982. The "Atlas" name refers to the Greek god Atlas, who carried the world on his shoulders; it alludes to Nissan's aim of having this truck carry the country, both figuratively and literally.

Currently, there are 3 generations of the smaller Cabstar/Atlas and I am sure most of you have seen them before. The 2nd generation was known as the F23 series and was made between 1992 to 2007. It was powered by a 3153 cc QD32 i4 diesel engine and was 4460 mm long. Its unladen weight was 1620 kg while the maximum laden weight was more than twice at 3350 kg.

Some of you may be wondering why this particular truck is considered a classic when there are still many of them on the road. Let's compare the above with this model here made in 2005. There was a facelift done in 1999, and as you can see, the lights became trapezoidal rather than rectangular, while the Nissan logo was now part of the grille. The bumpers were also changed as a result although it is hard to see from here. Another clue is by looking at the number plate: GQ to GT plates were issued between 1998 to 2000, while GU to GZ plates were issued between 2000 to 2005.

A check on the database revealed that the lorry had been scrapped on October 2018, since it has already reached its 20-year lifespan. This makes it all the more pertinent to see them before they are definitely gone in a few years time. It is a pity that most people do not care about lorries simply because they are not as cool as a car. I hope this has been informative to you and personally, I feel I have done my part in capturing a piece of history that future generations could look back at [if we are not using lorries anymore]...

More than an old car #99: MG K3 Magnette

Throughout my years of car spotting, I have been fortunate to come across cars that are relatively rare here. Although there is a bucket list of cars that I want to see, I guess I should be thankful to see this 1933 MG K3 Magnette since I have never seen it ever since!

The MG K-Type was first launched in 1932 at the London Motor Show, and as with cars of that era, it was geared towards racing. The Magnette name signified its smaller engine capacity from its sibling, the Magna. It experienced great success in various racing events, most notably in the 1933 Mille Miglia when it outlasted the crowd-favourite Maseratis to clinch 1st place.

The K3 was the third iteration of the K-Type, and it was fitted with a 'preselector gearbox', which is a type of manual transmission that requires the driver to first select the desired gear before pushing a pedal on the floor to change it. Such gearboxes were more common back then, for example in Daimler vehicles and London buses, and they are still used today in tanks. Most units were powered by a 1087 cc supercharged i6 engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 177 km/h with an acceleration of 14.6 seconds [0-120 km/h]. It was 3658 mm long and weighed 914 kg.

Production of K-Types ended in 1934 with only 33 K3s made. However, I believe this unit here is a replica since the original 33 units had either new bodies, engine swaps or were destroyed unfortunately. This is further confirmed by the registry, which implies that it has been fitted with a 1432 cc engine instead. When I first chanced upon it by accident in 2017, its registration number had not been updated yet, suggesting that it was a very recent import. For some reason, I haven't seen it at all ever since nor has it been seen by people on the road. I believe practically all of you would not have heard of it before, notwithstanding that its heyday was decades ago. I hope that I can see this in closer detail and probably find out more about its origin, maybe you'll get to see it some day!

More than an old car #98: Toyota Crown Coupe S70

A number of you may be familiar with the Toyota Crown--they are more commonly associated with people who are somewhat more wealthy and yet prefer something Japanese. I had no idea that this 1972 Toyota Crown S70 existed until I saw it at a car meet!

The Toyota Crown is a series of large executive cars which first appeared in 1955, and it is the longest-running passenger car nameplate under Toyota; the Corolla only appeared in 1966! Its name is a reference to a king's crown, which emphasized a state of luxury. Also, it is one of the few Toyota models to feature its own logo; other examples include the Alphard and Vellfire MPVs. The 4th generation of Crowns ie S60/S70 was launched in 1971 and was available in coupe, sedan, wagon and van variants. For the hardtop coupe, its styling strongly resembled those of contemporary American cars of its day such as the Ford Thunderbird and Ford Torino. Uniquely, it also has a vent on the top of the hood and the steeply-angled chin of the car gave rise to the "kujira" nickname (Japanese for 'whale').

Export models all featured the quad round headlights, while Japanese-market models had rectangular ones. There was a facelift in 1973 with the change to a chrome bumper, compared to the previous body-coloured ones. It was powered by a 1988 cc M i6 engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 165 km/h. It was 4680 mm long and weighed 1310 kg, clearly befitting of its nickname.

Production of the 4th-generation Crown ended in 1974 with the introduction of the 5th generation model. This particular unit is currently the last one left in Singapore, and it still carries its original registration number. It was on sale back then before residing with its current owner, who has swapped the wheels with 'deep lip' rims. I really love how immaculate this rarity gleams, and the addition of the fender mirrors also lend a retro touch. According to newspaper clippings, advertisements for them appeared some time in 1973; evidently they were sold here previously. Old Crowns have all but died out due to exorbitant road taxes and lack of spare parts--it is impressive how this unit is the last man standing. If you are lucky, you may be able to see this whale ruling the roads just like yesteryear!

More than an old car #97: Austin A35

Small cars are now increasingly popular among Singaporeans, due to the tax benefits from small engine capacity and parking space. Most of them are clearly Japanese, but I was quite surprised to see this tiny 1959 Austin A35 as well!

The Austin A35 was a small family saloon that was first produced in 1956. It was the successor of the A30 and shared various visual similarities, such as the rather cute-looking body which was designed in-house. This enabled the A35 to be lighter and stiffer than other vehicles of its time. During a test run in 1957, it handled well in traffic and had good fuel economy, a point which was important for buyers during the fuel crisis at that time. Different body styles were made: a 2/4-door saloon, an estate (station wagon) and a panel van. The 4-door saloon here was powered by a 948 cc A-Series i4 engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 117 km/h with an acceleration of 30.1 seconds [0-100 km/h]. It was 3464 mm long and weighed 705 kg. 

Production of the A35 stopped in 1968 for the van version and 1959 for the saloon version. Somehow, only 28,961 4-door saloons were made, more than 5 times less than the 2-door version. This particular unit, in a unique metallic pea green paint, still has its original registration number. Although it is not very evident from past newspaper records, A35s were sold here and this may be the last one on our shores! This car would not look too out of place among the small city cars that we have today. It would seem that the owner must really love this little machine so much that he/she still decides to keep it until today. Despite the relatively huge cars that ply our road, I believe you will be able to spot this one easily as well!