More than an old car #41: Mercedes W123 250 Limousine

Limousines are a rare sight despite a glut of luxury automobiles in our tiny red dot--they would not be very practical and parking would be a feat on its own. It is therefore impressive to see this 1984 Mercedes W123 250 limousine casually hanging out with other vehicles as well!

The W123 series is a range of executive cars made by Mercedes from 1976, and it was the most successful model at 2.7 million sold before it was replaced by the W124. These cars came with either 4 unequal round headlights or rectangular ones, and they were longer in exterior dimensions compared to previous models. For the long-wheelbase versions ["Lang"], it came in a 7 or 8-seater format, with the middle seats folded down as and when necessary. It was powered by a 2525cc 6-cylinder engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 185km/h with an acceleration of 11.9 seconds. It was 5.36m long and weighed 1570kg.

Production ended in 1985 with 5180 made, although I believe few of them were in right-hand drive. I am aware of one other unit in Singapore that is black in colour. Owning a car is already very taxing, not to mention a limousine which would require even more care from errant drivers or overly curious people. Such vehicles are easily associated with the wealthy as they go about in class; when was the last time you saw a limo on our roads? Kudos to the owner for continuing to maintain such an unlikely Mercedes--it would pass off so well as a wedding car and I hope you get a chance to see it too!

More than an old car #40: Triumph Stag

Think of the word 'triumph' and you would evoke scenes of victory and achievement. Most of you would not have thought that Triumph refers to a car company of yesteryear, or the 1974 Triumph Stag that I spotted.

The Triumph Motor Company was founded in 1885 by Siegfried Bettmann from Germany, as S.Bettmann & Co. It started out as a bicycle importer before it was renamed "Triumph" in 1886. Though it experienced success as a motorcycle manufacturer, it entered the car industry in 1921. Triumph went into receivership during 1938 and car production stopped due to WWII. After the war, it was bought over by Standard Motor Company in 1944 and by Leyland Motors in 1960. The Triumph name disappeared in 1984 when BMW bought over its owner Austin Rover Group. Currently, the brand name is owned by BMW even though no cars are badged as such.

The Triumph Stag arose from a styling experiment back in 1963, where the famous Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti worked on a series of Triumph cars including the Stag. The first Stag was produced in 1970 and it was envisioned to be a competitor to the Mercedes R107 SL-class. As a 2+2 sports tourer, it was a 4-seater convertible coupe and was received warmly initially. Quite uniquely, its logo featured a highly stylized stag rather than a griffin. It was powered by a 2997cc Triumph 8-cylinder engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 190 km/h with an acceleration of 10 seconds [0-100km/h]. It was 4.42 m long and weighed 1268 kg.

However, the Stag quickly became notorious for its unreliability, specifically engine overheating. Due to numerous design flaws in the engine such as the position of the coolant, it had a tendency to heat up excessively in traffic. Numerous replacements were also required, as the aluminium-iron mixture corroded easily. It proved so bad that Time magazine rated it as one of the 50 worst cars ever made. As a result, production ended prematurely with only 25,939 made in 1977.

This specimen has been imported from the UK quite recently and given a Singapore licence plate under the classic car scheme. Recently, I am aware of a coupe unit that is originally registered here! Given the issues that have dogged the Stag, the owner must have been really brave to bring it on our roads. Although classic cars are generally less reliable than modern ones, this is really off the spectrum in terms of breakdowns. However, to each his own and I really admire the owner for driving this British beauty that could have been great.

More than an old car #39: Lotus Super 7

It is easy to wonder how this specimen in the picture is even a car, when it would remind us of a go-kart instead. Furthermore, its simple design doesn't distinguish itself as a 'old car' and I had trouble believing it at first. However, this 'bathtub on wheels', or the 1972 Lotus Super 7 Series 4 is still surviving even until today!

Lotus Cars started out as Lotus Engineering Ltd in 1952, founded by Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman and Colin Dare. If you take a closer look at the logo, you may notice the letters ACBC, which is actually the full name of the founder. It has produced both 'typical' road cars and cars that resemble the F1 models today [non-typical cars]. Lotus ran into financial troubles in the 1980s and was only bailed out rather fortuitously. It is currently owned by Chinese car manufacturer Geely and previously Proton in Malaysia had a stake in the company.

The Lotus 7 was produced between 1957 to 1972, and it has been praised as being simple, lightweight and delivering high performance. It was covered in aluminium panels and had a stiff interior frame, given the rather open nature of the vehicle. An innovation was the 'double wishbone' suspension, which is two wishbone-shaped arms attached to the wheel. It was surprisingly road legal and could be used for clubman racing [racing with prototype race cars]. Due to its simple design, it was a 'kit car' favourite and many spin-offs were created even until today. Some of you might be aware of a similar car produced under the Caterham model, but Caterham obtained a license from Lotus to continue producing such vehicles since 1973.

Most of the Lotus Sevens, including the Series 4, performed extremely well in acceleration, being able to reach 100km/h in 8.8 seconds.This Series 4 was powered by a 1599cc 4-cylinder engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 187km/h. However, the front tends to lift up at speeds of 110km/h.  It weighed 590kg and was 3.67m long. Only 664 were made and I am aware of at least 1 other model existing in Singapore.

This is a unique model that allows one to enjoy the closeness to the road, the feeling of sheer power in front of them and the authentic racing experience. It certainly is more risky as less metal is protecting you and the cars around you. Although it may be too close for comfort personally, it is indeed a real head turner because you do not get to see such a bare-bones vehicle everyday!

More than an old car #38: Jaguar Mark X

From my observations, I would say that old Jaguars are 'endangered': you can find them in the wild but you need luck and skill to find one. However, this 1963 Jaguar Mark X seems to be the only one of its kind here, and this was a seriously coincidental encounter! I was walking back home when I chanced upon this wedding convoy for an Indian couple it seems and clearly this specimen was the star of the show.

The Mark X [Mark 10] was Jaguar's top-range saloon car from 1961-1970 and it was primarily aimed at the US market. It had a unibody car frame [the whole body was made in one piece rather than being welded together] and had a unique 'independent rear suspension' system unheard from British cars at that time. This was the first car to introduce the 4 level headlights and the slanted front end, which is recognizable as a Jaguar feature today. The most striking part would certainly be its svelte curves and how massive it was--even cars today lack the gracefulness and poise of this gentleman here. Beneath the hood lies a 3781cc XK 6-cylinder engine, though later cars were later upgraded to 4235cc from 1964. It could reach a top speed of 203km/h with an acceleration of 11.8 seconds [0-100km/h]. As a car positioned towards heads of state, diplomats and film stars, it was a hefty 5.13m long and weighed 1880kg.

Although it received rave reviews, it never really sold well in the US as it was considered 'too dated' or 'too big'. Only 13,382 were made in the 3.8 litre edition, and this is the only one in Singapore at the moment. I do not know whether this behemoth has been on our roads back then or a recent import. An interesting thing to note is that it has no rear view mirrors, which makes parking challenging at the very least. However, it is really rare for cars to be so advanced in its time--perhaps you may see this some day!

More than an old car #37: Ford Cortina Mark 4

Take a look at any photo from the 1980s and you would see quite a number of box-shaped cars. Such a shape was very common back then but you would be hard-pressed to find one on our streets today, including this 1979 Ford Cortina Mark 4 1.6GL.

The Ford Cortina was first introduced in 1962, with a total of 4+1 generations. Its name was derived from the Italian ski resort Cortina d'Ampezzo, the site of the 1956 Winter Olympics. The 4th-gen Cortina was based off the previous-gen model, except that it had wider windows, giving the cabin a brighter feel. It was available in various trims, namely base, L, GL, S and Ghia. The Cortina was powered by a 1593cc 4-cylinder engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 151km/h with an acceleration of 14.8 seconds [0-100km/h]. It was 4.38m long and weighed 1035kg.

When production ended in 1980, more than 1.1 million had been made. Despite the Mark 4 being the most popular car in the UK back then, it has become the rarest model due to poor rustproofing. This specimen is 1 of 2 cars that still exist in Singapore, and both are remarkably on normal plates. The Cortina was sold in Singapore previously but these are the lone survivors of the COE scourge. I am pretty sure that you will be able to recognize them from far, so please keep a lookout!

More than an old car #36: Marcos GT

Firstly, I'm really glad to have my first 100 Instagram followers ever since I started this page in late June. Thank you everyone for your undying support!! Despite writing about 36 cars only, it has come a long way regarding the content on my blog. I hope that it has been interesting so far to learn about the varieties available, and please continue to join me in my journey to cover pieces of automotive histories on our roads!

Even though I have seen UK-registered cars once in a while, I was initially stumped by what I saw because of its unrecognizable brand. It was only after running a quick check on the UK vehicle registration website that I became acquainted with the hitherto unknown 1969 Marcos GT 3-litre.

Marcos Engineering was established in 1959 by founders Jem Marsh and Frank Costin, and the name is derived from the first 3 letters of their surname. Quite an ingenious name for a company isn't it? They produced a number of cars including the GT before going into liquidation in 1972, due to a disastrous expansion attempt into the US. Jem Marsh resurrected the company in 1981 and cars were produced until 2000 when it went bankrupt again. For some reason Marsh reopened Marcos Engineering in 2002 yet again before it closed down in 2007. The Marcos name is still existing as Marcos Cars Ltd as of 2010.

In spite of its tumultuous history, the Marcos GT created a big sensation when it was revealed in 1964. It was initially made of plywood, and the chassis was glued together from 386 separate pieces. As a result, the car was not only light and strong, but also required minimum cost to make. The radical car design was due to Costin's experience as an aerospace engineer, who had a hand in developing fighter planes during World War 2. Since it was very low, the driver was almost lying flat while seated. One unique feature was that the seats were fixed, and the pedals could be shifted back and forth via a knob, which is the reverse of modern cars today. The 3-litre models were introduced in 1968, where it was powered by a 2994cc Ford Essex V6 engine. It was able to reach a top speed of 199km/h with an acceleration of 7.2 seconds [0-100km/h]. It was 4.27m long and weighed 884 kg.

Production ended in 1971 with around 200 made for the 3-litre versions. Interestingly, I stumbled upon an auction page showing the exact same car! Apparently, it was owned by a staff sergeant in the US Air Force who was stationed in the UK. The car was severely damaged when a Marcos engineer crashed it, and it had to be rebuilt. Now sporting a new registration number, the seller gave the car as a gift for his brother in Italy back in 1990. However, it returned to England in 2013, not driven at all. Somehow, someone in Singapore managed to acquire it and the car is still at the same place. This is the only one here, but whether it will be registered locally remains to be seen. Please take the opportunity to see this unicorn for yourself before it is gone! 

More than an old car #35: Ford Anglia

Ford is a well-known name here, especially with the family-friendly Mondeo or the sporty Focus. That being said, older Ford models are rather scarce, such as the 1967 Ford Anglia 105E here.

The 'Anglia' name has different meanings: it is the old Latin name for England and it refers to the eastern part of England known as East Anglia. It has been suggested that this name was first applied in 1939 due to patriotic reasons. Different cars made by Ford UK have the Anglia naming, but the one in the picture is the 105E, made between 1959-1968.

The Anglia had a backward-slanting window that was supposed to keep rain off and muted tailfins compared to its American counterparts. American influences could still be seen such as the full-width grille in between 'eye' headlamps. It was powered by a 997cc 4-cylinder engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 119km/h and a rather slow acceleration of 26.9 seconds [0-100km/h]. It was 3.9m long and weighed 754kg.

Throughout its production life, it remained very popular among consumers: it set a production record of more than 190,000 cars in 1962. Other than the saloon version, a 3-door estate car and a van version were also offered. Production ended in 1968 with around 955,000 saloons made. This Anglia is 1 of 2 that still exist in Singapore, where the other car is blue in colour. This specimen here has not seen much action on the road given the thick layer of dust on the car boot.

Actually, I believe many of you have seen a similar one in the Harry Potter series, when Harry and Ron Weasley drove it to Hogwarts after missing their train in The Chamber of Secrets. Having just finished the entire series lately, I was pleasantly surprised to see one in the flesh. It made me wonder why JK Rowling chose this particular car for the series. I guess by spotting one, you could be on your way to Hogwarts, provided it doesn't crash into the Whomping Willow!