�Nah, it�s too glamorous for me,� shrugs Yong. �I prefer British-made cars like the Healey, because they�re less bulky. It�s just too bad that they are designed for British weather.�
Believe it or not, the Healey was an abandoned restoration project when Yong first found it in Penang in 1990.
�Actually, it was what I call a basket case,� explains Yong. �I found its body in Penang. Other components like the engine were contained in baskets scattered all over the state. I had to track it down, bit by bit.�
After reassembling the Healey, Yong and his father gave it a fresh coat of creamy white paint, and installed a modern fuel pump, cooling fan and carburettor valves for practical reasons. But like many purists, Yong likes to keep his car looking as authentic as possible. He prefers to skip on modern amenities such as wing-mirrors, seat-belts and air-conditioning, and sniggers at any over-the-top modifications.
�If I were to get a radio, it would have to be from the 50s,� he says. �Same goes for the wheels and trip meter.�
It took his dad and him three painstaking years to restore the car to its former glory. He admits that the lack of safety features means that there is no margin for error when you�re on the road.
�You need to be more observant because these cars are not built like new ones. Modern drivers are well insulated. They�ve got all these distractions to make them oblivious to you,� he says.
Nonetheless, nothing � and I mean nothing � can thwart Yong�s love for old cars. (He is the reluctant driver of a VW on most days.)
�It�s become a pastime of mine,� he says. �It�s not just about driving, but the close involvement I get with vintage cars. I wash, polish and maintain the car all by myself, you know? We have a garage with a four-post hoist for that.�
Aside from the Healey, Yong and his father own two other vintage models made by Triumph: the TR4A and its predecessor the TR3A. These sports cars were manufactured sometime in the 50s and 60s, and were considered �a revolution in sports cars design.�
However, Triumph�s success was short-lived. The company floundered when its designers decided to get creative and produced what the New York Times called cars that were �boxy and wedgelike�.
It eventually kicked the can in 1984. It�s estimated that only 9,500 of the original 58,000 TR3A that were built survive in the world today. The ones that remain are often seen in vintage auto races.
�I�ve seen people race their Mercedes 190s and their MGAs. It�s crazy,� he says, before something catches his eye. �Oh sh*t, I hope he hasn�t broken down.�
The car in question is a vintage gray Bentley. The engine sputters and dies on the highway, leaving its poor driver bewildered.
�Man, I know how that feels. This Austin packed up on me recently, and I was on the fast-lane of a highway,� he reveals, much to my anxiety. �But I suppose breakdowns are something that we have to put up with.�
I am to learn later that two other cars would suffer the same ill fate, bringing up the total number of casualties to three. Thankfully, the Healey doesn�t contribute to this statistic.
A rich man�s sport
A few months ago, a rare 1925 Bugatti fetched �260,500 (RM1,169,362.27) at an auction � an incredible amount of money for a car that had spent more than 70 years at the bottom of a Swiss lake. So what makes a vintage car desirable? And will Malaysia�s first car, the Proton Saga, ever become vintage material?
�You never know,� Yong answers, straight-faced. �It could go the way of the Volkswagon, which was supposed to be the people�s car, but unexpectedly captured the hearts of so many collectors. However, keep in mind that while there are people who only collect Ford Model Ts, that doesn�t necessarily make the car highly sought after among collectors.�
The only other thing which is more mysterious than a car�s potential in becoming a collectible in the near future is its value as a vintage.
�That�s the intimidating part,� says Yong. �It�s more of a �willing buyer, willing seller� type of scenario so you don�t know how much to spend.�
There are, however, a few exceptions to the rule. Get your hands on a coveted brand like a Rolls Royce, Bentley, Bugatti, Alfa Romeo or Hispano Suiza, and you�re all set for the future.
�Rarity and originality count, too,� he says. �If you�ve got these bases covered, then chances are your car will appreciate in value.�
Although many enthusiasts are willing to splash a lot of cash to acquire their dream car, a majority don�t plan to resell, even for a tidy sum. Participant Johnny Chandnani, a businessman, tells me that there is no way he would peddle his 1972 Panther, a handsome aluminium-bodied model that was first fashioned for British royalty and later driven by Elizabeth Taylor.
�There�s only one in the country,� says Chandnani, who, despite owning a couple of other new-fangled models like the Ferarri, Maserati and Mercedes, claims that the Panther takes the No 1 spot on his favourites list.
�I bought it in Johor more than a decade ago for approximately RM300,000 but I think it is worth more than RM500,000 now. A few Europeans actually offered me a lot of money for the car, but I turned them down.�
We are in Kuala Selangor seeking an hour�s respite from the heat and humidity. Just as Yong had predicted at the start of our journey, I am beginning to feel lightheaded from all the exhaust fumes. That�s the problem with vintage cars � many still run on leaded petrol and rely on additives as a substitute. They�re not at all eco-friendly.
But no matter, the rally must go on.
The end point of the rally is Istana Alam Shah, and Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has promised to give a private tour of his two-storey, air-conditioned car gallery. No one is missing that for the world. Two hours later, our convoy sweeps past the tall, imposing gates of the istana.
The Sultan, boyish and effervescent in his red polo shirt and black pants, welcomes participants with afternoon tea and an awards presentation.
It is then that I discover that only one of the 70 participants is a woman! Entrepreneur Jaqueline Lim, 32, bags the first prize for the Modern Classic category (for cars that were manufactured from 1970 to 1984) with her 1982 BMW Bauer.
�I�ve always been the only woman at any race or rally,� she says. �My husband was the one who introduced me to vintage cars. He�s a classic car restorer, so he assembles these cars himself. We�ve also got an Opal GT and a Triumph TR3, which we take to the streets sometimes for a bit of racing,� Lim says.
The Sultan seems to have a penchant for fast cars as well. His Royal Gallery includes a handful of Rolls Royces, a Ferarri, a Bentley, a classic Mini Cooper, a BMW and even a McLaughlin Buick owned by the former Prince of Wales, King Edward, but his favourite car is still the jaw-droppingly fierce Porsche Twin Turbo.
�I take all my cars out for a drive, but I really like this one best,� says the Sultan, gesturing to it. �I�m very impressed with German technology.�
Beaming, he goes on to tell us that he drives to Singapore every week, although he makes it a point to do it only in the wee hours of the morning because �there�s less traffic and you can save on petrol�.
If driving ever becomes a chore, the Sultan has seven full-time drivers who are ready to chauffeur him around and keep a close eye on the garage, which also houses Harley bikes and various Harley collectibles such as jackets and helmets.
Jostling for space among these knick-knacks are miniature cars, bicycles, antique petrol pumps, go-karts, the royal golf cart and a scooter or two.
At that instant, I wonder how the Proton fits in among all this grandness, this luxury? And then I see it. It is sitting in the Sultan�s other garage � solitary, proud, unassuming and a little beaten up, just waiting to be spotted.
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