Vintage car treat may become an annual event
Kota Kinabalu: Heads turned as more than 20 classic and vintage cars cruised around the city in a Malaysia Day Classic Car Show.
Organised by City Hall, it saw enthusiasts converge at the compounds of the City Hall’s building prior to the parade.
Organising chairman Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai, also a classic car fan, said the car show aimed to provide an opportunity for city folks to see these unique and rare classic cars up close.
“The classic car show is part of the Malaysia Day celebration in Kota Kinabalu and it is a platform to intensify patriotism among the public.
“It can also promote tourism activities in the State, especially in Kota Kinabalu by making this event an annual affair in conjunction with Kota Kinabalu’s City Day celebration,” he said.
Among the cars on show was a 1963 classic Mercedes that was once owned by the Sultan of Perak.
“After we bought it, we restored the car locally. It’s still in its original condition and is running well,” said its owner Dinesh Raj from Vintage Garage.
David Ng had the oldest car, a 1927 Austin 7 Chummy. “People are getting more interested now and creating more interest is one of the objectives of our group of classic car lovers in Sabah.
“We also want to see enthusiasts keep the cars running and not merely collect them,” said Ng, adding that owning such cars can be cheap depending on the model.
He said, the most important thing is “to keep everything original and don’t substitute with other materials.”
An architect, Ng is from Kuala Lumpur but he has been residing here for more than 30 years. His love for classic cars started even earlier.
“The Austin 7 was bought in 1973 for RM5,500. It was in a good shape. It not very difficult to maintain as it is a very simple set up. It even caused less trouble compared to modern cars as it is very simple.”
He used to own up to 10 classic cars but now only has three due to space limitation.
The parade was flagged-off by Sabah Tourism Board Chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai who welcomed such initiative to further diversify the tourism attraction in the State.
“I was made to understand that the show attracted more than 500 visitors, including foreign ones.
“I hope this event can be continued in future,” he said. A China tourist, Lam Cheng Heng, said the vintage and classic cars were very attractive.
The restaurant owner from Guangzhou, who is currently on holiday with his wife and two other family members, said they were passing by City Hall when the sight of the well-maintained old cars raised their curiousity to see up close.
“I’ve never seen a classic car show before,” he said.
Source: Daily Express
