Elements of surprises for car enthusiasts in Thailand might be few and far between. But having spent a couple of years mainly in Bangkok, this assumption has been swayed to one that is the exact opposite. Come to think about it, on tarmac we’ll be mostly surrounded by locally made / assembled cars, namely Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Isuzu etc.. the list goes on.
But this sets the stage for more interesting finds among mainstream companions. And I’ve come to realise that rarity is relative. From a Singaporean perspective, unique cars older than 10 years old are more desirable than newer finds (no thanks to the COE structure).
I’ve had a glance at my phone’s photo album and figured that it is about time to share some images of cars I find interesting. Locals might wonder why, but this outlook is shaped by a born-and-bred urban city dweller from a small island nation, where love for cars are shaped by complicated tax structures, primarily spurred on by "newer-is-better" perspectives. It’s time to turn back time, reset, and enjoy unique cars that had their fair share of approving stares more than a decade ago…
Likely a late 90s GC WRX with a white wrap as the hood scoop was left exposed in WRC blue. It was so unassuming, like a regular Impreza, until the owner ignited the Boxer 4 and drove off. Enjoy these sights and sounds while we still can…
E46 wagon with bike racks and proper stance. Are they BBS LMs? They look stunning with the concave look. Red logos match the tail lights too, and quad pipes give it so much more muscle…
Image taken during, you guessed it, Chinese New Year this year. Pretty hilarious, and unsure if BMW Asia would approve this method of post-work arrangement. At least it is resting on a 5-series in our favoured engine spec - diesel!
500 SEL rolling steadily from Chonburi to Bangkok. Was on the middle lane for a good 10 kilometres, holding at 80km/l. Who needs adaptive cruise control? Let this Chonburi-registered towkay mobile show us the way…
Fifth-gen Toyota Celica identified during the golden hour. Brilliant paintwork for a 30-year old machine. Pop up headlights add to the retro feel. And simple lines throughout make us wonder why some cars nowadays have to look so forceful…
Very clean-looking Evo IV. Likely a Lancer-converted Evo with a 4G63 and transmission swap. If the Celica looks sleek, this is in-your-face. Could do with a larger spoiler to elevate the “JDM” appeal. Still not able to forget the drive in my neighbour’s Evo 6.
Ford Ranger on stilts. As close we can get to monster trucks this side of the world. These guys tower over regular cars like double deckers. Irrelevant 90% of the time, but when the time comes to deploy the 4x4 over floods like the scenario below, envy strikes…
For “normal” cars, it is common to get dirty water stuck on the undercarriage overnight once you attempt a swim. They do not smell good, and even cheek-disfiguring jet sprays might not help disinfect the stench.
But all in all, Thailand’s the place for “surprise” carspotting. And the occasional stunning sunrise wouldn't hurt!
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