Me & My Car: Teacher's 1990s-era BMW 318is coupe is decked out in Initial D livery

In the popular Japanese street-racing anime Initial D, a young street racer makes speedy deliveries of tofu in his father's Toyota Sprinter Trueno coupe.

The car and its livery are one of the most iconic pairings in latter-day pop culture.

So, it is strange to see the famous Japanese words (translated as "Fujiwara Tofu Shop") emblazoned on the side of a very German BMW 3-series. But for its 48-year-old owner Remund Koh, the $6,000 paint job - done by hand - was money well spent.

The job, done by a known paint restorer of old cars in Sin Ming, took more than two months to complete.

Mr Koh, a teacher, became a big fan of Initial D after watching the 2005 Hong Kong movie adaptation, which starred Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou.

He is happy with the unique paint job. Indeed, on close inspection, the paintwork is glossy and blemish-free, with the Japanese text bold and crisp beneath the clear coat.

As to why he put the artwork on a German coupe, Mr Koh says he wanted "something crazy that would turn heads".

The car itself is an interesting specimen - a 1992 318is coupe powered by a 1.9-litre four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

Compared with the more common 318i of the era, the 318is' engine has twin cams and 16 valves (twice the number in the 318i), making it more powerful.

Mr Koh bought the used car in 2014 for around $27,000 after much searching. He spent nearly $30,000 to refurbish it, much to his wife's chagrin.

"I was crazy about this car when it came out," he says. But he could not afford it as he was an undergraduate back then.

For the restoration, he had to source parts from Germany as many were no longer available in Singapore, and right-hand-drive parts from other countries.

He had the car resprayed from Estoril Blue to its current colours, reupholstered the interior, swopped the brakes for an AP Racing big-brakes kit and changed the in-car entertainment system.

Reluctant to part with his precious ride, he renewed its certificate of entitlement in April last year - its fourth - for another decade.

"I will probably keep the car for my two daughters," he muses, referring to his 12-year-old twins.

But he also admits he is taken by the new BMW 4-series coupe and hints that he might trade up if he can find an equally "dedicated" buyer for his Teutonic "tofu carrier".

Apart from working on his car, Mr Koh also collects and trades rare Lego sets, which can cost up to thousands of dollars each.

But those do not get half the attention his car does.

"I have had stares, waves and thumbs-ups from pedestrians and fellow car lovers. More importantly, I just enjoy driving this car."

• A rare and recently acquired Star Wars Darth Maul Lego set