Fast Lane: McLaren F1 car, Proton and Smart, custom model cars, S’porean racing at Marina Bay Street Circuit
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The replica of the McLaren MCL38 F1 car is making its rounds in Singapore ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix on Oct 5.
PHOTO: MCLAREN SINGAPORE
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Replica of McLaren F1 racer on tour
A full-sized model of the McLaren MCL38 is in town ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix on Oct 5. Its first stop was the McLaren showroom in Leng Kee Road, where it was on display from Sept 12 to 14.
The model was brought in to be used by various partners of the race team in Singapore.
This is an exact replica of the racer used by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the 2024 season, who scored six race wins and 21 podiums between them. The result gave the team with the signature “papaya” orange colour the Constructor’s Championship that year.
Around 300 fans of the “papaya” team got to see the model at the McLaren showroom. These included McLaren car owners, prospects and fans of the brand.
Smart and Proton electric cars launched
Smart #5 is the third and largest model from the electric car brand yet.
PHOTO: CYCLE & CARRIAGE
Smart, the joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely Holdings, launched the #5, the brand’s first mid-sized electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) on Sept 17.
At 4,695mm long, the #5 is the largest Smart model yet. It is the same length as the Toyota Noah multi-purpose vehicle, but its wheelbase, at 2,900mm, is longer than the popular seven-seater. This translates into a very spacious cabin for five.
Two versions of the #5 are available.
The Pro has 250kW of power and uses a 76kWh lithium ferrous phosphate battery, giving it a range of up to 465km. The 267kW Premium has a larger 100kWh nickel manganese cobalt battery and an operating range of up to 590km. The more powerful version also has additional features like premium sound system and faster charging speed.
The #5 Pro is priced at $327,888 with certificate of entitlement (COE) before applicable discounts, while the Premium version costs $40,000 more.
Making its official debut in Singapore on the same day was the Proton e.Mas7, also an electric SUV.
Proton is a distant relation of Smart, given that the Malaysian car brand also counts Geely as one of its owners. The brand is making a comeback
The e.Mas7 is smaller than the Smart #5, with a wheelbase of 2,750mm and an overall length of 4,615mm. The e.Mas Prime, which has a 49.5kWh battery and a range of 345km, is priced at $175,988 with COE, while the Premium, which has a 60.2kWh battery and 410km range, is priced at $179,899 with COE.
The e.Mas7 marks the return of the Malaysian car brand to Singapore.
Singaporean to race on Marina Bay
The latest episode of the Wheel Insights podcast features Mr Roy Tang, a 36-year-old Singaporean who will be racing at the next leg of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia series to be held in Singapore from Oct 3 to 5.
The financial adviser progressed from being a weekend track warrior lapping the Sepang race circuit in a road car to competing in Formula 4 at the Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
36-year-old Roy Tang will be competing at the Porsche Carrera Cup race in Singapore in October.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ROY TANG
He decided to compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup race in Singapore after surviving a high-speed accident on the Sepang International Circuit earlier in 2025.
Find out more on straitstimes.com/singapore/racers-start-your-engines
Customised model cars
Participants of the 2025 Gumball 3000 Rally can have their cars replicated in 1:18 scale.
PHOTO: AMALGAM COLLECTION
Participants of the 2025 Gumball 3000 Rally will have a chance to have their cars replicated as a 1:18 scale model by Amalgam Collection.
Each handmade model will be customised to look exactly like the participants’ cars, down to the livery. The models can either show the cars in clean and pristine form at the beginning of the event, or with all the road grime and weathering after completing the 4,828km road rally.
The models take around 4,000 hours to develop from digital scans to photography. Amalgam also works directly with the car manufacturers to ensure the details are accurate.
The 2025 Gumball 3000 Rally runs from Sept 20 in Istanbul, Turkey, and ends in Ibiza, Spain, on Sept 27.
Past participants include Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and English actor Idris Elba. Singapore was the destination for the 2024 edition of the event that started in Saigon, Vietnam.
Find out more about Gumball at gumball3000.com
