Chrome, craft, character: Inside Singapore’s world of classic cars
An extraordinary collection of classic and collector cars from Singapore and Malaysia gathered at the Concours d’Elegance Singapore in mid-August.
Concours d’Elegance is a competition celebrating automotive design, craftsmanship and heritage, as well as the histories of the cars themselves.
The Straits Times went behind the scenes of the event to take a closer look at the Republic’s growing appreciation of automotive culture.
Late on Aug 13, Kang Boon Wah, 62, drove his immaculately restored 1965 Porsche 356C from his home in Johor Bahru into the IMBA Theatre at Gardens by the Bay for the Concours d’Elegance Singapore, a showcase of classic and exotic cars held from Aug 13 to 16.
Classic cars like the 1966 Mercedes-Benz 300SE Cabriolet (W112) (dark grey) and the 1940 Buick Special Phaeton (blue) being moved to the IMBA Theatre.
The 1966 Jaguar MK 2 rolling in through Gardens by the Bay to the exhibition hall for the Concours d’Elegance on Aug 12.
Visitors looking at a 1961 Jaguar E-Type (Series 1) Flat Floor 3.8M at Concours d’Elegance Singapore.
This was the first time that the sales manager was driving the car across the border. The Porsche had mostly been kept at home and driven to car meet-ups in Johor after it was stripped to bare metal and rebuilt between 2017 and 2019. Kang wanted the car to be just like it was when it rolled off the production line in Germany 61 years ago and that meant doing without modern amenities like air-conditioning.
The cabin of the left-hand drive 1965 Porsche 356C.
He did not think the car needed a navigation system, either. So, being unfamiliar with Singapore’s roads, he enlisted the help of his daughter Wan Syuen, 31, who took leave from her work to be his navigator.
Kang’s Porsche was crowned the champion among 17 cars competing at Concours d’Elegance, which was open to cars that were at least 35 years old.
Kang Boon Wah and his daughter Wan Syuen with his 1965 Porsche 356C that was crowned the champion among 17 cars competing at the Concours d’Elegance Singapore, which was open to cars that were at least 35 years old.
The cars were judged on factors like their originality, condition, quality of workmanship, and evidence that they have been cared for throughout their life.
Judge Felix Indran taking a look at the cabin of a 1950 MG YA.
Two judges getting a better feel of a car part during the judging process at the Concours d’Elegance.
Judge Felix Indran inspecting the 1950 MG YA.
David Thomson, president of the Malaysia and Singapore Vintage Car Register (MSVCR), and his team of experts were the judges.
Chief judge David Thomson examining the engine of the 1961 Jaguar E-Type (Series 1) Flat Floor 3.8M owned by Al Dakshi (in white top) at the Concours d’Elegance competition.
An eclectic group of cars entered the competition, with some 50 years separating the oldest from the newest car. Most of them are members of MSVCR.
The digital backdrops at the pageant for wheeled wonders teleport visitors to different scenic locations in Europe.
There were grand limousines, four-door family cars, and even a dinky 76-year-old Land Rover without a roof.
A 1950 Land Rover Series 1 80” (left) and a 1985 Mercedes-Benz 280GE (W460) on display in the hall.
(Clockwise, from top left) A maintenance manual; a vehicle registration book; an owner’s handbook; a small service kit; an engine crank handle; and a T-shaped tool used to open a special rear compartment that stores the spare wheel.
A 1941 Ford Mercury Eight Convertible being moved into position at the competition hall of the Concours d’Elegance.
The cockpit of a 1939 MG TA Tickford Drophead Coupe.
Among the Singapore-registered cars in competition was Colin Chan’s 1972 Alfa Romeo 1600 GT Junior, which clinched second place.
Unlike Kang’s Porsche, the Alfa Romeo has been the 56-year-old’s daily car since he bought it 25 years ago.
Retired actuary Colin Chan and his 1972 Alfa Romeo 1600 GT Junior, which clinched second place at the Concours d’Elegance competition.
To prepare the car for competition, Chan and a friend gave it a more thorough clean-and-polish than usual over the past two months.
Otherwise, he did not go out of his way to spruce up the Italian sports car, said the actuary who retired in 2025 from his role as the regional head of brand and marketing at a life insurer.
Colin Chan showing the various historical documents of his 1972 Alfa Romeo 1600 GT Junior to the judges at the competition.
The Alfa Romeo’s certificate of entitlement (COE) expires in 2029. Chan wants to continue driving the car and even let his 17-year-old son drive it eventually. “I’m a bit of a sentimental person. The car has been with me for so many years, and it is also my first car,” he told The Straits Times on Aug 17.
Concours d’Elegance events are held across the world, including Malaysia, the US and Italy, by different organisations.
Motor workshop owner Brian Chan giving his 1950 MG YA a touch-up before the competition, while his daughter Avery does her homework on her tablet.
The 1950 MG YA saloon features mechanical semaphore-style “trafficator” arms that flip out from the B-pillar door posts to signal turns.
Brian Chan and his 1950 MG YA that clinched third place at the event.
The event at IMBA Theatre is only the second one in Singapore, after the inaugural edition at Fullerton Building in 2018.
Attendees at the event’s competition hall, with a 1936 Triumph Dolomite Roadster (left) and a 1941 Ford Mercury Eight Convertible on display.
Over 4,000 visitors were at the 2026 show.
Visitors taking photographs of four privately-owned red Ferrari classics, such as the 348GTS (in front), on display.
The organiser Hustle & Bustle did not say when the next edition of the Concours d’Elegance will be, but said that it was encouraged by the response.
The event also included a showcase of some of the rarest cars in the world.
Among them were a Bugatti hypercar that can be used only on a track, and a Jaguar Lightweight E-Type, which is one of 18 such cars ever built.
A Bugatti Bolide rolling in to the exhibition hall for the Concours d’Elegance.
Apart from the classic cars in the competition hall, other hot wheels like the silver 1962 Jaguar Lightweight E-Type also grabbed attention.
The Ferrari 849 Testarossa, the latest supercar from the Italian carmaker, made its public Singapore debut at the event.
The Ferrari 849 Testarossa made its public Singapore debut at the event.
As the landscapes of Tuscany, Italy, and Stelvio Pass, a famous mountain road in Northern Italy, unrolled across the digital backdrops at the pageant for wheeled wonders, a visitor could mentally teleport himself to a different world.
(From left) A 1950 MG YA, a 1939 MG TA Tickford Drophead Coupe and a 1936 Triumph Dolomite Roadster against the digital backdrop of wintry Stelvio Pass.
For a few days at Gardens by the Bay, the Concours d’Elegance Singapore was about as far from discussions about electric cars and the high cost of COEs as one could get without leaving Singapore.
A visitor filming the 1989 Nissan Silvia K’s Autech Convertible.
The rims of a 1964 Mercedes-Benz 230SL (W113), 1950 MG YA and 1939 MG TA Tickford Drophead Coupe.
Motor workshop owner Brian Chan, 52, who entered a 1950 MG YA that won third place, said the event has put Singapore on the world Concours map, adding: “I wish that this is only the start of better things to come for vintage and classic cars, especially for genuine enthusiasts”.
Produced by: Chong Jun Liang, Irene Ang, Lee Nian Tjoe and Neo Xiaobin
Main photographs and videos by: Chong Jun Liang