Hong Kong, there be car-pawn here...

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Thanks for the kind comments! Merry Christmas, everyone!

heisthegaffer said:

Fascinating post. A really nice mix of classics and modern.

Lovely alfas and lovely jap stuff. Good to see a fair bit of euro over there.

Why no American cars I wonder?

Mainly because LHD cars are not able to be registered, so they'd have to be driven on limited-use permits, so there are a few but not many. Also, lack of road and parking space plus sky-high fuel prices, and limited knowledge of mechanics to work on them here don't help.

epom said:

Expecting a lot of Yaris GR content here in the new year.

We are expecting there to be looooads. Have photographed one already (the first in HK): https://www.instagram.com/p/CImSmTqHQka/?utm_sourc...

Here are some more images from the middle part of 2020. I typed a few words for each image, and then in an inspired move, accidentally closed the tab ... So, sorry it's just the images this time. Enjoy!








































































































































More soon

Edited by rupro on Saturday 26th December 10:16

Edited by rupro on Saturday 26th December 10:20

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(Sorry, mods. This post messed up)

Edited by rupro on Saturday 26th December 10:21

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anonymous said:

[redacted]

Thanks! Yeah, agree. The 997 GT3 RS look fantastic in every colour scheme IMO.

MightyBadger said:

Outstanding, loving the Japanese content. Thanks for sharing.

Yes, indeed! Personal favourites for sure. HK people are mad on Japanese cars.

We thought we'd share a few more before we head out on this AM's morning drive. Again, these were all shot mid-2020 and are a selection of what we feel you guys are into. Hopefully we'll have a juicy update for you later!

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Majorslow said:

they still not have seat belt laws in HK?

What about drink driving? When I lived there as a kid in late 70's there were no drink driving laws then

Both of these are now laws. There has been a big crackdown on the latter in recent years. The standard of driving here is pretty poor, I can't imagine what it was like when drinking and driving wasn't illegal.

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Majorslow said:

(Do the Chinese still like to touch blond hair? It used to be a big thing back in the day particularly with older folk)

It definitely isn't a thing now.

GMac1 said:

What a fantastic thread Rupro! Best I've seen so far.
Think HK may need to be added to my bucket list of holiday destinations.

Cheers! HK may have lost some of it's appeal a bit in recent years, but still worth a look if you haven't been before.

smithyithy said:

The sheer variety and quality of cars posted never ceases to amaze!

Strap in for the next post ...

nsa said:

I drove down to BWB around 7:45 Sunday morning. Am I too late, or has it lost a lot of support? I saw a grey Daytona and a blue (512BB?) but mostly it seemed to be car specific groups that drive into the car park and head straight out again.

Do you know anything about the McLaren F1 that was registered last December? The First Registration Tax on that is likely to be £10m+, unless they came to a deal.

Edited by nsa on Tuesday 9th February 12:22

Shek O doesn't seem quite as busy as it once was, I think due to the police clampdown on modifications (and cars that are stock too by all accounts), but it is still pretty hectic. Luk Keng seems to be way busier. I don't know anything about the F1 I'm afraid. I never thought that F1s could be regoed here due to having a central driving position. So, I also find it strange.

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For you night owls, here are some photos from the past couple of weekends. Again, a mixed bag with something for everyone. Spot the Easter egg ,..

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samoht said:

Still very much enjoying this thread, thank you for posting

The mix of JDM and European exotica is right up my street. Anyone know anything more about the life-size Lego Technic car ??

Yes, a little bit of Photoshop shenanigans. We were feeling impish

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nsa said:

Sunday Morning Drive Annual Parade 2020:

Nice! Thanks for chipping in and supporting the thread slash HK car scene. Boy, were they fortunate with traffic! Every time we've done group shoots on a drive it's been a mare with trucks, taxis, and people trying to do their best to interrupt.

Don1 said:

That WRX, is there a scene in the Far East that goes UKDM, yo?

Not massively. I guess a bit of UK style mods on Fords, etc. but the scene here is way more geared to Japanese car culture.

Majorslow said:

What road are the latest photo's on? bearing in mind I lived there back in the 80's it looks like one of them on the south side of the Island going towards Repulse bay or the road leading from central/happy valley to the peak?

All the countryside shots are done my colleague and I on Shek O Road and Bride's Pool Road. A scattering of Route Twisk images in earlier posts, but not many. That's mostly motorbike stuff we do there.

Paul_M3 said:

A few thoughts;

The photographs from Rupro are great.

Too kind! Actually they're a collaboration between myself and my colleague. Appreciate the positive words!

Edited by rupro on Thursday 18th February 03:41

Edited by rupro on Thursday 18th February 03:44

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supacool1 said:

Of the Rarest cars there, the Forester STb was 1 of 1. Shame there were no Forester STi's spotted. Epic thread. Thank you Rupert.

We've definitely shot a number of STi Foresters. Don't know why I've not shared actually. Will dig some out for a later post.

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Greeting PHeads! Thought it was about time for another post of some random metal from the roads of Hong Kong. As usual, there's something for everyone... More to come if you still enjoy seeing the photos.

supacool1 said:

Of the Rarest cars there, the Forester STb was 1 of 1. Shame there were no Forester STi's spotted. Epic thread. Thank you Rupert.

Should be an STi for you below.

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David Beer]Snap Rupert. url said:

|https://thumbsnap.com/aU5GQPvt[/url]

Edited by David Beer on Thursday 17th June 18:39

Is that your 2.7 RS? That first photo with the taxi in the background I took very nearly a decade ago - where does the time go?!?!?

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David Beer said:

No no , just staying at the hotel in the background. Went for breakfast and saw out of the window the HK car club meeting. Only took a few pictures.

Ah ha! Yes, the Classic Car Club of Hong Kong used to hold their annual event there on Chater Road. A great location!

McAndy said:

I've just come back to PH after a few years, and this is the only thread that I've read from last post to latest. Wonderful car variety and great photos

That's great! Glad you like the pictures.

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Back again with another eclectic mix of metal. Hopefully something tickles your fancy...

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Should you not be watching the football, here are some more images from the back roads of Hong Kong for your perusal...

David Beer said:

Really enjoy seeing your pics. After HK the next year did Singapore on the way to Oz, I have never seen so many screaming Lamborghini etc etc, have you done pics ? I seem to remember it was a Saturday night around the Mandarin, forget the road name . Orchard road .

Edited by David Beer on Saturday 19th June 18:39

Orchard Rd sounds about right! Have been to SG a few times, but never taken photos there.

Edited by rupro on Tuesday 22 June 21:51

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Thanks for the comments!

The GMan said:

Some great photos and cars!!

What's the score with reg plates in Hong Kong as the white Lotus Esprit on the first page is wearing the same plate as the same spec'd Lotus at the beginning of For Your Eye's Only?

You may apply for any combination of up to 8 characters or numbers (approved by a panel) which hasn't previously been taken, which then goes to an auction. The proceeds of the auctions go to the Community Chest, I believe.

"The Personalised Vehicle Registration Marks Scheme was adopted since 2006 to allow creation of numbers with up to 8 characters (including letters and/or numbers). The letters "I", "O" and "Q" are banned from use in the new scheme, with the former two letters officially recognised as numbers "1" and "0" respectively. Since "I" and "O" look identical to "1" and "0" under the standard font type used on Hong Kong plates, phrases like "SIU SIU" and "I LOVE U" can be printed on the plates, although they are officially recognised as "S1U S1U" and "1 L0VE U", respectively.

The numbers under this scheme are auctioned for a minimum of HK$5000. Although drivers are usually granted their choice of plate, obtaining a unique or easily recognised plate can be very competitive. For example, the registration I LOVE U was sold at a charity auction for HK$1.4 million." - Wiki

While we're here, here are some more photos for you. Let's break up the countryside shots with some photos from the streets...





















































































































Enjoy!

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supacool1 said:

Amazing as always. Thanks for uploads the forester pics!

No problem! Sorry it took so long to scrape some photos together.

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epom said:

Cracking pic.

Thanks mate! Decent panning shots are definitely satisfying.

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TommoAE86 said:

Oooooh a Crown ... this may have been covered but what is driving like around the hills? It looks very chilled out compared to some places

Ah ha, good taste! There are a lot of Crowns here (other than 98% of the taxis), the high spec ones. Will keep in mind and try and post some more for you.

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TommoAE86 said:

Thank you, I have a S180 Athlete over here and always forget how good the turning radius thanks to their taxi usage

Nice! Got a pic?

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TommoAE86 said:

Can't use one of my pics as they are all terrible, here's one from someone who knows what they're doing

Great stuff! My memory is failing me I know, but I am almost certain we've chatted about it before? How is running a Crown in the UK in terms of parts and reliability, etc? I assume the latter is no issue.