The Royal Johor Collection Roars at Putrajaya

October 19, 2015 by Asia Klasika

• Limited edition exotic cars, motorcycles, caravan and boat

• Quality concours participation

• Strong manufacturer presence

• Investment-grade collector cars on sale

• 30,000-strong visitors

PUTRAJAYA, Friday, 16th October – South East Asia's premier automobile festival, Asia Klasika celebrated its 6th anniversary recently by showcasing yet again, a tantalizing selection of classic and contemporary exotic cars and motorcycles in the stylish setting of Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside. The festival's 6th Malaysia International Vintage and Classic Car Concours, a highly competitive car-beauty competition, saw the participation of iconic motoring vehicles from around the region vying for the coveted Sultan Ibrahim Challenge Trophy and Best of Show award, among others.

The highlight of the festival is the annual showcase of fine automobiles from the Royal Johor Automobile Collection courtesy of its distinguished royal patron, His Majesty the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar. In addition to the royal collection, the 70 participating concours and sale cars were a feast for the eyes of the 30,000-strong crowd that attended the three-day event held in collaboration with Astro's inaugural XLR8 motoring weekend.

The theme of the festival annually is based on the automotive anniversary celebrations of the particular year and for 2015, 'Ultimate Cats'was announced as its theme. The marques and models celebrated at the festival this year were led by Jaguar (80 years), Citroen DS (60 years), Mercedes-Benz 190SL (60 years), BMW 3 Series (40 years), Proton (30 years) and a special tribute to the 105 Series of Alfa Romeo in conjunction with the 105th anniversary of the iconic Italian marque.

The feline theme of the festival was inspired by Jaguar and Proton, which respectively represent the jaguar and tiger. The unique attribute of the festival's automotive anniversary celebrations is that it encourages the participation of a marque's local representative to showcase their contemporary models alongside the heritage cars from the royal collection.

In union with this year's theme, the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT) was named as the official charity of the event. The institution was established to prevent the decline of the nation's endangered tiger subspecies - the Malayan Tiger. In supporting the cause, His Majesty, Sultan Ibrahim also consented to the first-time display out of the state of Johor, his tiger-themed Kembara Mahkota Harley Davidson motorcycles, a 52 feet Marauder SS 'Cigarette Racing' performance boat and 'Proton 1' - the first production Proton in automotive history.

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The said breathtaking performance boat will be towed in style by His Majesty's newly acquired and identically liveried bespoke Super-Liner Mack Truck, which was officially unveiled in Brisbane, Australia yesterday.

The Jaguar 80th anniversary pavilion at the festival was officially presented by Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia and Sisma Auto, marking the South East Asian debut of the F-Type Project 7, the fastest road-going Jaguar. The Project 7 reached our shores after being unveiled at last year's Pebble Beach Concours D' Elegance and Goodwood Festival of Speed. This limited-edition model car pays tribute to Jaguar's seven time Le Mans win from 1951- 1990 and its design language is reminiscent of the victorious Jaguar D- Types of 1956 and 1957. Reinforcing the Project 7 introduction was the display of a partially restored Jaguar D-Type and the patron's ultra-rare Jaguar XJ220, to signify the racing prowess of the marque.

The organizers, Historic Motoring Ventures launched the Jaguar E-Type Asian Register and presented by way of a balloting process, numbered plaques to all E-Type owners who registered for the Jaguar 80th anniversary concours.

The festival also welcomed its first international automotive manufacturer representative with participation by Munich Automobiles Pte Ltd, Singapore's official BMW Alpina dealer. The BMW 3 Series 40th anniversary pavilion saw many variants of the 3 Series including the display of an original 1984 BMW E30 M3 alongside the patron's 2013 DTM M3 Coupe Bruno Spengler limited edition and 2014 Alpina D3 Biturbo to commemorate 50 years of Alpina.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia also took the opportunity to showcase its latest offerings, the Mercedes-Benz AMG C63S and CLA 250 4Matic Shooting Brake, in conjunction with the company's MY Urban Hunting campaign at the venue.

Asia Klasika's 'Pullman Sale', highlighted the sale of investment-grade collector cars such as a pristine right-hand-drive 1958 Porsche 356 Speedster with an asking price of RM2.98Million. Amongst the thirteen collector cars on sale were a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3 and a 1967 Austin-Healey BJ8 3000 Phase II. Making its debut at the sale this year was a couple of tastefully customized Chevrolet Impalas collectively prized at RM1.0 Million. The total value of Pullman Sale cars this year exceeded RM30 million.

The festival's pre-concours tour-Rally Klasika saw a procession of 25 vintage and classic cars that participated in a leisure drive of scenic Putrajaya and Cyberjaya. According to rally participant, Johnny Chandnani who drove his 1972 Panther J72, the route around Putrajaya was well planned out and it was a great experience driving with a good mix of cars of various models and ages.

'The quality of concours cars this year was top notch and our judges were amazed with the standards of restoration and competitive spirit of the participants', said Chief Judge, Brian Ruwoldt of Australia.

The Jaguar, Citroen and Alfa Romeo segments were particularly impressive with a wide range of models in competition including the Jaguar XK, E-Type, MK 2, Citroen DS, Traction Avant, Alfa Romeo Montreal and GTV among others. The early cars of the show were a 1926 Ford Model T and a 1927 Whippet.

Distinguished royal patron of the festival, His Majesty the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim and son, His Royal Highness, Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim arrived in style on Concours Sunday, in their 2014 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and 2014 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 respectively, to the delight of participants, visitors and guests.

Later that day, the highly coveted 'Sultan Ibrahim Cup,' was awarded by HRH Tunku Idris to Al Dakshi from Singapore, who is the proud owner of a pristine 1958 Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupe. Dakshi also bagged two other class awards.

After two days of judging and deliberation on the results by the panel of experienced judges, the 2015 Asia Klasika Best of Show trophy was awarded to Dutchman, Arnout Everts for his flawlessly restored 1952 Citroen 2CV AU (Camionette). The same car was last year's best of show nominee but it tipped the scale this year on the judging score sheet.

Since its inception, Asia Klasika has been a big draw for collector car aficionados, with the sale of classic and exotic works of kinetic art being highly anticipated. 2015 proved no different as collectors sought to beef up their stables.

Andrew Suresh, curator of the event, said that buyers are discerning and choose the best brands, unwilling to compromise. 'It is estimated that deals in the pipeline that have yet to be reported may result in a total of RM12million to RM14million in private sales.' he said. 'The momentum for premium automobiles, collector cars and exotic future classics sold at the event shows no sign of slowing down. Sales of new vehicles are consistently supported by the heritage value of its brand and spirit of innovation, which are clearly evident in the range of classics on display.'

Leading classic car dealer, Kuala Lumpur & Temasek Classic Automobiles Sdn Bhd were among the select group of sponsors at the festival. Non-automotive brand sponsors like Coleman, Dyson, Power Plate, Suunto and Johor Southern Tigers Football Association (JDT) merchandise enjoyed brisk sales throughout the weekend.

The response from partners and participants of the meet was the best ever, as the festival is a unique platform for car manufacturers and collectors to network and showcase exotic and collectible cars for the benefit of motoring enthusiasts in the region.

ASIA KLASIKA 2015 WINNERS

Premier Awards

Sultan Ibrahim Cup - 1958 Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupe (Al Dakshi)

Best of Show – 1952 Citroen 2CV AU (Arnout Everts)

Best Preserved Automobile – 1974 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 (Hj.Zulkifli)

MSVCR 60th Anniversary Trophy - 1927 Whippet (Subramaniam)

Class Awards

Best Classic I (pre 1965) – 1927 Whippet (Subramaniam)

Best Classic II (1966-79) - 1965 MGB Roadster (Sinnasamy Maniam)

Modern Classic (1980-89) – 1987 Porsche 928 S4 (Ong Kheng Liat)

Special Awards

Best Jaguar of Show - 1953 Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupe ( Al Dakshi)

Best Citroen of Show - 1952 Citroen 2CV AU 9 (Arnout Everts)

Best Mercedes-Benz 190SL of Show – 1958 Mercedes-Benz 190SL (Al Dakshi)

Best Alfa Romeo of Show - 1969 Alfa Romeo GTV (Seow Wee Liam)

Best BMW of Show - 1987 BMW E30 320i (Jecky Chye)

Retro Japan - 1989 Toyota Supra (Ong Kheng Liat)

Best Supercar of Show - 2013 Ferrari 458 Spyder (Datuk Seri Andrew Abhishegam)