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Even super car owners would fancy some zhng-ing Every time an unknowing poster starts a thread on car modifications, there will, within minutes, be a deluge of posts espousing certain truths, half-truths and myths to dissuade anyone from embarking on the journey to car modifications. Any helpful advice proffered will invariably get buried and lost amongst such posts. I will not dispute that some of arguments made are indeed the truth; for e.g. the fact that modifying a car can get very expensive. But, there are also many other points brought up which tend to confuse rather than enlighten someone hesitantly taking baby steps into modifying his or her car. I call those the Anti Car Mod Myths (or ACMM). ACMM #1: If XYZ mod was good, car manufacturers would have included it. Sometimes true, sometimes not true. This ACMM is on this list because it does not help anyone, in any way, with dealing with the issue of whether a mod is worth his money or not. We can never use the fact whether the car manufacturer would have included it in stock form as a gauge of the utility of a mod. Simply put, car manufacturers do face constraints. They need to cater to a large enough segment of the market to hit sufficient sales and drive per unit costs down. They also need to keep a tight leash on costs. They also need to sell worldwide. Some of their constraints do not apply to the Singaporean market. For example, they might have concerns over adopting certain technology because of reliability issues when the car age hits double digits or half a million clicks on the odometer. That scenario occurs commonly in everywhere BUT SINGAPORE. So, the next time someone raises this point, know that it doesn't add value at all. ACMM #2: The car manufacturer knows best; these aftermarket companies don't spend as much as the car manufacturers do on R&D.... A corollary of ACMM 1, this ACMM also does not aid anyone in making any decisions about car modification parts. Let me rehash the argument I made above; even if the car manufacturer knew best, they face constraints that may or may not apply to the Singapore market or the individual. Short of a super car manufacturer, car manufacturers would almost never be able to make the best car that they could. That is because everyone defines best differently. They would never be able to truly customize their cars to suit individual needs. And of course, we are working on the assumption that car manufacturers do know best (which is not always a given). ACMM #3: You pay so much, you might as well save and get a better car. This ACMM crops up with a scary regularity; perhaps because it sounds so reasonable and logical that it becomes inherently persuasive. But it ignores a critical dimension - that is, a car modification enthusiast would always want to modify his car. Be it a humble Jap sedan or an Italian raging bull, these are a breed of people who derive a separate pleasure from customizing their car. So sure, by all means save up and get a better car, but don't be surprised if the temptation to mod comes around again. Take it from a person who has been there and done that. Heard a ACMM bandied about the forum recently? Or disagree with what I said? Drop a line in the box below and who knows, there might be a part 2 to this blog post.

The current R35 Nissan GT-R is a car that is admired and adored by many. This is a car that could basically take on a 997 Porsche 911 Turbo and many other current supercars on most roads and win. The other thing about the R35 GT-R no longer carries the 'Skyline' tag. It isn't a Skyline anymore unlike the previous R32, R33, R34 Skyline GT-Rs. But Nissan is adamant that this GT-R still has the same heritage as the cars mentioned above in that it shares the same sort of all-wheel drive chassis (albeit with more technology). I believe it does as it follows the same overall look as the earlier GT-Rs. but if you really want to cement the heritage completely, I believe you have to get Wald International's Nissan GT-R Sports Line Black Bison Edition body kit. Wald International is a custom tuner that somehow dabbles in every type of car. From the Toyota Alphard MPVs to Mercedes Benzes to Nissan GT-Rs. You can also stare at amazement as they also body kit Rolls Royce Phantoms and Maseratis without fear. But their Nissan GT-R Sports Line Black Bison Edition is very tasteful in my opinion. It captures the essence of the first Nissan Skyline GT-R, the KPGC-10 from the 1970s with that simple black rear wheel arch extension and it works. The R35 GT-R looks like a modernized version of the 1st Skyline GT-R because of this. It links the first with the current one and I love Wald International for coming up with such a simple styling tweak that totally works wonders to the car. Wald International's Black Bison body kit (I still can't seem to fathom why they call their tuning range 'Black Bison') for the GT-R consists of a carbon fiber front bumper spoiler with a grille cover/front lip/side duct/under cover and fog lamps, FRP Side skirts, carbon fiber rear diffuser, carbon fiber boot spoiler, carbon rear wing flap, FRP rear over fender and 22inch Portofino rims in matte black finish. No. This body kit isn't all that new. It has been around for a while but I've just realized how complete this Nissan GT-R looks with it. Sometimes a tuner that does over the top most of the time can come up with a total gem.

Normally, when news of a new Porsche breaks out, I don't really pay much attention. To me, they all seem one and the same, with either more power, or less equipment, or stripped out for racing. It's like a ready-made news template. However, when I read about the new Panamera Turbo S, I took a while to catch my breath. The Panamera is most definitely a love-it-or-hate-it car. While I'm not exactly a fan of its looks (as are many people I'm sure), I actually quite like the idea of a Porsche that can carry a family of four in comfort (albeit a rich family). I feel pretty much the same way about the Cayenne SUV as well. The Panamera Turbo S, which was revealed by Porsche this week, is the fastest Panamera model yet. And it certainly packs a hell of a lot of punch, going by the figures released. 542bhp makes it more powerful than Mercedes-Benz's own powerhouse luxury performance sedan, the S63 AMG. But the most astonishing figure is that the Panamera Turbo S can rocket from 0-100km/h in just 3.8 seconds, even faster than the stripped-down, hardcore Porsche 911 GT3 RS. This is a car that weighs well over 1.8 tonnes, remember. Top speed is rated at a pretty amazing 307km/h, a speed which unfortunately will not be seen anywhere except for the derestricted German Autobahns, or if someone is mad enough to take this hefty sedan around a race track. This car is definitely going onto my list of "cars I have to try before I die".

Ever so often, I spot a head-turner along our business or shopping districts and I stare lustfully admiringly as it zooms off, leaving me wondering about the day when I can lay my hands on a beauty just like her. And other times, I spot owners of magnificent machines pottering along at a snail's pace on a B road where I would have let her rip and I can only wonder if I would be a more deserving owner/driver. Sigh. It is tough being a car nut with the bank account of a church mouse. So, on days when the boss is droning on and on, I tend to let my mind wander and think about what would be in my garage if I ever struck it rich enough. And after countless internal debates and struggles, I have assembled my "dream team" of the 3 cars (currently on sale) that I would have in garage. At risk of extreme ridicule from you guys, here it is: 1) Maserati Granturismo S With its hot screaming Italian supermodel looks, picking this baby is a no-brainer. This is my idea of car pornography and pretty much takes the cake when it comes to car design. This car turns heads as well as (if not better) than super cars that are twice its price. And have you heard the exhaust note? The closet attention whore in me says that this absolutely has to be the centerpiece in my dream garage. Nuff said. 2) Mitsubishi Evo X No, I am not kidding you with this entry. I think that no garage would be complete without a JDM monster and my pick is the Evo X. The Evo X provides a vastly different form of driving experience from the Maser. It would function as a road legal track machine for weekends spent at the track. And with the large number of after-market parts and support from Japanese tuners for the Evo X, this would be a car that I can totally modify and customize to my heart's desire (or LTA's legal limit). And deep down, I am just a Singapore beng. Techno and blue lights anyone? 3) BMW 335i Convertible My dream garage is complemented by a BMW 335i as the more practical daily driver. With terror car parks being par for course these days, it would be absurd to consider driving the Maser or the heavily modified Evo out to work. And on occasion, I would probably need to ferry passengers around in greater comfort than the Evo can offer. So the final entry has to plug this gap of practicality. But at the same time, it would still need to be a classy and good looking ride that I would enjoy looking at. The 335i checks all the above boxes; plus it has enough brute force to see off ricer boys and crazed taxi uncles. Perfect. What would be your 3 picks for your dream garage?