InstacarHK is an automotive multimedia platform for like-minded individuals with a passion for cars - especially classic cars. We aim to share unique car content, with a particular focus on Hong Kong classic cars, with car enthusiasts around the world.
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I am on my tenth Bentley Turbo R. These are great cars, but, you have to drive them…don’t let them sit. The engine in this car….is 355 horsepower 553 ft. Lbs I think…the engine in my 1997 Turbo R is 385 horsepower and 569 ft. Lbs of torque. These are low revving, high torque cars. These engines never run out of power. The best description would be like riding down the runway in a jet, a 7x7…car just pushes you back in the seat.
The BB-512 was not sold in the US market. The Testarosa was developed specifically to target the US market. That’s why the BB-512 was discontinued. Happily today there are some BB-512’s here in the US. The 512 TR is my favorite version, and the 512m wheels are my favorites also.
The 4L80E is an old GM transmission dating back to the 50s then called the turbo 400. It’s been used in other luxury cars such as the Ferrari 400i. The transmission is popular with cheap GM LS engine builds as it was mated to the truck versions of the LS engines where most of the LS swap engines come from and is known for its durability and strength. It’s slow and cheap but very strong.
It desperately needs new springs to the front. It sits much too low because of weakened springs, like most of SZ models do. I did it on mine, and it makes a completely different appearance! 😊
I've found one for sale near me for $15,000, I think I'm going to get it. Great interior, nice silver paint, no curb rash on the original rims. The only problem is there is no engine or transmission (it had seized up and got thrown away). What modern engine would you guys put into it, if it were you? I could justify about $10,000 for something nice.
I would stay away from it lol. But if you must, a 6.3 AMG engine would be nice, consistent with the comparison I made at the end of the video. Good luck!
Wow! Very nice collection of cars in Singapore!! And they all have license plate! So in Singapore there isn't any T plate system? Like all cars have to be licensed and taxed?
Pretty sure with a 2001 (ie not a really early 1999) the tcu (gearbox ecu) is programmed and performs better when you keep your foot in the throttle for each shift. This is definitely the case for 2002 onwards when big tcu improvements were made. It is a bit of a RU-vid myth to lift off (this can help on the very early cars) but generally the best shifts in 360 are WOT foot left in. There is no programming that expects you to lift off..
I owned a venza hybrid limited 2022 model year in Canada and in Japan, Malaysia and Singapore call the harrier it is beautiful SUV because of the hybrid excellent on gas lexus like but because North America call the venza hybrid aka harrier in Asia. In Canada use 2.5 litre 4 cylinders and 219 horsepowers but the one you drive looks like the older design harrier thanks for sharing your video take care bye from milton Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 by the way my uncle he is living in Singapore he is gave up Canadian citizenship because he is married to a Chinese Singaporean and we are Chinese Cambodian living in Toronto Canada 🇨🇦
Nice, the hybrid model is much more expensive here so I didn't even think about it. Mine is just a base model without even a sunroof! Not going to spend a penny more on an already very expensive A-B car! I have some Cambodian friends in Cambodia, incredible place with some very nice people!
The price for the venza hybrid limited AKA Harrier in some Asian countries in Canada the price when i bought in 2022 the come with fully loaded including call stargaze roof out of the door price is $ 60 000 Canadian dollars remember this is brand new but in 2024 the price gone up the price for 2024 out of the door price is around $ 75 000 but sadly toyota discontinued the venza hybrid name again in North American replace by the toyota crown signia for 2025 by the way in Singapore the price of the car is very expensive because of the taxes my uncle when he bought his lexus LS 600h in 2015 is around $ 400 000 Singapore $ by the way i love HONG Kong Ocean Park i been there before including Singapore and my birth country Cambodia it's beautiful but I can't stand the heat down there but opposite here in Toronto Canada winter time it's cold. Take care bye from milton Ontario Canada 🇨🇦
Nice video. If I may, though, it was the last front engined two seater but not the last front engined V12. The 365GT4 2+2 was briefly on sale at the same time as the Daytona and was more expensive, and it was made in 400 and 412 versions continuously until 1989.
Toyota asides, what’s going to happen to your Maserati Indy and Volvo 850R? I don’t think Singapore’s transport departments likes the idea of you bringing in cars from abroad…
Actually it is relatively easy and affordable to import classic cars here (35 years or older). The COE is only 1/10th the normal price on the classic car scheme, although you are limited to only driving it 45 days a year which is more than enough for most classic cars. That said, I will be keeping my toys in HK for now with no plans to ship them over yet!
I'm blown away by the price to put a car on the road in Singapore. I'll have to remember that the next time I complain about the price to register my car in California.
Good luck on your new journey! SG may not be the best place for drives but you could always hop over to Johor and other parts of Malaysia where there are some great driving roads!
So I heard! Looking forward to popping over and try out the roads there. Although hopefully by then I will have something else other than the Harrier...🤣
Thanks! Yes, been to Dempsey many times already, great place! I am helping Collecting Cars with their global coffee run there on 19 May Sunday morning, do come!
Fun video to watch! I grew up in HK, am now in the States AND own a '68 Firebird. I agree that it is a straight-line kind of car, not great for cornering. I'd hate to have to pay for gas at HK prices....
I had the same color CSL back in the late 80s and his impression and my memory don't line up. I lived on top of a mountain outside Frankfurt (Feldberg) and my neighbor had a 74 RSR ... although we worked in the same place we'd often race to work and the CSL would often win. This car with updated bilstein suspension & front airdam was better than the Porsche of the day. The RUST issue was true back then with my CSL only being 15 years old (it had a full body rotiserie resto back then .. trunk, floor & front firewall/fender area). The metal was sourced in France back then (as I recall) and it was just not up to BMW standard.
I saw one of these sadly rotting away in a scrap yard in Sheung Shui a couple of years ago. The guy wanted HK$20K for it and I was told it was a runner. It was probably beyond saving but perhaps the engine and gearbox might have been worth it alone. If only I had somewhere to store it and decide. Too late now and last time I drove past, it had disappeared along with a few other classics.
It wasn’t at all, Larry Chen is just sharing what he was told about their car culture. This guy should have verified as well who among the people in their circle shared the wrong info to larry chen. Could have been handled by dm’s or pulling strings to actually talk to larry rather than making a video for your channel.😅
I was always very interested in HK and the Car Scene over there but I was in shock about the videos from Hagerty. I thought why would you want to live in such a place where the government can take your car so easy and you can’t pursue your passion. Thanks for a more realistic view on the situation. I think that today we all must watch videos and read articles different. Everywhere are always straight up lies or most of the times half truths. Thanks for the video. Greetings from Bavaria Germany.
Thank you mate - 'international' comments like yours make me very happy that I made this video! The traffic police here are definitely not easygoing at all these days, but Larry's video is just too much exaggeration/lies. Agree with you that these days we must read and watch more before blindly believing one source.
It seems as if although he missed the nuanced points of life in Hong Kong, you may have misunderstood the thrust of his points concerning what most North Americans would consider governmental overreach. Having lived on both continents and for many years in mainland China I can say that without a doubt mainland Chinese who are smart don't always profile with their most valuable cars. The fact that the older gentleman might be reluctant to show their most valuable assets publicly is entirely due to overzealous government investigation. Part of the nuance of life in China is knowing that the higher you climb the more people will try to take you down for ever increasingly innocuous reasons. Larry is an American and though he may not understand all the minutiae of your day-to-day automobile issues, he tried to relay to Americans how good they have it in terms of freedom to automotively express themselves. He did a good job overall IMHO.
2:40 Incorrect. It might have been favoured as personal transport but the getaway car of choice was always a Mk II or an s-type. More nimble. See Robbery(1967) or multiple episodes of the classic seventies Brit tv series The Sweeney.
Thanks for making this video. I've been trying to correct Larry's lies in some of the forums. I met Larry a long time ago when I was living in the US, he already had scumbag vibes back then.
Too binary. Larry’s video is not a missed opportunity at all. It raised the profile of HK’s car culture and brought respect. The macro issues he talks about are also true - such as HK becoming more China day by day, year by year. Whether that has impacts on policing and car ownership, I’m sure people all have their own experience. But the trend is there, even if the micro experience are obviously not uniform nor will ever be. I wouldn’t be surprised if a classic car club was treated differently than a JDM one. That police can ask for any modifications to be reversed is odd, unless they are dangerous to the public. That a large police presence was felt needed for a car meet (regardless of why it was called), smacks a bit of China-like fears of gathering. That the rich, amassing private property, and the private sector has been demonized in China is well documented (check out what Ray Dalio just said about 48 hrs ago - long time China bull). On the arrest, cops can book charges as they like even if their initial arrest might have been much more influenced by another concern/bias that doesn’t see the light of day. The point is, car culture has always had some element of pushing boundaries. And it’s fine for there to be tension. But certain kinds of tension is more acceptable than others. As a car enthusiast, you should understand that the hobby is predicated on expression, pursuit of ownership, and freedom to use. You can draw your own conclusion if HK has allowed this more or less these days.
Yeah what do I know, I am only born and raised here and an active and well immersed member of the local car community. You watch Ray Dalio and obviously a fan boy of Larry Chen, who came to HK twice in the last ten 10 years. Thank you, HK and China expert, for your valuable insight. Clearly, the majority of the comments here by people actually from the HK car community here agrees with you.
