It’s not always easy being a car enthusiast. Whether it be a cop pulling you over for driving your Hyundai in track mode, having your catalytic converter stolen, or perhaps even the threat that the government will one day come knocking to take away your fuel-guzzling car, choosing automobiles as a hobby is rarely the most straightforward path. But rest assured, it could be worse. You could try owning a car in Singapore.
And not just an enthusiast’s car. Whether you’re looking to drive a Toyota Corolla or a Pagani Huayra, your ability to drive a car depends on the COE, or “Certificate of Entitlement.” COEs are one way in which the Singaporean government controls the number of vehicles on the road. To drive a car on the island, you need a COE, which is only valid for 10 years. COEs are in limited supply, with the government using the system to actively discourage car ownership. Currently, the cost for a COE is a whopping 130,000 SGD (approximately $95,000 at current exchange rates), and that’s before you’ve accounted for the inflated price of Singaporean cars, too, thanks to multiple duties and taxes.
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But despite the many hurdles to Singaporean car ownership, there remains a dedicated band of automotive enthusiasts who continue to keep their passion alive. To uncover more about the country’s automotive culture, Hagerty’s Larry Chen decided to do a deep dive into the center, unearthing some of the most impressive — and expensive — car collections we’ve seen to date.
First to open their doors is Darren Ong, an unapologetic worshiper of JDM. In his stable are five mint-condition Mitsubishi Evolutions, a track-spec Honda Civic FD2 Type R, a Toyota AE86 styled after Keiichi Tsuchiya’s, an FD-generation Mazda RX-7, a Nismo GT-R R35, a Nissan Skyline R32, and a Honda NSX. Aside from the value of the cars — for context, Ong estimates an Evo to be worth 180,000 SGD ($132,900) — to renew the COEs for the entire collection would cost Ong well over $1,000,000.
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But Ong’s collection is just the tip of the iceberg. Chen next shows us Steven, who, despite owning some of the most exotic cars in the country, is more than happy to interact with the local car community at events. Included in his collection is a Huayra Roadster, costing him 14 million SGD ($10,330,000). Perhaps even more unique, though, is Steven’s GT-R 50 by Ital Design, believed to be the only one in Asia and custom-painted in the Ironman suit colors.
Finally, Chen and his Singaporean fixers manage to capture a collection shrouded in mystery. Believed to be owned by one person, the entire multi-million dollar fleet had been mysteriously kept out of the public eye, with the cars reportedly unused for several years. Despite the owner having vanished, the Hagerty team is allowed to film a portion of the collection, which is spread across several properties. Included is a Lamborghini Aventador SV, McLaren P1, Ferrari LaFerrai, and Pagani Zonda Tricolore. Perhaps even more bizarrely, at the dead of night we see a Pagani Zonda Cinque Coupe — one of just five ever made.