Wheels

AZFAR’S

COLUMN

S

omeone out there

must be really happy

right now, because he

or she just became an

overnight millionaire, having struck the

Toto Hong Bao worth SGD$12 million.

If I were to put it in full numerical

order, that would be $12,000,000. Yup,

count the number of zeros there.

Of course, I can’t help but put myself

in that position. If I were to win so much

money, boy oh boy... I’ll be happy, that’s

for sure; first and foremost however, I

might shut myself out from the whole

world for a good week to let it register

and then figure out what to do with it.

Well as much as I am a big petrolhead,

the priority would go to buying myself

a nice big house with a driveway that

could accommodate at least five cars.

The house should also have a garage

for me to spend time polishing and

grooming my humble collection, along

with a hoist for the garage meister-me.

Then at the back, I must have a

small barbecue area. This is perfect

for gathering with family and friends.

And also because I love cats, I’ll have

a room just for them. Not forgetting

a room that will be converted into

my personal gym. Oh, how could I

forget? An entertainment room for

gaming with a full racing simulator

set, including a little theatre.

Before some of you readers think I’m

being too reckless or even splurging

too much for my own self, I am proud

to announce that some money will

also be put into investments portfolios

and savings. After all, we must always

save for rainy days, for the inevitable

and lastly, for the future. Just in case

I get married and I have kids, at least

I would be able to give them the

best education money can buy...

All of that aside, the next

thing I must indulge in: Cars.

The first car I would love to have

would be the Ferrari F430 Scuderia.

Desirable Ferraris are in abundance

in the market, true, but there’s just

something about the F430 Scuderia

that I love so much. I reckon it’s

the lovely engine note and exhaust

shriek (I’ll dump the standard one for

an Akrapovic set for sure), together

with the (somewhat) subtle exterior.

Not forgetting the beautifully set

interior with the impeccable build

quality; the rarity is another factor.

That’s $300,000 gone there.

Next? The Mercedes-Benz AMG

GT S. I must admit, despite driving and

reviewing it months ago, the overall

driving experience is unforgettable. The

ferocity of that force-fed V8 powerplant,

the quick-shifting transmission, the

addictive exhaust melody... The cabin

is another lovely place that I reckon, I

could sleep in in case I decide to go on a

cross-Asia road-trip and couldn’t find any

accommodation. The exterior is so sexy,

it won’t look out of place anywhere at

all. Love it, love it, love it. And it should

set me back by at least by $700,000.

Despite that, I would still need a

practical day-to-day car. One that I

could drive to the supermarket in, and

I could haul my bikes with. For that, I

would welcome the Lexus RX 200t

into my garage. The face is bold, the

exterior full of lovely lines, the inside

of the car is (a) well thought out, (b)

feels brilliantly put together, and (c)

cavernous enough for family duties.

Then there’s that supersize me boot

space, the convenient one touch self-

TEXT AZFAR HASHIM PHOTOS AZFAR HASHIM AND MANUFACTURER

I WANNA BE A MILLIONAIRE...

Our writer dreams big, because dreams are always free

44 // March 2016