I am a Car Nut - KL's hidden treasures

If someone asks me, “What can you find in KL?”, surely I will pull out the usual string of answers that basically describes KL; the sky-scraping Twin Towers (or Menara Jagung as some like to call them), Menara KL, the tourist-packed Bukit Bintang, Plaza Lowyat a.k.a. IT heaven, Mid Valley, Times Square, and some other malls or attractions that might appeal the usual kaki jalan.

But with being a car nut, things become a little different. Since this is the country’s capital, most of the richies and VIPs live/wander around here. And having a lot of money (I mean a LOT) pretty much doesn’t fit if you’re not riding in style, and that’s why you’ll see them cruising the streets of KL in super-cool, uber-styled supercars. And when a car nut (especially a young one like me) caught even a glimpse of that million-Ringgit ride, we become a bit excited, and totally distracted.

No, not his one, silly. Just couldn't stop another habit of mine; panning shots.

These barely-legal road monsters don’t seem fit on roaming the public roads, having to restrain the massive power that inhabits the engine. Imagine having hundreds of horsepower at the disposal of your right foot, ready to unleash a serious amount of torque and noise, which could be turned into a sudden surge of astounding acceleration and speed. But of course, when these machines could do 0-100km/h in less than 4 seconds, doesn’t mean that it has to do that all the time. They could also serve as a symbol of success, status or wealth of an individual.

Like this 911 for example, could also serve as a good daily car to ferry the owner anywhere in the city. Good ground clearance, not too wide and the ride is not bone-shattering. But a closer look reveals that this is no normal 911. This one is in fact is the turbo version, housing a straight six at the rear that churns out 473bhp. Dare to mess with this one on the freeways?

Call it squashed beetle? Wait until you meet 'em at the tracks and see who's squashed.

The magical word. Even the words itself contributes to 100hp already.

The Silver Bullet - Audi R8

Sometimes when I go to autoshows or car gatherings, I often get the feeling of a kid in a candy store; I get into an instant eye-gasm and just don’t know which to shoot first. And under the chaotic temptation that is caused by some unknown hormones in a raging young blood, often I accidentally “neglect” some jewels that reside in our streets.

Upon bumping on this silver R8, I made it pretty clear that I must get as many good shots as possible with this rare encounter. Maybe some will smirk, thinking that this R8 is not that rare for me to do so. It may not be an F40, or an E-Type Jag, or even the Veyron that rarely comes out and kisses out the tarmac on our bumpy Malaysian roads. But in my current location, even a Fairlady could be considered as an exotic; so you could see how this R8 will turn every head on my streets and appreciate the finely-crafted/engineered German masterpiece.

Like the Veyron, this one looks like it calls the space home rather than the road.

 

To me, the main attraction of the R8 is none other than the whole body itself. It has a body that has a resemblance more to a space cruiser rather than a car to run on the roads. But of course, what would a supercar be if it is not as absurd or crazily build to perform and impress like the jet-like Aventador or the elegantly-shaped Italia?

One of my favorite parts of the R8, the eagle eye headlights and those cool front intakes.

 

Running on a 4.2l V8 that generates about 430hp, this Quattro monster dashes from a standstill to 100 in less than 5 seconds. Maybe it is not that fast compared to the others in the same class like the Murcielago or the F430, but one should remember that Audi is not known for making supercars all these time. For one who just entered the big leagues, it is not a bad entry indeed.

The Four Rings.

A little attention to detail added on the fuelcap. Shows where your RM1mil goes to.

And with the new LEDs on this R8, it definitely makes this German engineering stand up among the others, even in the dark. Some may say that it is absurd, that daylight-running LEDs are just pointless. Well, as pointless as it is, it has somehow became a trend for today's cars as more and more auto giants are following Audi's trail.

Those rear outtakes looks more like Freddy Kruger's blades rather than a car's part.

Quad cannons. Dare to mess with these?

Stochastic Shots - Made In Germany

They say that a car made in a certain country always reflects its characteristics of from where it came. The Italians creations like the Lamborghini and Ferrari are very well known to be flamboyant, loud and aggressive. The Japanese cars somehow do not have much of art in hand, but it performs totally out of its class. The Germans? Well, they are known to be very precise, and their creations are forms following functions. Here are some of their famous marques that are making Germany an unmissable threat in the motoring world.

With it's famous Quattro technology, the Audi R8 is simply one of the most greatest achievements Audi has created.

One of the wildest R8 around, the famous Exoticmods R8 V8.

How can you speak about Germany but not mentioning this one? One of the most iconic sports car, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS shares almost the same overall feature as its early predecessors, but still is a force not to be mess around with.

Stochastic Shots - Around KL in 30 minutes

I gotta say, it is very, agonizingly boring to be stuck somewhere indoors, alone in a fine Saturday. Getting terribly bored, I grabbed my camera and started to wander around the KL area..

Did stumbled upon a few exotics, but the common exotics, not the "Exotic" exotics, if you know what I mean. The common ones like this red (yet again) F430...

Well, at least it has a black, soft top. That's a start of being different.

...a silver non-carbon bladed R8...

Somehow the color silver does not appeal on supercars. They should bear attention-grabbing coats like the Lamborghini, with the Verde-whatchamacallit and so on.

...and this zooming Hummer H3.

A gas-guzzling American in action.

But I somehow love the view of the Twin Towers at a clear-sky night. Those two colossal, pointed structures gives the impression as if it is piercing the skies while being bathed by countless spotlights all over.

Being underneath it gives us the idea of how small humans are, and how big their achievement could be if they try.

Has not been lucky with exotic spotting so far. Maybe next time, hopefully.

JPM Supercar Gathering - Part 2

In this part 2, I'm trying to post some more pics that I took during the event, just that I'm experimenting on some new "spices" that might or might not hit some taste buds. I'm currently trying to play around with HDR, which I'm not pretty sure if this is how it'll look like. However, these are some more beasts that came out of their cave to welcome the even monstrous Super GT this June...

My name's Bond.. James Bond..

To me, this is truly a gentleman's car. With some crazy extras..

Somehow, I'm not pretty sure whether the clear or red back lights look better.

Underpowered (than the DBS for sure) but still captivating, the Vantage V8.

One of the marques of excellence.

Where there's Ying, there's Yang.

Look at those rims! They're like blades cutting through the roads!

Loving the simple curves and those carbon side blades.

Those are some nice tail lights..

Don't worry though, this is not yet the end. Maybe it'll be nice to fill the Part 3 with Italians only...

Stochastic Shots - Audi R8

I'm pretty sure that back in the '90s, if someone mentioned the name "Audi", the image of a large, muscular (or bulky), 4-door sedan will automatically appear into most minds. It's as if it was built specifically to serve as a President's threat-proof car or even for the Mafia, as it has this tough and invincible impression through the outlines of its body. And to the petrol heads, the infamous Quattro is no new name to them as Audi's wild side that challenges any rivals that comes through its way.

But today, there is a new image that substitutes those old ones. Instead of being the same old people carrier that sits in the same class as the Bimmer or the Merc, this one, aims to be the top gun by challenging the Italian mad dogs. This new one, is the Audi R8.

Loving this stance!

By the looks, it may not be as sexy as the Ferrari nor aggressive as the Lamborghini, but do not let that be the judgment of this new beast. Packing a 414 bhp 4.2L V8 underneath its rear glass bonnet, it can propel itself from 0-100 in under 5 seconds.

V8 powaaah~

And some giant brakes to tame the horses down..

So the specs might not be so impressive than the other supercars, but that is because Audi has been making civilized cars and sportcars, not barely-road-legal, tarmac-screeching wild horses.

Quad exhaust and some fins? I could live with that..

Pretty sure that this'll be the next F430 here...

Like I said earlier, it may not share the same thrill looks as the other supercar marques, but this one to me is really stunning. Though it looks pretty simple, its overall body and lines somehow suggests that it has been designed by the guys in NASA's top secret lab. And those fins and intakes doesn't only make them look better, but helps a lot in the aerodynamics too.

Some sexy headlights!

And those headlights, God, you just got to love them! Though this one is not firing them up, it looks really captivating when it is. And another part that I personally adore on the R8 is those side intakes, and especially when it is the optional carbon fiber finish. And if you do not have more cash to do so (as it is listed as optional), just either paint them black or just stick some fake carbon fiber vinyl on it.

Eying off its German siblings upfront..

Now I'm pretty sure that sooner or later, this R8 will be filling the streets of Malaysia as the price tag is not so pricey (compared to other supercars of course!). But as long as our insanely tax against import vehicles are still in full force, it'll be an agonizingly long time before I could get my hands on one...