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Singapore. A country so small that the government is now discouraging its residents even further from owning private vehicles. High taxes and ownership fees. High daily expenses (gas and parking fees). Speed limits. Restrictive aftermarket modification rules. All these have raised huge bars of steel surrounding Singaporean motorheads. Even the fact of owning a car has become merely a dream to most Singaporean citizens, let alone modifying one. BUT, here we are walking alongside Orchard Road spotting some of the finest automobiles ever produced on earth. Zonda. McLaren. Even Agera S (S$ 5.3million) can be spotted. What’s happening here?

Despite those restrictions imposed by the government, Singapore does have a unique case of income disparity. For example, while the low income earners on average make about S$800 a month, the high income earners can make up to S$16,000 a month (link). Added by the number of wealthy foreigners having permanent residence passes and investments locally, the buying power for luxury vehicles are pretty strong despite all those government measures. This brings plenty of super- and hyper-cars into this land of political stability and security.

All these mumbles I write surrounding the Singaporean car industry lead us to this E92 BMW 3 Series I’m featuring today. Owned by fellow Indonesian, Mario, who has spent most of his life in Singapore. From Vorsteiner carbon hoods to Volk Rays forged wheels, this E92 showcases some of the best aftermarket parts out there. More importantly, all these mods have been done in a land where even the government is discouraging private car ownerships. With regulations so strict and public transportations so efficient that non-motorheads would most probably think twice before buying a car.

Mario has always had a soft spot for coupes. Having previously owned an Integra, he decided to kick things up notch by getting his hands on this luxury continental coupe. His carried-over love for JDM can be spotted through his wheels of choice: a set of lightweight Volk Rays G2. Coupled with a set of KW V2 coilovers, the E92 is now taking on corners better than ever.

Despite having already owned the car for the past five years, Mario’s mod list is still an endlessly updated one. Going as far as importing carbon parts himself from USA (these parts haven’t always been available locally), Mario found himself in a never ending journey of regular new parts install. His future plan? A car wrap. Either pearl white or frozen color. Do let him know of your wrap suggestions via our comments system below!

Modification Specs

Additional Infos

Photography by:
Charles J
Automotive Photographer based in Jakarta and Singapore.
Email: jhons.charles@gmail.com
Phone: +6287886807762