We talk to Keong about his droolworthy JDM collection from the golden 1990s to 2000s era
We’re in a warehouse in Penang that could be a film set for a scene straight out of “Tokyo Drift”.
It comes complete with a stacker system for the cars, a mezzanine lounge area and a smorgasbord of Japan Domestic Model (or JDM for short) sportscars from the 90s to the 00s – indisputably the golden era of Japanese performance machines.
All that it is missing? Tub-thumping deep bass beats and a sweaty throng of gyrating bodies!
Between the rotation of cars from the 53yo Keong’s home and his nondescript warehouse, it is clear that this devout petrolhead’s 30-odd-strong collection has been lovingly and tastefully curated.
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Keong’s collection encompasses the most iconic Japanese Domestic Models, and best of all, they’re registered for road-use.
These aren’t ‘garage queens’ that sit pretty and polished, but see frequent outings for winding road drives or car-meets with like-minded enthusiasts.
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It’s a fabulous throwback for this writer, because Keong’s collection consists of the major JDM food groups many of us (who are now in their late-40s to mid-50s) have either owned before, or at the very least, hankered after in our youth.
Currently, ‘on rotation’ at his home are Skyline GT-Rs in the R32, R33 and R34 iterations (his Hakosuka and Kenmeri are at the workshop undergoing restoration), a Mk4 Supra, a legendary NA1 NSX-R and svelte RX-7 Spirit R.
There’s a lot of hot stuff at the storage facility too, with Hondas galore (his first love and these are the proper high-revving nat-asp ones, mind you), as well as a handful of LanEvos and Subies – a RA-R and GC are stacked nose-to-tail with a TME and Evo MR.
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Needless to say, JDMs aren’t trending just because old’uns like us say they are. Passion for such cult collectibles is a universal language that resonates with petrolheads all over the world.
Assembling a collection like Keong's requires discerning taste, as does appreciating it, because you need to understand all the nitty-gritty that went into it that goes beyond having deep pockets.
There’s a large (and growing) movement of younger enthusiasts all around the world that is embracing these cars, which means a collection like Keong’s has attained a certain cult status.
In person, he’s always happy to talk about his cars, and frequently updates his “jdm_life_penang” Instagram account. He’s expansive in giving us access to his cars for our photos, but Keong himself is camera-shy and prefers not to be in the limelight.
At car meets, he likes to engage younger petrolheads to encourage this enthusiasm in order to cultivate a strong sense of community, because, “having a hobby like this is better than drifting off-course with the wrong crowd in a downward spiral of drugs or delinquency.”
He adds, “Increasingly, 16, 17 year-olds are more interested in the JDM culture of this era and I try to educate them with stuff I’ve picked up through the years, instead of having them pick up misinformation through the internet. I hope it encourages them to work hard to achieve their goals.”
Assembling a collection like this, and given the condition the cars are in, requires not just commitment and patience, but also timing and luck.
After all, this isn’t just a matter of throwing money at the dealership for each new model announced, because collectors like Keong enjoy the hunt for that elusive grail car.
Even better was the fact that when Keong properly started collecting 10-odd years ago (he bought over a friend’s barely used Evo 6.5 TME), it was way before JDMs started trending and trading at a premium!
“My friend sold the TME (black car pictured above) to me on one condition. He didn’t have much time to drive it any more after becoming a family man, so wanted one last drive in it and some photos taken with the TME and his three kids,” Keong smiles at the memory of that conversation.
However, let’s wind things back a notch first. All car collections require money – be it to source, restore, or maintain – so this is the baseline starting point, the bare minimum if you will, because one needs to pay to play. Naturally, the quantum of money involved can be very different, depending on the genre that you’re “playing” in.
Some buy only the latest limited edition hypercars, while others buy cars of a particular vintage either within a single brand, or across a spectrum.
The permutations are near limitless and ultimately, as long as the collector is happy, there’s no right or wrong.
For avid enthusiasts, the cars found in any collection make all the difference between ick and sick.
For this writer, it’s a lot less about how much was spent, because anyone with money can assemble a collection of the latest ‘It’ cars.
And while the latest, flashy hypercars may appeal to the hype-fuelled audience, we personally appreciate a thoughtfully assembled collection like Keong’s that has been curated with more introspection.
In building his collection, he plays the roles of sleuth and forensics investigator, with a savvy that comes only with experience, as he searches for buys both online, as well as through the local grapevine.
A decade ago, an EK9 Civic Type R (pictured above) he was looking at (and eventually bought) was panned by the local community for its “questionable provenance” and attracted no interest. Keong dug deeper and discovered it checked-out as a rare local legitimate example, and it has been in his collection ever since.
If you think about it, cars are just that, cars. It is the people’s stories that give life to any collection, especially when you hear about the thrill of the chase and the passion behind the pursuit.
Even Keong’s early cars (he started with a SH3 Civic) when he first got his driving licence were Japanese. When he was courting his now-wife thirty-over years ago, they enjoyed many memorable moments and road trips in his cars. Incidentally, he has started buying back the cars from his earlier car-life years.
This is far more meaningful than the meh of listening to someone talk your ear off over how much was spent, how new it is, how fast this/that goes or how few there are in the world.
Beyond investing one’s hard-earned, there’s far more to be said about investing one’s heart and soul into a collection, because this is the stuff that stories – such as Keong’s – are made of.
“I don’t just buy a car with money, I buy it with my heart,” the self-made entrepreneur tells us in Chinese.
If you’re wondering, his wife is still active in their telco and device business, while Keong is enjoying remission from cancer and concentrates on cycling and his cult-car collection!
In-between firing-off shots, I found myself drifting back to chat with the spry Keong about the nuances of a particular car that caught my eye. You know you’ve met a kindred spirit when casual topics blossom into deep dives of a marque’s or model’s pedigree.
From the philosophy behind each restoration, to the specific model variant and even paint finishing, there’s a method to Keong’s attention to detail.
For instance, his request to the painters is for them to repaint his project cars to a state commensurate with their respective eras, so as to preserve the distinctive patina.
This means they can’t over-deliver (or over-restore), because he doesn’t want it to look too new, too shiny or too ‘fresh’, but rather, period-correct for a new car of its time.
What was his most recent purchase? It isn’t another JDM from the 90s/00s, but rather a current model, limited edition GRMN Yaris “Circuit Package”, which has been spec’d with the factory rollcage that comes with the “Rally Package”.
Our time at his storage facility comes to an end all too soon, and he offers me a ride back into the city.
For this, he pulls out a cheeky firecracker in red, a Mugen S660 (pictured above), a compact kei-car roadster. It may not be the fastest or the loudest of his collection, but the S660 is arguably one of the most fun Hondas of recent times, and was a great cherry topping to our day out with “jdm_life_penang”.
