Hooked on Beemers

"If my car was a Hollywood star, she would be Jessica Alba," according to Tommy Lam. Tommy is the proud owner of a sleek black E90 BMW and is the director of Glitz Concepts, an events management company. He is only 26 years old, but talks about cars as passionately as any veteran motorhead. He has owned three BMWs before, and sings praises on all of his previous purchases, in particular his current one. "In the two years I've owned the car, she's never given me problems," he said.Click here to read more.

Julie and the one that got away

One of the first dilemmas for new car owners is whether or not to upgrade the alarm system of their purchase.For actress and TV host Julie Woon, it was something she considered for her Honda Accord 2.4, but never followed through.So it was a cruel fate indeed when just a few days ago, Julie's Accord was stolen."The car was parked outside KPMC hospital in Puchong," she said.Click here to read more.

Taking flight in a Beemer

If you're a Fly.FM listener, the name Basil Joseph will certainly ring a bell. One half of the wacky combination that is Basil and Hafiz on the station's Night Flight, you're more likely to recognise his voice before his looks. His working hour is a little different from the average Joe, as his session starts when most of us are back at home, which leaves him in a pretty unique situation when it comes to Malaysian traffic. "I work from 8pm till midnight on weekdays, so I rarely see the normal traffic," said Basil. "But I see some strange things at times."Click here to read more.

Boy racer on full throttle

Mention motorsports, and you'll see Ashraff Dewal's eyes light up like a Christmas tree. But get him started on his baby, Empire Motorsports, and he's as animated as a little boy with his first Play Station 3.Ashraff is the team principal for Empire Motorsports, a local racing team that's making waves in the industry.One of its biggest achievements is that it was the first Malaysian team to participate in the 24H Dubai Endurance race earlier this year.Click here to read more.

Model with a soft spot for Audis

Freelance model Crissty Chiang is used to the deafening screams of performance engines in full throttle. The 23-year-old is a seasoned grid girl at international motorsport events such as Formula 1, MotoGP, Japan GT and AFOS (Asian Festival of Speed). "I like performance cars and motorsports, and do not mind the deafening noise," said the full-time freelance model who has won beauty pageants such as Miss Malaysia Oriental Pearl 2006 and FHM Girl Next Door 2007 (Malaysia). Still, being a grid girl can be a tricky job.Click here to read more.

Rocking around in a City

Here's something funny - Kok Wing Meng owns a car he calls KKKiiittttscccreshhhllleeerrrrvrroommmmvrooommm. That's right, KKKiiittttscccreshhhllleeerrrrvrroommmmvrooommm. Now that's definitely not a name you'll hear everyday, no spelling mistake either. And you will be forgiven for reading and re-reading the sentence to get the proper pronunciation. Then again, only an immensely creative mind would produce such a name. Wing Meng is the guitarist for rock band Love Me Butch.Click here to read more.

Rallying in Jagdev's blood

Malaysian rally co-driver Jagdev Singh's first experience behind the wheel was when he was just nine years old."I drove my father's Mini on the road near my house with my father's blessings. No, I did not get caught by the cops. I put a cushion under me to look taller!" he said with a grin.He was already learning to reverse the Mini when he was eight. When he was 10, he helped overhaul a racing engine for his race car driver father who was a familiar face at the Batu Tiga circuit in the 1960s and 1970s.Click here to read more.

Penchant for high wheels

Fashion designer Hideaki Lim has a penchant for SUVs (sport utility vehicles). This stems from his days of driving a humble Perodua Kancil in busy Kuala Lumpur traffic. "I like cars with high seating. I was always getting honked by bigger cars when driving and squeezing through congested city traffic in my Kancil. It was then that I promised myself to buy tall cars in the future," recalled the 43-year-old Hideaki, who is renowned for his eclectic cyber and futuristic twists in fashion.   Click here to read more.

A magician’s best friend

From Criss Angel, David Blaine, David Copperfield, right down to the original master of illusion, Harry Houdini, Hafidz Osman is inspired by great works of magic, but his forte is also the rapport he creates with his audiences.His genuine warm nature is reflected in every show, as he generates laughter with every trick.But when Hafidz isn't performing feats of magic at an event, he's busy driving around the streets of Kuala Lumpur looking for ideas for his next show."Driving helps me get new ideas," said Hafidz.Click here to read more.

A life coach's positivism

When it comes to first driving experiences, not many people can say that their practice sessions were done out in a desert. Then again, Arnaud Marolleau isn't most people.And he didn't start with the conventional car, either."I started learning how to drive on my grandfather's farm in Angers in France when I was about 12 years old," said Arnaud."And I did it in one of the tractors on the farm!"But Arnaud's real driving experience came six years later in Djibouti, a tiny republic situated right in the Horn of Africa, where he learnt how to drive.Click here to read more.