Singapore Motorshow circa 1998

[Mockngbrd]

I found an old roll of black and white from the 1998 Singapore Motorshow and since I never made any prints from it, I decided to have them professionally scanned. These are the results.

It was definitely a different era, a golden age where performance driving machines took centre stage and ignited the hearts and souls of many a young (and young at heart) petrolhead with no SUVs nor crossovers in sight. I'm glad I was there to witness it.

Why black and white? Well, it's not for "artistic" reasons that's for sure. The reason for shooting with my trusty rolls of ilford film were far more practical. Picking up photography was seriously expensive and while I'd love to have shot in colour, developing roll after roll of coloured film would have crippled my finances as a broke-ass design student (I couldn't even afford to eat at McDonald's). But being a design student, I had free access to the school's darkroom, allowing me to develop a countless number of black and white films DIY by myself as I emptied roll after roll of monochrome to improve my composition skills on a fully manual FM10. (Also helped by my lecturer giving us an entire carton of expired B/W film to use for free)

Back then, taking a photo also meant having no idea what would the end results be and with only 24-36 shots per roll, every shot needed to count. 

It truly was a different time.

 

The Audi TT also first arrived on the scene, bringing with it the first ever use of flush integrated bumpers and large geometric wheel arches that formed part of the visual design. Two highly influential design touches that would go on to be copied by almost every manufacturer for years to come. 









 

Renault was smoking some crazy shit back in the 90s. Remember their Espace F1?

 

When BMW's tagline was The Ultimate Driving Machine. Yes, these existed and were registered in Singapore. All have been exported.





 

[Mockngbrd]

Both expensive back then, both still very expensive now. 

Honda showed us a glimpse of our current generation with their JVX Hybrid concept.











That's all folks!

 

[Gnahp]

my heart skipped a beat when I look at these photos

I was there

I remember talking to this angmo from Audi about the brakes of the TT

he didn't have the answer for my question but gave me a TT fridge magnet instead

I scanned every guy in your photos, couldn't find myself in it 😁

[Lala81]

Ah ok. you are shooting manual back then. These photos look unprocessed in this day and age. 

haha in this day and age of PP, it looks like something from the 60/70s. I though you typo the motorshow era. 

Edited June 21 by Lala81

[ER-3682]

1998 got Russell Swift"s Stunt Performance.?

[Freeder]

Why no AMDL fotos? Or rust time not so DL🤭

[Robin]

why no motorshow  ?😁

[Mockngbrd]

On 6/21/2024 at 12:17 PM, ER-3682 said:

1998 got Russell Swift"s Stunt Performance.?

I think no hav

[Gnahp]

I asked that bespectacled angmo in the photo why the ventilated disc on the TT has a different design

it sucks air from the outside of the wheel instead of the more conventional sucking air from inside design found on most cars at that time

I found the answer many years later

that design is stronger and less likely to develop cracks around the "hat"/hub of one piece brake rotor

 

[Throttle2]

Wah say, 1998, i just started working, dare not dream of cars, was riding a Honda PC800.

love that bike, great styling, big boot, shaft driven….. 

 

[tarbo]

Fantastic pics. IIRC the DC2R was asking for 180k then.

[Gnahp]

On 6/21/2024 at 5:40 PM, Throttle2 said:

Wah say, 1998, i just started working, dare not dream of cars, was riding a Honda PC800.

love that bike, great styling, big boot, shaft driven….. 

 

same here

went there with my ex gf (now wife)

ROM next year in 1999

[Soya]

Those days still got Kallang carpark races

Swift GTI was like.....wahhhnhhh.....how i wish I could afford 

 

[Jamesc]

The Porsche looks good today.

The TT looks so dated.

[Hamburger]

1998....I just finished primary school.

[Benarsenal]

I wos there too. That time I only Prembary 5 boi boi

[Benarsenal]

On 6/21/2024 at 12:17 PM, ER-3682 said:

1998 got Russell Swift"s Stunt Performance.?

I remember 96 Motorshow got, but is Opel Vectra. That time no Ah Huat Soobaloo.

[Carbon82]

I get the opportunity to view the interior of this new S-Type upon request. Nope, I am not buying it (can't even afford the Nissan March) but was thinking of renting it from Wearnes for my wedding in the following year. Unfortunately, they are not keen with rental, so I ended up using my uncle E200 Masterpiece for my wedding. 

@Gnahp I too was scanning the photos to see if I am in any of them. I used to go every motorshow before Y2K, but as there are lesser and lesser concept and new car, I find it a waste of time / money and stop going a few years down the road.