2018 was a great year for Piston.my! It was our first ‘full’ year as a bona-fide automotive portal in Malaysia covering both local and international motoring news, as well as attending and covering local events and launches, while producing videos, reviews and features for the site. It’s been a fantastic ‘first-year’ for yours truly, and I’m deeply humbled and grateful for all the support we’ve received from our readers and clients alike, thank you for making 2018 a truly memorable one for all of us here at Piston.my!
And now, in no particular order, I present my favourite photos & honourable mentions from the past year! Thanks again for being here on this journey with us, and do hang around for a lot more to come in 2019! – Chris Wee.
ALFA ROMEO DISCO VOLANTE SPYDER
What would possess anyone to drive to another country to just see, touch and hear a car? Well, if it’s an extremely rare and limited-edition Alfa Romeo Disco Volante Spyder, and that country is just next door, why not! So yeah, Bobby Ang of EVOLTN and I took a roadtrip down to Singapore for one day last year, just to view this stunning creation. We didn’t go see a car, we went to see a work of art. Read about it here.
PORSCHE 911 GT3
There are many alphanumerics in the world, but when the letters ‘GT’ and the number ‘3’ are put together, it’s a whole new ballgame. Quite possibly the most lusted-after Porsche 911 ever made, the GT3 & GT3 RS personify the very definition of a sports-car. Largely unchanged design-wise for half a century, I guess there’s really no need to fix something perfect from the start. See more and read more about it here.
FORD RANGER RAPTOR
It was the truck everyone was talking about in 2018. All waited in breathless anticipation at its imminent arrival, and many figured it would cost upwards of RM220,000, making it the most expensive ‘lifestyle’ pick-up truck ever sold in the country. So when the covers finally came off, and the price of less than 200k was announced, we were shocked. Really. I for one didn’t think Ford Malaysia could sell this unbelievably awesome monster truck for anything less than the aforementioned estimate. Watch a video and see more of the Ranger Raptor here.
FERRARI GTC4 LUSSO T
It was one of those days, it was one of those cars. Just an amazing drive with an amazing car on an amazing day. The weather was perfect, the roads were clear, and we had a freakin’ Ferrari. ‘Nuff said. More photos and video on this incredible car can be found here.
PORSCHE 911 CARRERA T
Back in Singapore for a car again, but this time to drive! And not just any car, but the delectable Carrera T of the Porsche 911 lineage. Despite ALL 911’s carrying the decades-old credo of ‘Race on Sunday, Drive to work on Monday’, this Carrera T personified that the most I think. Subdued, subtle and sophisticated most of the time, it transforms into a raging beast so fast you’ll swear you’re driving two different cars. Find out more and view more of the Porsche 911 Carrera T here.
KIA PICANTO
Not a mistake. You didn’t really think this post was all about supercars did you? Hell no. And as a day-to-day runner, there’s nothing else out there that gives you as much bang-for-your-buck as the diminutive and frugal little Kia Picanto. Value-for-money wise, and for what you get stock-standard, I called it the best deal in town. It still is. You can find out more on why that’s so here.
HONDA CIVIC TYPE R
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed driving this car. The CTR is just an unbelievably brilliant machine, it’s so well-sorted there’s nothing needed to make it better. The fact that it’s a manual with 3-pedals is of course an added bonus. How Honda are going to improve on this for the next generation Civic Type R is beyond me. Watch a video and learn more about this Nurburgring record-beater here. Well, fret not because if you can’t afford the Type R, there’s still this wild-looking HR-V RS to consider…
MOST BADASS SHOT – BMW SIXER GT BOYS
My favourite post-launch ‘posed’ shot of 2018… are these two BMW Malaysia guys the biggest badasses in town or what? I trembled while shooting it, my hands shivered, I was in awe. This was the 6-Series GT launch event that this photo was from.
MERCEDES-BENZ DREAMCARS
When it comes to dream cars, nobody does it better than Mercedes-Benz. At every one of their multitude of events in 2018, I came away wanting one, but this one…well, this AMG GT C just made me stare. And stare. And stare. But then I drove home in my classic W126, and that was nice too. There’s more in here from the Mercedes Dreamcars 2019 launch event coverage.
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI
The alphabets “GTI” in the automotive realm really should stand for something, THEY MUST, and this was (and still is) one of the best GTI-class cars out there, the Golf GTI. So well balanced, so well put together, so rewarding to hoon. Love it. There’s more info, photos and video of the Golf GTI in this feature here.
PEUGEOT 508
A trip to Monaco to drive it notwithstanding, I’m hoping the new Peugeot 508 arrives on our shores soon, because it is a fantastic car. Not only does it look staggeringly gorgeous from every angle, it drives well and has an interior that you won’t believe. It is going to redefine the D-segment when it arrives sometime in the very near future. In the meantime, there’s more photos and videos of the Peugeot 508 at this link.
THE VOLVO GEAR KNOB
What. Why is there a gear knob in here you ask? Well, just looooooook at it! It’s made of crystal, there’s a soft-light below it; it glistens in the sunlight and at night it sparkles like the Hope Diamond. Totally unnecessary, doesn’t do anything to improve the technicalities and drivability of the car, and yet just so, so right. You can read about the latest XC40 launch at this link here.
THE WHITE KNIGHTS – VOLVO & ASTON MARTIN
It was one of those weird coincidences; two launches, two months apart, two very different vehicles, both black and white, both extremely appealing in their own way, and both would look really good in my driveway next to each other…. Here’s the launch coverage on the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and the launch of Volvo XC40 below.
THE ALIEN BMW 8
Really don’t know how and why this photo turned out this way, but it’s definitely one of my faves. I swear the 8-Series was saying “take me to your leader…” I didn’t, but you can read the coverage here.
THE LAST PORSCHE OF 2018
It was a good year for Sime Darby Auto Performance, and at one of their numerous events, as I was leaving I arbitrarily snapped this shot, turned out pretty decent. You can read more about the year Porsche had in 2018 here.
HONOURABLE MENTION OF 2018 – RENAULT KOLEOS
Taken somewhere along Felda Nenering up north before Grik, the Renault Koleos was actually quite a delight to drive. It’s very understated, been under the radar for too long and deserves more time in the limelight. I liked it. You can read more about it here.
2018 Fave Photos Gallery…
