AbacusClassic cars in Hong Kong could be an untapped treasure trove for investors
- The last thing an electric car driver wants is to look goofy. No matter how innovative the designs are, classic lines will turn heads without a snigger
- Older second-hand cars are largely shunned in Hong Kong but sought after overseas by driver-investors. Could these be an astute purchase, especially if they were electric?
Sitting around a Sunday afternoon lunch table with a few cans of beer under the belt is a natural forum for entrepreneurs to air ideas of what we are likely to do next. Such was the case about a year ago when I sat with two new friends who hail from Switzerland and found themselves in South Lantau: Töni Sigg and Urs Stemmler.
One thing we have in common, like many guys of our age, is a love of fancy cars – Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, etc – and Urs has even taken the plunge with a 1980s’ era Ferrari Mondial. The semi-classics are more personal, and more suited to Töni’s wallet, and mine. For me that dream car is my old Jaguar XJ V8, a jalopy in 2022 with its four-litre engine. Töni has a laundry list of them, and his most recent acquisition was a Maserati Quattroporte.
I sent them a picture of the latest offering from Toyota, a fully electric LQ, remarking that it looked like an Easter Egg designed by committee.
“That is funny! Really funny,” cracked Töni. Urs remained silent. He is a 30-year bonafide veteran car designer who is too polite to cast the first stone at his peers – though later he agreed it is a hard one to love.