Arthur Lai has a collection of 30 classic cars that he keeps at various locations in Hong Kong. His passion began with a 1978 Fiat X1/9 that he purchased in 2002 and spent HK$200,000 restoring. A key addition was a rare 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SEB 3.5 that he bought for HK$1 million. Lai's diverse collection also includes Ferraris, British luxury cars, and Japanese sports cars. While he has room to acquire 40 more vehicles after renovating his Kwai Chung garage, Lai seems content with his collection for now and is not actively seeking any new cars.

1. STORY GAVIN STAFFORD PHOTOGRAPHY GARETH GAY
A CLASSIC
OBSESSIONSunday mornings and classic cars – it's a combination that fuels
passion in more than a few Hongkongers. One of them, Arthur Lai,
is getting set to expand his own collection of 30 impressive vehicles.
I
f there is a particular car missing from his
collection ­– one that he simply must have
– Arthur Lai Siu-cheung is not letting on.
This man with a confessed passion for classic
vehicles seems, surprisingly, quite content.
When renovations are complete on his Kwai
Chung garage, he will have the space to add another
40 cars to his already sizable 30-strong collection. But
when asked to name what models he lusts after, craves
to own, he’s a bit vague. “Maybe one or two more
Ferraris,” he says casually. There are no hints of greed
or all-consuming desire.
Then again, he can probably afford to wait, bide his
time and keep his powder dry, until he sees something
he really wants. Meanwhile, he seems to be playing his
cards close to his chest, like any shrewd businessman.
Collections of any kind must have a starting point,
and Lai’s began with a 1978 Fiat X1/9 purchased in 2002
– the car he had when he first joined the Classic Car
Club of Hong Kong (of which he is now chairman).
When the X1/9 was first launched, Lai was still in
high school, and to him it was a ‘supercar’. “It’s a big
event in my memory. When I was a teenager, I saw this
car on the road, fell in love with it,” he says. During
that time it was quite expensive and he didn’t have
enough money to buy it, he says.
Lai ended up getting the X1/9 for just HK$20,000
in 2002 – and then spent HK$200,000 rebuilding
it. He estimates the car’s current market value is
between HK$100,000 and HK$150,000 – very modest
when compared to some of his other machinery. He
calls the money he spent on the car “crazy”, but then
happily defends it: “I love the car. This is my passion. I
like to build up the car into perfect condition.”
The Hong Kong-delivered, 1.5-litre mid-engined
Fiat sports car – easily recognised thanks to its
Bertone-designed body – was first registered in 1978
and originally white in colour. It had more than 10
owners before Lai, and today he believes it is likely the
last X1/9 in Hong Kong.
Lai had the car sandblasted back to bare metal
and all rust removed. Then it was resprayed in a very
different shade – still from the original X1/9 paintbox
– a bright colour he jokingly calls “grasshopper green”.
The overall refurbishing took two years.
Arguably,hedidn’thaveaclassiccar‘collection’
untilheboughthisnextprizedvehicle.Laigothis1971
Mercedes-Benz280SEB3.5in2006forHK$1million
andsaysitisnowvaluedatoverHK$2million.Finished
inmetallicsilver,therarevehiclewasimportedtoHong
Kong from England in 2004 by an Italian.
Lai says the paint on his beautiful 280SEB is
original – as are the bumpers, the chrome, and the
leather and wood interior. It is one of only 68 right-
hand-drive versions built between 1969 and 1971. “I
see it and I feel it has potential,” he says. “This car is
very rare, it’s not easy to find.”
Cars are his “number one passion”, but Lai, 57,
appears to have everything in just the right balance,
with time carefully allocated for family life and
business, as well as the automobile collection that he
clearly loves. On a normal weekend, he has half-day
Saturday for golf, half-day Saturday for cars; half-day
Sunday for cars, half-day Sunday for family.
Grace, his wife of 32 years, and their two daughters
have their own interests and don’t share his passion
for cars, Lai says. But there is a nephew who does. “He
loves cars very much.” In fact he turns 18 in December,
and the lad’s father, Lai’s younger brother, is there in
the Kowloon garage on the first day of our photo shoot,
01 A line up of
vintage beauties
at a Classic Car
Club of Hong
Kong event in
Repulse Bay.
02 Arthur Lai,
with the first in
his collection,
the Fiat X1/9.
02
01
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2. giving special care and attention to an unrestored 1976
Datsun Fairlady, imported from Japan in 2007.
When he and Grace were dating, Lai had either a
Volkswagen Beetle or a Mini Cooper. (He says he is not
sure which.) Today, his wife has no nostalgia for the
bumpy rides and poor air-conditioning which tend to
characterise classic-car journeys, but she does enjoy
being a passenger from time to time, Lai says.
A FISH TO WATER
Lai’s passion for motoring was not inherited. His
father, who was a Repulse Bay beach lifeguard, rode a
bicycle and never drove a car.
“My father worked for the government, because
the beach is public … and the government provided
staff quarters. So that’s why we lived in this area. I
grew up in the Repulse Bay area. It looked like a very
luxury area, but we were not that wealthy,” he laughs.
“Of course, the people living here, they drive the most
luxury cars. I saw a lot.”
The comment is particularly pertinent since Lai
is giving this part of the interview in Repulse Bay, at
the Italian Motors Ferrari and Maserati showroom
after a Sunday morning event for the Classic Car
Club of Hong Kong. On this occasion, he is driving a
dark green 1989 Porsche 911SC (3.2-litre, five-speed
manual), bought from a friend who returned to the
United Kingdom.
In 1976, Lai got his driver’s licence and his first
car, a 1950s Singer saloon he purchased for HK$500.
In those days, there were ample parking spaces out in
the open at Repulse Bay and the 18-year-old enjoyed
working on and learning to fix the Singer himself.
Today, Lai has three locations to house his cars.
He keeps 15 of them at a premises he bought two years
ago at Ma Tau Wai, Kowloon. His 15,000-square-
foot property in Kwai Chung is currently under
renovation. He also has several parking spaces at his
home on Stubbs Road in the Mid-Levels.
“Later on, because Ma Tau Wai is not big enough,
I will move all the cars to Kwai Chung,” he says. “Kwai
Chung will be much, much bigger. There I can store up
to 70 cars. In the meantime, I have 30 cars, so I have
room for 40 more, which means I can buy more.”
LAI BOUGHT HIS 1971 MERCEDES-BENZ
280 SEB 3.5 IN 2006 FOR HK$1 MILLION
AND SAYS IT IS NOW VALUED AT OVER
HK$2 MILLION
Since the first
classic car he
bought in 2002,
Lai has collected
30 cars to date.
Showcased
above are just
a small portion
of them, in his
garage in Ma
Tau Wai.
Rolls-Royce
Corniche
convertible
AN ENVIABLE
COLLECTION
A couple of Ferraris, some Japanese
sports cars, several examples of British
luxury. No single overriding theme
emerges as we enter Arthur Lai’s
private garage in Ma Tau Wai – currently
home to 15 cars in his 30-car collection
– but there are definitely some stories
behind the precious metal on display.
Sitting in one of his favourite cars,
a red 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300SL,
Lai explains he has chased down four
generations of SL models, spanning
the 1950s to the 1990s. He has a 1958
190SL, a 1968 Pagoda 280SL, this 1987
300SL and a 1992 300SL-24. Lai bought
the 1987 early last year from England
through an agent.
His 1981 Rolls-Royce Corniche
convertible in navy blue was delivered
new to Hong Kong and first registered
that same year. Lai bought the car in
2008 for HK$1 million and says today it
is valued at around HK$1.5 million.
Honda enthusiasts might drool over
Lai’s 220-horsepower 2009 Civic Type
R – a model designed in Italy for the
European market (unlike the Japanese
Civic Type R) and manufactured at
Swindon in the United Kingdom. It is
number 15 out of a batch of 200, and Lai
bought it new, imported to Hong Kong
via a local dealer.
Lai currently owns two Ferraris
– both red, both mid-engined, but
otherwise rather different in character.
He has a 2009 430 Scuderia purchased
new for HK$4.2 million but now worth
around HK$2.5 million. Finished in
rosso corsa “racing red”, the car is
powered by a 4.3-litre V8 producing
more than 450hp, through a Formula
One-style paddle-shift transmission.
Then there is his 1986 Ferrari 328
GTS bought a few months ago in Hong
Kong for HK$250,000. Being a GTS
(Gran Turismo Spider), the car has a
removable targa top. The mid-mounted
3.2-litre V8 is teamed with a five-speed
manual gearbox and the classic gate-
style floorshift.
In addition to the GTS, Lai has other
“project cars” on the go, including his
1968 Mercedes-Benz Pagoda and a
1971 convertible Jaguar E-Type 4.2 MkII.
The Pagoda will be kept in its original
burgundy colour, while the Jaguar is
undergoing a transformation from red
to British racing green.
Ferrari 328 GTS
Mercedes-Benz
280 SEB 3.5
Riley
One-Point-Five
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3. Lai,whosefatherdied17yearsago,wastheeldest
soninalargeHongKongfamily.Career-wise,heinitially
tookthesameroadashisfatherandbeganworking
in1976asalifeguard–butforaprivatepool,notthe
beach.(Hestillswimstwiceaweek.)Atthesametime,
hewastakingeveningclassesatHongKongPolytechnic
University,wherehegraduatedwithadegreein
mechanicalengineering.
Ultimately,inwhatseemsalogicalprogression,
hisfamiliaritywiththewaterledhimtostarthisown
businessin1986inpoolmaintenanceandservice.
“Lifesaving…DuringthattimeIhadthechanceto
touch,tobeinvolvedwith,themechanicalpartsofa
swimmingpool,soonandonIlearnedhowtooperate
theswimmingpoolsystem.”
AsHongKongpropertyvaluesincreased,swimming
poolsbecameevermorepopular.In1990,heseizedan
opportunitytomovehisbusinessintoChina.Hegot
intomanufacturingin1998,andtodayhisfactoryin
Zhongshanmakesswimmingpoolsandwatertreatment
products.HealsohasanofficeinPerth,WesternAustralia.
Theremaybesomecrossoverwhenitcomesto
mechanicalparts,Laisays,butotherwisethereisno
intersectionbetweenhispoolbusinessandhiscars.He
laughswhenwesuggestthatamphibiouscarsinthe
styleofJamesBond–whohadaswimmingLotusEsprit
inTheSpyWhoLovedMe–shouldhavecapturedhis
imagination.
NAVIGATING LOGISTICS
Laisaysmanagingtheregistrationandinsurance
paperworkfor30classiccarsisnotdifficult–simply
amatteroffiling.Hekeepsabouthalfofhiscarson
theroadviatheHongKongvehicleroadworthiness
inspectionprocess.TherestherunsonTransport
Department“movementpermits”,whichallowthemto
bedrivenasmanyas12timesayear.
Heusesoneinsurancecompanyforallhisvehicles.
Maintainingsuchabusinessrelationshipisvery
importantforaclassiccarcollector,hesays,addingthat
theClassicCarClubofHongKongcanrecommend
severalinsuranceprovidersformembers.
Astothespecialchallengesofkeepingclassiccars
inHongKong,unsurprisingly,Laisaysthecarsarevery
difficulttomaintain.“Mostchallengingis,youneedto
getthespareparts.Evenwithinternetsearches,you
havetomakesureyougettherightsparepart.”Heis
alwaystrackingdownsomeoriginalpart–aclutch,afuel
pump–whetherfromItaly,Germany,Englandorthe
UnitedStates.“FerrariIcangetinItaly,orinEngland,or
inAmerica,”hesays.
Butwhenitcomestobuyingcompletecars,heis
drawntotheUnitedKingdomandAustralia–markets
heisfamiliarwith,thankstohisregularbusinesstravel.
HelikesAustraliabest,becauseofthedrierclimate
whichiskindertoageingvehicles.
In2011,heboughta1958RileyOne-Point-Fivein
Melbourne.Withitstwo-toneleatherupholstery,red
carpetandwalnutdash,hecallsita“miniRolls-Royce”.
Laiisonlyitssecondowner,andthecarhasdoneless
than26,000kilometres.Thegreypaintworkandluxury
interiorareoriginal–theredleather,redcarpetand
walnutdashcombiningtogivethecabinthedistinctive
headysmellof1950sBritishmotoring.Sinceithasno
air-conditioner,hedrivesitjusttwoorthreetimesayear,
andonlyinwinter.
But back to that earlier question: What car is next
on Lai’s list? Or, more to the point, is it unusual for
a passionate car collector to be – dare we say it – so
contented? “No,” he smiles. “Ferrari, Maserati … I
don’t have any plan yet. Yes, I’ve got the space – but
good enough in the meantime.”
Arthur Lai and
his fellow classic
car collectors at a
recent club event.
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