A grand showcase of timeless beauties!

Mr Kai Schlickum with the proud winners at the Mercedes-Benz Heritage Station ((L-R) Dato' Ramesh Rajaratnam, Mr Kai Schlickum, Mr Ong Kheng Liat)

Shutterbugs definitely went wild as some of the most evocative cars in automotive history were on display at ASIA KLASIKA 2011 - The Malaysia International Vintage & Classic Car Concours, that was held in conjunction with the NST/Maybank COTY 2U Autoshow 2011 at the Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

More than 100 vintage and classic cars, comprising rare European, Japanese and even American models, kept in mint condition, were exhibited at this historic automobile show. The cars were driven and some even transported from all around Malaysia and Singapore to partake in this yearly motoring event.

ASIA KLASIKA was a uniquely designed concours to incorporate automobile brand anniversary celebrations and this year the following marques and models were celebrated in grand fashion :-

  • Mercedes-Benz 125th Anniversary
  • Rolls-Royce “Spirit of Ecstasy” 100th Anniversary
  • Chevrolet 100th Anniversary
  • Jaguar E-Type 50th Anniversary
  • Mini Cooper 50th Anniversary
  • Volvo P1800 50th Anniversary

There was also an Open Class Concours for all other vintage, classic and modern classic makes and models. The winners of each category will then compete for the exclusive "Best of Show" award.

The Mercedes-Benz heritage section recorded the highest number of entries for the show with 30 cars, the oldest being a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 170V Roadster belonging to Angus Campos. The other interesting models in the line-up included a 1959 left-hand drive Mercedes-Benz 190SL, formerly owned by Elvis Presley, a 1961 Mercedes-Benz 189 Adenauer, a 1973 Mercedes-Benz 600 and a newly imported 1986 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC.

The concours was heavily contested with Ong Kheng Liat’s 560 SEC coming out victorious over Datuk Jaya Tan’s beautiful 600 and Datuk Ramesh Rajaratnam’s celebrity owned 190SL.

Avid Mercedes-Benz enthusiast, Ong Kheng Liat who bagged the Best of Show award for his 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 (W129) at last year’s CBT Historic Car Concours and class win for his 1986 Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen at the Historic Mercedes-Benz last May, was again the forefront of the competition.

“I am in total shock at winning the Mercedes-Benz grand prize again this year as I didn’t do anything to the car except give her a thorough wash”, said Kheng Liat after the prize giving ceremony.

According to him, the car was imported from Australia recently and had only clocked 130,000km since new and even came equipped with its full service history. The 126 Coupe is steadily gaining collector status and is destined to be a future classic.



“For once, I didn’t have to restore a car and this is by far the best Mercedes-Benz that I have purchased, both in terms of originality and condition,” said the CEO who manages classic car restoration for his good friends during his free time.

Concours Judge, Dev Kumaraendran, pointed out that the quality of cars at the Asia Klasika show was of high standards and selecting the best cars was indeed a tough task. “The difference in points between the top three Mercedes-Benz cars was very close and the 560 SEC prevailed as it was a flawless vehicle,” he said.

Asia Klasika, billed as Asia’s biggest historic automobile show, was presented and managed by Historic Motoring Ventures (M) Sdn Bhd and the Mercedes-Benz heritage station was sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia