How many Ferraris with Sabahan plate numbers are there?
January 30th, 2008UPDATE 19th Feb 2008:
As requested by the apparent owner of the car, I have removed all references to the plate number.
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When it comes to motor vehicles, this is a sure head turner. The ultimate status symbol. Especially so in this part of the world. Seeing a Ferrari on KK streets is probably as rare as seeing someone wearing Parmigiani watches.
For other luxury vehicles I’ve seen around KK, a Mercedes S-class cost about RM700K. A Range Rover about RM800K. A BMW 7-series about RM700K. A Porsche about RM900K. I have also seen a few Mercedes SLK (or is it CLK), does anybody know how much those cost? Lower down, we have the Toyota Harriers, Toyota Land Cruisers (Ninja Kings), Mazda RX-8s etc.
I think brand-new Ferraris cost more than a million ringgit, on the road, here in Malaysia.
It’s a work of art. It’s the same feeling as when I looked at the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome and was absolutely entranced by its beauty. It’s not just world-class beautiful – it something that transcends space and time.
Then, it’s an unattainable fantasy. Why should you get a Ferrari when you can get TWO Mercedes S-classes with the same kind of money? And even if you have the money, can you imagine a Ferrari on the kind of roads we have even in the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu?
Back to the original question, I have only ever seen two Ferraris with Sabahan plate numbers in Kota Kinabalu. The first one was in January 2003 at Wawasan Plaza. It was a 360 Challenge Stradale, with plate number SA1T.
Then, one fine morning on the 25th of January this year, I saw this as I walked across the street to CIMB Bank, in the middle of KK.
Look at that – it is the same height as the window level of the Kembara in front of it! In its spec list, the height is a mere 1.21m (about 4 feet).
Close-up:
Front view:
Plate number [deleted: please see update at the top of this post], which is different from the one I saw 5 years earlier. I thought it was the same car, with changed number plates, but upon closer inspection, it is not. This guy is apparently an F430, which only debuted in 2004 – it’s the successor model to the 360 Challenge.
Back view:
Look at these specs:
number of seats: 2: definitely not a family car ;-)
Engine: 4.3 litres V8: the petrol company must be smiling…
Transmission: 6-speed: but at speed limit of 110 km/h, when can you actually USE the 6th gear?!
Weight: 1450 kg: that’s a ton and a half, more than twice a Proton Saga (less than 700kg).
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thx for taking pics of my car – i was running some errands bah that.. luckily no dbkk chain-gang that time :P
Yea right ;-) FYI most of the above pics were taken by an 8-year old paparazoo haha
If am not mistaken the first one u saw was belong to Datuk Akjan. He actually wanted to give the Ferari to Siti Nurhaliza, where he want to marry her..but Siti Rejected her.
Then, this second car i never saw one.
But the conclusion, only the Super Damn rich people can afford to buy this car..and i guess u understand what i mean.
Yes I heard about the story with Siti. Did that really happen?
i dont really think that this ferrari belongs to THE SLEEPING SECURITY GUY -RUSPIN KALABAN OR ITHIN THE MISTAKEN POPE…. LET ALONE ROBERT @ ROBERTO GUMBOOK!!!!!!!!!!!
I would definitely NOT bet against that!
Nice car. Maybe he’s cashing out his PayPal money.
Haha, that’s a very valid assumption!
Mimang ok lah ni kereta, tapi kalau racing sama sia guna kancil ikut jalan KK-TBN, tatap sia manang punya… tesangkutlah kau ferrari…. Tapi macamana pun, ada duit, semua boleh beli…
Saya rasa ini lebih untuk “wow” factor, bukannya utk racing. Ini adalah tanda bahawa kau telah sukses.
wow…. i admit this car only a few here in malaysia. Hmm the owner must be damn rich to spent alone at this kinda car. If i were the owner will buy more properties. hehe…. but Im more into lamborghini kinda thing. Saw that cockroach car passed by my kelisa in subang and do roam like a cockroach. Hehe.. DAMNN!!~ jeles sia. Cuba la menang jackpot… i will buy onli 350z for my money cost twice more cheaper than this car.. :-)
Yes, properties should be better investment – but I don’t know, are Ferraris an exception i.e. do their value increase (instead of the usual decrease) with time?
Well, if he can afford the car I’m sure he can afford other properties.
[...] Update on my sighting of a Ferrari F430 with Sabahan number plate (S81) on 25th January. [...]
Waa.. ni org kaya.. wonder what business he run ooo..
I’ve seen the SA1T Ferrari together with this one. The number plate is awesome! Saw it but was not in the right place. :(
this guy has loads of exotics parked at his house(s)…R35, SL65 (if i’m not mistaken), the F430 you spotted, Range Rover Supercharged and loads of other ‘toys’
and all with the same plate number
Thanks for the info.
Hello, I just randomly googled Sabah Ferrari just now, and I stumbled upon this post. Well, here I am, trying to shed some light about these fantastic cars.
First of all, Ferraris (any super car for that matter) and Sabah are commonly thought of as unpractical. A status symbol none the less, but was never seen as practical.
Let me start with some of the technical bits of owning these things in Sabah. For a start, a Brand new F430 would have costed almost RM2mil. However, these cars come with so many specs, they vary alot. I am talking about quarter mil difference between any given specs required. Even changing the paint of the brake callipers or stitching on the seats will cost thousands of Pounds.
However, the obvious thing to do would be to buy a reconditioned Super Car. Today, a reconditioned F430 would cost about RM790K or anywhere near there. The downfall is that you would not be able to choose your specs. For example (and most important) the seat size and gearbox (Paddle shift or full manual). You will not believe how many seat sizes Ferrari has to offer. You lose the ability to have these ‘options’ when you purchase a reconditioned Ferrari.
Next, is the maintainance. You would imagine it to be insanely expensive, well it is actually beyond your imagination. Some people have opted to change their engines Japanese engines such as ones from Toyota MR2, or Honda NSX, simply to reduce engine maintainence costs etc. However, if you choose to keep the original V8 on an F430, it is advised by Ferrari to fly down two licenced Ferrari mechanics and their equipment either from Brunei or Singapore to have a look at your car every 3,500km. Need I say more?
Now I think I just confirmed people’s theory of owning supercars in Sabah would be stupid. Especially when “Sabahs roads are not meant for these cars,”. Is it really? Well, here is my view.
Have you ever seen any of the test videos for these cars on YouTube? especially those from TopGear? They take those cars to country sides, city sreets, and other places where the road conditions are not that far off compared to Sabah’s. To be honest, some of the roads they take the supercars to are actually worse than Sabah’s.
Sabah DOES have nice roads where you can really feel the power of Ferrari and why they are so renouned. Many people think that if you have a Ferrari, you must go 250KMph, well, they were not built just for that. They were built to blow your minds around corners and make you wet your pants when you see a little straight along the way.
For example, if you take an F430 up the new Kota Belud road, it feels fan-bleeding-tastic. If you have enough manliness to do it, you WILL be doing 250KMph. AND stop in time for that next corner because the brakes on those things can stop a bullet.
These cars, though their bad reputation for being rediculous to own in Sabah are actually worth every single cent. Take it for a drive to KB on a nice Saturday afternoon, have a nice look around, you can even get some souvenirs from the Tamu or whatnots, come back to KK and have a nice lunch or dinner. However, I need not mention of how many stops you need to take to fuel up, but not as many as you think.
So in the end, if you do have a spare Million Ringgit to spend on the car (and to maintain it for a while), I say yes. It is better than two S-Classes. Because you ride in S-Classes but you Drive an F430.
Gordon: that was fantastic info – thanks!