It was retro time for radio deejay Shan Wee and his “co-driver Doc Brown” in Singapore’s only DeLorean.
HIS favourite musicians include the Beatles, and he enjoys playing his bass guitar, so One FM 91.3 deejay Shan Wee knows all about “real music” (the station’s tag line). The 33-year-old also knows about the DeLorean DMC- 12, his dream car, and it got real for him when he did this Torque Guest Drive. “I love the Back To The Future movie series, especially the first instalment, which still stands up as a great film even today, 30 years later. That and the rarity of the car, with only about 6000 in existence, mean I was as excited as if I were about to meet a Hollywood celebrity!” He’s right about the rarity of DeLorean’s gull-wing coupe, with the elusive example here being the one and only in Singapore.
Compared to his personal vehicle, a Honda CR-V, this stainless steel machine is “to the future” indeed and the most exotic ride he has ever driven. “I really haven’t had much experience with any cool cars. When I was growing up, my dad had a BMW 5 Series, which only he drove. So when I was around 21 and was reluctantly allowed to drive that for the first time, it was like touching the untouchable treasure.” Shan’s cool-car experience reached warp speed (or maybe 88 miles per hour) with the DeLorean. “The gull-wing doors were super cool, and getting a photo next to this ‘celebrity’ was really exciting. It’s now my profile pic on Facebook!” Getting those photos was much easier than Shan getting into the cabin. “Actually, sitting in the car and driving it were unexpectedly awkward, because I’m 1.94m tall and definitely not designed to squeeze into small sports cars.”
If he could do his own DeLorean remake, what would he change? “Push the seats right back! And add the hover/fly function as seen in Back To The Future II!” Asked about how “Futureistic” the DeLorean was from behind the wheel, Shan replied: “This car has been upgraded over the years, so its interior and engine seemed pretty modern. But it still felt like we were back in the 80s, driving down the road in 2015 Singapore. It was fun and nostalgic!” Which song from the movie soundtrack would he play in the DeLorean? “It would need to be the orchestral theme of Back To The Future, on repeat for the entire journey, no matter how long I’d be driving. Baaaaaabada- bam-bam-bom-baaaaaa.”
Would he pay $250,000 (last known transacted price) to drive this 32-year-old DeLorean until 2020? “I would love to own a piece of pop culture, and yes, I would probably buy the car if it was bigger inside. There is no way I can comfortably drive it at my height! What did Shan’s family (wife Artika, a wedding planner, and their two sons, three-year-old Ciaran and 11-month-old Ruan) think of his DeLorean drive? “All of my guy friends aged 28 to 40 thought it was the coolest thing ever, but the others didn’t care as much.” So, is the DeLorean DMC- 12 still Shan’s dream car? “After sitting in the cramped cockpit, I would say my enthusiasm has waned slightly. I think I’ll move on to my next dream car. Torque magazine, please find me KITT from Knight Rider!”
