According to the latest report posted by the Sun Daily, a gang of thieves broke into a Ford showroom in Sungai Jelok, Kajang and drove off with three brand new units of one of the most popular pickup truck models here in Malaysia, the Ford Ranger Raptor. This happened earlier this morning at around 4am. (more…)
If you’re knee-deep in the world of vehicle modifications (or just a Need for Speed or Gran Turismo enthusiast), the name MagnaFlow might be familiar. The performance exhaust manufacturer recently launched their latest xMOD premium performance exhaust series and their first model is made specifically for the 2019 Toyota GR Supra. (more…)
It was only last month when UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (Toyota Malaysia) announced that fellow Malaysians can now place their bookings for the all-new 2019 Toyota Corolla. Today, they’ve officially launched their latest mid-range sedan in the grandest of fashion at Genting Highlands. (more…)
Prince Motor Company, arguably the first Japanese luxury automotive manufacturer, was born out of the Tachikawa Aircraft Company, itself founded in Japan in the early 1920s. After producing military and civilian transport planes for several decades, Tachikawa eventually used its engineering expertise to establish an electric car division which, over time, began to build internal combustion-powered luxury and performance automobiles. It became the Prince Motor Company in 1952.
The first Prince-badged vehicle, simply called Sedan, was a modest executive car. Introduced in 1957 as the Skyline, it was available as a 4-door premium sedan and 5-door stationwagon. Prince engineers used their background in aeronautics to make the Skyline light, enhancing its performance. Even with its 60-bhp, 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine, it had impressive performance for that time and the handling was also enhanced with a sophisticated de Dion rear suspension. A luxury sedan version of the Skyline, called Prince Gloria, joined the line in 1959.
One of the most significant vehicles in Nissan’s history is a model that most people may not have heard of – the 1963 Prince Skyline Sport Coupe.
Hiring an Italian designer
The Sedan’s successor, however, was the one that set the company on a new path and it’s one which not many may be familiar with. In early 1960, Prince product planners and engineers hired famed Italian sportscar designer Giovianni Michelotti to design and build a luxury coupe unlike any other at the time.
After working for several Italian coachbuilders, including Stabilimenti Farina, Vignale and Ghia-Aigle, Michelotti started his own studio in the late 1950s. His work included several Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo sportscars, as well as those from Triumph.
Using the chassis and engine from the Skyline and Gloria, Michelotti penned the coupe with a large, confident front grille and canted dual headlamps, popular design characteristics for American and Italian cars at the time, but rare for period vehicles of Japanese origin.
The Prince Gloria
The car’s bonnet was long and elegant, with a tall windsplit down the middle. Its sides were highly sculpted, flowing into vestigial rear fins that housed the coupe’s taillights. Yet perhaps the most intriguing feature of the design was the slight kick up, or ‘crescent cut’ in the coupe’s rear quarter windows, providing a greenhouse unlike any other car on the road.
The Skyline’s interior was crafted of fine leather; the instrument panel – which housed a series of aluminium-ringed instruments – bore a two-tone effect with the addition of black accents, and the large steering wheel would have been appropriate in any Italian sportscar of the day.
Interior of Prince Skyline Sport Coupe
Birth of the Skyline Sport
The name given to the model was ‘Skyline Sport’ and it was a hit at the 1960 Torino International Motor Show. With positive response, Prince management was willing to put the car into limited production, with the bodies handmade at Michelotti’s studio. A convertible version soon followed and over a 2-year model run, some 60 cars were built. Due to their exclusivity, their pricetags were quite high and estimated to be 20 million yen (about RM784,000) by today’s currency value.
Soon after the introduction of the Skyline Sport, Prince introduced the first Japanese single overhead cam (SOHC) 6-cylinder engine, which was available in the Gloria luxury sedan. In 1964, the company’s management decided a racing pedigree would help further establish its performance image. The engineers took a Skyline, extended the car a few centimetres from the front cowl and installed the new, 127-bhp, 6-cylinder engine from the Gloria.
Challenging Porsche
The result was called Skyline GT, which was entered into the first Japanese Grand Prix and narrowly lost the overall race, coming in second to the Porsche 904. Several hundred Skyline GT performance sedans were then built to homologate the cars for Prince’s racing aspirations. Propelled by their success in the 1964 race, Prince engineers developed the R380, considered one of the first purpose-built Japanese race cars. The R380 campaigned in the second Japanese Grand Prix in 1966, taking the first two positions against the Porsche 906.
The Skyline GT was a special car that Prince Motors produced to win the 2nd Japan Grand Prix in 1964. Although the winner was Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, Skyline GTs ranked 2nd to 6th and impressed their high performance. After the race, a 2000GT model with 125 ps was officially offered for sale in response to requests from customers.
That year also marked the merger between Prince Motor Company and Nissan Motor Company and the former Prince-branded models were integrated into Nissan’s line. The Skyline and Gloria then had a second chapter of successes and have created legacies of their own.
BMW Group Malaysia’s Corporate Programme has been enhanced with a new Corporate Mobility Solutions (CMS) programme. The new enhancement to the programme is designed to elevate the premium ownership experience for both BMW and MINI corporate customers.
“BMW Group Malaysia has long been recognised for our excellence in providing premium ownership experience to all our customers, be it for individuals or corporate customers. We are the leaders that drive innovation in the industry, as the BMW Group Corporate Programme has been furnishing our corporate customers for many years now with premium financing solutions. With the addition of the CMS programme, we have once again changed the game, elevating our offering to our premium corporate partners,” said the MD of BMW Group Malaysia, Harald Hoelzl.
“We are no strangers to innovation when it comes to elevating customer experiences in every aspect, whether through vehicle ownership, aftersales services or mobility in financing. With the CMS programme, BMW Group Financial Services Malaysia is raising the bar ever higher to provide only the best for our customers in the corporate segment,” added Tobias Eismann, CEO and Managing Director of BMW Group Financial Services Malaysia (BMW Credit (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. and BMW Lease (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.). “Our leading fleet management services is further enhanced with exclusive incentives and benefits, proving that we will always go above and beyond to deliver Sheer Driving Pleasure.”
360° premium ownership experience
The BMW Group Corporate Programme is designed to provide a 360° premium ownership experience to individuals and their companies by introducing exclusive incentives for eligible corporations, mobility solutions to meet all business and private needs, as well as a comprehensive aftersales coverage for peace of mind ownership.
The programme also features BMW ConnectedDrive services that include BMW Concierge Services, Connected Navigation, Remote Software Upgrade and Apple CarPlay, along with exclusive BMW Moments privileges.
The Corporate Mobility Solutions (CMS) – an enhancement of the BMW Group Corporate Programme – is a joint initiative between BMW Group Malaysia and BMW Group Financial Services Malaysia to further elevate the benefits offered by the BMW Group Corporate Programme. CMS features fleet management for businesses along with risk and cost reduction, as well as tailor-made mobility solutions to accommodate to all business and private needs.
The new Corporate Mobility Solutions programme includes THE MINI brand as well.
The initiative also integrates products from BMW Group Financial Services to grow and strengthen their position as a leader of mobility solutions in its class. Sais to be a game-changer in mobility innovation, the CMS is developed to equip BMW Group Dealers with a wide range of support to provide top quality financing and fleet management services for corporate customers.
What happens when you give a Volkswagen Beetle R to a legendary race car driver and super pro drifter to compete in rallycross? You’d get race wins. That’s exactly what happened during the final round of the 2019 Americas Rallycross Series in the hands of Tanner Foust. (more…)