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Under the clear night sky dotted with glittering stars, a beastly tuned 620bhp supercharged BMW M3 sat tranquilly, seemingly enjoying the companionship of a beauty and the peaceful surrounding. This E93 convertible is the last of the naturally aspirated V8 engine fitted to an M power plant and clearly, car lovers are not exactly pleased, now that high-revving engine notes will soon be a thing of the past.

No longer will there be extreme heart skipping and head turning moments when you put your foot to the pedal. According to the German marque, forced induction or also known as turbocharging will now take over the NA for the sake of mankind’s future (add sarcasm).

Small sadness aside, we got on with our work, approaching the M3 like a sacred object. This is no ordinary M3. It is the official safety car for Sports Car Club Singapore, or SCCS in short, and is fitted with one of the sexiest body kits you can find for this car – a Vorsteiner GTRS5 wide body kit limited to just 40 worldwide.

Also fitted to this mean machine are 20 inchers BC Racing forged rims with fully customised orange crystal colour. Along with decals and running LED lights, this fully complete a totally badass, legit safety car look. Words aside, we’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of the photos.

sgCarShooters vrooooming out!

Inspired by Singapore Airlines’ Light Up the Night Carnival, we revisited the F1 pit in the middle of the night for a photoshoot with Gavriel and his Mercedes Benz C180 luxury sedan, against the familiar Marina Bay skyline that was stunning as usual.

The photo shoot brief was to create a corporate and professional outlook for Gavriel with this new ride. With the thunderstorm looming on the horizon, we knew outdoor time was precious and had to execute the shoot with precision before shifting to our backup location.

This is Gavriel, after warming up to the camera. With his tall physical frame and meticulous wardrobe, it was easy to create that CEO-calibre looking scenario.  

As for the car, the Mercedes Benz C180 Kompressor is no stranger to the road scene in Singapore. It was the class leader for luxury sedan sales, overtaking the BMW 5 series executive sedan a year after it was introduced here in 2008. Comfortable, refined and well built with a touch of class, definitely the right car for the right owner.

Shot by resident photographer: Joey

Today, we come face to face with a white specimen from a Japanese legend that has her six generation of family history spanning all the way back to 1969.

The Nissan GT-R.

This monster of a ride is not called a Godzilla by many for nothing, for it is shamelessly built with one hulking purpose – Speed.

And just when you think it can’t get any better for the horsepower per dollar, along comes a full suite of goodies that no other cars in its class can match. The handling, drive-train and cabin electronics involved here are pure wizardry. It is no wonder the GTR platform by default, is the flagship of Nissan motor performance to showcase many of its state-of-the-art technology.

The GTR strikes fear in the minds and hearts of other astronomically priced supercars, and often, it is used as a benchmark to gauge performance excellence in many other car manufacturers. This breezy morning, we had the opportunity to bring this white Godzilla from its sleepy slumber to shake up the entire forest.

Under the bonnet houses a vicious 3.8L V6 twin turbocharged engine, producing a factory output of 480bhp. On top of it, the owner has upgraded the internal organs with HKS Legamax premium exhaust system and HKS intercooler kit, proudly tuned by GarageR.

With such a setup, this unassuming, stock-looking Godzilla now has nearly 600 willing brake horsepower at its disposal. There is a marked improvement in air flow but the mufflers managed to keep its noise at bay at just a fraction louder than stock.

Within the cabin, the GTR looks like a high-tech science laboratory. With Japanese characters printed on those buttons, it makes the whole experience even more authentic, awaiting the driver to tap on its vast nuclear energy.

Combined with the car’s all-wheel drive system, its super quick automatic 6-speed dual clutch transmission and an all-time favourite launch control, the Godzilla is sent powering its way to a 3+ seconds 0 to 100km/h run.

In the spirit of friendly competition, we sent our crew’s Mitsubishi Evolution X for a short race with the Godzilla and was well, truly humbled (Captain Obvious!)

sgCarShooters bowing out.

Okay, we were just as excited as you. Who isn’t?  This is the colour you either instantly fall in love with or one that naturally causes your eyes to roll back with a huge curse under your breath. Even the owner admits the polarity of reactions. Well, haters gonna hate, lovers gonna love. The sky will always be blue and sgCarShoot will still deliver.
 

The subject is a 5.2L V10 year 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggara – which also translates to 570 metric brake horsepower, an all-wheel drive system and a super light body weight of 1,340kg, achieved with carbon fiber extensively used inside and out. Although officially in its last year of production with the last Gallardo rolling out of its company’s production line in Sant’ Agata, this baby lambo has set a record with a total of 14,022 units sold in the past 10 years.

The LP570-4 is the more powerful version of the LP560-4, sharing the same bloodline as the previous Superleggera, and the lightest production Lamborghini in its model range. Performance has also been improved for a lighting fast 3.4 seconds century run, delivering maximum torque at 8,000rpm and topping out at a speed of 325km/h.

This is the ultimate crowd magnet and it doesn’t help when the shoot assignment was happening on a bustling weekend afternoon. All you wish for was just a split second of crowd dispersion and grab the chance with zero error tolerance.
 

As we head out into the familiar Central Business District route peppered with iconic architecture, all eyes were on the sleek striking pink ride screaming across the tarmac.

 

Beyond the LP570’s aerodynamic body sculpture, the interior is also incredibly beautiful. The entire cabin is almost swathed in black Alcantara, including the seats. Other fine touches include the aluminium pedals, leather strap door pulls, and dashboard and flat-bottomed steering wheel wrapped in luxurious suede. More photo closeups on this impeccably crafted Italian masterpiece.

The Audi A5 was a completely new entry for the German company in the coupe market back in 2009 to compete specifically with BMW’s 3 series coupe. It created a much lusted over ride to own. Fast forward to 2014, the A5 has withstood the test of time and it is now one of the most sought after luxury cars in the preloved market.

sgCarShoot caught up with the owner of this white luxury sport coupe for an impromptu shoot. The beauty of spontaneity yields unexpected results and we were almost glad much of the shots turned out to be pretty decent.

For car photography enthusiasts, a new playground has to be the Marine Coastal Expressway or MCE for short. The newly paved and smooth asphalt road with beautifully crafted tunnel architecture is a perfect combination for great rolling shots!

What emotional creatures they are. Coupes set out to be stylish first and the A5 does not disappoint. It is breathtaking in photos, but even more so on the road. White looks superb on this S5-body kitted model but blue (on an S5 we have previously shot) exults its very own charm too. We love both anyway!

Badass looking rims are fitted onto this ride and handling is kicked up a notch, true to Breyton Wheels’ mantra of “Precise German wheels engineering”. We explore more of the interior closeups.

The flawless fuse of leather upholstery, wood and aluminum accents with soft-touch surfaces sets a welcoming tone for its occupants, a tradition Audi has upheld and promised since its brand refresh nearly a decade ago.

This is possibly the perfect car for the stunning backdrop.
Til we meet again, auf Wiedersehen!

Year of the Dragon has never really ended. In fact, it’s alive and scorching Singapore roads… in the form of a Mitsubishi Evolution IX station wagon, that is. The radical and intricate masterpiece was the work of Graffiti Conceptz, and proudly donning its colours is none other than multi-autostyling champion, Charles, whose Evo recently took part in the Tokyo Auto Salon event and won best airbrush award in its category.

Let’s see how this dragon evolution measures up… to a new ‘occupant’. 

sgCarShoot could have done a typical car shoot – sleek closeups, engine bay, cool interior shots and what nots. This time round, we opt to forgo that for something bigger. We enter different phases of life, and one of them is when you decide to commit your life to another human being. Charles took that decision and possibly brought happiness to another level.

Aww…

Meet Charlene, the girl in Charles’ life. This bubbly soul is a natural on camera and she quickly warmed his fiancé up too, which made everything easier, considering we had a bad weather looming upon us and a limited duration for the shoot.

I’m pretty sure the comprehensive in-car multimedia system came into good use during their initial courtship. 

And that, explains everything.

So we have this amazing couple dressed up in a pair of delightful blue couple tees, holding a pair of cute softie toy bears (I assume), mucking around playfully and making funny faces before the camera. And then they are the occupants of this fierce, intimidating Dragon Evolution IX.

See the disconnect?

Yes, I’m rubbing my eyes too.

Aww… too sweet…

The rain did fall in a lighthearted way as our journey for the car shoot came to a close. Let’s wish Charles and Charlene eternal bliss and all the best for their upcoming wedding!