Hong Kong/Taiwan Vacation

[NSXType-R]

Some of you guys know I went on vacation in Hong Kong and Taiwan between December and January.

Just wanted to share with you guys some cars I saw and some shots that I took that I thought were pretty nice.

Some thoughts on Hong Kong- very awesome city. Very foreigner friendly even if you speak English. The fact that I have friends and family there makes it even better since they can show me around.

Taiwan is nice too, but when we went it was just a week and it was one of those tours, so you really couldn't slow down. It helps a lot if you can speak and read Mandarin.

The same idea for cars and airplanes- the window seat is always the best. I got some nice shots from up on high.

Some mountain ranges and rivers.

Smart forFour- looks like a shoe.

A NSX vs. a GT-R.

And an Accord Euro R- one of my favorite Honda products.

Cars in Hong Kong are expensive so cars are in excellent condition. Usually you need to rent a parking space, tax is nearly the price of the car and public transportation is great. A car is a luxury, not a necessity in Hong Kong.

[NSXType-R]

The cars are a great mix of JDM and EDM cars. You get your VW Sciroccos, the occasional old Peugeot, Renaults, BMW 5 Series GTs and Porsches.

I think this is a Nissan Figaro.

The Porsche reminds me of Grimace- I think one of the Australian members has a purple Porsche, I forgot which one- I'm thinking Sam.

BMW 1 series wagon.

The Odyssey is so cool looking with a set of BBSes.

You also get the occasional Alfa Romeo. This one is a 159. the 164 was poorly received mainly because the 4 sounds like death in Chinese. Add the 6 before it and it sound like one is "continuously dying".

And a Peugeot 207.

[NSXType-R]

Renault Megane RS.

Nissan Figaro.

Needs a Tofu Delivery sticker.

TSX wagon, 1st gen- I want one.

And a new Porsche Boxster.

We were in Macao for a little while too.

[jcp123]

Nice pics! Looks like an awesome vacation. Love the aerial shots too, I'm a sucker for satellite and aerial photos

[f6fhellcat13]

...
The Porsche reminds me of Grimace- I think one of the Australian members has a purple Porsche, I forgot which one- I'm thinking Sam...

All our Australian members are named Sam. ;)
Clutch has the grape-juice 964.

[NSXType-R]

Honda NSX- not my cup of tea, but I'll take it.

Exotic car service shop. Had 2 Gallardos up front, a F430 and I think a Testarossa.

Mini Cooper!

Civic Type R- I looked at a Civic Type R once, it looked "off", like it has all the badges and body panels but probably not a Civic Type R.

Very clean Evo VI I think.

It might have been a nice shot if the lens filter didn't ghost- be careful with cheap filters on the Nikkor 35mm 1.8.

[NSXType-R]

Nice pics! Looks like an awesome vacation. Love the aerial shots too, I'm a sucker for satellite and aerial photos

Thank you! I didn't know how easy it was to do aerial photography from a jet. If you're bored on a plane, just keep an eye out the window while watching movies.


All our Australian members are named Sam. ;)
Clutch has the grape-juice 964.

Haha, he's the one! I remember now. Don't know if he still has it though.

[jcp123]

Thank you! I didn't know how easy it was to do aerial photography from a jet. If you're bored on a plane, just keep an eye out the window while watching movies.



Haha, he's the one! I remember now. Don't know if he still has it though.

I have a bunch of aerial photos somewhere that I've accumulted over the years. I would love to go to HK sometime. My Dad used to make business trips there once a year or so...

I'm a hopeless travel junkie though. There's just about nowhere I wouldn't go given the chance.

[NSXType-R]

Strange dude with a weird US flag paint scheme cruiser.

Standard HK tourism shots. But I like them. :D

I expected to see more of the CR-Z. For the most part I see low crossovers and vans- cars like the Honda Stream. The CR-Z is probably too small and too little car for the price. A lot of Priuses too.

Fancy dim sum at the Mira in Tsim Tsa Tsui. They have a lunch special with all you can eat and order dim sum- a good place to go if you want to try it out. It also helps that it's Michelin starred.

[NSXType-R]

I have a bunch of aerial photos somewhere that I've accumulted over the years. I would love to go to HK sometime. My Dad used to make business trips there once a year or so...

I'm a hopeless travel junkie though. There's just about nowhere I wouldn't go given the chance.

I haven't traveled anywhere else honestly. I'd like to go to Europe, but I have no time. I'm pretty certain I'll be busy for at least the next 4 years.

Oh you should definitely go to Hong Kong. I caught the travel bug with this trip, it's a lot of fun just to spend a couple weeks in one place. Especially if it's a place like Hong Kong where it's so small you don't have to travel for long to get places. And the food is just so awesome...

[jcp123]

What a nice skyline!

[NSXType-R]

What a nice skyline!

Thanks! You should see it from the other side too.

Hazy day.

Cluttered! The mini busses are pretty cool, they fill up the stops where the double decker busses and subways don't cover. It's funny though, they're limited at 88 km/hr but if they go on the highway the drivers drive quickly enough that they bounce at speed limiter, screaming like no tomorrow.

Taxis are pretty cheap and reasonable though.

Old air cooled Porsche 911.

I think the Brinks trucks are hilarious- they look very cobbled together.

Even UPS uses the same brown color on its vans. Looks like a Toyota Hi-Ace though.

[NSXType-R]

My camera, a Nikon D40 died shortly after I took this shot. I had it since April 2008 and it was a major problem because I was leaving for Taiwan in 2 days. I was lucky that my uncle also has Nikon DSLRs and has a spare D40x and I borrowed his for the duration of my week in Taiwan.

[jcp123]

Oh, the urbanity!

[Cobrafan427]

Pic 1 of post 2 looks like the rear end of the Figaro and dual fart cans on an Odyssey??? I've seen it all lol

[RacingManiac]

Looks like fun, haven't been to Hong Kong aside from stop over at the airport.....

[jcp123]

Yay! We are taking a trip to Austin, TX at the end of next month. It's no Hong Kong, but it's a heck of a lot better than this dusthole.

[NSXType-R]

Ok, I know this is a very old thread but I got kinda busy after I got back from HK/Taiwan.

I saw my first Skoda surprisingly in Taiwan and it seems to be an EU plate. Can someone confirm this?

And a Sanyang Honda Civic.

And a Toyota Wish seemingly used as a taxi.

And some huge VW van.

And a Ta Ching Subaru.

Taiwan seems to be a very self reliant country and so it seems like it partners up with large manufacturers to create domestic versions of cars, even if they're Japanese. There's a lot of bad blood between Taiwan and Japan.

[Ferrer]

CZ = Czech Republic.

Doesn't look like a Czech number plate, though.

[NSXType-R]

CZ = Czech Republic.

Doesn't look like a Czech number plate, though.

Thanks.

Taiwan is a cool mix of JDM, USDM and EDM cars/trucks.

They have Isuzu and Mercedes fire trucks.

A weird version of the Toyota Camry not seen in the US (seems like a weird facelifted one).

And the EDM Ford Focus, which we didn't get, except Mexico.

And a very 80's sounding Toyota Super Zace.

But, they also got the Nissan Cefiro, which is super JDM.

And they have the Mitsubishi Grunder, which is the Taiwan version of the US Galant. It still looks nothing like the US ones.

The strangest thing is that Taiwan is left hand drive. It would have been just easier to make it all USDM cars.

[NSXType-R]

Even the gas stations are weird. The logo looks like the largely defunct US gas station Aamoco, but the name is called CPC... which vaguely reminds me of the CPC, or the Communist Party of China. Taiwan is certainly not Communist though.

Scooters... scooters EVERYWHERE.

And the funny thing is, I saw a Chrysler New Yorker, something that's rare for me to see even in the US.

They have these special boxes for scooters at stoplights which are very strange. I have no idea what they are used for though.

Where Scooters Rule - Taiwan Scooter System at an Intersection - YouTube

I guess they are a scooter only waiting area for stoplights.

[Ferrer]

This Focus has its Taiwanese number plate over an European one, doesn't it?

Is that common?

[NSXType-R]

In my week in Taiwan, I've seen more Ferraris more quickly than in Hong Kong.

Seriously, I saw 2 Ferraris in the span of 20 minutes.

And a fairly pedestrian Porsche 997 Turbo.

And a comically tiny construction van.

[NSXType-R]

This Focus has its Taiwanese number plate over an European one, doesn't it?

Is that common?

I really don't know, and I didn't even notice that earlier.

That really is strange, and I'm not sure exactly how many Europeans go to Taiwan for holiday.

Maybe that's a Taiwanese expat with European plates?

I'd defer that question to RacingManiac.

[NSXType-R]

Pic 1 of post 2 looks like the rear end of the Figaro and dual fart cans on an Odyssey??? I've seen it all lol

Sorry for the late reply!

Yes that is a Nissan Figaro and yes, that is a JDM Odyssey with dual fart cans.

It did not fart that much, and it actually looks kind of good haha.

[NSXType-R]

More weird cars- we're back in Hong Kong again.

Smart Roadster- I assume they didn't sell all that well, as I didn't hear much about them.

Also, notice the 2nd gen Acura TL across the street. They slip through occasionally I assume.

Toyota Crown- very, very cool. You usually see them as taxis, not as personal cars.

[NSXType-R]

Honda Crossroad- very strange bizzaro world looking Euro Honda Element. I kind of like it.

Pause for cute dog.

Honda Stepwagon- I like this too.

Very gaudy looking Toyota Prius- people in HK are very proud of their cars. Cars are a luxury, and are EXPENSIVE. The tax is now worth the price of the car. Plus you need to insure the car, pay for the parking spot... etc.

Last photo- a Hong Kong firehouse, which I assume is one of the older ones. Interesting slotted doors.

[NSXType-R]

Alfa Romeo 159 wagon- I think most UCP members would go crazy for this. ;)

Fun fact- the Alfa Romeo 164 is not popular in HK- it phonetically sounds like "dying very well" or "dying very easily". Chinese people are very superstitious and the number 4 is a homonym for death. That also explains why the number 8 is favored on license plates- it sound like "prosperity" .

Acura TL- first generation! Notice the side marker on the fenders and the 5 lug wheels. It's a V6, not a straight 5.

Traditional HK double decker tram.

Unknown JDM luxury van- some Toyota, or Nissan maybe?

4 door R34 Skyline! Never got to shoot it standing still, but cool nonetheless.

The local Police use Mercedes vans.

[pimento]

Not a Brera wagon, a 159 wagon.

[NSXType-R]

Not a Brera wagon, a 159 wagon.

Ah, you are correct.

[RacingManiac]

The number plate thing I think might just be the same reason people here like to put Euro plates on cars?

The box for the scooter, its for how they make left turn. You pull into the box and wait for the green on the perpendicular road, especially if you are on the right hand side of the main road(6 lane wide, IIRC) that is one way (like Xing Yi road in Taipei).

FYI, Taiwan for the longest time banned Japanese direct import, so the Japanese OEM had to partner with Taiwanese partners to make cars for Taiwan in Taiwan. Its not until the 90s that it was opened up. The Camry or Corolla or something we used to get were all USDM cars. Now there are much more JDM-style LHD cars. I'd actually probably put them more close to EU spec cars. The main import when I was a kid were USDM or EUDM cars. One of my family friend actually own a New Yorker...

CPC is China Petroleum Company

[johncieera]

Looking goof and next month I am planning to visit Honk Kong. will post pictures

[NSXType-R]

Looking goof and next month I am planning to visit Honk Kong. will post pictures

Have fun! It's very, very English friendly there.

The food is the best. :)