The Alfa Romeo he never forgot: One Singapore collector’s lifelong passion for classic cars
Singaporean collector Kumar Balasingam began his classic car journey at 19 with a 1972 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV, eventually amassing a collection of about 45 vehicles. His passion led him to self-teach car mechanics and establish a network of restoration specialists across multiple countries.
Kumar Balasingam's experience with classic Alfa Romeos in Singapore highlights how perceived product reliability can be influenced by user understanding and maintenance practices. He observed that many local Alfa Romeo owners attributed issues like misfiring to engineering flaws, when his own learning suggested these problems often stemmed from incorrect spark plug usage.
Balasingam explains that Alfa Romeo's twin-cam engines required specific spark plugs depending on driving conditions: a hotter HL plug for short urban trips and a colder 2HL for sustained high-speed driving. Using the wrong heat range could lead to performance problems, which owners then mistakenly blamed on the car's inherent design rather than maintenance choices.
This perspective suggests that a lack of specific technical knowledge among some car owners in Singapore contributed to a local reputation for unreliability. Balasingam's journey underscores the value of hands-on learning and detailed technical understanding in maintaining complex machinery, challenging common assumptions about product performance.
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