I’m not going to (because I probably can’t) deny it, but at times, I can be seen doing some really “nerdy” things - like now, when I’m going to admit spending time during my last Hong Kong visits to go car-spotting. I’m actually not the only one with such special petrol-head interest: there are even groups and pages on Instagram exclusively dedicated to car-spotting in Hong Kong, and perhaps even other places in the world.
One of the many special things about Hong Kong is that not only is the property market one of the world’s most expensive, but the number of luxury cars on the streets there might be among the most dense in the world (I think). With a dose of patience, you can spot almost every brand of luxury car there. Two cars that I really hoped to see and photograph this time was any kind of new Rolls Royce, and either the older Maybach S62 or the newer Mercedes Maybach S600. I did see a Maybach, but noticed it too late to be able to capture it. I guess I will have to go back to Hong Kong one more time in the future visit to complete my quest.
During my days in Hong Kong last month, these images below are some of my observations. I have tried identifying some of the cars but I might actually have gotten some models wrong. If you see any grave mistakes in my identifications, please let me know.
001: Porsche Cayenne
002: BMW X1 GT
003: Aston Martin DB9 coupe - probably a 2010-model.
004: Mercedes Benz, CLS-class.
005: This one is a mystery, but I believe it might be an “older” Mercedes Benz E-class.
006: Maserati GranTurismo with terribly scratched rims.
007: A traditional Hong Kong taxi in form of a Toyota Comfort on LPG fuel. This model was released in 1995 to be exclusively sold as taxi-cabs for the Asian market, and Hong Kong in particular.
008: The number of Tesla is bountiful in Hong Kong. With clean streets and clean cars, they actually look great in the city-scape.
009: Maserati Quattroporte GTS GranSport
010: I have never really “fancied” BMW, so identifying this one is not easy for me.
011: These kinds of MVP “van’s” have really become popular in Asia in large families or as limousines. This, I believe, is a Toyota Alphard MPV.
012: A partially open double-decker sightseeing bus from Big Bus Hong Kong.
013: Could this possibly be an early 2000 Porsche 911 Carrera 996?
014: Maserati Quattroporte GTS, possibly from 2008.
015: Maserati GranTourismo in a color not ideal for a dirty city like Trondheim, but perfect for Hong Kong!
016: A Hong Kong Mister Softee, now commonly known as Mobile Softee ice-cream truck. History lesson on these ice-cream trucks.
017: Hong Kong double-decker city-bus trio ready for last trip of the night.
018: Tesla Model S with personal plates.
019: Jaguar XJ Supercharged
020: A Prosche Panamera Turbo styled up.
021: Could we agree that this is a Porsche Panamera?
022: Jaguar XJL Supercharged
023: Ferrari FF coupe.
024: Jaguar S-type 3.0
025: Jaguar S-type 3.0 "Last Will”
026: Maserati Levante D4 “For Sale”.
027: Another Maserati Ghibli - pretty new model.
028: Porsche Cayenne Turbo, probably from as far back as 2007.
029: Porsche 911 - possibly a 2012 model.
030: Mercedes Benz - think we might have captured a S600 here.
031: How about a pink Jaguar XJS from the mid-90’s?
032: Ferrari F430 if I’m not mistaken.
033: A not definable (for me) BMW coupe.
034: Beautiful trio: Porsche 911, a Morris Mini and a Mercedes CLS 400.
035: Mercedes Benz SLK-class from about 10 years ago.
036: Look how shiny a Tesla Model S can be kept in Hong Kong.
037: Mercedes Benz S500
038: Mercedes Benz - could this be a relatively new C-class?
039: Mercedes Benz C or E-class, late model.
040: Unable to identify neither of these two Mercedes Benz coupe's.
041: Porsche Cayman coupe.
042: Pretty sure this is a Mercedes Benz S-class.
043: A yellow Ferrari 458 Spider drove by while I was blinking my eyes.
044: Jaguar XF
045: Jaguar XF
046: Finally, my limousine transfer to airport in an about 10 year old Mercedes Benz S-class.
