The Alfa Romeo he never forgot: One Singapore collector’s lifelong passion for classic cars

Kumar Balasingam’s lifelong interest in Alfa Romeo began when he bought a 1972 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV at 19, borrowing S$12,000 from his mother. The car later became part of a collection of about 45 classic vehicles, and its eventual sale left him determined to find it again.

He taught himself to maintain the car, believing that many reliability problems came from poor upkeep and incorrect parts. The GTV was sold when renewing its Certificate of Entitlement would cost more than S$40,000 and his family needed to prioritise expenses; after it was driven to Malaysia, he spent years trying to recover it.