appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

William Wadsworth

Hong Kong-born Leslie Yuen is well known in Californian, mainland Chinese and Hong Kong classic car circles. The 57-year-old Silicon Valley entrepreneur fell in love with cars as a kid in his father’s 1960s Morris Minor, and first owned a Toyota Corolla 1.6 hatchback before he came across the Alfa Romeo 1979 Alfasud in Hong Kong during the 1980s.
His pride and joy is “Little Julia”, a 1.3-litre 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, along with a 1967 Alfa Duetto, 1978 Ferrari 308 GTS and a 1989 Ferrari 328 GTB, each of which he uses for different occasions. The cars have different personalities, he says.

Hong Kong-born Silicon Valley entrepreneur admits a love affair with Alfas
Yuen advises collectors to consider the country of a car’s manufacture, as each country has a very different culture and DNA.
“German cars are well engineered, while the Italians shine in design and the Americans are more into muscle cars, for example,” Yuen says.
Certain brands also “attract certain people”, the veteran collector says. “Young people should attend different car clubs’ [events], making sure they feel comfortable with members, sharing similar values.” The Mazda MX-5 Roadster, Mini, Smart and Ssangyong groups traditionally draw enthusiastic young fans.

Classic cars gain value as interest from Chinese and millennial investors grows
Young classic car buyers should also consider why they are buying: for investment, motoring or social purposes, Yuen says. “They all lead to different paths,” he says. “I’ve had six Alfa Romeos and two Ferraris, a couple of Toyotas, SAABs, Mustangs and Plymouths within the past three decades. I recommend Alfa, as it has a great racing history and is still in business after a century. Especially [look at the] the 1960s models,” the collector advises.
“The GTV and Spider, for example, are great models. The Ferrari 308 and 328 were entry model Ferraris until five years ago. Today, the Ferrari Mondial and 400 series of the 1980s are still bargains.”


Rich Chinese embrace domestic high-end EVs as tech and driving experience eclipse prestige

Foreign carmakers lose more traction in China as luxury stronghold erodes

Singapore named world’s most expensive city for luxury spending for fourth year in a row

Fast lane to luxury: Hong Kong developer lures upmarket homebuyers with Mercedes giveaways

Luxury cars

When investing in classic cars, consider engineering, design and power

Are you buying for investment, motoring or social purposes? Classic car enthusiast Leslie Yuen says each demands a different vehicle

Entrepreneur Leslie Yuen with his classic Ferraris. Photo credit: Dito Milian

1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider owned by entrepreneur Leslie Yuen. Photo credit to: Ben D. G. Teufel

Classic cars gain value as interest from Chinese and millennial investors grows

More classic cars are being imported and snapped up by collectors

Opening & VIP Day for the Motor Festival at Gold Coast, Hong Kong. | STYLE ONE TIME USE ONLY

JagEtypedashboardrestore | STYLE ONE TIME UES ONLY

Among other collectibles, such as wine, art, watches and jewellery, cars’ values have had the highest growth over the years and make for a sound investment.

McLaren720SChantillyJulienHergault | STYLE ONE TIME USE ONLY

Classic cars are gaining popularity among car collectors in Hong Kong, according to local collector Carl Yuen, who is also ofvice-chairman of the Classic Car Club of Hong Kong.

KM5S7084-Edit-Editcopy_Colour_Fix | STYLE ONE TIME USE ONLY

AstonMartinDB5 | STYLE ONE TIME ONE ONLY

More classic cars are being imported into Hong Kong and snapped up by collectors.

GCMF 2017-Volkswagen XL1-rear (BC) | STYLE ONE TIME UES ONLY

JagEtypeinterior-restore | STYLE ONE TIME USE ONLY

Bella Hadid | STYLE ONE TIME USE ONLY | Billy Farrell/BFA.com

GCMF 2017-Pagani Fantasma Evo-wider (BC) | STYLE ONE TIME USE ONLY

Magazines

Style

News & Trends

Are you buying for investment, motoring or social purposes? Classic car enthusiast Leslie Yuen says each demands a different vehicle


Automotive industry

When investing in classic cars, consider engineering, design and power

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Are you buying for investment, motoring or social purposes? Classic car enthusiast Leslie Yuen says each demands a different vehicle

Are you buying for investment, motoring or social purposes? Classic car enthusiast Leslie Yuen says each demands a different vehicle