TO quote Albert Einstein, “The more I learn, the more I realise I don’t know”.
This was probably what fuelled Elvin Chew, 40, owner of The Car Art Gallery, to want to learn more about a car’s derivatives and history.
After finishing putting together his first model kit - a 1:24 scale Tamiya kit of a Mercedes-Bez 500 SEC more than 20 years ago - he started reading more about the car and the brand’s history and developed a passion to collect other related models.
Chew now owns hundreds of scale model cars worth RM200,000 at his gallery in Concubine Lane, Ipoh. Recognised as Malaysia’s first car model museum, his collections comprised Hot Wheels-sized 1:64 scale models to those as large as 1:12 scale.
The former engineer who once worked in a metal fabrication company said: “I grew my collection since my secondary school days. I built, stored and displayed my car models at home prior to opening this gallery.”
The Car Art Gallery not only serves as a “miniature car museum”, but is also a walk down the memory lane, as its gallery walls are filled with historic memorabilia related to the automobile world.
There’s framed information explaining the cycle of a four-stroke engine and iconic cars like the Mini Cooper and Volkswagen Beetle, as well as original early sketches of the Bugatti Veyron.
“There are more at home, but I would need to rearrange the existing displays here before bringing in more models,” said Chew.
He is currently assembling Tamiya kits of the Mercedes-AMG GT and the new Honda NSX.
Chew’s collection mainly consists of Lego sets, die-cast models (AutoArt, Maisto, Bburago and Hot Wheels) and resin model kits (Tamiya, Fujimi and Revell).
The display area in the gallery is divided into glass racks, each holding different brands or categories of models. There’s a whole glass rack for Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz models. Other brands like Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, BMW, Audi and Porsche are grouped into several other racks.
Yet another glass rack displays a bunch of mixed JDM cars; a line of Imprezas, Honda’s Type-R machines, a few Evos and Skylines as well as Toyobaru’s (Toyota and Subaru) GT-86 and BRZ.
Chew’s collection covers a wide variety of cars in terms of brand and era. The European, Japanese, American as well as the earliest automobile - the Benz and the Daimler - and those from the 1960’s, 1970’s and most recent ones, he got it all.
Of the collection, I was attracted to a specially-customised Bentley for the Queen of England, the Lego Ferrari F40, a Lego GT3 RS with working dual-clutch gearbox worth RM1,599, a Nissan Skyline R33 with clear hood and the BBR Ferrari LaFerrari, which is the most expensive model and is gloriously placed under a floodlight near the entrance.
I was amazed how detailed some models are, such as the blackened exhaust manifold of a McLaren P1 to showcase the hot component and several of Michael Schumacher’s winning Ferrari Grand Prix cars with some “wear” on the tyres and weathered panels.
Explaining how the price of the car models skyrocket, Chew said: “A new 1:24 scale Tamiya kit would only cost me RM20 to RM40 back in the 1990’s. Now, the same one will sell for more than RM200 each.
“However, product licensing is also part of the factor that contributes to the high price as the model manufacturer has to obtain an exclusive licence, especially from prestige brands,” he added.
Apart from adding more collections, Chew aims to make his gallery a venue for events like car club meets, enthusiast talks and discussions as well as educational trips for school and vocational students.
The Car Art Gallery is located at No. 7, Level 1, Lorong Panglima @ Concubine Lane, Ipoh. Since the space is off the beaten track, visitors may find it easier to locate a bakery and dessert shop under the gallery. For more information, call 012-5163924.