His kind of car

Many men around the world have a common dream of owning a supercar, such as a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche, but Anothai Eamlumnow's dream cars are far different.

Anothai is executive vice president of Grand Prix International, the eldest son of Prachin Eamlumnow, organiser of the Bangkok International Motor Show.

"My dream cars must be memorable cars. I like cars that I can drive at their full capacity, so the supercars that many people dream of are not for me. My cars must have a story from the past, and to me they are more interesting than cars that women long to sit in," he says, and adds, with a grin: "I already own my dream cars."

Anothai's dream cars are simple machines like a 1985 Toyota Corolla AE86, a 1990 Honda Civic three-door and a Nissan Skyline GT-R from 1989, which is probably the only car in his stable that might be considered a supercar.

"I have great memories of these three cars," he says. "For instance, all good Japanese racing drivers must pass a test in the AE86. It has a good balance between the car and its 4A-G 1.6-litre, 20-valve engine. It is both durable and powerful. Any serious driver should have this car in the garage.

"In the movie 'Initial D', the leading character drives an AE86 to deliver beancurd. In the story, the car once belonged to his father, who was a racing driver.

"The three-door Civic is another great car," he says. "I had it when I studied in the US, and it was able to beat a Ford Mustang in a 300-metre dash, thanks to the light engine. This car was very popular at that time."

Anothai recalls that on weekends he and his friends would get together to show off their cars. "It was just like you see in 'The Fast and the Furious'. If you lost a race, you lost your car as well."

Anothai headed a group of Asian boys with about 20 cars. They called themselves "Ziggy". The group came to an end when one of their number was involved in a bad freeway accident.

"I didn't want to have problems with the police, so I decided to call it quits," Anothai recalls.

Meanwhile, the 1989 Skyline GTR is a memorable car because Nissan halted its production for 10 years to improve its performance in order to win the Japan Touring Car Championship. Not only did it win, but it was also undefeated over four seasons, winning 29 races from 29 starts.

Anothai says he fell in love with racing cars because his father used to organise motor-racing events.

"Almost all of my leisure time when I was young was spent at racing circuits. During my childhood I went to an amusement park like Magic Land just once. Actually, I liked motorcycles more than cars, but my interest in cars began when I went to college in the US, where I learned car racing.

"I don't like to drive cars that are too powerful for my capabilities," he says. "I choose cars that I can control at their full potential."

There's an added dimension to Anothai's old cars. They are more like time machines.

"The music in each car corresponds to the era in which they were produced," he says proudly. "When I drive them it feels like I'm going back in time."

Thanadol Rila

The Nation

Ultimate in Luxury

The Luxury LS 460 is a wonderfully comfaortable car fitted with all mod cons, althoough not necessarily the most fun vehicle to drive.