Our Ultimate Anorak Adventure began with a blast from the past at the Police Driving School (PDS) in Fanling last Sunday, when a member of the MG Owners Club of Hong Kong owned up to an alternator problem. We had to take a look, if only to revive fond memories of grimy Haynes manuals and endless visits to the parts shop. We weren't disappointed. As soon as the MGB's bonnet opened, Foot Down was literally blown back to Fleetwood Mac and the summer of 1977 by the two pungent hallmarks of your typical overheated British Leyland engine: the scent of hot rubber radiator hose and the simmering drip of Castrol on an ageing block.
There's not a lot you can do with a temperamental alternator in rain-drenched Fanling, except look at it, but the gust of nostalgia was a fitting prelude to a vintage display of turning, parking and sprinting that could develop into a more formal inter-club competition. The MG Owners were joined by members of the Lotus and Classic Car clubs at their final skills meet before the summer break, yielding an odd mix of old British roadsters, fresh, tyre-squealing Elises, the gleam of an Aston Martin DB7 and a glorious silver and mauve Volkswagen Beetle. But if Nicholas Ratcliffe's legendary 1947 MG TC seemed to forget its age between the cones, Zung Fu executive Elton Lau's latest-generation smart city-coupe pulse ($138,000) stole the show. Enthusiasts crowded round the little runabout and commented on the size and safety of its cabin and the minuteness of its upgraded 698cc engine. Foot Down will compare the 2003 smart with the 589cc launch model shortly.
Foot Down was impressed with the size and cleanliness of the PDS maintenance bays - the New Territories hub of anorakdom - where the force's Honda and BMW patrol bikes, Ford and Mercedes-Benz trucks and Isuzu and Mitsubishi four-wheel drives were lined up for service alongside a riot control vehicle that still looked pretty frightening without its wheels. However, we do wish the police's PR department would boast more often about the new vehicles, mechanics and fleet-management expertise we pay for. With a little more publicity, they might inspire youngsters to consider a career as a mechanic or traffic patrolman.
Now here's the definition of anorak heaven: a $28, 40-minute ride on the top deck of a Long Win Dennis XLX500 bus on the A43 route to the airport. Just sit back and gaze at the sparkle of Shenzhen to your right, the planes taking off from Sek Kong to the left and appreciate the smoothness of Route 3 across some of the most beautiful topography and impressive bridges and tunnels in the world. You can look down into people's cars, see who isn't wearing seat belts, wonder why so many seven-seater people-movers carry two passengers and see why minibuses shouldn't be allowed on this open road. Anyone who has taken the Formula Minibus midnight route from Mongkok to Kennedy Town will tell you that the red public light buses are virtually a law unto themselves. If they can rush the lights with impunity outside Central Market, heaven knows what these fume belchers could get up to in less congested areas, at greater speed.
Finally, we thank reader TT for sending us a cutting from the Sunday Times which showed the then-Manchester United midfielder David Beckham had spent #60,000 (HK$775,140) on fitting an electric bed in the back of a Mercedes-Benz van. The vehicle seems ideal for long stretches of Spanish roads, having been fitted with rear seats that swivel flat and move forward to align with those in the front to create a bed for four, two 17-inch plasma screens that drop from the roof and all surfaces, including the fridge, covered in kid leather. These facilities sound perfect for your average Hong Kong cross-border tycoon, so Foot Down had to ask local executive people-mover specialist, Richburg Motors chairman Eric Wong, whether Hong Kong's rich are spending it like Beckham.
'You are very smart, indeed, we have done this before. Actually, most of the top HK movie stars and singers are my clients,' he said, not wishing to go into details. 'We have special conversions, including Rolls-Royce-style partitions, with massage seat, wine bar, fax and air purifier.'
