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James Tien Pei-chun

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Why you can trust SCMP

The Liberal Party chairman is a legislator and head of Manhattan Holdings

Current drives For my own use I have a 360 Ferrari, a Porsche Turbo (my eighth Porsche) and my new toy, a Mercedes E55 AMG. For everyday use, we have a Nissan Elgrande, a Bentley Turbo and an Audi A8. My wife, Mary, jokes that driving the cars is like walking the dogs: I have to decide whose turn it is to be exercised.

My career in cars I learnt to drive when I was at university in Boulder, Colorado. Four of us got together and bought an eight-year-old 1956 Oldsmobile 88 for $200. On my return to Hong Kong in 1971 I had an orange Datsun 240Z that I used to commute between Kowloon Tong and our factory in Kwai Chung. Once we had our son, I got a second-hand white E-Type Jaguar. It was a nightmare to drive, big and with really loose steering.

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My favourite car My 1997 Porsche Carrera S 996. The road feel is incredible - it's like an extension of my body.

The worst car I ever had The American cars I've rented in the US. They float on the highway, so it's like driving a boat.

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My first crash or ticket In 1969, driving from Illinois to Wisconsin in a GTO. It was snowy and we came to a toll booth. There was a concrete boulder protecting the toll collector and we ploughed into it. The car was totalled, and we took the bus back to school.

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