Azlan holds the belief that less is more, thus he’s opted to personalise his car with several subtle and tasteful modifications – beginning with a new set of wheels. Gone are the factory-fitted wheels, and in its place are a set of silver Enkei RC-T4 an inch larger, wrapped in Bridgestone POTENZA Adrenalin RE003 tyres in the 205/45 R17 size.
"RELIABLE ON BOTH DRY AND WET TARMAC ON A DAILY BASIS"
As a sensible father of two children that appreciate a comfortable ride, yet being a car enthusiast that relishes in spirited driving, Azlan loves how his POTENZA are able to serve dual purpose. “They’re exactly how my fellow Swift mates described them to be; reliable on both dry and wet tarmac on a daily basis, yet good enough for occasional spirited driving. Considering the amount of mileage travelled, I love their silent ride too!”
Azlan’s Taro holds many surprises, as we gradually find out during the interview about the car. It begins with the purchase process, which was personally handled by Azlan from start to end. Unlike most consumers who would purchase their vehicle from an authorised dealer or a parallel importer, he personally sourced the car from a dealership in Japan and had it shipped to Singapore.
In fact, the Japanese license plate you see on the front of the car isn’t a mere cosmetic vanity plate – it was the actual registered license plate this very car wore while it still roamed the roads of Japan. Cosmetically, it is also rather similar to when it roamed Japanese roads, with a few understated changes that only the most discerning of Suzuki enthusiasts can detect.
Taro’s front end has been undergone a mild refresh, with a Monster Sport bumper installed and painted to resemble the original part. Around the back, you’ll find two HKS parts – a HKS Kansai rear lip added to disrupt the Swift’s rounded rear end, and the original muffler swapped out for a HKS Legamax unit resulting in a fruitier exhaust note.
From the get-go, the Swift Sport was designed as a corner carver rather than a straight-line bruiser – thus several modifications were done to improve its handling prowess. Placing Taro slightly lower to the ground are a set of TEIN Flex Z coilovers, reducing the unsightly gap between the wheel and fender while improving cornering performance.
Helping Taro stop is an extremely rare set of Suzuki Sport 4-piston brake calipers that reside beneath the front wheels. Azlan shares that this brake kit was discovered by accident on a spontaneous visit to the nearby scrapyard, where the previous owner had no idea how desirable they were and sold them for scrap metal.
Having owned Taro for over 12 years now, Azlan has shared many happy memories in it with his two children. As someone that enjoys long drives, one notable trip for him was a direct dash to the Thai border under the darkness of night, engine humming along at a steady speed and both children fast asleep in the back seat.
