With over 1,000 vehicles and approximately 70,000 visitors through the doors, it’s safe to say that Retro Havoc is now the The biggest car show in the history of Malaysia.
I honestly can’t put things into words because I was a special guest in 2023 – the 8th Retro Havoc. When Blake and Ron covered the event in past years, I did so as a regular visitor. But this time I was able to go behind the scenes and see firsthand how Retro Havoc is curated and organized.
Retro Havoc usually launches an event at the Selangor venue a day before the main festivities begin. Hero cars will be announced during a media preview event. In 2023, four builds were celebrated – a Mk1 Ford Escort, a wide-body Toyota Supra, a Star Road Datsun Z and a custom W202 Mercedes-Benz all the way from Thailand.
From then until well after midnight, all show cars are packed into the event, which is held in the underground parking garage of a shopping mall.
It’s crazy to think that over 1,000 show vehicles (960 cars and 50 bikes) were packed into The Curve B2 car park in such a short time. I had planned to capture the entire loading, but after learning that most of the cars arrive late at night and knowing that I had a very early departure the next morning, I went back to my accommodation in the evening.
But not before taking a super quick look at that bright pink Zt…
Known as pinko devil this is Malaysia’s first S30Z with Star Road Fighter V1 body kit. RTG Works is about 85% complete with only wiring, exhaust fabrication and suspension fine-tuning remaining.
Owner Farah opted for a Nissan VH41DE engine swap instead of building the Z’s original L-series, so it should perform very nicely with a V8. Hopefully I’ll be able to revisit this car for a full feature when it’s done.
Calm before the storm
On the day of the show, my plan was to take pictures without the crowd around me, while mentally preparing myself for what would follow when the doors opened and tens of thousands of visitors poured in.
In this quiet time, all of Retro Havoc’s special guests – Daijiro Inada (Option magazine, Tokyo Auto Salon, D1GP), Shoji Inoue (Star Road Japan), Khyzyl Saleem (The Kyza), Ichiraku Toshiya (1048style, Kamiwaza, Fuelfest Japan), Lulut Retro (Kustomfest Indonesia) and myself cast our vote for our favorite exhibition cars in many different categories.
I was very impressed with how quickly the Retro Havoc team was able to physically pull the entire event together. It showed how good their planning is, everything is organized to the nth degree.
It was great to see such a variety of vehicles. Most ranged from the 1970s to the early 2000s, but there were older cars and plenty of late models. In addition, there were participants who brought structures from Thailand and Singapore.
Two cars that immediately stood out to me both have motorsport inspired fairings. The first was this FC3S RX-7 wearing the iconic Le Mans livery of the Mazda 7B7B.
The other, parked right next to it, was this ST185 Toyota Celica GT-Four, resplendent in white with classic Castrol WRC stripes.
I can’t pinpoint exactly what drew me to it, but I really liked this factory wide body Mitsubishi Starion. Maybe because of the aggressiveness, or the black wheels with the yellow paint combo. Or maybe it’s just the fact that it reminded me of how Mitsubishi made such cool cars.
Sticking with Mitsubishi for a moment, there were a handful of Pajeros and even a Dakar Rally inspired one. kei Jr. version.
And then this lineup. The Proton Arena is a Malaysian hero and a rare find these days, so parking three of the car pickups together (and displaying another elsewhere in the car park) was a real treat. No, they didn’t come that way; all had Lancer Evolution facelifts.
I have to give a special mention to the group from Thailand who always bring their A-game to Retro Havoc. The crazy, unique, wide-body Mercedes-Benz W201 is back this year with twin-turbo gear and a roof rack. Seriously, how much wilder can this thing get?
Vintage BMWs are popular enthusiast cars in Malaysia, and Retro Havoc 2023 had a nice selection of both well-preserved and customized (read: beat-up) examples.
Let the madness begin
A car show is not a car show without people. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just someone who has a passing interest in cars and happened to see the huge Retro Havoc billboard along the freeway, everyone is welcome at this event.
With so many vehicles, I quickly realized that I wouldn’t be able to see everything or spend too much time in one place. There was never a dull moment, that’s for sure.
During the afternoon, the voting results of the distinguished guests were shared and the winners were announced. A lucky showman also received a unique Honda C70 motorcycle as a gift, but not in the original way. Everyone among the 70,000 spectators in attendance won, but after countless tickets were drawn and no one showed up, Honda’s new owner finally decided on a dance battle. It was funny to watch, but also very healthy.
Before I knew it, it was getting late and I still had a lot of the show to capture. However, they had too many people to contend with. As Ron said in a previous Retro Havoc coverage, “You just have to step back and embrace the chaos.”
The 2023 Retro Havoc ended like most car shows – one of the engines started up, causing a chain reaction. Let’s say you have it loud very quickly on the concrete area as the owners slowly made their way to the parking lot exit points.
This was an event in itself and gave me one last chance to capture the show.
Retro Havoc once again exceeded my expectations. Alie, Farah and the team really did an amazing job. With massive attendance this year and even support from the Malaysian government, Retro Havoc can only grow from here.
I feel extremely honored to have been a part of it. Retro Havoc 2024 really can’t come soon enough!
Until then, there are many more pictures in the gallery section below.
Rick Muda
Instagram: until ardskell
Gallery
