COMMENT | It started one evening at Bestari, the mamak in Publika. I had parked my old Proton Persona 2011 at the valet corner before heading in.

As I walked back later, I noticed three young men, probably in their mid-twenties, standing nearby and chuckling while glancing at my car. Curious, I lit a cigarette and decided to approach them, just to see what was so amusing.

One of them admitted he could not imagine himself driving something so “old”. For him, a Proton was beneath his generation.

I asked what car he drove. He proudly said a Honda Civic Type R. Impressive on the surface, until you hear the numbers.