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THE almost brand-new car had a leaking fuel tank.
As it was under warranty, the owner sent it for repairs at the authorised workshop.
But while there, it was allegedly further damaged. And this has upset the owner, who happens to be Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor.
The car, too, is no ordinary car but a custom-built white Spyker C8 Spyder convertible, estimated to be worth US$300,000 ($415,000), excluding taxes and other costs.
The model is rare in this region. The New Paper on Sunday understands that the sultan's car - which is not even three months old - is the only one of its kind in Singapore and Malaysia.
Sultan Ibrahim, who is in his 50s, bought the car from a dealer in Beirut, Lebanon, in May or June.
The Spyker C8 Spyder convertible has an all-aluminium AudiV8 engine and a power output of 400 Bhp.
The hand-built car comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive and an anti-lock braking system.
Its top speed is 300kmh and it can go from 0 to 100kmhin just 4.5 seconds.
Car enthusiast
The New Paper on Sunday understands that the sultan is a car enthusiast who owns more than 200 luxury cars.
Sources said that Sultan Ibrahim sent the Spyder to Hong Seh Motors, the only agency in the region authorised to repair Spyker cars, on June 24 to fix the leaking fuel tank.
On Thursday, the sultan's friend in Lebanon called and told him that he learnt that the car had been damaged at the workshop.
Concerned, the sultan sent a representative to Hong Seh on Friday to find out what had happened.
The New Paper on Sunday understands that the car had been placed on a car lift and was damaged when it rolled off onto the ground.
It is not known when the car was damaged. The sultan's representative madea police report on Friday.
In the report, the representative said the car's side skirts and rear right side were dented.
The sultan has since appointed law firm Allen & Gledhill to take legal action against Hong Seh for the alleged damage to the car.
The royal palace in Johor is now considering its options. The repair costs and the cost of any civil claim, if filed, are unknown.
The car is still on Hong Seh's premises. It is understood that Hong Seh has been told not to touch the car till further instructions from the owner.
The New Paper on Sunday called Allen & Gledhill but it declined to comment.
Mr Edward Tan, Hong Seh's executive director, also declined to comment on the incident.
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