How movies inspire crypto investor Jeff Yew’s rare car collection that includes an ex-military Humvee
It’s just sitting in a garage, waiting for you to drive it?
Yes. That’s why I’m glad I’ve got the Humvee here, so I’ve actually got something I can drive to work. It’s also a great conversation starter, that’s for sure.
What was the first car that made you go “wow”?
I grew up in Malaysia and when I was in my 20s, a family friend showed me one of the first Lamborghini Aventadors. It was named after a Spanish fighting bull and was so muscular and aggressive. It was just like a monster looking at you, waiting to pounce. I thought that design was fantastic. A big jump up from the toy cars next to my bed.
Yew’s Humvee came from a fire station in North Dakota. Paul Harris
Did you get to drive it? Did you go fast?
I got to sit inside, but speed isn’t really the thing for me. I actually studied architecture, so I like design and love the texture of motor cars. It ignites a fire in your heart. Street racing has always been around, but Monochrome [Yew’s bitcoin-focused investment fund] sponsors The Monochrome GT4 Australia Series. We hold races at Phillip Island, and other iconic Australian racetracks, like The Bend, Queensland Raceway, Sydney Motorsport Park, and Mount Panorama at Bathurst. I like the professionalism of speed racing.
Your business is busy, but I hear you’ve just come back from the Tokyo Auto Salon?
Yes, it’s the biggest car show in the world. It has everything from custom cars and vans to new cars unveiled by the big brands. I wish we had that in Australia.
Did you get out onto the streets and pretend you’re in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift?
Not quite. But you can rent really iconic JDM [Japanese domestic market] cars. I rented a Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) and drove it around the streets of Tokyo.
Every boy at my high school was keen on those Nissan Skylines. Why the enduring appeal?
Yes, I haven’t really grown out of that. And these Skylines are getting harder to find. There’s a rule in the United States, where only cars that are 25 years or older can be imported. And the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) was released in 1999, so it qualifies now. It’s becoming more scarce and unattainable from a price standpoint, so it’s really cool you can rent them in Japan.
The March issue of AFR Magazine – featuring the launch issue of Highflyer magazine – is out on Friday, February 23 inside The Australian Financial Review. Follow AFR Mag on Instagram.
