Don’t Sleep on Malaysian Car Culture: Get your Fire Extinguishers ready

It’s very difficult for me to convey this, but growing up in Southern California, I never really ‘fit’ in. Much of this comes from my upbringing. I’m first-generation Chinese, and my parents barely spoke English when they arrived in the US. The food we ate was different, our traditions were different, but most importantly, we looked different.

On the inside, I was American, but on the outside, I was a foreigner. Anywhere I went, I stood out, and it was obvious. When I traveled to China and Japan, it was the opposite. I looked like a local, but as soon as someone tried to speak to me, the truth came out: I was a foreigner. It wasn’t until I started traveling to English-speaking countries throughout Asia that I finally felt like I found a place where I ‘fit in’. I looked the part, and I could also communicate effectively with the local population. Places like Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, the Philippines, and Malaysia felt familiar to me the moment I stepped off the plane. And of course, it helps that car culture is alive and well in all of those places.

I started traveling to the region over a decade ago, following the Formula Drift Asia series. The first time I visited Malaysia was for an FD round in Kuala Lumpur. It was a lot of fun, and I felt like I made so many new friends. I always told myself that I would go back one day to retell these same experiences and stories through video, but if you follow me, then you know I can never let still photography go. It was my first love, and it’s something that I’ll cherish forever.

Fast forward many years, and Alie Kuoppa reached out to ask if I was interested in checking out his car show as a guest of honor. The event is called Retro Havoc, and the name says it all. While the show does attract newer cars, the retro machines are king, specifically neo-classics from the ‘90s and early ‘00s.

The ‘Havoc’ part of Retro Havoc is also a good explainer. The 2025 show was the event’s 10th anniversary and was the biggest yet. Almost 1,000 cars entered, and it was absolute chaos – in a good way – with participants and spectators traveling from far and wide to attend.

While the show itself is incredible, what sets Retro Havoc apart from everything else is the location and the rollout. The parking building it’s held in is part of a huge mega mall with all sorts of retail stores above. When the event happens, the bottom few floors are completely jam-packed with show cars.

At ‘roll-out time’, everyone starts their engines, and that’s when the pops and bangs start happening – indoors! Both years I attended, I wished I had a supplementary oxygen supply, as I felt like I was going to pass out. My throat and lungs burned, and my eyes wouldn’t stop watering, but I loved every moment of it. It’s a car enthusiast’s dream, and the reason why Retro Havoc has become so popular.

There were a few moments in 2024 when I was certain the fire sprinklers would be triggered by the massive flames emitting from open hoods, most of which were Hondas brought over from Thailand for the show. In 2025, it did rain indoors, which created an absolutely unforgettable scene. Honestly, it was a welcome relief from the heat and humidity, which was only exacerbated by the exhaust flames. Let me tell you, it made for some incredible photographs.

You might wonder why I’m celebrating this sort of behavior in a world where car culture is under attack more than ever. Well, this event is different from the cancer that is street takeovers and pops and bangs at your local 7-Eleven car meet. The Malaysian government sponsors Retro Havoc. Their tourism board has taken a hard look at car culture and seen how Japan has become a haven for enthusiasts from around the world, and gotten right behind Retro Havoc to help grow it.

This means that while people can have fun with their cars at the event, police are stationed throughout the venue to ensure things don’t get too spicy.

I must say that the local Malaysian enthusiasts are an absolute pleasure to interact with, and I’ve made many lifelong friends over the few times I’ve visited.

My advice: If you really want to enjoy Retro Havoc, come early or stay late and soak in the sights, sounds, and food that Malaysia has to offer. Just make sure you bring earplugs, as it gets quite loud underground when rollout begins. You can bet you’ll see me running around, grabbing as many authentic car culture moments as possible.