PERHAPS there is truth in what they say about Englishmen, mad dogs and the midday sun. Because you can't quite talk about open-top cars without mentioning the British marques.

One memorable brand for flight steward Chris Pua is Triumph. Mr Pua, 51, owned a bright red Spitfire Mk IV between 1981 and 1998.

The car, made by the now defunct British company between 1971 and 1974, was his love and passion. 'I typically change cars every three years or so, but I kept this one for 17 years,' he recalls of his only convertible.

It was also the one car he 'didn't lose money on'. He bought it secondhand for over $12,000 and it fetched around $14,500 when he sold it. Not bad for 17 years' usage.

'It was a lot of fun, and quite zippy. I was younger, more energetic and a bit more vain,' he says, with a laugh.

He remembers doing up the car and shopping for parts whenever work took him to Britain.

Once, he fitted a wooden fascia - by himself. 'There were shops that could do it, but they charged a bomb. So I went and bought the wood, cut the holes for the instruments, did all the wiring - it took three days.'

He also bought a fibreglass transmission tunnel to replace the original cardboard one. Unfortunately, he kept it in the storeroom 'at my Mum's place' for too long and it was thrown away during spring cleaning one year.

As much as he enjoyed the car, Mr Pua found it a bit 'leceh' (Malay for troublesome) in the end.

'It needed leaded fuel, so I had to buy additives for it. And there were the annual inspections, and you never know whether it would pass. Also, there was the COE system.'

He also admitted that the heat and the humidity finally got to him. 'After a drive, you wipe your face with a towel and it's black,' he exclaims.

Even though it has been nine years since he sold the car, he says it is still on the road. At least someone else is enjoying it.