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[above: TNP reporter Ho Lian-Yi getting a feel of being ferried in a BMW 7 series by chauffeur Mr James Lam. The cars were used to ferry VIPs at the the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders Week.]
By Ho Lian-Yi
THE BMW7 Series is a good fit for Apec. It's a good brand. It's stylish and classy. Smooth, but powerful at the same time.
Attributes one could use to describe the VIPs at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders Week - the very people this car was designated to ferry.
You probably would not say the same thing about me.
I am not a BMW person. The only acronym I'm associated with is M, R and T.
But yesterday, this reporter got to sample the gold star treatment the Apec delegates get when they come to Singapore.
The ride is only as good as the man behind the wheel.
Mr James Lam, 48, my chauffeur, is a smiling man in a shirt and tie, whose calm demeanour made me think of the English butlers of old.
He has been driving for 30 years - three years in a BMW. He gets to drive a BMW 7 Series all day. He ferries customers and VIPs around. It is a full-time job. In a way, Mr Lam is an extension of the car.
"We only greet good morning, good afternoon. We are not supposed to ask any questions, but if asked, we have to answer," he said.
He opens and closes doors for his passengers, and helps to carry their luggage.
Luckily, most VIPs travel light.
But he has plenty of experience, having ferried VIPs for the International Monetary Fund meetings in 2006, and Asian Aerospace shows as well.
"I've ferried a general before," he said.
I sank into the back of the BMW 740Li as we departed the SPH News Centre for a joyride.
It was spacious, enough to sit three full-sized passengers in luxurious comfort at the back.
The BMW 7 Series has the longest wheelbase in the luxury saloon segment, which means the delegates will be able to stretch their legs more.
BMW had sponsored 295 BMW 7 and 5 Series cars for the Apec meeting. It cost the company an estimated $18 million to do so.
Our vehicle even had a sun roof, which you could open at the touch of a button.
The leather seats were warm and inviting - no taxi smell - and fine wood trim ran along the sides. Luxurious barely describes it.
Smart, too, with its iDrive technology.
The onboard computer measures things like tyre pressure, and prompts you when the tyre is flat or when oil needs to be changed.
This is the sort of vehicle where, if the door is not shut properly, it closes itself.
"Tell me about the BMW," I asked Mr Lam.
Hi-tech car
"This BMW is a very nice car to drive. Especially technology-wise. It's very high tech. It's a driver's car overall," he replied. What does he normally drive?
"I drive a Toyota Corolla. It's an old car, cannot compare," he said.
The ride was smooth. The solid insulation meant that the sound of traffic was just a buzz, softened by gentle classical music.
The volume is set low as VIPs tend to talk on the phone while being driven around.
"They allow you to listen? They trust you, then?" I asked.
"I guess they trust me. Actually, we try to concentrate on driving, you know? Safety comes first," he said.
When they do chat with him, it's about Singapore, its population and how its people and religions get along.
What about tips?
"We are not allowed to keep the tips," he said.
However, he said that he had received souvenirs when he drove American security personnel during then-US president George W Bush's visit in 2006.
They gave him tie pins.
But how far does his duties extend? Are there any limits on what VIPs are allowed to do in the car?
"They can go anywhere they want," he said. "I don't ask questions."
He has had VIPs ask to go to Mustafa Centre to shop and famished passengers asking him to recommend a good eating place.
So far, we had been cruising down the Pan Island Expressway.
Then, suddenly, the car surged. In a flash, the car had zoomed past 80kmh. It is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100kmh in six seconds - very useful if a delegate is late.
This is not typical VIP treatment.
Mr Lam wanted to show off the car's engines - max torque of 450Nm with an engine speed of 1500rpm.
But it's such a big car. Is it able to get out of dangerous situations?
Mr Lam assured us it was so.
First, there are the safety features such as run-flat tyres - this means that the tyres resist deflation when punctured.
But just as importantly, Mr Lam is confident of driving his way out of trouble.
He said he has undergone the BMW Advanced Driver Training class. This is basically a defensive driving course, where he learns to get out of difficult situations.
Luckily, he hasn't had to make use of it yet.
Finally - are VIPs difficult to handle? No, he said. They are quite polite.
"I have to treat all passengers strictly the same. I have to do my job right. It doesn't matter if it's a chicken rice seller, or an ambassador," he said.
lianyi@sph.com.sg
This article was first published in The New Paper.
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