By Tony Ng

Sometime last month during a Saturday morning, I sacrificed my sleeping hours and drove down all the way to Upper Thomson.

I joined 30 other Torque readers, plus the brains, beauty and brawn behind our sister publication, Singapore's motoring monthly, Torque, for the event "Breakfast with Torque". No mean feat, considering the time I usually sleep on Friday nights - or to be technically correct, Saturday mornings. The same could be said of the 30 warriors who trooped down too.

The last time round, "Breakfast with Torque" came up with some exciting test drives for their readers. This round promised to be something different, with a focus on continental car improvements, a much more neutral word for modifying your car, I'll say.

Breakfast was provided through a heartwarming buffet line but there was no rush. There was warm tau huay and freshly grinded coffee too. The setting was serene and intimate, with some of the folks bringing their wives and children too.

It felt like a extended family outing as I chatted with the Torque readers. Some of them are already regulars of the "Breakfast" event, it seems.

The main stars - the modified rides from Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche and BMW - were covered outside Autovox. Only after we finished a crash course on the tuners of the continental marques did we march outside for some oohing and aaahing.

Click on thumbnail to view, more photos below. (Photos: Tony Ng)

To top it off, there were also fantastic prizes up for grabs. Other than the top-grade performance engine oils from KIC, one lucky winner also walked away with the Audi A5 3.0 TDI quattro for a weekend, sponsored by Audi Singapore! He was certainly grinning from ear to ear, snapping both the performance engine oil prize and the Audi A5 diesel!

When I left, I was reminded again of how far-flung the place was from my home. And how early I had woke up for this. But it was worth the fun.

Interview with Torque's editor, Lee Nian Tjoe

Tony: What gave you the idea for Breakfast with Torque? And why limit it to 30 readers only?

Nian Tjoe: It comes as part of the "new" Torque that we rolled out in September last year. It was a deliberate direction to increase our interaction with our readers and a way to let our readers experience Torque "live". Towards this end, we find it easier to limit it to a more intimate setting for a start.

T: Are there any plans in the future to cater to a bigger group?

NJ: The response from the readers has been very encouraging with each successive instalment bringing more new faces. It pains the team to have to turn people away. The chief consideration is to have the participants have a good time. I really don't like having to be in a queue of 100 people for my breakfast and I don't want the participants to suffer that fate. That said, if we can figure out a way around it (like having more buffet lines, for example) and have more people join us, it's definitely a go-ahead for us. In fact, plans are already underway.

T: Compared to the past few editions of Breakfast with Torque, what's unique about last Saturday's Breakfast?

NJ: We try to anchor each instalment of Breakfast with Torque to a certain aspect of the magazine. Previously, we have tied the event to the Drive section involving a host of new cars. To some idea of what kind of driving skills we need to hone for the job in some situation, we even arranged a mini-gymkhana event recently, just for fun really. We have also had a movie screening, related to the AV section. This most recent one is the first that's closely related to the Mod section where we spotlight the modified cars, in particular, the so-called continental makes.

T: You guys have organised test drives of unique cars and showcases of modified continental cars. What's next? How are you going to up the "thrill" quotient for your readers?

NJ: There are more ideas in the works as we come to have a better idea on the activities that our readers really enjoy. Let's just say that breakfast doesn't always have to be on a Saturday morning!

If you want to be part of the next breakfast with Torque, contact the Torque team at magtorque_promo@sph.com.sg

Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: Tony Ng)

Get a copy of the Nov 2009 issue of Torque to read about the latest on all things to do with cars, in the most exciting ways. Torque published by SPH Magazines is available at all newsstands now. Check out more stories at Torque online, www.torque.com.sg.