Custom Show Car “Yuri” Seized By JPJ, Owner Hopes To Get It Back In One Piece
The modified Nissan Laurel C230 was waiting for a tow truck to transport it to an event before it was seized by passing JPJ officers.
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Kuala Lumpur is home to a rich automotive culture, and that includes a bustling custom vehicle community made up of passionate enthusiasts.
The thing with custom vehicles is, most of the time they’re not street-legal and are only meant to be displayed at events and automotive shows.
Recently, a customised Nissan Laurel C230 was seized while it was on its way to Tempatan Fest, a homegrown festival that was held on 30 November and 1 December at Kuala Lumpur Railway Station on Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin.
TRP reached out to its owner Naim, who detailed the entire incident involving his beloved custom car named ‘Yuri’.
Naim, who also owns the custom car garage BWB Empire on Jalan Gombak, Setapak, said that on the day of the incident, he had arranged for a 17-foot lorry to transport their event props, merchandise, and cafe supplies to Tempatan Fest.
However, when the lorry arrived, Naim explained that the area in front of his showroom was crowded due to the vehicle’s size. To manage the situation, he decided to temporarily move Yuri across the road to free up some space.
“It was during this process that I crossed paths with the JPJ patrol squad.
“The JPJ patrol squad noticed Yuri and without hesitation, they immediately flagged the vehicle down. The distance from my showroom to where Yuri was stopped was roughly 100 meters,” he explained to TRP.
Naim added that his only intention at the time was to move Yuri across the road to clear up some space for the towing service, which was on its way, and once the truck arrives he was planning to transport Yuri directly to the venue.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. The patrol officers stopped Yuri and asked for Naim’s identification and driver’s licence.
“At that moment, I knew this could escalate into a bigger issue, despite my efforts to comply and explain the situation,” Naim said.
Why did JPJ seize Yuri?
Talking to TRP, Naim said he takes full responsibility over the seizure, as Yuri did not have a valid road tax or insurance at the time.
Although to be fair, Yuri is a display car that never leaves the showroom unless it is needed at an event or any other work purposes. Naim reiterates that Yuri is always transported via a towing service, and never driven on public roads.
Yuri had also been recently involved in a film shoot with Infinitus Production for an Astro First movie titled ‘First Wives’.
“After the shoot, I completely forgot to switch the number plate back, so it was still displaying the production plate at the time. It was an honest oversight on my part,” Naim added.
What is #FreeYuri?
Naim explained that he frequently uploads photos and videos of Yuri’s activities and shoots on social media, and when the seizure of his car went viral on JPJ’s social media pages, it garnered quite a lot of attention.
#FreeYuri is not a campaign per se, but more as a way of spreading awareness to friends and followers, as well as letting them bear witness to the condition of the car when it was seized.
He expressed his sadness regarding the unfortunate event and only wishes Yuri to be returned to him in good condition.
When asked about the status of Yuri’s seizure, Naim said that its release is at the discretion of JPJ, and has no idea on how long they plan to hold the car.
For those of you who own a vehicle that you have poured blood and sweat over to make it your own, you understand how heartbreaking it is to lose it in an incident that could have been totally avoided.
Unfortunately, there is such a thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Followers on BWB’s instagram page showered the comments section with words of encouragement to give hope that Yuri will be returned soon.
BWB Empire is labelled as a brand and community that represents the Japanese custom automotive subculture here in Malaysia.
Aside from that, they also provide car restoration services, custom car rentals for films, dramas, TV commercials, and weddings.
BWB also sells merchandise and recently opened a cafe at their establishment in Setapak.
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