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Straits Times
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Straits Times
The secretive shop that keeps the rare McLaren F1 on the road
The secret workshop near Philadelphia specialises in handling the ultra-rare and expensive McLaren F1, which was built between 1992 and 1998. PHILADELPHIA – Of the many amenities Mr Kevin Hines was grateful for when his workplace relocated earlier in 2025 – spacious tool cabinets, gleaming epoxy-coated floors, a powerful extractor system for exhaust fumes – it was the simple presence of windows that he particularly appreciated. While abundant natural light may seem a basic requirement for a car repair shop, the previous location was windowless. There are good reasons to limit street-level transparency at this specialised business, which is dedicated to servicing a single model from a single carmaker: the McLaren F1, produced in England from 1992 to 1998. Assuring privacy and security for the owners of these ground-breaking supercars, which typically trade at eight-figure prices, is non-negotiable. The shop in the Philadelphia area , operated by the McLaren Philadelphia dealership, keeps its address closely held. Mr Hines' previous workplace was a curtained-off area of a service facility, where he tended to everything from periodic maintenance – McLaren's guidelines calls for service at nine- and 18-month intervals – to precision repairs to factory-developed upgrades. Mechanic Kevin Hines has been specially trained to handle the McLaren F1. PHOTO: TONY CENICOLA/NYTIMES That work continues at the new shop, where each visit may have the car staying for weeks , depending on what needs attention and whether parts need to come from England . The hourly rate is US$395 (S$500) , Mr Hines said, and the waiting time for an appointment is about 1½ months. The nine-month maintenance typically runs about US$14,000 , while the 18-month service is usually about US$21,000. Owners of the limited-edition F1 model – just 106 were produced, of which only 64 were road cars to begin with – have a powerful incentive to take their cars to Mr Hines. His shop is one of only two McLaren-authorised service facilities in the world, the other being in Woking, England. He is also one of just two technicians trained by McLaren to work on the F1. Today, an F1 costs at least $20 million. Enthusiasts who track individual cars estimate that as many as three dozen F1s are in the United States, and owners ship their cars to Mr Hines for service. While other brands, including Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, offer upkeep and repair services for vintage models, they serve a much larger constituency. Reflective foil made of real gold is used to protect the bodywork from the engine's heat. PHOTO: TONY CENICOLA/NYTIMES Even among low-volume exotics, the F1 stands out. Engineered by Gordon Murray, a revered designer of championship-winning Formula One race cars, the F1 hits speeds of 386kmh. It is still the fastest combustion-powered production model that does not use a turbocharger or supercharger. The power comes from a BMW V12 engine that delivers more than 600 horsepower. To prevent the heat generated by that engine from damaging the bodywork above, a reflective foil – made of gold – lines the underside of the engine cover. Built with a Formula One mindset, every detail of the F1 is optimised for performance, which is why it requires such extraordinary resources to look after it. Weight-saving measures are seen throughout; even the tool kit is titanium. Special tools like the gauges used to calibrate the fuel injection throttles were created expressly for this engine. Among the attributes the F1 is known for, it may be the interior, three-seat arrangement that draws the most attention. Two passengers flank a driver who sits slightly forward, to afford a panoramic view like a single-seat race car. And despite its prodigious top speed, road models were originally designed with no wing at the rear. Aerodynamic downforce is generated by the flat underside and a rear diffuser. The F1 driver sits in the middle, between the two passengers, and enjoys panoramic view of the road ahead. PHOTO: TONY CENICOLA/NYTIMES The car is largely free of the digital controls common in modern vehicles. There is no power assist for the steering or brakes, nor is there electronic traction control or anti-lock brakes. Those are intentional design choices that contribute to the car's reputation for delivering its driving experience. In the words of Mr Hines, who commutes in an electric vehicle but also has seat time on racetracks: 'You're connected to everything. There's not a lot of latency.' Owners of low-volume models are accustomed to finding specialists who can attend to their vehicles, so it might seem like overkill that the F1 rates a dedicated service operation. How can there possibly be a business case for an operation devoted to such a tiny population of customers? Mr Robert DiStanislao, the McLaren dealership's owner, is succinct about this: 'There is no business case.' Why McLaren continues to support a model that is decades old and produced in small numbers has to do with keeping a heroic model on the road and engendering customer loyalty; F1 owners are also buyers of McLaren's new road cars. In addition, it is a whispered message that the carmaker is on solid footing and here to stay, a status that has not always been assured among British luxury brands. In the words of Mr Hines, it is a matter of carrying the torch. On a recent visit to Mr Hines' lair, there were four cars being tended to, including a blue road version F1 that belongs to Mr Daniel Heard, the retired chief executive of a Louisiana industrial supply company. 'My F1 was built in 1995,' Mr Heard, who also has a McLaren P1 and a 675LT, said in an interview in July. 'Thirty years later, limited-edition cars like that can become portfolio items that we wouldn't be able to drive. Having a factory-authorised shop to look after it becomes a do-or-die matter.' Mr Heard's F1, which he said he drove about 2,400km a year , was in for its nine-month service, which included checks of ride height, corner weights and wheel alignment. Detailed records are kept on each car that comes through the repair shop , starting as handwritten notes on a ruled pad that are transcribed and forwarded to McLaren Special Operations in Woking, which in turn feeds a program to compile documentation on the care and feeding of F1s. The coordination and information-sharing are key to assuring that the F1 fleet remains roadworthy, but the relationship extends much farther to the development of replacement parts to update the cars. Upgrades made possible in recent years by the availability of improved components include brighter headlights, larger radiators and high downforce body panels. More involved programmes have brought revisions that counter the passage of years since the cars were new. For instance, the magnesium wheels originally fitted to the cars are susceptible to ageing, so McLaren Special Operations developed forged aluminium wheels that are lighter and stronger. A set of aluminium wheels in the original 17-inch diameter is about US$45,000, and fitting them with new Michelin tyres costs roughly US$34,000. An ambitious effort by special operations involved a two-year development process to replace the car's original fuel bladders – which would not tolerate today's ethanol-laced petrol – with an aluminium tank. The job requires the removal of the mid-mounted engine and rear suspension and includes replacement of some 70 parts, including the fuel pumps and filters. It is a job that costs about US$75,000, and not work that a local shop can take on. McLaren continues to introduce upgraded parts for the F1 decades after production has ended. PHOTO: TONY CENICOLA/NYTIMES Indeed, not even the Philadelphia shop can handle all services for the F1. Work like a full engine rebuild or a repair of the carbon-fibre chassis necessitates an air cargo ride to the Woking headquarters, south-west of London. 'It's not just a rare car or a fast car, but an engineering triumph by Gordon Murray and a masterclass in packaging,' Mr Hines said. 'The F1 is put together with nuts and bolts like any other car,' he added, downplaying the role of hardware as its secret sauce. 'It was designed to do tasks in a very specific way,' he said. The engineers 'wanted it put together in a certain way, and that's where the magic lies'. NYTIMES
Straits Times
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Faint signs of life appear in effort to halt Ukraine war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed over the weekend to revive negotiations with Russia to end the war. NEW YORK - When Russian and Ukrainian peace negotiators met in June, they could agree on little more than exchanging bodies. Those negotiations, brokered by the Trump administration, appeared to show its goal of ending the war was deeply stalled. But that doesn't mean that the diplomatic entreaties don't continue – with both Russia and Ukraine trying in their own ways to appeal to the White House. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine proposed over the weekend to revive the talks. It was his first offer for renewed negotiations since the Trump administration agreed to facilitate the transfer of air defence weapons to Ukraine and threatened to impose sanctions on Russia's trading partners within 50 days – both steps intended to hasten negotiations. Mr Zelensky proposed talks on a ceasefire, prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia during the war. He reiterated an offer for a direct meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, first floated in May. Mr Putin had then remained silent for days before rejecting the offer. 'The Russian side must stop hiding from decisions,' Mr Zelensky said in a video address on the evening of July 19. Ukraine, he said, has offered a meeting in the coming week in Istanbul, where two previous rounds of talks took place in May and June. Mr Zelensky said his national security adviser, Mr Rustem Umerov, had conveyed the proposal to the Russian negotiating team. Russia did not immediately respond directly to Ukraine's offer. The Kremlin spokesperson, Mr Dmitri Peskov, told Russian state television on July 20 that Mr Putin wanted a peace agreement but that 'the main thing for us is to achieve our goals' in the war. 'President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible,' Mr Peskov said. 'This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy.' Tass, a Russian state news agency, confirmed that the Kremlin had received the offer. Russia is seeking additional territory, a declaration that Ukraine will not join Nato and will remain a neutral state, limits on the future size of Ukraine's army and recognition of Russian as an official language in Ukraine, among other demands. The Trump administration has pushed for an unconditional ceasefire before substantive talks on a final settlement. Ukraine agreed to that condition in March. NYTIMES
Straits Times
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
From the land of K-pop come the joys of K-Swing
Find out what's new on ST website and app. K-Swing Wave dancers Rico Lim and Chloe Hong rehearsing at the Korean Cultural Center in New York, where the group of eight all-star South Korean swing dancers will perform. SOUTH KOREA – The smile was the lure. Mr Nalla Kim, a South Korean computer programmer, noticed the joyful expressions in the social media post of a fellow programmer whom he had never seen smiling at work. Curious, Mr Kim asked his colleague what had made him so visibly happy. The answer: swing dancing. Mr Kim had never heard of the dance form, which was created by Black Americans in the 1920s and 1930s. He discovered it when he was coming of age in Seoul in the early 2000s. He got hooked. He started attending swing dance events in the United States and after a few years entered international competitions. He travelled to dance, but he did not have to. In the past two decades, the swing dance scene in his home town has grown into the largest in the world. For a vintage American cultural practice to spread overseas and thrive there more robustly than at home is a story at least as old as jazz. Not in every case, though, does the transplanted form evolve into a local variant. That is what has happened in South Korea. In Seoul these days, there are around 10 clubs dedicated full time to swing and its core partnering form, Lindy Hop. Mr Andante Jang and his fellow K-Swing Wave dancers rehearsing at the Korean Cultural Center in New York. PHOTO: YE FAN/NYTIMES 'In New York, where Lindy Hop was born, we have zero,' said Mr Caleb Teicher, a prominent American Lindy Hop and tap dancer. Those Seoul clubs are filled with dancers of high skill. 'I've heard it joked among the New York dancers who've gone there that a bad dancer in Korea is a great dancer in New York,' he said. Moreover, in the jazz tradition that artists honour by developing their own voices and style, South Korean dancers have worked out their own fresh approaches to the form. 'When I go there to teach, I feel like I'm their student now,' he said. Wanting to display these developments to New York City, Mr Teicher has organised a mini-festival. On July 19, K-Swing Wave, a group of eight all-star South Korean swing dancers, are performing a free show at Lincoln Center's Summer for the City. The next day, the group will appear at the Korean Cultural Center New York and at a swing dance party at 92NY, the 92nd Street Y. Mr Kim, K-Swing Wave's project director, said the dancers selected were 'the best of the best', most of them leaders of their own groups. Mr Andy Seo, the group's artistic director, added that everyone had been so busy dancing, teaching and performing that they seldom had opportunities to collaborate. This is their first chance to figure out what an extended production of Korean swing dance might look like. Like Mr Kim, Mr Seo discovered swing dancing in the early 2000s. The swing dance revival of the 1980s and 1990s in the United States and Sweden had arrived in Seoul in 1999, imported by Korean-American dancer Alex Nah. K-Swing Wave dancers rehearsing at the Korean Cultural Center in New York. PHOTO: YE FAN/NYTIMES 'Couple dancing was not that familiar in Korea,' said Mr Seo, who had belonged to clubs for street and K-pop dance. 'But I fell in love with dancing with others.' Mr Nathan Bugh, one of Mr Teicher's colleagues in the popular production Sw!ng Out, recalled how a Korean couple memorised and performed the improvised social dancing of an American duo (preserved on video) exactly, including the mistakes. At social dance occasions, Mr Bugh added, rather than following the normal practice of pairing off, South Korean dancers would either stand and watch or wait in line to have the foreign instructor as a partner, sometimes bringing cups of water so the teacher would not have to take a break. 'It was like a factory,' he said. But every time these Americans returned to South Korea, they noticed changes. (From left) Mr Andy Seo and Mr Nalla Kim at the Korean Cultural Center in New York. PHOTO: YE FAN/NYTIMES For Authentic Jazz Weekend, an annual event that Mr Kim and Mr Seo founded in 2013, the South Korean dancers invited foreign instructors – often found on the internet – who were specialists in areas in which the South Koreans felt they were weak, especially solo jazz dancing and improvisation. At the same time, they were discovering their strengths. 'Maybe it's a cultural thing,' Mr Kim said, 'but Korean dancers are really great at group formations.' Numbers created by Mr Seo – whom Mr Bugh called his favourite vernacular jazz dance choreographer in the world – have the kaleidoscopic complexity, sharp synchronicity and clever details of the most intricate K-pop routines, while remaining recognisably in a jazz dance idiom. On multiple scales, they swing. Broadway producers should take note. 'The first piece by Andy I saw was made for students,' Mr Teicher said. 'And when you looked at the dancers individually, they were not the strongest. But the choreography – it was genius. I had never seen a team jazz piece that good before.' Mr Kim has made a project of interviewing international swing dancers about the history of the dance and their experiences, and then translating the videos into Korean. Talking with African-American dancers, he said, he was surprised to discover commonalities. Swing dance was born from the blues of oppression, and Korea also had colonisation and caste, he said. 'Many Korean art forms are from that sadness, even if they look as happy as the Lindy Hop. 'Dance is such a great way to learn about other cultures,' he added, sharing the hope that K-Swing Wave will contribute to a two-way exchange. Mr Seo agreed, but he stressed something simpler about swing dancing and why it should spread everywhere: It makes people smile. NYTIMES
Straits Times
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Influencing without the influencers: How fashion and lifestyle brands are taking back social media
Ms Sarah Tang, a content strategist for the homeware brand Dusen Dusen, edits a video at the company's studio in Brooklyn on June 26. NEW YORK – Ms Sarah Tang did not set out to be internet famous. The 28-year-old does not sing, dance or share outfit-of-the-day videos. She does not post about her personal life, offer career or dating advice, or share finance tips. She does not have an agent or a manager, and she is not flying off to brand-sponsored retreats in coastal cities. Her TikTok following is modest. Still, Ms Tang is often recognised, particularly on the J train in New York City, for her appearances in TikTok video ads by buzzy brands targeting Gen Z and millennials. 'I started feeling really anxious about things like falling asleep on the subway or just like looking really grumpy,' she said. 'I'm not, like, anonymous anymore.' She is what some in the fashion and lifestyle industries call a brand or in-house content creator. Unlike influencers, who are typically paid to promote products on their own channels, Ms Tang's job is to produce short videos that emulate influencer-style content like room tours, vlogs and get-ready-with-me snippets on brands' own social accounts. Her videos can generate thousands of views. The goal of Ms Tang and others like her is to make ads feel like anything but ads. The brand's voice is embedded in the content, as are its products, but there is no overt pitch or the awkward energy of a sponsored partnership. The videos are seemingly unpolished, even if they may have been meticulously planned. And, in many cases, viewers may not even realise they are being marketed to. Ms Sarah Tang makes videos that feel more like the typical content produced by influencers, rather than traditional advertising. PHOTO: HIROKO MASUIKE/NYTIMES This approach, which has existed on some level for quite some time, is part of a growing shift in social media marketing. Rather than investing in work from external influencers or celebrity ambassadors, many fashion, beauty and lifestyle companies are turning their cameras inwards, enlisting their own employees to be the faces of the brand, while striving to make it feel more casual than that. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business S'pore to launch new grant for companies, expand support for workers amid US tariff uncertainties Singapore Proposed new law protecting Singaporeans' genetic data to be strengthened: Ong Ye Kung Asia Dr Mahathir at 100: Still haunted by the Malay Dilemma Singapore HDB flats less attainable in 2024 compared with 2022: Report World 'Do some homework': 6 key exchanges between US Senator Duckworth and S'pore envoy nominee Sinha World Trump's ambassador nominee to Singapore Anjani Sinha has a rough day at Senate hearing Multimedia 60 objects to mark SG60: Which is your favourite? Singapore NDP 2025: Diamond formations, 'multi-axis' fly-past to headline parade's aerial display Brands including LVMH-owned Loewe, accessories brand Mejuri and Danish fashion label Ganni have adopted the format, often showing behind-the-scenes moments of building the brand and photo shoots on social media. Vogue magazine, soda brand Poppi and clothing and homeware brand Damson Madder regularly feature lo-fi office content starring staff. At luggage brand Baboon To The Moon, in-house creators film vlogs and sit-down interviews with the brand's designers. This kind of behind-the-scenes content is a clear departure from the glossy, heavily produced campaigns that typically fill Instagram feeds, brand websites and fashion magazines. Dr Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at the Wharton School of Business and author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On, said this off-the-cuff content is appealing because it offers viewers a rare glimpse behind the curtain. That insider perspective gives people a sense of social value or currency, making them more engaged and more likely to share the content. This approach also helps solve what marketeers call the content problem, according to Mr Anthony Svirskis, chief executive of creator marketing company Tribe. In the past, a brand might have produced a few polished ads a year for TV or print. Now, with dozens of social platforms, each demanding its own stream of content, brands need a constant flow of posts. Influencers and in-house creators help meet this demand. For some brands, it is not just about volume, but also the tone. The hard-sell of traditional advertising can feel out of sync with how young people want to be engaged. In-house creators offer something more casual and more human. 'I find all of advertising to be embarrassing,' said Ms Ellen Van Dusen, founder of homeware brand Dusen Dusen. 'Part of it is because this business is so personal. It just feels embarrassing to ask people to buy my stuff. I always think like, 'Oh god, all my friends are going to see this.'' Ms Ellen van Dusen, founder of homeware brand Dusen Dusen, at the company's studio in Brooklyn. Ms van Dusen originally handled her brand's social media accounts on her own, mixing her actual life with the brand she was creating. PHOTO: HIROKO MASUIKE/NYTIMES The Dusen Dusen line was born because Ms van Dusen could not find decor in stores that matched her colourful, irreverent aesthetic. When she started the label, she took on the role of a one-woman marketing team, treating the brand's Instagram like a personal account. She documented her print design process, decorated her studio in real time and posted photos from her wedding, snapshots of her dog, Snips, and eventually of her child. Early on, she realised that that kind of intimate, offbeat content resonated with her customers. When it came to TikTok, a platform she described as hard to 'wrap my head around', Ms van Dusen brought in Ms Tang in 2023. Several of Ms Tang's videos had taken off during her time as the in-house content creator for Baboon To The Moon. On any given day, Ms Tang arrives at Dusen Dusen's studio in the Clinton Hill neighbourhood of Brooklyn, checks in with Ms van Dusen about upcoming launches or sample sales and then maps out video concepts tied to the calendar. Her style leans towards deadpan humour, and she films, edits and posts the content. These days, Ms Tang is more protective of her boundaries. She no longer films from her home or includes her friends in videos . She works strictly from the brand's office, which includes a staged set with couches, a kitchen and even a made-up bed designed to resemble a lived-in apartment. (It is where she once filmed an 'apartment tour'.) She is unsure how long she will keep lending her face to brands, describing the work as 'taxing'. Moving forward, she says, she is interested in working only with brands she feels aligned with , noting that she could not be an in-house creator for a large corporation ; she appreciates that Dusen Dusen's team is small and that the business is self-funded. 'There's a point where I'm going to age out of the attention economy,' she said. But for now, 'when I'm on camera for the brand, I am the brand'. NYTIMES
Straits Times
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Straits Times
Families wait for word of missing as Texas floods death toll nears 120
The bulk of those deaths were in Kerr County, where the death roll reached 95 and officials said 161 people were still missing. KERR COUNTY, Texas – Officials in Kerr County struggled to provide answers on July 8 about their response to a devastating flood that swept through the Texas Hill Country nearly a week ago, killing at least 119 people statewide. The bulk of those deaths were in Kerr County, where the death roll reached 95 and officials said 161 people were still missing – a major increase from the numbers they were citing earlier in the week. Statewide, 173 people were unaccounted for as searchers continued to probe the muddy remains of cabins, campers and trailer parks. Pressed about possible lapses in disaster preparation, Governor Greg Abbott announced an agenda on July 8 for a special session of the state Legislature this month that includes consideration of flood warning systems. But the session, which was announced last month, will address 14 other topics, including tax cuts and further restricting abortion. Facing questions at a news conference on July 8 about a lack of warning sirens and other aspects of their disaster response, officials in Kerr County gave an extensive account of rescue efforts as the Guadalupe River rose early on July 10, saying hundreds of people had been saved by local emergency crews. 'They rescued people out of vehicles. They rescued people out of homes that were already flooded, pulling them out of windows,' said Officer Jonathan Lamb with the police department in Kerrville. He added, 'I know that this tragedy, as horrific as it is, could have been so much worse.' But officials said other answers about preparations and response would have to wait for an extensive review. 'If improvements need to be made, improvements will be made,' said the county sheriff, Mr Larry Leitha. Asked about the timeline for when increasingly urgent warnings from the National Weather Service were shared with residents, the sheriff asked for more time. 'I believe those questions need to be answered,' he told reporters, adding, 'We're going to get that answer. We're not running. We're not going to hide.' The floods, striking at a region filled with summer camps and vacationing families, now stand among the deadliest US disasters for children in several decades. In Kerr County alone, 36 children were killed, including many from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls. In addition to the deaths in Kerr County, at least seven people were killed in Travis County, eight in Kendall County, five in Burnet County, three in Williamson County and one in Tom Green County. NYTIMES
