Kwok’s endeavour was intended as a grand romantic gesture. As a technology entrepreneur, he frequently travels to Hong Kong – where he lived until he was nine years old – for work and for holidays.
It was during one such trip that he met his now-wife, and they soon began a long- distance relationship.
When they got married, Kwok’s wife agreed to uproot her life in Hong Kong to move to Canada, and he wanted to show his appreciation and find ways to make her feel welcome in Toronto. It was then that Kwok, who had previously considered buying a Crown Comfort, pictured himself picking his wife up from the Toronto airport in a Hong Kong taxi.
While that scene was never realised because of Covid-19 quarantine measures at the airport, he eventually revealed the car – a 2006 model – to her in his garage.“She was confused, and I was like, ‘I got it for you’,” Kwok says. “Then she had a small tear … and she understood why I was doing it.”
Alan Wu, a half-Cantonese property agent, spotted his own taxi at a showroom five years ago. The 1997 Crown Comfort had previously been used in the film Pacific Rim as a prop and was already painted red and silver.
“[It was] just covered with snow, just sitting very hopelessly in the parking lot,” Alan Wu says. “It seemed a little bit depressing for me to see that being wasted away.”
While Alan Wu has spent his entire life in Canada, he grew up surrounded by Hong Kong influences after he began living with his father – who moved to Canada from Hong Kong in 1973 – in Toronto. At home, he spoke Cantonese with his dad and stepmother, went to Chinese school on Saturdays and watched TVB dramas like The Bund – so he was always familiar with taxi imagery.But buying the vehicle was one thing – making it look like it truly belonged on the streets of Hong Kong was another. For all three taxi owners, the refurbishment was a lengthy process that took several months.
At first, Kwok had his car wrapped in red but the completed car did not look right. He then spent time calling different taxi repair shops in Hong Kong to find out the exact colour used, and then had it painted instead.
“I just want to make it perfect. If I want to keep it, then I don’t mind spending a little bit more,” he says.
Joe Wu, who assembled his car a bit later, benefited from both Alan Wu’s and Kwok’s experience. Alan Wu was able to help him find a red “for hire” sign, while Kwok got a second taximeter for him.
To get the car to its current form, Joe Wu also had to buy the wheels off an old Toyota Camry, taxi stickers from online marketplace Carousell, lights and grilles from Japan, and parts of the transmission – such as the clutch – from as far afield as Latvia.Today, the trio are making good use of their red taxis. Alan Wu takes paid bookings for company events, festivals and photo shoots, but will also show his taxi at places such as old people’s homes free of charge. Kwok has offered up his taxi for non-profit community events and frequently lets his friends take the car out for a spin.
“Their reaction was the same when they sat in the taxi – it felt like home. It’s that smell, it’s that bounciness of the car. I think the main goal is to share the joy, [to] bring the memory back,” Kwok says.
In the US, Joe has taken his car to Lunar New Year events in Southern California, to a Hong Kong community centre event and to car shows as well, such as Toyota Fest in Long Beach.
“Most people that don’t know what it is are confused,” he says. But for those who do, it sparks curiosity and conversation.
“It also puts a smile on people’s faces, [to] people who used to live in Hong Kong that are now living in America … It’s such an iconic part of the city, and the city’s image, and just seeing people smile and talk about the taxi makes me happy.”
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