Rozilawati Tan Sri Basir

KUALA LUMPUR: Rozilawati Basir is the epitome of the modern woman.
She is educated, enjoys a successful career as Nationwide Express chief executive officer, single and loving it.

But what sets Rozilawati apart from her peers is her love for vintage cars.

Rozilawati who professed to "loving all things old" started dabbling in vintage cars about 20 years ago.

"I have been interested in vintage cars since I was young. I also collect antiques. Old things have character," she said.
It helped too that her late father, Tan Sri Basir Ismail, shared the same interest.

"We influenced each other when it came to vintage cars."

Father and daughter bonded as they participated in various vintage car exhibitions and rallies.

"My fondest memories of him were of our time together when we went for rallies."

When her father died early last year, Rozilawati inherited his cars: 10 classic cars including the rare 1934 Lagonda Rapier, 1941 Jaguar MK1 and 1972 Rolls-Royce Corniche.

"The Lagonda Rapier is very special as it is the only one in Malaysia, and it was one of the first few cars in the world to have an automatic transmission," she said.

Her gleaming cars were among 79 cars on display during the KLGP Vintage and Classic Car Concours and Drive at Dataran Merdeka yesterday.

Rozilawati and co-driver Harani Khalid joined other participants on a 40km drive to the final venue at Putrajaya.

The event was jointly hosted by Kuala Lumpur City Hall and Putrajaya Holdings.