Flash cars in the Old Town

Paper Edition | Page: 9

The Old Town of Jakarta has long been known as a haven for photographers, both amateur and professional, but the presence of 15 Lamborghini cars of different types and years last Saturday drew more photographers than ever.

Almost 2,000 photographers flocked to the area in West Jakarta for the “Lamborghini in the Old Town” photo competition, which was held to commemorate the first anniversary of the Fotografer Indonesia community that fell on Oct. 9.

The community cofounder Johnson Yaptonaga, who is also Lamborghini Jakarta’s chief executive officer, said the event was held in the city’s historical area because photography enthusiasts considered the place an “icon” of photography and to promote the Old Town, or Kota Tua, as a tourist destination.

“The concept of this event is to create powerful art by contrasting modernity [the cars] and history,” said Johnson.

Some of the cars were vintage, the oldest being a 1967 two-seater Miura, and some were the latest models, including three race cars. There were also photo models wearing conceptual costumes unique to each car.

Among them was a man wearing a Batman superhero costume, posing next to a black Aventador LP 700-4, which made an appearance in the 2012 movie The Dark Knight Rises starring Christian Bale.

Johnson said that the “Batman” was a special treat for participants and was presented to show the characteristics of the Rp 11 billion (US$1.14 million) car.

Participants applauded the treat, gathering around the masked model taking pictures of him and the car.

“Taking pictures of a pretty model or a luxurious car is not a new thing, what’s new is getting the chance to capture a picture of Batman. The model looks well built, awesome,” said Kevin, 29, one of the participants.

Participants who love both photography and cars were delighted by the competition as they were able to see and touch the rare, stylish automobiles during the event.

“The competition is exciting. I only occasionally see one or two Lamborghinis passing by the roads but today, I can see 15 of them at once,” Arief, 24, a contestant, said.

The event was recognized by the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) as Indonesia’s most-participated in photography contest.

With 1,928 photographers, the event beat a 2009 record in which 1,401 participants joined a competition, also held by Lamborghini Indonesia, in the Pacific Place shopping center in South Jakarta.

Johnson said that Fotografer Indonesia and Lamborghini Indonesia expected to hold the competition annually.

“We want to hold a similar event next year, probably with a different concept in a different place,” he said. (aml)