SINGAPORE \u2013 On the top floor of Singaporean content creator and beauty entrepreneur Naomi Neo\u2019s bungalow in western Singapore sits a room filled with things that make her happy: more than 100 model cars, a custom retro arcade machine and, most recently, a racing simulator worth about $10,000.<\/p>\n
When her family moved into the three-storey house in end-2022, this open area contained little more than a sofa.<\/p>\n
It was part of a living level in the multi-generational home she shares with her businessman husband, their two children \u2013 son Kyzo, eight, and daughter Zyla, five \u2013 and her in-laws.<\/p>\n
Then Neo\u2019s model-car collection started growing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a bunch of toy cars displayed here and there, and (there was) a bit more day by day,\u201d she says. \u201cI was like, okay, it\u2019s time to actually create a space.\u201d<\/p>\n Naomi Neo\u2019s car memorabilia in her playroom number more than 100 pieces.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Today, it is the 30-year-old\u2019s favourite area in her eight-room abode, although \u201ccalling it \u2018my space\u2019 may be a stretch, as Kyzo\u2019s toy cars have found their way upstairs\u201d. The toy cars have become part of her display collection \u2013 but on the floor, she says with a laugh.<\/p>\n Cars have been in Neo\u2019s orbit since her childhood. Her father was a Formula 1 fan, and she remembers attending her first F1 race at Malaysia\u2019s Sepang International Circuit with him and her late grandfather when she was younger than 10.<\/p>\n Like her dad, Neo is a Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team supporter, although she admits to feeling a bit conflicted since her favourite driver, Briton Lewis Hamilton, moved to Ferrari.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a Lewis fan, but I support Mercedes,\u201d she says. \u201cTeam-wise, still Mercedes.\u201d<\/p>\n Neo plans to attend the Singapore Grand Prix, which will be held in October. She says she has not missed the Singapore race for about five years.<\/p>\n Naomi Neo with her racing car simulator worth about $10,000.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Her interest in cars really took off only after she got her driving licence in 2018.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the past, my liking used to be about the aesthetics,\u201d she says. \u201cIn the last two to three years, it\u2019s transitioned more into the drive \u2013 how it feels.\u201d<\/p>\n The turning point came in 2024, when a Porsche media event introduced her to kart racing. She loved the adrenaline and sound, and began entering races herself.<\/p>\n In 2026, she has gone \u201cfull on\u201d, racing karts almost every month. She owns two karts, kept at a circuit in Johor Bahru, and practises there at least once a week \u2013 and up to two or three times a week before a race.<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>
<\/picture><\/div>