‘Ferrari lady’ puts Astrid Hill GCB on the market for $52 mil

/ EdgeProp Singapore |

August 1, 2019 7:30 AM SGT

SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - A house at the end of a cul-de-sac on a quiet street on Astrid Hill is on the market with a price tag of $52 million, with several agents specialising in landed property marketing it. The single-storey Good Class Bungalow (GCB) sits on a 26,983 sq ft, elevated freehold plot. The asking price therefore translates to $1,927 psf.

ASTRID HILL GCB - The Good Class Bungalow on Astrid Hill with the majestic rain tree towering above it

The Good Class Bungalow on Astrid Hill with the majestic rain tree towering above it (Credit: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

The owner of the house is Shi Ka Yee, who is in her 70s and has been dubbed the “Ferrari lady” by the press for her misdemeanours while driving her red Ferrari across town. She is said to have caused a traffic jam in the middle of Orchard Road when she stopped her Ferrari in front of a tour bus in 2016, blocking off three out of the five lanes. In February 2014, she reportedly punched another motorist after getting into an argument with him along Telok Ayer Street in the CBD.

Standing at the corner of her property on Astrid Hill is a majestic rain tree that towers above the roof of her house. It is said to be at least 80 years old and has been there well before Shi moved into the house in 1979.

The tree’s overhanging branches, however, became the source of a dispute between her and her neighbour, Nasrat Muzayyin and his wife Priscilla Goh, four years ago.

It happened in February 2015 when Muzayyin engaged an arborist to trim the overhanging branches from the rain tree, according to a court judgment. Shi then drove to the Muzayyins’ house and berated the family. She left when Muzayyin told her to leave. But she returned shortly and removed the key from the “cherry picker”, a lorry with a tall crane used by the arborist’s worker to prune the branches.

When Muzayyin stood in front of her Porsche to stop her from leaving with the key, Shi revved the engine and edged her car towards Muzayyin before driving off. The worker was stranded up on the rain tree for over an hour until he was rescued by the police and the Civil Defence Force.

The Muzayyins sued Shi for “the nuisance of her ever-growing rain tree” and for Shi’s trespass onto their land. Muzayyin also sued her for assault and putting him in fear of injury. The magistrate ordered $4,000 as aggravated damages for Shi’s trespass on her neighbour’s land. He also ordered $1,500 for her assault on Muzayyin.

Shi is said to have moved out of the GCB on Astrid Hill some years ago. She has decided to put it on the market after refurbishing it recently. According to William Wong, managing director of RealStar Premier Group, there is some interest in the property, particularly from ultra-high-net-worth individuals who have recently become Singapore citizens, and trust funds.

Interest in GCBs has certainly picked up this year. Deals brokered by RealStar Premier include: the GCB at Jervois Hill that was sold for $30.88 million ($2,032 psf) in January; the GCB at Yarwood Avenue sitting on a 19,041 sq ft, 999-year leasehold site that was sold in February for $22.15 million ($1,164 psf); and the GCB on Swiss Club Road, which occupies a 15,263 sq ft, freehold site and changed hands for $18.8 million ($1,232 psf) in March. In June, RealStar Premier brokered the sale of the GCB at Ford Avenue on a 19,838 sq ft, freehold site that fetched $17 million ($857 psf).

For price trends, recent transactions, other project info, check out the Astrid Hill, Jervois Hill, Yarwood Avenue, Swiss Club Road, and Ford Avenue project details page

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