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American's modified muscle car denied entry into S'pore, says S'pore more restrictive than North Korea

He even managed to drive into Afghanistan.

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September 08, 2026, 01:49 PM

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An American content creator said Singapore is more restrictive than North Korea after his modified muscle car was denied entry into the country.

Keith Sinclair, 29, took to Instagram on Sep. 1 explaining how he was disallowed from entering Singapore by the authorities.

In the video, he was seen with his car outside a High Commission of Singapore in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

He did not say which department rejected his permit application.

In the video, he said, "North Korea is not the most restrictive country on Earth. That title goes to Singapore, at least as it relates to foreign cars."

Why was he rejected?

According to Sinclair, the modifications that he made to his United States-registered car render it ineligible to enter Singapore.

Namely, he had added a cooking stove to the roof of the car, a hammock installation attached to the bumper and boot, and a water faucet at the back.

He applied for entry twice and was rejected both times.

Following the video, Sinclair has removed the modifications according to local guidelines and is attempting a third try.

Who is he?

Sinclair is a content creator with over 364,000 followers on Instagram.

He set himself a mission in 2024 to circumnavigate the globe in a muscle car and document the process throughout.

Sinclair's car of choice is a Dodge Challenger, one of the most iconic muscle cars in the world.

According to an interview with Top Gear, he began his journey in Le Havre, France, from which he drove through Europe and through Anatolia towards Asia.

Drove to Russia and Afghanistan

Despite the fact that Sinclair is an American citizen, he managed to pass through some of the most politically restrictive borders in the world.

These countries include Russia when he drove up through the Caucasus, as well as the Taliban-governed Afghanistan.

He was even allowed into Ashgabat, the capital city of Turkmenistan, despite regulations that only permit white-coloured cars on the roads.

Sinclair nearly ended the journey in Kazakhstan, but was later motivated to keep on going towards South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Singapore has been the only country thus far to deny entry to him, according to him.

If he makes it through, it would be the 30th country on his travels.

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