The Bling Bling Cars
The Bling Bling Cars
Jareliese Mauro investigates and gives a feminine perspective on vintage cars
A fleet of 12 beauties flaunt without flinching, reflecting the glimmer from the klieg lights. Everybody wants to immortalize their splendor in a photograph or a video shot. The attention temporarily yet exponentially upstages the hostess of the program, Ana Maris Igpit. These show-stoppers, a dozen of vintage cars (defined as automobiles 30 years old or older) pack a mean punch. Their owners, a group of young entrepreneurs, couldn’t help but beam with pride. Clad in black shirt, Potenciano “Yong” Larazzabal, Erwin Miranda, Tony Lozada, Darren Deen, Grand Benidicto, Jun-Jun So, Louie Uy, Glenn Soco, Kenneth Cobonpue, and Jay Aldeguer, are just some of the Performance and Classic Car Enthusiasts (PACE) members who are entertaining their guests in their 2nd dinner get-together at the Cebu International Convention Center. Being an affiliate member of the Manila Sports Car club (MSCC), they also participate in activities such as car shows and inter-island fun runs wherein its members drive classic and performance cars around the Philippines, the land which varies in motoring heritage. Some of the places they have gone to and have encouraged a new generation of enthusiasts are Cebu, Bacolod, Bohol, Leyte, and Manila
I touch the waxed hood of a Navy Blue GT 350 Shelby Mustang (#518 of the 1,000 models) and savor the moment. From the looks of it, I can understand why it was called most-loved pony car and muscle car. Geez, the closest I’d get to a world-renowned car is by playing Gran Turismo PS games or leafing through glossy pages of auto magazines. A Black SL500 Mercedes Benz and California Special Mustang GT/CS loom large. “I am a Titan,” both vehicles warn. Meanwhile, one Gray ‘Mr. Slim’ Mercedes Benz SL takes center stage as it harks back his characteristic of being a road monarch.
”Who’s that in my car?” Michael Lhullier, PACE member, asks as an attractive guest in a tennis skirt makes herself comfortable in the driver’s seat and takes pictures of herself. “Your silver Porsche Carrera ’45 is a babe magnet,” I offer an explanation.
I get spastic at the sight of Porsche cars and there seems to be plenty for everyone: Orange 912, Limegreen 964, Carrera 4s (‘4s’ means 4 wheel drive), 1959 Convertible, Black Speedster, and the White 911s Targa. I want to channel the attitude of the teenage girl and get giddy at the parade of colors but my reporter instincts tell me to put a cork in it as I observe red, yellow, and blue Corvette Stingrays. I’m beginning to have a sensory overload.
If the car were a dress, the Green Pontiac GTO ’66 would have been quite a fashion plate. It could pass for a hot Latina one sees in music videos. One word: seductive.
And then, I stop dead on tracks. This Ferrari car before me looks amazing…beyond human understanding. I ask around. Chris Tio, one of the PACE members, stifles his laugh and says, “Ferrari 328 GTS. I’m sorry. I need to tell this story to the rest of the guys.” He tries to amuse the guys by telling them that I am the only person who has the gall to ask the exact model of the fire red engine gem. I want to kick myself for not doing my research. Maybe I can still save face if I ask him the mileage, carburetor, or perhaps the horsepower of the vehicle…anything high-faluting from the automobile dictionary. I name the features of a ’69 Corvette Stingray (most pleasing of all the C3 models manufactured by Chevrolet) in my head: 160 MPH speedometer, tachometer, fiber optic indicators of exterior lighting, headlights in-transit warning indicator…but the former PACE president comes back and disrupts my thoughts with a question: “Do you want me to take a picture of you and Ferrari?” He attempts to placate me. I try to get my bearing and strike a valiant pose. Chris continues the conversation by admitting that he prefers classic and performance cars over luxury cars. “Manufacturers don’t make cars like they used to. They all look the same.” He asks me back what women look for in cars. “I officially don’t represent the whole female population but my guess is the bling-bling factor,” I shoot back. “The most important is the driving experience. It’s nice if the car is good-looking but if there’s no sensation when driving it, it’s not much of a car,” he explains.
If you look closely, these rust-free classic and performance cars show no age and has never lost the ol’ pep and pickup. Far from being worn-out coupes and 50,000 younger in mileage, these automobiles have been spackled down and hopped up. But PACE is not just about accelerating on skid row and showing off their shiny rims. “The club aims to promote the interest in pulling together, restoring, and exhibiting vintage cars. Social projects is another dimension we focus on. Pretty soon, our club will come up with a charity event so we can raise money and donate computers to the less fortunate,” PACE president, Kenneth Cobonpue croons.
In the joint, the best cars in Cebu together with their owners rub fenders against all the big wheels of the society. One of them happens to be the governor of Cebu who coincidentally shares one of the goals of PACE. Up for bidding is her Nissan Patrol, the vehicle which she values since it has been used by her father and was handed down to her. Proceeds of the bidding will benefit the needy. I ask how the Hon. Gwendolyn Garcia defines cars and she simply retorts, “Vintage cares are timeless. I could be a very good friend or a treasured memento from the past.” She fancies the 1955 Silver Spyder Porsche since it was the year she was born. As she reveals to me a story of the first car (a gray wagoner) she drove when she was in high school, media photographers take Kodak moments from their digital cameras like crazy carefully—with me in the frame! “I’m basking in the glow of the governor’s celebrity status,” I mutter under my breath with a titter. I boldly raise to her my last question: behind the wheels, are you manic racer or a careful driver? The lady Governor counters with a radiating smile, “I can drive both fast and slow, depending on my mood. It’s nice to have a variety in life. A slow drive can be nice but sometimes, I want to push myself to the limits and take calculated risks.”
These auto time machines will mute the lips, skip a heartbeat, and make any observer stare in amazement. The men indulge in discussion, words bare and frank. I don’t mind being written off as a tenderfoot on vintage cars. After all, cars belong to the men’s department. They will most likely gape at me with their mouth open if I ask them about Manolo Blahnik or I they know the latest Parisian haute couture. I rest my case.
Jareliese Mauro investigates and gives a feminine perspective on vintage cars
A fleet of 12 beauties flaunt without flinching, reflecting the glimmer from the klieg lights. Everybody wants to immortalize their splendor in a photograph or a video shot. The attention temporarily yet exponentially upstages the hostess of the program, Ana Maris Igpit. These show-stoppers, a dozen of vintage cars (defined as automobiles 30 years old or older) pack a mean punch. Their owners, a group of young entrepreneurs, couldn’t help but beam with pride. Clad in black shirt, Potenciano “Yong” Larazzabal, Erwin Miranda, Tony Lozada, Darren Deen, Grand Benidicto, Jun-Jun So, Louie Uy, Glenn Soco, Kenneth Cobonpue, and Jay Aldeguer, are just some of the Performance and Classic Car Enthusiasts (PACE) members who are entertaining their guests in their 2nd dinner get-together at the Cebu International Convention Center. Being an affiliate member of the Manila Sports Car club (MSCC), they also participate in activities such as car shows and inter-island fun runs wherein its members drive classic and performance cars around the Philippines, the land which varies in motoring heritage. Some of the places they have gone to and have encouraged a new generation of enthusiasts are Cebu, Bacolod, Bohol, Leyte, and Manila
I touch the waxed hood of a Navy Blue GT 350 Shelby Mustang (#518 of the 1,000 models) and savor the moment. From the looks of it, I can understand why it was called most-loved pony car and muscle car. Geez, the closest I’d get to a world-renowned car is by playing Gran Turismo PS games or leafing through glossy pages of auto magazines. A Black SL500 Mercedes Benz and California Special Mustang GT/CS loom large. “I am a Titan,” both vehicles warn. Meanwhile, one Gray ‘Mr. Slim’ Mercedes Benz SL takes center stage as it harks back his characteristic of being a road monarch.
”Who’s that in my car?” Michael Lhullier, PACE member, asks as an attractive guest in a tennis skirt makes herself comfortable in the driver’s seat and takes pictures of herself. “Your silver Porsche Carrera ’45 is a babe magnet,” I offer an explanation.
I get spastic at the sight of Porsche cars and there seems to be plenty for everyone: Orange 912, Limegreen 964, Carrera 4s (‘4s’ means 4 wheel drive), 1959 Convertible, Black Speedster, and the White 911s Targa. I want to channel the attitude of the teenage girl and get giddy at the parade of colors but my reporter instincts tell me to put a cork in it as I observe red, yellow, and blue Corvette Stingrays. I’m beginning to have a sensory overload.
If the car were a dress, the Green Pontiac GTO ’66 would have been quite a fashion plate. It could pass for a hot Latina one sees in music videos. One word: seductive.
And then, I stop dead on tracks. This Ferrari car before me looks amazing…beyond human understanding. I ask around. Chris Tio, one of the PACE members, stifles his laugh and says, “Ferrari 328 GTS. I’m sorry. I need to tell this story to the rest of the guys.” He tries to amuse the guys by telling them that I am the only person who has the gall to ask the exact model of the fire red engine gem. I want to kick myself for not doing my research. Maybe I can still save face if I ask him the mileage, carburetor, or perhaps the horsepower of the vehicle…anything high-faluting from the automobile dictionary. I name the features of a ’69 Corvette Stingray (most pleasing of all the C3 models manufactured by Chevrolet) in my head: 160 MPH speedometer, tachometer, fiber optic indicators of exterior lighting, headlights in-transit warning indicator…but the former PACE president comes back and disrupts my thoughts with a question: “Do you want me to take a picture of you and Ferrari?” He attempts to placate me. I try to get my bearing and strike a valiant pose. Chris continues the conversation by admitting that he prefers classic and performance cars over luxury cars. “Manufacturers don’t make cars like they used to. They all look the same.” He asks me back what women look for in cars. “I officially don’t represent the whole female population but my guess is the bling-bling factor,” I shoot back. “The most important is the driving experience. It’s nice if the car is good-looking but if there’s no sensation when driving it, it’s not much of a car,” he explains.
If you look closely, these rust-free classic and performance cars show no age and has never lost the ol’ pep and pickup. Far from being worn-out coupes and 50,000 younger in mileage, these automobiles have been spackled down and hopped up. But PACE is not just about accelerating on skid row and showing off their shiny rims. “The club aims to promote the interest in pulling together, restoring, and exhibiting vintage cars. Social projects is another dimension we focus on. Pretty soon, our club will come up with a charity event so we can raise money and donate computers to the less fortunate,” PACE president, Kenneth Cobonpue croons.
In the joint, the best cars in Cebu together with their owners rub fenders against all the big wheels of the society. One of them happens to be the governor of Cebu who coincidentally shares one of the goals of PACE. Up for bidding is her Nissan Patrol, the vehicle which she values since it has been used by her father and was handed down to her. Proceeds of the bidding will benefit the needy. I ask how the Hon. Gwendolyn Garcia defines cars and she simply retorts, “Vintage cares are timeless. I could be a very good friend or a treasured memento from the past.” She fancies the 1955 Silver Spyder Porsche since it was the year she was born. As she reveals to me a story of the first car (a gray wagoner) she drove when she was in high school, media photographers take Kodak moments from their digital cameras like crazy carefully—with me in the frame! “I’m basking in the glow of the governor’s celebrity status,” I mutter under my breath with a titter. I boldly raise to her my last question: behind the wheels, are you manic racer or a careful driver? The lady Governor counters with a radiating smile, “I can drive both fast and slow, depending on my mood. It’s nice to have a variety in life. A slow drive can be nice but sometimes, I want to push myself to the limits and take calculated risks.”
These auto time machines will mute the lips, skip a heartbeat, and make any observer stare in amazement. The men indulge in discussion, words bare and frank. I don’t mind being written off as a tenderfoot on vintage cars. After all, cars belong to the men’s department. They will most likely gape at me with their mouth open if I ask them about Manolo Blahnik or I they know the latest Parisian haute couture. I rest my case.
Comments