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Yearly Archives: 2020

VEGA$ Dream Ride: Yat Ming 1955 Ford Thunderbird

When I was a young teen, one of my favorite TV shows was “VEGA$”, an American private detective crime drama series that aired on Philippines television around the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The TV series stars Robert Urich as private detective Dan Tanna, who drove to his cases around Las Vegas, Nevada in a red 1957 Ford Thunderbird convertible. ...

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Before COVID-19: A Photo Tour of the 46th Tokyo Motor Show (Part 1)

With the implementation of the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (M-ECQ), we are all advised to remain home unless it’s utterly important to go out in order to avoid a second wave of COVID-19 infections. But as the crowd gathered in the malls last Sunday (May 17, 2020) without observing social distancing, we’re afraid that a second wave will be inevitable. ...

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Prized Slalom Trophy: Kyosho 2003 BMW X3

When BMW Philippines introduced the all-new BMW X3 (E83) sports activity vehicle in early 2004, they organized a fun activity for the local motoring media. They set up a short slalom course in the adjacent parking area and the media guest with the fastest time through the slalom course gets a prize. At the time, I was representing The Philippine ...

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Battery-Operated Tin Toy: Taiyo Strip Blazer 1970 Camaro

Inside a clear acrylic display case on top of my model collection shelf is a battery-operated Bump ‘N Go race car. It’s roughly a 1:18 scale model of Malcolm Durham’s 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Funny Car dubbed as the “Strip Blazer VIII”. The tin toy was given to me by a good friend, Frank Koh, to augment my collection of ...

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Choosing Wisely and Safely: New-Ray 2001 Yamaha YZF-R1

Without a doubt, the YZF-R1 is the top dog when enthusiasts talk about their favorite Yamaha super sports bike. And we talk from experience: In 2003, Manuel Gaspar “Boy” Albos, Jr., the executive vice president (EVP) of Norkis Trading Corporation, which was the former distributor of Yamaha motorcycles in the Philippines, showed us a brand-spanking-new Yamaha R1 that just arrived ...

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From Dream to Reality: Maisto 2002 Harley-Davidson V-Rod

On the wall in front of my desk in our home-office hangs a framed poster of a 2001 Harley-Davidson V-Rod (VRSCA) parked in front of the Milwaukee factory of The Motorcycle Company. The large poster came inserted in a special issue of a foreign motorcycle magazine that featured the V-Rod’s introduction. My wife Shawie had the poster framed in 2002 ...

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Mini Econocar from WuHu: Chery QQ

We’ve been keeping ourselves busy even when we’re compelled to stay home since the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was imposed in Metro Manila on March 15, 2020. Aside from reviewing scale model cars, we’ve been sorting, organizing, and arranging our stuff in our residence and our home-office. We realized that we have a lot of stuff that we didn’t know ...

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A Personal Memento: Minichamps 2001 BAR-Honda 003

In March 2003, Honda Cars Philippines (HCPI) took several members of the Philippine motoring press, including yours truly, to Australia to watch the Foster’s Australian Grand Prix Formula One (F1) races at the Albert Park in Melbourne. As the guests of Honda, we were privileged to go into the paddocks of the BAR-Honda Racing Team after the Friday afternoon practice ...

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At the Peak of the Era: Greenlight and Hotwheels 1968-69 GM A-Body Muscle Cars

In 1968, General Motors (GM) restyled their A-body platform with a more curvaceous, semi-fastback styling, on which the Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Chevelle, Oldsmobile Cutlass, and Pontiac LeMans models were all based. The two-door sedan, hardtop, and convertible variants had a 112-inch wheelbase while the four-door and station wagon variants had a 4-inch longer wheelbase at 116 inches. 1968 A-body 2-door hardtops ...

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The New Normal

The announced third extension of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila from May 15th to the end of the month may have disappointed a lot of people who are looking forward to going back to work and getting back to their daily normal lives. However, because of the absence of an effective new vaccine against the COVID-19 virus ...

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