In 1951, Harley Earl, the head of General Motors’ Styling Section convinced his bosses at GM to build an all-American two-seat sports car. As avid fan of sporting cars, Earl observed that soldiers returning after serving overseas following World War II were bringing home small European sports cars. Earl’s Special Projects crew began working on the new car under the ...
Read More »Author Archives: Lester Dizon
1969 Buick GS 400: The Gentleman’s Hot Rod
Buick, the “gentleman’s car” division of General Motors, was an unlikely source of some of America’s finest muscle cars. In 1965, they joined the muscle car fray by shoehorning a 400-cubic-inch V8 into their mid-sized Skylark model and called it the “Grand Sport”. In 1968, with the introduction of the new GM A-Body line-up, they shortened the name of their ...
Read More »The Very First Production Porsche: Maisto 1948 Porsche Type 356-001
From 1945 to 1947, Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche had the difficult task of steering the small fledging company founded by his father, Dr. Ing. Ferdinand Porsche, who was imprisoned by the Allied forces on December 15, 1945 for alleged war crimes. At the same time, Ferry, as the younger Porsche was known, was working on a new two-seat sports car ...
Read More »Groovy, Baby! Sports Cars from the Late Sixties
What is it about the Sixties that some people find so groovy? Besides the outrageous parties, psychedelic clothing, and the phenomenal growth of rock and roll, the ’60s were also the era of iconic automobiles. In our modest collection of scale model cars, I found three miniature sports cars that were born in the late 1960’s and eventually became icons ...
Read More »Before COVID-19: A Photo Tour of the 46th Tokyo Motor Show (Part 2)
We hope that most of you, our dear readers, opted to stay safe by staying home despite the easing of the government lock down measures. Even with the implementation of the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (M-ECQ) in Metro Manila and the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) in some provinces, we hope most of you opt to remain home unless it’s absolutely ...
Read More »Mini Ninja: Maisto 2010 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R
The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R debuted in 2004 as a compact, short wheelbase liter bike with a high power-to-weight ratio and handling that can rival a 600cc sport bike. After a successful three-year run, the ZX-10R underwent a drastic aesthetic change in 2008, and then underwent a major mechanical and styling overhaul in 2011. In 2013, Tom Sykes became the first ...
Read More »2020 Qingling Isuzu Taga 4×4: Driving a Prototype
It’s not often that I get to test drive a prototype vehicle before it is introduced into the Philippine market. The two times I had the chance to do so was in 2002-2003 when I helped evaluate and promote the Yamaha Nouvo and Mio, and in 2005-2006 when I rode the to-be-introduced Yamaha Sniper 135, which I rode for almost ...
Read More »Jeep Introduces Two New Lifestyle Vehicles: All-New Jeep Renegade and Jeep Compass
When one thinks of Jeep, the Wrangler always comes to mind. Dating back to 1941, Jeep has always been built tough for the off-road adventure. The Jeep Wrangler, being the most known Jeep model there is, has honed the brand to being the ultimate 4×4 capable vehicle today. But in this day and age, you don’t need to be an ...
Read More »Desirable Collector Car: ERTL 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 428 Cobra Jet
While watching the first John Wick movie where Keanu Reeves’ titular character went after and killed the young Russian mobsters who killed his dog and took his black 1969 Ford Mustang, I overheard a comment from the group of young people watching in the row behind us: “I don’t get it – all that carnage for a dog and an ...
Read More »New Ford Everest Sport Virtually Unleashed Via Online Launch
Through the first-ever “New Normal” virtual online vehicle launch in the country, Ford Philippines introduced the new Ford Everest Sport on May 21, 2020 via Zoom. The online vehicle launch gathered around a hundred participants including members of the local motoring media, Ford dealer principals, and officers of Ford Philippines, headed by their President and Managing Director, PK Umashankar. “The ...
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