Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

At the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2007, the Ford Motor Company displayed their Ford Verve concept car, which would eventually be released as the sixth-generation Ford Fiesta. Also known as the Fiesta Mark VI, the car is based on Ford’s new global B-car platform. Production of the Fiesta started at Ford’s Cologne plant in Germany in August 2008, followed ...

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. ...

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. ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...