In High Gear

Diamonds are said to be a woman’s best friend. Men, meanwhile, ogle for cars. Men’s love affair with cars is synonymous to their involvement with their girls. They obsessively keep an eye on its details, functionality and style. A car’s sleek and sophisticated features seem to arrest the inner flair of the driver, well how much more if it’s a vintage car.

According to the Classic Car Club of America, a car is considered classic when it was produced between the early 20s and 40s, high-priced and built in limited quantities.

The grand launching of SM City Cebu’s The Northwing last October 10 did not only roll out great things in store for lifestyle shoppers but also exhibited rare classic car collections to tease the racer instincts of every car owner and gas up every driver’s car maneuver abilities.

The event was indeed in high gear as the Performance and Classic Car Enthusiasts of Cebu (PACE) displayed vintage automobiles owned by its 13 all men members. PACE was organized three years ago when a group of friends, who share the same interest with collecting vintage cars, decided to formally form a group. International furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, this year’s president, said that the group continuously comes up with fun drives/inter-island runs (quarterly) with routes going to Bohol through the Ro-Ro (roll-on/roll-off) or to other parts of the province. “We have to drive it a lot for the fun! We enjoy cars.”

According to member Chris Tio, when driving the classic toy, it requires 100 percent concentration since a vintage car is manually-operated unlike modern cars whose gears are automatically maneuvered. Driving a manual-operated car challenges the driver in him, he said.

Honorary member  Bobby Aboitiz’s 1966 Corvette, owned by former Filipino racer Dodgie Laurel, is one of the cars shipped to Manila to compete in the automobile competition that is judged according originality and quality of restoration, Concours d’ Elegance. To be one of the entries of the prestigious contest is an accomplishment in itself.

Cobonpue assures that only a trusted and knowledgeable mechanic can touch a rare classic car and you have to invest more on the maintenance in order to keep your toy handsome at all times.

PACE members include Bobby Aboitiz, Chris Tio, Dareen Deen, Glenn Soco, Grand Benedicto, Irwin Miranda, Jay Aldeguer, Joseph So, Kenneth Cobonpue, Louie Uy, Michael Lhuillier, Tony Lozada and Yong Larrazabal.

Here is a list of the rare classic cars owned by PACE members:

1. Glenn Soco’s 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder. The Porsche 550 Spyder is known to be the “Giant Killer”. This car is best and efficient for racing.   

2.  Chris Tio’s 1966 Pontiac GTO. The 1996 Pontiac GTO is considered by many the first true muscle car.  The GTO sold in great numbers and would fuel the competition between GM, Ford, and Chrysler that would keep the muscle car industry thriving for years to come.  

3. Kenneth Cobonpue’s 1961 Jaguar E-type Roadster. The 1961 Jaguar E-type convertible was unveiled to the public at the 1961 Geneva Auto Show. It has an elegant and professional look.

4. Jay Aldeguer’s 1978 Porsche 911 SC. The Porsche 911 SC, is considered as one of the worlds greatest sports cars. The design is well done and the car looks good in every angle.

5.Kenneth Cobonpue’s 1959 Porsche 356A convertible. The 1959 Porsche 356A was the first Porsche sports car that was hand built.  Today, this Porsche car is a highly-regarded collector car.  

6. Darren Deen’s 1965 Corvette Stingray. The international car magazine, Sports Car International, once rated the Corvette Stingray number 5 of the top sports cars. It is now one of the finest car collections in the Philippines.