Restored Quezon limos drawing curious onlookers at City Hall
November 7, 2004 | 12:00am
The 1937 Chrysler Airflow limousine of the late President Manuel L. Quezon and the 1937 Cabriolet used by Gen. Douglas MacArthur have become major attractions at the City Hall grounds in Quezon City, where they are temporally parked pending the completion of a city museum.
"Ang kapal ng bakal," noted a taxi driver who stopped to take a look at the pre-war presidential cars which were turned over by the National Historical Institute (NHI) to the Quezon City government the other day.
People going to City Hall have taken time out to inspect the limousines, peeking at the interiors and even touching part of the cars which were used by the two most powerful men in the late 30s.
A security guard had to put a temporary barrier to control the crowd that has been coming to City Hall.
Apart from thick bodies and the 16 and eight cylinder engines, the large wheels of the cars have also caught attention of automobile enthusiasts.
"Parang Pajero ang gulong," a City Hall employee said as he touched one of the tires.
After spending decades on display in Corregidor, the cars were turned over to the Quezon City government to form part of the memorabilia of Quezon.
Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., council majority leader Ariel Inton and other city officials received the vehicles on behalf of the city government.
According to the autoswalk website, the Chrysler Airflow, hailed as among the greatest cars in the world, was the most important vehicle in the 1930s. Not only did the airflow lead the way in terms of aerodynamics, it was the first mass market car in the world to use the modern architecture that has become the standard in the automobile industry.
Engineer Carl Breer, who was inspired by the shape of modern airplanes, designed the Airflow model.
The Cabriolet, on the other hand, was custom built by General Motors for the use of Quezon. The vehicle arrived in the country on Nov. 4 1937. In 1938, Quezon gave the vehicle to MacArthur as a gift for helping train and organize the military of the Commonwealth government.
Vintage car collector Dan Irish took 18 months to restore the Quezon limousine to its original condition.
"Ang kapal ng bakal," noted a taxi driver who stopped to take a look at the pre-war presidential cars which were turned over by the National Historical Institute (NHI) to the Quezon City government the other day.
People going to City Hall have taken time out to inspect the limousines, peeking at the interiors and even touching part of the cars which were used by the two most powerful men in the late 30s.
A security guard had to put a temporary barrier to control the crowd that has been coming to City Hall.
Apart from thick bodies and the 16 and eight cylinder engines, the large wheels of the cars have also caught attention of automobile enthusiasts.
"Parang Pajero ang gulong," a City Hall employee said as he touched one of the tires.
After spending decades on display in Corregidor, the cars were turned over to the Quezon City government to form part of the memorabilia of Quezon.
Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., council majority leader Ariel Inton and other city officials received the vehicles on behalf of the city government.
According to the autoswalk website, the Chrysler Airflow, hailed as among the greatest cars in the world, was the most important vehicle in the 1930s. Not only did the airflow lead the way in terms of aerodynamics, it was the first mass market car in the world to use the modern architecture that has become the standard in the automobile industry.
Engineer Carl Breer, who was inspired by the shape of modern airplanes, designed the Airflow model.
The Cabriolet, on the other hand, was custom built by General Motors for the use of Quezon. The vehicle arrived in the country on Nov. 4 1937. In 1938, Quezon gave the vehicle to MacArthur as a gift for helping train and organize the military of the Commonwealth government.
Vintage car collector Dan Irish took 18 months to restore the Quezon limousine to its original condition.
BrandSpace Articles
<
>
- Latest
- Trending
Trending
Latest
Trending
Latest
Recommended
November 23, 2024 - 12:00am
