2010 Manila Auto Salon: Custom and tuned cars that rock
Rocking the car scene
The Manila Auto Salon rocked the Philippine custom and tuned car scene this 2010 this past November 18-21 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.
The year's theme is Mad About Styling and Tuning, as the leaders of the automotive aftermarket scene converged to present their latest custom car creations under one roof. Organized by Tradeshow International, the 4th Manila Auto Salon had 3 other shows running concurrently: the 15th Custom Car Show, the 15th Sport Truck Show, and the 4th Mobile Electronics and Technology Show.
There were numerous tuner and custom cars on display, competing for Best of Show. A fully restored Karmann Ghia was there, along with other classic and vintage cars like the Buick Eight among others. Truck specialists 199 Off-Road House, 112 LC House, Dr. G's Car Clinic and Jeff's Off-Road came swinging with a collection of powerful off-road monsters and show trucks, minus the mud, though one car, a 1989 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 came with an extra dose of mud.
Notable tuner cars were the E46 BMW of Ian King which had its engine swapped with a monster engine from an LS3 Corvette, the imagination gone wild creation of A-toy Bodykits converting an R33 GT-R to an R35 GT-R, and a Nissan Cefiro A31 morphed into an R34 Skyline. Emperor Motorsports displayed a lineup of HKS-equipped Japanese performance cars - a Nissan GT-R, Nissan 370Z, Mistubishi Evo X, and Nissan 350Z. The Speedlab stable featured a stand full of affordable performance tuned machines like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis, Subaru Forester, and Impreza. Coming in strong with both show and go, were Autoline's customized Honda Civic FD and Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Serious drift machines from Autoplus (400++hp Motul S13), AutoIndustriya.com (300hp A31 Cefiro), A-toy Bodykits (1JZGTE powered A31 Cefiro), and Ultra Racing (S15) was also on the show floor.
A unique addition to the bevy of performance-tuned and fully customized show cars and trucks included A-toy's party van concepts, taking the definition of the R-V to a new level, while wheel giants led by Philippine Aluminum Wheels Inc. displayed proudly Philippine-made Rota Wheels, and Concept One had the Race of Champions cars on display.
Apart from the major competitions, other exciting activities for showgoers included Speedlab's Zero to Hero Automotive Workshop, where they transformed a showroom stock car into a mean street machine over the course of the 4-day show. Tuason Racing School also held the Virtual Track Challenge to give participants a feel of what a race driver has to do, along with the Champions of the Future program where TRS gave children ages 8-12 a chance to participate in grassroots kart racing. Notable cars in the show were the 1928 Graham-Paige of Herman Zapp and the stretched BMW 7-Series party limo of extreme tuner Ian King.
Highlighting the 4th Mobile Electronics and Technology Show was the European Mobile Media Association sound-off competition which filled the SMX Convention Center parking lot during the weekend with loud and proud music machines, while the exhibition halls featured the demo vehicles of mobile entertainment equipment suppliers.
The 2010 Manila Auto Salon is supported by Solar Auto Club, Allied Bank, Premiere Condoms, Business Mirror, Businessworld, Manila Bulletin, Daily Tribune, Manila Times, Philippine Star, Crossover 105.1, Dream 106.7, DZRH, Home Radio 97.9, RJ 100.3, UR 105.9, C! Magazine, Top Gear, Power Wheels, Ride and Drive, Auto Extreme, Jack TV, Viva Prime, Stoplight, Auto Review Motorola, Quali Plus, Coltrans, Autoindustriya.com, Bigbigcar.com. Kotse.com, Manila I-Lounge.com, Tsikot.com, Car-Part.com, and SEV-Japan.
