Garota de Ipanema

While Antonio Carlos Jobim’s ‘bossa nova masterpiece ;’The Girl From Ipanema’ enchanted the world in the mid 60’s, it had started then our appreciation too for Brazil, samba, lovely garota and football. The sports legend ‘Pele’ which is regarded as the greatest football player, cemented my awareness of Brazil!

In the automotive world in the 70’s the Philippines tried to implement its ‘Alcogas car fuel program’ during the same time that Brazil’s started their own ethanol program. The stark difference though is that our nation stopped that program in such a short time but Brazil persisted and now is regarded as the leader in Ethanol fuel. On a good note, we have recently restarted our alcogas program based on the Brazilian success story.

The 70’s also marked the height of the popularity of locally assembled CKD (completely knock-down) units of Volkswagen. These were performed by DMG Pilipinas and included among others, the VW Brasilia. A wonderful VW, that somehow has a VW411 front and a VW Golf box-hatch silhouette! It was a hit over here back then, much like Jobim’s classic bossa nova tune! The local VW outfit assembled the Brazilian-made VW Beetle, VW Passat and VW Brasilia until the early 80’s….after which operations sadly stopped. While in contrast, Brazil continues to produce VW’s to this date. Lucky for them!

Luck is pouring my way this year and among them would be getting my scale version of the VW Brasilia. ‘Obrigado’, goes to my Rio de Janeiro friend for the wonderful car!



A great memento is the literature to go with the collection. The VW Brasilia is part of a motor periodical’s celebration of the history of classic Brazilian cars.
Front of Literature

Rear of Literature

Pages



Centerfold... The Girl From Ipanema

.....Swings so cool and sways so gentle, That when she passes each one she passes goes "a-a-ah!"

Seja feliz!

Last hurrah for the summer!

It’s peculiar season again. A time when summer is about to end and the rainy days are about to set in, is upon us once more! For the weather tracker, it’s shaping to be a very unusual year; El Nino for the 1st half, La Nina for the other half! For the rest of us, the optimist kind, we’d use this period for the last leg of summer fun.

These images then come to mind; A car of your choice and a scenic camping destination thrown in.


A better image would be; A group of friends sharing the same love of cars, a breath-taking vacation escape and water-fun on blue waters!



Hurrah!!!

We are the Champions!

Last year, on its 40th birthday the legendary Porsche 917 was bestowed the title “The Greatest Race Car in History”. I always have a fondness of the 917, as it has the mystical imagery of power and success. I akin this to a fire spewing dragon; a mighty beast to conquer and a powerful force to respect!
Scale car manufacturer are not immune with the unique fascination and magnetism of the legendary 917. One of them is Safir of France under the ‘CHAMPION’ branding, and their versions are nonetheless real champions in their own right.

These two possess the old world charm that only vintage 3” scale car have.

I’m partial to the appealing 3” products of the 1970’s. These fit the bill!

CHAMPION Porsche 917 #22 Martini 1971 Lemans Winner (white)

CHAMPION Porsche 917 #23 Salzburg 1970 Lemans Winner (red)

Island Vacation

Cebu Vacation, May 22 to 24, 2010 with a newfound local friend!

I'll let the pics (and caption) do the narrating :-)

Islander diecast from Lahug. Locally sourced for a memorable stay in Cebu.

Getting filled up... for a sensory delight of a vacation!
Start of a refreshing experience and jolts of fun!

Art of appreciation.

Bai (friend)...hey this is a Baywindow bus! Fitting!

Art of sitting.

Sombrero roundabout.

Missed "Tipaklong"....so I sketched him!

Waking up early for a great day!

View from our hotel room balcony... breathtaking!

Breakfast with a view of the beach.

Relaxing on beach lounge chair.

Jacuzzi with a view of the horizon...perfect!
Infinity pool, fools the eye.

Mactan beach, sun...

and sea! I love it!

CINELLI “Bic-Eclectic”

Caught a glimpse of this one in my shelf; A scale bicycle like no other, fitted with a mix of unusual parts.
A spur to revisit my 1:1 unusual bicycle…



My Cinelli revisited
A good friend gave me this vintage Italian bicycle (detailed story somewhere in my earlier blog). I restored it but took a different route. I’ll call it Neo-Vintage; a mix of well-worn vintage parts (with oxidation, rust & scratches), refinished vintage parts and updated with non-conformist use of newer parts. A eclectic blend of old and new stuff.
Cinelli bikes have cult following in the same vein as Vespas, Lambrettas & Lamborghinis. They are design objects of desire!

My 60’s Cinelli head-badge. Brass & enamelled. 51mm size

They don't make them like they use too; intricate lugged brazing : Cinelli CS stamped lugs.

70mm x 36mm Bottom bracket lugged brazing detail

Vintage 1971 model Shimano Crane GS (DR 102) works! The very first Dura-Ace model.

Drop-out are Campagnolo 1010A , read : BREV CAMPAGNOLO

Vintage 1972 Shimano Dura-Ace EA-100 works! The first generation Dura-Ace model.

Old-school bracket, clamp on

Vintage 1960's Campagnolo 1006/A front hub by on Campagnolo fork ends

Newer quick release

Vintage hub on Campy drop-out

Meaty Panaracer tire on Ritchey makes for a comfortable ride

Vintage Cinelli stem 1A with the old logo

Newer Truvativ crank

Vintage legendary Unicanitor saddle in new cover

Vintage Belgian Weinmann Type 500 brakes

Weinmann Type 730 brake clears the big tire

A new use for vintage shifter bracket

A new use for one vintage bicycle….my personal joy ride!