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Winter 2009 , Cover Stories, Car Chatter, Car Chatter
Triumph in the Philippines
Unoffically, the Manila Sports Car Club started in the late 60's when a handful of students would meet at their university with their sports cars. Our "Car Chatter" pal, Andy, then owned a Triumph TR4.
When he was 15, his father gave Andy Sta. Maria a Mercedes Benz to drive. By almost any teener’s standards, this would have been a dream fulfilled - but Andy wasn’t duly impressed. It was 1963. In those days, Benzes were the preferred automobiles of taxi companies in the Philippines, where Andy grew up. More embarrassed than elated, Andy put “Powered by Pontiac” decals and all sorts of things on his Benz to disguise its more pedestrian application. In 1966 his father bought a new Ford Mustang. Andy’s friends were impressed; Andy was not. Why, it had drum brakes and cart springs! It was agricultural compared to his basic-model Mercedes. Meanwhile a friend in the fraternity began turning up in school in a red MGA. That caught Andy’s attention. The MGA had two seats, two carbs and four-on-the-floor. Obviously this was his car, not like Andy’s four-door sedan which his parents might use to go to church in. That narrowed Andy’s focus to sports cars. Later that year, when Andy’s father bought him a Triumph TR4, Andy’s course was set.
A year later, while attending business school, Andy introduced himself to Amado Castro, a dean and professor at Andy’s university. The two had almost identical sports cars – Triumph TR4s. A professor at a neighboring university, Rolf Kleindienst, who was restoring a 1952 MG TD, made up the triumvirate of sports car aficionados Other enthusiasts occasionally joined their get-togethers.. This was the beginning of the Manila Sports Car Club. The club had a hiatus for a number of years when its three founding members went abroad for various reasons, but the three found themselves back in the Philippines in the late 70s. They then started the club in earnest.
Upon his return to Manila, Andy brought home a 1969 Lotus Elan S4 DHC. The Lotus Elan Series 4 was the last iteration of a model that was first produced in the mid 1960s. Andy had bought his from La Monsa Motors in New Jersey in 1977. For a year, while studying in the USA, he had driven the car in trips along the U.S. eastern seaboard, going as far down as Atlanta, Georgia and as far north as Cape Cod. It was then painted black with gold bumpers. Since then Andy has restored it himself three times. A few years after his arrival in Manila, Andy took the Lotus apart down to its chassis, aiming to restore it to a completely stock Elan. The only departure was a new engine prepared by Vegantune, an English specialist in Lotus twincams. Except for the painting, Andy did all of the restoration work himself. Black and gold gave way to British racing green and white. In 1995 the Lotus underwent another frame-up restoration. This time Andy set up the Elan for vintage racing. Magnesium strut housings, 26R wheels, light-alloy differential and gearbox casings and an aluminum radiator were among the modifications Andy made, with Tony Thompson Racing of England as his principal source. In its new incarnation, the Elan was yellow with a white bottom and white roundels with the racing number “45.” Original carpeting, wood dashboard and electric windows were also added. In this appearance, the Lotus won “Best Classic Sports Car” and “Best in Class” in the 1998 Westin Philippine Plaza Concours d’Elegance. In June 2000, Andy completed his third restoration of the Elan. Retiring it from competition, he brought it back to street trim. It now has a new chassis built to the original competition specification by a specialist in England and rose-jointed suspension as with the factory race cars, but is otherwise very original. It looks brand new. And this time it’s back to British racing green over white.
“I am a Lotus buff, and the Elan is to me the epitome of the traditional 1960s sports car,” says this collector who regards the 1960s as the golden era of sports cars.
Aside from the Elan, Andy has one other Lotus: a 1998 Lotus Elise. “The Lotus Elise is a very narrow-purpose car, a scalpel intended for a specific use. Road & Track called it the best handling car in the world. It has no carpets, no radio, no air-conditioning, nothing unrelated to its purpose. It is very precise and light. One just thinks of a turn, and it turns!” marvels Andy.
The Lancia Stratos is a 1970s car. It uses the same V6 Ferrari engine as the 246, yet its character is so different. Whereas the Dino is quite refined, the Stratos is a competition car with no frills. “It snarls and will bite you if you’re not careful. It will not tolerate the insensitive driver. It’s been 22 years since I bought the Stratos, but I still get a thrill every time I drive it,” Andy professes.
For a time, Andy owned a very special Lotus: a 1963 Lotus 23. This is a sports racing car of which only about 130 were produced. “It was a great car,” Andy says. “With the famous champion Jim Clark at the wheel, it beat Ferraris, Aston Martins, and Porches at the Nurburgring. Ours was a very original, pristine car with a great history. It was the famous Ecurie Shirlee race car. Sadly, I sold it two years ago, when I decided to stop racing.”
The other cars comprising his present collection are a 1948 MG TC, a 1959 MGA, a 1972 Ferrari 246GT, a 1976 Lancia Stratos and a 2004 Porsche GT3.
The MG TC, with its separate wings (or fenders) and tall, spindly wire wheels, is actually a 1930’s car whose production life was interrupted by World War II. The TC, many of which were brought to the U. S. by servicemen returning home from England after the war, in troduced the concept of “sports car” to the United States. “It is a very basic car and the steering is heavy, but its windshield folds flat, it is very small and sprightly, and it has many idiosyncrasies that make it very period and a very endearing car,” Andy opines.
Andy’s MGA is a new purchase. In 1955 the MGA was introduced as a “modern” version of
the MG TC. However, Andy observes that when one drives the MGA, its genetic link to the 1948 MG TC becomes quite evident. “Its simplicity is quite refreshing,” he says, “and since it was manufactured way before airbags, crumple zones, and five-mph bumpers, it provides the driver with a motoring experience one just cannot get in a modern car.”
The Ferrari 246 is the last of a line first introduced in 1969. The 246 is called a “Dino” after Ferrari’s only son Alfredino, whose death at a very young age devastated Ferrari. “It doesn’t say Ferrari on it anywhere, except on the manufacturer’s plate,” explains Andy, “but it’s regarded as the loveliest Ferrari ever. It’s a very traditional 1960s grand touring (GT) car, meant to be driven with arms stretched out to the steering wheel in the typical Italian driving position.” Andy’s Dino, a “Dino blue” U.S. model with parchment interior, is unrestored but in wonderful original condition. With only 10,000 miles, it was supposed to have been the lowest mileage 246GT in the United States when he acquired it.
Finally, there is the 2004 Porsche GT3. Andy is of the opinion that Porsche been putting out blander, more accommodating cars over the years to appeal to a wider market. “They’ve become larger, more comfortable and luxurious, departing from the very sports-oriented formula that endeared the brand to enthusiasts. The GT3 is different from the regular Porsche. It has fixed competition seats that don’t even tilt back, minimal carpeting, a full roll cage, and a special engine. It’s what a Porsche should be,” says this sports car aficionado of some 40-odd years.
When asked what got him started in collecting vintage sports cars, Andy frankly states: “I really didn’t start out to have a collection or concentrate on vintage sports cars. It just happened that I managed to buy a few sports cars over the years and, with the passage of time, they became ‘vintage’.”
With regards to restoring cars, he has this to say: “I think a vintage car should always be kept original and uprated only with accessories or modifications available in its period. I think ‘improving’ a vintage car with modern parts or technology is pointless. I feel they should drive the way they did when new.”Andy acknowledges that he is very lucky to have gotten cars that were in very good condition to begin with, but he is also very careful in maintaining the cars’ originality. He takes good care of them and keeps them in a dehumidified garage. Although he takes the cars out on meets and he used to race the MG TC and the Lotus Elan, he tries not to use any of the cars in the rain. “Rain can really ruin a car, particularly the early ones, which have no rustproofing at allExcept for the MGA which needs some work but cosmetically looks very good, all the cars of Andy Sta. Maria are in concours or near concours condition. The MG TC won Best-of-Show in the 1998 Manila Sports Car Club-Sofitel Concours d’Elegance, the Lotus Elan was the highest-point car in the same competition, losing to the TC only because it was a younger car, the Stratos won Best-of-Show at the annual Trans Sport Show and the Dino is in remarkable original condition.“With all these accomplishments, what’s next?” we ask this collector extraordinaire. “The challenge,” he declares, “is to pass on the torch to the new generation.”
Today, the trio of car enthusiasts that used to meet under the acacia trees of the University of the Philippines has increased to over 300 members, all of whom share a passion for both old and new sports cars. The Manila Sports Car Club is the oldest and largest car club in the Philippines. It organizes the premier vintage car event – the MSCC Concours d’Elegance – organizes tours, hill climbs for sports cars, and maintains a vintage racing series which draws enthusiasts from around Asia. Andy is especially encouraged as he sees children accompanying their fathers to the club events and hopes that they too will become enthusiasts to carry on the tradition that Andy, Amado and Rolf helped to establish.