May11

2012 Manila International Auto Show: Issues, Indian vehicles, and tons more images

by Jahan Kalam on May 11th, 2012 at 6:38 PM
Posted In: Features

First of all, I’d like to air a grievance.

I was supposed to have won some tickets for the 2012 MIAS, saving me and three other friends the steep entrance fee. A automotive media outfit with traffic signage for a name was giving away four tickets for the show, and I was one of the winners. I was informed via text message that I in fact won, and I can ask for the tickets two hours before I was to arrive for the show.

I went on Sunday, confirming my attendance the day before. No response. No free tickets. And I ended up pie-faced in front of my friends. A sour note to an otherwise decent car show.

This of course is not the first time I have had a bad experience at a car show, but at least I got a profuse apology from the organizer of the other event. Oh well, sometimes you get apples, sometimes you get worms. On with the rest of the article after the jump. And make sure you read on for the (more-or-less) 200 photos that we took with a brand-spanking new DSLR that I have absolutely no idea how to use.

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Apr30

Race Report: 2012 Shell Slalom Series 3nd Leg

by kuhol.net Staff on April 30th, 2012 at 1:05 PM
Posted In: Motorsports

Image credit: Race Motorsports Club

The 3rd leg of the 2012 Shell Slalom Series was held last April 22 in the recently-refurbished SM Southmall. The sounds of pissed-off four-bangers and the smell of rapidly-balding Federal 595EVOs wafted in the suburb city of Las Pinas. The usual suspects were present to kick the Kuhol Automotive Racing Team’s, or KART’s, Korean car keester. And they did, especially since we once again brought the KART B-car, a laughably bone-stock Hyundai Elantra, to the plate.

We love SM Southmall because it is very close to the kuhol.net Garage, like the previous slalom leg at SM Sucat. The allotted space for the track was quite small, thus making Southmall  the proverbial Monaco of slalom racing. Like the  Monegasque municipality, the renovated mall is quite posh, and its selling space design is up there with the tarted-up North Edsa and the massive MOA. Like the casino in Monte Carlo,  the mall is also after your hard-earned money.

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Apr14

Longtail Mclaren F1 GTR on the Auction Block

by kuhol.net Staff on April 14th, 2012 at 11:04 AM
Posted In: Features

Image Credit: http://www.racingmodels.com

Stop perusing the classifieds at Sulit.com.ph. Don’t wait for the Sunday Manila Bulletin. Hold your car purchases. This is the car that you should buy.

When car manufacturers first started building cars, they were plebeian, mere modes of transportation. When Mclaren, one of the most winning Formula 1 teams, decided to come out with their first road-going model, they came out with a car that became the Bugatti Veyron of the time, and remains still the fastest naturally-aspirated production car ever. This was the Mclaren F1.

When Mclaren decided to take the F1 sportscar racing, they reduced the power, stripped some weight off, added a rear wing, and make the tail end longer, and they came up with the GTR. They only made twenty-odd units of this car, strictly for racing, but that didn’t stop private owners to convert them to street use after their sojourn in worldwide motorsports.

What you see above you is the last ever GTR made, made especially special with the classic Gulf Oil racing livery draped on its carbon-fiber body. Well, actually, the picture is of a model of the actual car that is to be sold at the auction called Bonham’s Quail Lodge Sale in August. Buy the real one. It’s probably only a few million Pounds. For those with more humble means, there is that model car above in 1:43 scale, available to you, right now, for £28.50.

For a more drool-worthy gallery of the actual car, check out this one, courtesy of Top Gear.

Source: Top Gear UK

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Apr10

kuhol.net’s coverage of the 2012 Manila International Auto Show

by Chico Belandres on April 10th, 2012 at 9:21 AM
Posted In: Features

The world comes again to Manila to witness the 2012 Manila International Auto Show (MIAS), which was held from March 29, to April 1, 2012. With this year’s theme of “Life in the Fast Lane”, the event truly encapsulated how the local automotive industry is in full throttle to accommodate the market’s constantly-changing preferences brought about by rapid technological advancements and increasing market awareness on sustainability.

The MIAS has only one self-imposed mandate – to showcase the Philippine Automotive Industry’s finest in a world-class exposition which is attended by thousands of car enthusiasts. In fairness to the exhibitors, who pull out all the stops year after year,  show-goers always had much to see and much to look forward to. And so, what started as a modest event in 2005 exponentially grew to what it is today, as the biggest and much awaited motoring event in the Philippines.

Hoofing about the massive 2.60-hectare exhibit area was a delightful chore, as Worldbex, the organizer of the MIAS , utilized as much of the World Trade Center’s exhibition hall, tent spaces and outdoor environs as possible to stuff in as much auto erotica as humanly possible.

Ford and Hyundai, who parcelled out the biggest exhibit areas in the show, used the opportunity to introduce their new models. Hyundai brought out their latest city car, the Eon, and the asymmetrically-styled Veloster, while Ford unveiled their new Ranger and EcoBoost-ed Explorer. Subaru had their XV, while BMW brought out the German horses at their M division pavilion, even flying in the M5 fresh from Munich.

The perennial stunt show of Guinness record-holder precision driver Russ Swift was also held to enthral showgowers. But my favorite part of the show – and how I love them so – the car babes, man!

Check out our picture gallery of the event after the jump.

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Apr03

Interact with kuhol.net via our Social Networking accounts

by kuhol.net Staff on April 3rd, 2012 at 2:08 PM
Posted In: Features

Valued readers, just to let you know that you can be updated with the latest posts, interact with the kuhol.net crew and fellow readers, and otherwise have a more fulfilled experience at your favorite stopover in the Web, by interacting with us through our social media accounts. Like our Facebook page. Follow our Twitter account. And, new to the site, feel free to ask whatever asinine automotive-related question that you care (or dare) to with our new Formspring form.

Look left to see the actual thing, young Padawan.

If you have perused the site recently, you would have seen the Formspring widget on the left sidebar. Entering any question is so easy. Just write your query in the appropriate box and press “Send your question”. Questions can be asked anonymously. (Hmmm… we might just get a mess-load of hateful comments. In the words of the Philippine National Police, subukan niyo kami. Take that as you may.) We await your interesting and stumping questions.

Answered questions will be listed on the top of the question form. Read our Wikipedia- and Google-researched answers to your questions. Who knows, we might actually be right.

Don’t forget, you may also comment on each post via a Facebook-powered comment box or the WordPress comment box located at the bottom of each entry. Please let us know if we suck at writing or if we should just post fancy pictures of cars and discuss photography instead.

More entries forthcoming in the following days. We’ll keep you posted. Keep it slow!

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