I AM glad for Willy Soong that the Maserati centennial went on smoothly as planned in Italy only a while back. I can almost visualize a happy face for him in enthralling eternity during the momentous occasion, Willy being the country’s exclusive seller of Maserati.
Willy has always been the perennial lover of the good life. And what is good life if not also having some, if not one, of the best rides in the world—such as the Maserati. Willy’s own son, Mark, is fast following in his father’s own footsteps. If the son also rises, isn’t the father the proudest of them all?
And, if only to buttress Willy’s love of the exceptional, his luxury heavies also include the Ferrari and Jaguar, not to mention the Range Rover, too.
Willy has them all bunched up under one roof at BGC in Taguig—and more.
If that is not bravado, if not maverick machismo, what is?
Richer than Sy or RSA?
ONE time, I asked Willy: “With this array of luxury cars that you sell, people will easily consider you to be a billionaire, and perhaps even label you as richer than Henry Sy, John Gokongwei, Ricky Razon or even Ramon S. Ang?”
“By all means, I should be flattered by that,” Willy said. “But that’s not true. My cars are truly expensive but that’s because they are some of the world’s best, if not the best. I am a braveheart, I guess, that’s why I love to take challenges—and selling such cars is one battle I love doing.”
Car buffs in the world called the event, “the unique Maserati Centennial.”
It was highlighted by a three-day drive from Modena to Turin, Italy, the ceremonies kicking off on September 17 with a prologue in Bologna by the famed Fountain of Neptune that inspired the Maserati Trident Badge.
The iconic occasion officially started in Modena on September 18 and concluded on September 20 in Turin.
The three-day event included exhibitions and parades, a regularity competition, track practice session, guided tours of the two Maserati factories and a Concours d’Elegance, with cars and collectors from all over the world taking part.
Modena Pavarotti country, too
IN case you still don’t know, Modena, besides being Maserati country, is also the birthplace of Luciano Pavarotti, who, I would say, is the greatest tenor of all time.
Thus, when Pavorotti came to Manila in the 1990s, I didn’t pass up the chance to watch him live at the CCP. Tickets had been sold out but who would pop out, of nowhere but Bert Nievera, who handed me a most precious ticket for the Pavarotti show worth P3,000.
Even as Pavarotti (may Dear God give eternal peace to his soul) was nursing colds, he sang with gusto; after he did Nessun Dorma, my seatmate, Larry Henares, stood up and, while applauding, kept on shouting, “bravo! bravo! bravo!” at the top of his lungs.
Was Willy there, too, that night of nights?
Anyways, I am sure Willy was in the Modena-to-Turin Maserati Centenary show, awe-struck and gasping for breath in joyful disbelief watching all the more than 200 Maseratis of all periods, both classic and modern, during the parade through Italian towns along the route.
Yes, I was told that a full complement of road models, from the Trident marquee’s history, took part, including the A6GCS/53, 3500 GT, 5000 GT, Sebring, Mistral, Mexico, examples of the original Ghibli and, Quattroporte, Bora, Indy and Khamsin. And was the stunning Boomerang prototype also there, along with cars from the current model range?
Maseratis from China
MASERATI owners that paraded came from the United States, China, South Korea, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan. The classics came from Australia, Norway, Sweden, Great Britain, France, Germany and Greece. A special convoy of Maseratis from China took a monthlong trip from Beijing starting mid-August, crossing the whole of Asia and entering Russia at Ekaterinburg. It also touched Moscow and passed through Minsk, Warsaw, Prague and Munich, arriving in Milan en route to Modena.
Cheers to you, Willy boy! And to your son Mark, too. I can almost imagine the priceless pride and joy etched in your faces and carved in your hearts while the event was on.
And, hey, Willy boy, how’s your golf? With your Maseratis, Ferraris and Jaguars (what, Lamborghinis, too?) all lumped up in your crowded calendar of priorities, do you still have time whacking that white, dimpled ball and setting Guinness records such as the longest golf round of all time, which you already did only a while back, by the way? Man, you are really something. Here’s a glass to your “beautiful madness.” Why do I say that?
Only the moneyed can afford to splurge on “beautiful madness.”
PEE STOP
Ray Butch “Elvis” Gamboa will make me vote in his Auto Focus Media’s Choice Awards anew on October 11 because in his letter to me, he said I am an “esteemed friend of his.” Even if I am not, I’ll be there, Elvis. Just make sure you’ll be there when I arrive to vote for the cars with the best engine performance, best design, best safety features and best value for money, with the winners accordingly feted on November 6. Cheers!…
Philippine Airlines finally resumes operation for its Manila-to-New York flight on March 15, 2015, one of the signature moves of outgoing PAL President Ramon S. Ang and which has been given the green light by PAL Chairman and COO Dr. Lucio C. Tan.
Said Tan: “This is an auspicious start of regular flights to New York as it coincides with PAL’s 74th founding anniversary.” Flights will be Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday… The refined and redefined Chevrolet Captiva 4X2 A/T turbo-diesel can now be had for P128K all-in, according to Covenant’s charmer Lyn Buena. Isn’t that a steal? Cheers!…
Thank you to SMC’s Raffy Ledesma for having my stalled pickup towed through Petron’s Value Card, which provides free towing services. Cheers!