However, this time the Makati-based company did not only go home with the Best in Paint award. It got three more including the Best of Show plum.
Hannah’s winning entry was a royal blue 1996 Honda Civic VTi which was made to look like a Civic SiR with a one-of-a-kind interior. It was the hottest car at the show inspected to no end by enthusiasts who simply couldn’t believe that it has Sparco rear seats, Sparco center armrest, Sparco sidings, and Sparco gauges.
"Where did you get all these?" was the usual question to Hannah owner Jowel Pelayo. "From Sparco," was always his ready answer.
That was not true, of course. Anyone familiar with Sparco knows that this company which specializes in racing equipment only makes front seats, steering wheels, pedals, knobs, and racewear. Never in its almost 30-year history did it make rear seats and center armrests, much less sidings and gauges.
"I had them all custom-made," confessed Pelayo later at his shop along Bautista street, just after the Iglesia ni Cristo church. "I found a good upholsterer – Mang Boy – and my wife shopped for the materials in Divisoria. We asked Mang Boy to copy the design of the front seats to make the interior completely unique. The gauge face, on the other hand, was done by a friend."
Pelayo admitted that his Civic’s unique interior made the car win the Best of Show award. Having used almost all the tricks in the book when it comes to car shows, he knew judges would be looking for things they’ve never seen before. The idea of making an all-Sparco interior hit him one night while about to sleep.
"I just thought about it and it made me laugh. It was a crazy idea but it worked," he said. "Nowadays, anybody can produce a show car by painting it correctly inside and out. But I know I had to do something different."
Pelayo complemented his Civic’s grey-and-white interior by painting the car’s side mouldings and speaker covers silver. The decision gave an accent to the car, highlighting its lines. He completed the package by adding a Sparco cap – this time original – infront of the third brake light.
It has been more than a month since he won yet Pelayo still couldn’t stop laughing at himself for having thought of the Sparco trick. He laughs all the more when people go to his shop wanting to buy Sparco rear seats. "We will have to order that from the US," he tells them with a naughty grin. – Junep Ocampo