Cruising to Clark in an 89 Vette

Admittedly, a 1989 Chevrolet Corvette isn’t exactly what you may call a classic car. According to professionals in the classic car hobby, a car may only be considered as a “classic” when it has left its mark among the majority of car enthusiasts as a desirable and collectible automobile. On the other hand, experts also state that a car may only be called a vintage automobile when it has aged 25 years or older.

But last May 6, the question whether the 89 Vette qualifies as a classic car became moot as it ran with cars of various makes and vintages for the 1st Power Cruise and Hot Rod Festival. The little red corvette, which is owned by Lee Martin Kierulf, stretched its 5.7-liter V8-powered legs to join several other Corvettes, Thunderbirds, Camaros, Mustangs and Firebirds of various vintages from the Shell Balintawak station to the Picnic Grounds of Clark Airbase in Pampanga.

Driven by yours truly, the Vette took the North Luzon Toll Ways in stride in a convoy of American Muscle with a silver 1969 Corvette and a yellow 1970 Corvette of Toti de Leon and his brother; a maroon 1966 Mustang fastback driven by Toti’s son Mike; a 1969 Mustang GT that was made to look like a “Twister” clone; a blue-with-white-stripes 1970 Chevrolet Camaro of Earl Manalansan; a black 80s Camaro of Raymond Reyes; a 1969 El Camino SS 396 of Ben Lim; and a “gangsta” trio of a 1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air two-door sedan, 1967 Pontiac Le Mans and a 70s Lincoln Continental, which are owned by Lee. Lee’s brother and the brains behind the Power Cruise, Jan Kierulf, drove his red-with-white-stripes 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 clone because his other car, the award-winning 1967 Mustang restored and modified by Alex Isip of Alex Restoration to look like the movie car “Eleanor” of “Gone in 60 Seconds”, was still being detailed before the cruise.

Besides the American muscle cars, the 1st Power Cruise and Hot Rod Festival was joined by clubs that are composed of Volkswagen Beetle enthusiasts, Mini Cooper owners, Mercedes-Benz club members, BMW owners and sports car owners, including a vintage Lotus Europa “breadbox” sports car and a couple of MG and MGBs. There was even a Ferrari Maranello 575 berlinetta but it left early while several motorcyclists on Harley-Davidsons and Ducatis also joined the Festival.

Car enthusiasts from Pampanga including the Angeles Hot Rod Association and the Low Riders Club came in force with their drag race Camaros and trick 1963-70 Impalas while Autotechnika conducted a Dyno Shoot-out between a black-with-red 1967 Camaro convertible and an orange-with-black 1969 Camaro.

Towards the afternoon, people milled around the stage area to see FHM Cover Girl Jocelyn Oxlade host the show and pop group Orange & Lemons belt out their hits. The Festival, which is sponsored by Shell in cooperation with Pepsi and co-sponsored by Design Tecnik Motorsports, Meguiars, Hot Wheels, Mizuno, SKF, Rota, American Racing, CITGO and DubShop, handed out awards for outstanding cars that were displayed during the rolling car show while everybody was stuffed with a Texas-style barbeque lunch.

Heading home, I drove the Corvette ahead of my convoy and made a slight detour towards my parent’s house so I could show it to my 7-year-old daughter Genevie Marie, who I nicknamed “Vette”, before I returned the red Vette. She was thrilled with the car and told me that I should get her one when she turns 18 because the car bears her name. Sigh… At least, I have eleven years to save up and by that time, the 1989 Chevrolet Corvette will definitely be a classic…