Matteo’s dream car show

MANILA, Philippines - Matteo Guidicelli is on cloud nine the fact that he’s busy for the very right reasons. For one, he is taping episodes for a program he finds really close to his heart.

Being a car enthusiast, Matteo accepted a hosting job for a car show that more importantly puts him in a position to drive cars, discuss them in-depth and get to know more about car people and industry innovations. 

The show Wheels TV airs Saturdays on ABS-CBN’s Sports + Action Channel.    

Matteo said in a chat with The STAR, “It’s always a dream for me to have a TV show about cars and talk about car. It’s a dream come true.”

The 30-minute weekly program is the TV counterpart of this paper’s well-read motoring section Wheels. Having said that, it makes a lot of sense that Matteo will be co-hosting it with The STAR’s Angel Rivero, and as a valuable add-on, gets expert’s advice from the paper’s top motoring journalists Uly Ang, Manny de los Reyes, Kap Maceda Aguila and lawyer Karen Jimeno.

Matteo, who is also busy as he is starring in the ABS-CBN TV series adaptation of Inday Bote, emphasized, “Cars is like my life and my first love. I started off because of racing when I was 11 years old.”

Wheels TV is described as “an exciting show packed with all things automotive.” It will include the discussion of subjects ranging from “how to improve fuel efficiency” to the “best-kept secrets from places where road trips are common.”

One of today’s most sought-after heartthrobs on TV, Matteo will be driving a variety of cars for the show — something that makes him all the more thrilled. He related, “I really love testing different cars. I will be driving different cars every week and talk about them.”

Televiewers can expect to see almost all kinds of vehicles when they watch, or as its publicist noted — “from hatchbacks to subcompacts, from SUVs to family vans, from supercars to luxury sedans.”

One episode will actually feature a proper circuit training which should help the public in achieving a better understanding of car control and “why racing should be done only in race tracks and not on the streets.”    

The show, Matteo claimed, is for both the technical car person and regular motorists. He thinks those who can drive can benefit from it, or as he explains it, “whether you are looking for a car for racing na manual at matigas lahat para maramdaman mo ang power at ingay, or if you are a normal user wanting a smooth car wherein you won’t feel the bumps.”

Segment host Kap believes that Matteo’s presence on the show will make it more attractive to viewers. He said, “Definitely his celebrity status is a plus to the show.”