MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-Iranian Joey Mead King wears many hats—model, runway coach, TV presenter, animal rights advocate, wife… and car enthusiast.
"I have always loved cars. I have big appreciation for cars. Most specially classic cars,muscle cars. In fact, just recently I got myself my first muscle car, my first mustang," Joey shared in an interview with Philstar.com during the opening of HistoryCon at the World Trade Center.
Joey is one of the contestants of "Celebrity Car Wars," a rollicking, new hour-long action reality series on History Channel which aims to put the driving skills of Asia’s most famous, socially connected, articulate and gorgeous celebrities to the test.
Being a wife to Angelina Mead King, a well-known automotive businessman and car racing aficionado, Joey has learned to embrace the world of automotive, admitting that she almost tried restoring a 1967 Mustang Fastback.
"Last year I was in between a 1967 Mustang Fastback. I was comparing it to a 2016 mustang but I ended up getting myself a 2013," Joey shared.
Asked why she did not push through with bringing the 1967 Mustang Fastback to the Philippines, Joey said transforming a classic car into something that would fit her choices is not as simple as changing a tire. It takes plenty of skill and confidence to cut up a classic car.
In addition, Joey feels like the road infrastructure of the Philippines is not classic-car friendly.
"I could not do it to the owner. I want to restore its inside, but I feel like having a classic car in the Philippines is not that okay because our roads are not the best," she explained.
"Mas maganda na may classic car ka in another country because the roads are a lot smoother."
For Joey, classic cars are meant to be enjoyed and to be driven as frequently as possible.
And with the current road infrastructure in the Philippines, it may mean that classic car owners could drive it only once a week.
Joey grew up in Australia and came back to Manila in her early teens. The fashion world warmly welcomed her into its fold and she has since stomped runways and graced magazine covers all over Asia and New York.
While in Hong Kong, she became the first Filipina VJ for Channel V, and was model mentor on "Asia’s Next Top Model." On "Celebrity Car Wars," Joey can’t wait to get onto the track and strut her stuff. — Interview by Efigenio Toledo IV