We — as in we “agemates” — surely remember the American muscle cars of the ’60s and ’70s. Really! Who can forget the Ford Mustang, Shelby Cobra, Chevrolet Corvette, Camaro, Pontiac GTO, Le Mans and Firebird, Dodge Charger and Challenger, Oldsmobile 88, Plymouth Barracuda and many other dream cars. They were, indeed, in a class of their own!
When I found out that Valenzuela Rep. Weslie Gatchalian collected die-cast toy muscle cars, I lost no time in reaching out to him so that I could share this fabulous collection.
Weslie felt these icons should not just rust away and be forgotten. So they found a very special place in his heart and in his home.
“My fascination with American muscle cars started when I was six or eight years old. I remember I used to have a poster in my bedroom of vintage cars and I think that’s what lit the spark for my collecting these muscle toy cars,” says Wes.
In my case, I grew up in a house full of cars as my late father Emerson was really a true-blue car aficionado, and avid car collector. My brother Jody was a star-studded racer throughout his adult life.
I’d always wanted to be a racer as a teen but my dreams were nipped in the bud after an accident while practicing in Tanay where I totaled a Ford Escort of a friend. Still, I was immersed in a world of gas-guzzling muscle cars and full-sized luxury cars of the ’60s and the ’70s and beyond until my father’s death. There were a Tornado, Galaxie 500, LTD Brougham, Mercedes 220SE, Fleetwood Cadillac, Continental Mark II, Pontiac Catalina and Lancia Flaminia sports car in our garage, all at one time!
Sitting down with Wes and his lovely wife, Tiffany brought back the best memories of my youth: the carefree, ideal years, and my most unforgettable firsthand experiences with the best cars of those decades.
I recalled my late mother, Alice, had her share of cool cars, too. She drove herself to school and around town in a black Thunderbird with a white top and portholes, a white Ford Mustang, an aqua Chevy II, olive green Dodge Charger, red Cougar and a bright yellow Jaguar XKE! They sure don’t make them like that anymore.
“About 80 percent of my collection is American muscle toy cars,” says Wes. “The upgrades made on them back in the ’60s and ’70s were truly awesome. Every new-year model would look totally different from its predecessors unlike the cars of today where the upgrades are barely visible and the tweaks are hardly noticeable.”
He’s mostly tried to keep his collection of die-cast cars the same size. “The 1:80 ratio of my die-cast collection helps me keep them well arranged and displayed. But I do have two bigger models which were gifts from friends — the Shelby Cobra and Ford GT which are 1:12,” he says.
“A fairly disciplined collector” is how Wes describes himself. Yet he does try to collect the entire series of every model.
When arranged on a shelf, the different models — like the Stingray, Shelby and Mustang — are just amazing. You can see how every car model evolves and changes every year, showing the creativity and imagination of the designers. No matter people want to own one so badly!
“I am really proud of the rarity of my collection,” says Wes.
He only purchases new cars when he travels with his family. “Every model I buy is a souvenir of our trip with my wife and son. Every piece reminds us of the beautiful times while traveling together,” he adds.
“During our honeymoon, I bought this whole set of cars from our limousine driver in Las Vegas who happened to be a huge toy car collector,” he says of a 39-piece pewter collection on display. In Japan, he came upon a car museum, apparently owned by the owner of Toyota. “That place, I tell you, is to die for!”
He finds it difficult to name his favorites. “The red Lamborghini Countach is the most unique in my collection. I am also partial to the Bugatti Chiron, Bugatti EB110, Pagani Huayra, Ford GT concept car, Shelby Cobra USRRC, Bentley Mulsanne, Jaguar XJ220, Aston Martin DB5, Corvette Z06R, Mercedes-AMG GT-R, McLaren F1 Le Mans, Bentley and, of course, the Mustang.” His four-year-old son, William, has taken up Wes’s interest, though the congressman cautions, “He knows he cannot touch and play with my collection, so I get him Hot Wheels instead. Sometimes we have the same model — his in Hot Wheels and mine in die-cast.” Lucky William!
He has a few Mini Coopers too, and die-cast Batmobiles from every Batman movie, although he has yet to get his hands on a 1966 Batmobile from the TV series.
“I would still love to find a Nissan Fairlady 280Z and a 1971 Ford GT,” enthuses Wes.
Who knows? The next item in Wes’s collection could be the Special Edition Mustang named after Steve McQueen — the Steel Mustang Bullitt. In real life, only 300 units will be manufactured per year, surely making it one of the most sought-after Mustangs.
Though he’s starting to run out of space, he notes these toys increase in value as the manufacturers do not mass-produce them — some models are priced in the range of $300 to $500 now. “I find these cars the ultimate toys for the big boys. They are macho, noisy and have huge engines,” he adds. Indeed, a lot of muscle! Truly, the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys!
What a difference time makes. Lifestyle, technology, mass transport, family sizes, jam-packed roads and parking spaces dictate that cars be smaller, more economical and less flamboyant.
Maybe this generation has missed out on the thrill of gas-guzzlers, drive-ins movies, jukeboxes, turntables and vinyl.
But collectors continue to keep the past alive and with us. Not only to relive our youth, but to let the next generations discover what they have truly missed.
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Email the author at nikkicoseteng2017@gmail.com or text her at 0997-4337145.