Friday, 07 December 2012 10:20
Versailles Alabang: Getaway to a little piece of Mediterranean living
Words by Jade Lu | Photos by Christopher Kho
If you’ve been to the Chateau de Versailles in France, it wouldn’t be uncommon to daydream about how the likes of King Louis XIV and his successors lived in such luxury and lavishness. It must have been quite the lifestyle waking up to its regal architecture and lush foliage everyday. On the other hand, for those of you who have yet to step into this Mediterranean mansion, now is your chance to visit and live in it - its local version, anyway.
Location, Location, Location
Just along Daang Hari, Alabang, State Properties Corporation (the same people behind Great Wall) setup their ambitious housing project aptly called Versailles. Its 75 hectares of lush greens and flowers, paved roads, and cobble bricks emulate the French Mediterranean lifestyle. It aims to give its would-be residents the opulence they’ve been searching for.
Just along Daang Hari, Alabang, State Properties Corporation (the same people behind Great Wall) setup their ambitious housing project aptly called Versailles. Its 75 hectares of lush greens and flowers, paved roads, and cobble bricks emulate the French Mediterranean lifestyle. It aims to give its would-be residents the opulence they’ve been searching for.
Published in
Vacation
Wednesday, 24 October 2012 11:40
COTY 2012 - 2013 Test Fest Day 4: Battle of the high-rolling brutes
Words by Christopher Kho | Photos by Hans Gerald Chua and author
Now that we've finished a third of the Qualitative Tests, it's finally time to take on the big boys of the 2012 - 2012 Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P). At the break of dawn, nine behemoths lined up at this year's official test venue at the Eton Centris, Quezon City last October 20, 2012. It was a tough battle between the Americans, Japanese, British, and surprisingly, the Chinese. Summing up all their values, we had more than P20 million worth of sheet metal to play with that day.
CATS Motors, Inc. returned with their luxurious Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited and Dodge Durango Citadel. Also making their second appearance at testing this year is Honda, this time bringing the all-new CR-V 2.0 LX and 2.4 EX. And despite being a Japanese automaker, the Odyssey 3.5 V6 AT and Pilot 3.5 V6 AT that Honda brought with them were undoubtedly American. Meanwhile, all eyes were on the firenze red Range Rover Evoque. Priced at well above P5 million, this compact crossover was a toy we all couldn't get our hands off. But the real surprise of the day were the Great Wall Hover H5 and Wingle H5. First tested in 2010, the two Chinese utes came back after a fresh facelift and a new CRDi engine.
Published in
Car of the Year
Thursday, 16 February 2012 14:39
The Chinese car doppelganger invasion
Words by Jose Carlo R. Sapera
After the Spanish, Japanese, and Americans invaded the Philippines over the past centuries, it's now the Chinese who are keen on invading our country, not to claim new territories, but rather to dominate the local automotive industry. These new Chinese car manufacturers have been around for a few years now and have been making waves in their own different ways. But because they're still relatively in an infancy stage as compared to the Koreans and long-established Japanese, some have yet to rid themselves of their bad habit of coming up with tongue-twisting names and very peculiar designs. And to tickle your thoughts, here are some of the most intriguing look-a-likes we've found.
Published in
Features
Wednesday, 18 January 2012 09:37
Peterhansel clinches 10th Dakar win with MINI in 2012
Words by Christopher Kho | Photos courtesy of the Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.)
After 14 stages covering 8,377 gruelling kilometers over gravel, mud, and sand in three different South American countries, Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel in his X-raid MINI Countryman ALL4 Racing emerged victorious and took his 10th overall Dakar rally win in Lima, Peru. With this win, Peterhansel indeed is the master of the Dakar after winning it six times on a bike (1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1998) and now four times on a car (2004, 2005, 2007, and 2012). He is joined on the podium in second place by teammate Joan “Nani” Roma from Spain in the sister MINI ALL4 making it a one-two finish, while Giniel de Villiers in the South African-built Imperial Toyota Hilux V8 surprised all with a third place finish on the pick-up's debut.
Back in January 1, 2012, 443 bikes, quads, cars, and trucks took off from the starting line at the coast of Mar del Plata in Argentina for the 33rd running of the Dakar rally. 15 days later, only 249 of those who started made it to the finish line in Lima, earning the Dakar the title as the toughest off-road race in the world.
Published in
Motorsports
Tuesday, 03 January 2012 09:38
MINI, Hummer, and Toyota faces-off in Dakar 2012 (w/ video)
Words by Christopher Kho
The 34th edition of the Dakar rally is already well underway as 443 bikes, quads, cars, and trucks race through the deserts of South America. This year's route of what is considered to be the most demanding off-road race in the world will cover 8,300 gruelling kilometers, starting from the coast of Mar del Plata in Argentina on the 1st of January 2012, over the Andes Mountains into Chile, and finish in Lima, Peru on the 15th. And with last year's winner Volkswagen sitting it out in the sidelines this year, it's going to be a fierce three-way battle between MINI, Hummer, and Toyota for the top spot on the podium.
On its biggest Dakar campaign ever, X-raid is heading the field with five MINI ALL4 Racing machines this year. The newly developed MINI's are built ground-up with a tubular steel chassis and carbon fiber bodywork based on the Countryman. Powering this four-wheel-drive Monster is a 315hp 3.0L twin-turbo diesel sourced from BMW. Leading the pack of MINI's is nine-time Dakar champion Stéphane Peterhansel, with fellow drivers Nani Roma, Krzysztof Holowczyc, Leonid Novitskiy, and Ricardo Leal dos Santos piloting the other four.
Published in
Motorsports
