Things Vintage...

What is it with old things that make them irresistable? Is is because they bring back good memories of certain moments? Is it because we all know that the quality of things made from way back when is better than the things made now? I'm sure there are different reasons for different people. As for me, it's a mixture of different reasons why these old things are so likeable.

Look at the present day Vespa. It's design is basically post-WW II. Look at it closely and you will see that it was designed for a specific purpose which was to be able to travel along the war-torn streets of Italy. The parts of the first Vespa were salvaged from plane parts thus dictating the design. The parts were there first so the design accomodated the parts and not the other way around. If you look at its design, its nothing compared to the design of the modern scooters but I, together with a lot of wasp-riding friends, find a different charm to it. Then there's the reliability issue. Again, I , together with my wasp-riding friends, would tell anyone interested in getting one is to go for it since once you get a Vespa running, it would almost be impossible to run it down. Think bullet-proof. Except for extreme abuse, I think the Vespa could withstand the daily abuse of a metro ride plus more easily. The club I belong to, Euroscoot, is a group of guys who have Vespas as their daily commutes and they will attest to this. Aside from the daily scooting, these Vespas have travelled as far as Bicol down south and Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte up north. Isn't that something for a post WW II designed scooter? I have owned three Vespas and my love affair with this thing will never end.

I have also recently acquired a 1978 Mercedes Benz W123 200G. For a lot of other people, it's a major headache on four wheels. Because of the different comments I heard from my friends, I was hesitant to try to bring this old piece of fine machinery back to its glorious form. The first time I saw it, I found that there wasn't much to do in terms of its exterior. Except for a little crumple on the chrome moulding of the rear passenger door, a little bit of rust bumps under the rear bumper, a little bit of fading on some of the doors, there wasn't much work needed. The moulding has been replaced with a brand new one from Delodur.

These are the things that I have done to it since the day I got it. I replaced the retracting antennae already. Had the rear board replaced. I was also able to complete the knobs inside. With some flat black spray pain, I was also able to make the boot look pristine. And thanks to Sunshine Motors, I was able to buy an original carpet matt for the luggage compartment. With some research, I was able to find an ewd with mounting clips over the internet. I was also able to find an instrument cluster thus making all my guages operational. All the instrument knobs are lighting once again and all the bulbs in the rear and in front are all lighting up. The brakes have been overhauled and are working perfectly. It has been tuned and timed thus eliminating the overheating problem that I once encountered. The leak of the fuel pump has stopped since I replaced it with a brand new one. All the belts are new. I also replaced the wiper intermittent switch relay so the wipers don't go haywire anymore.There are still a bit of things to be done but those can wait for the moment.

What's interesting is that the lighter is working and it still has the original airconditioning unit which is working fine even during these summer months. The dash has a little bit of cracks but for a car its age its forgivable. The tires are mounted on steel rims and sport hub caps. I've been deciding if I should get alloy wheels but the ones that the car has know really makes it look like a classic so I think that these stay.

My wife couldn't understand the time and the passion that I have given this car. She always asks me why I spend time and money on it. All I could say is that it brings me joy to see a 28 year old car running the way it is after 28 years of existence. It was made when bell-bottomed pants were in vogue for the first time, when Sergio Mendez first visited Manila for a benefit show for the construction of the Philippine Heart Center, when I was a senior in High School at the Ateneo, when life was much simpler. I look at the car which is now running well and it gives me hope that everything will be okay. I know that there would be problems with it but with a little of time, patience and love, just like with everything else, it would purr and would be fine again.

From scooters, a car then watches...this is another story. Abangan...