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By Tessa R. Salazar Philippine Daily Inquirer

PUT IN ENOUGH RESOURCES and creativity into the mix, and see the local 

aftermarket industry produce world-class customized cars.

And you don't even have to match the scale of such internationally renowned trade shows such as the Tokyo Auto Salon or the Sema. The cars are the stars. They will shine no matter the backdrop.

Thus, singled out from 186 showcased cars sprawled out on 7,180 square meter of floor space, and viewed by no less than 35,000 visitors, five major awards and several special awards were given out to the cars that stood out during the Nov. 26 to 29 staging of the Manila Auto Salon held at the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

The five major awards had been categorized as: level to workmanship in exterior; interior; engine and suspension; undercarriage; and the craftsmanship in the restoration and modification.

Alvin Uy, Contributor Philippine Daily Inquirer

The name MINI in the automotive world is quite a paradox. It has such a short name but carries a long history and such a large following.

Introduced in 1959 by the British Motor Corporation (BMC), it was a product created out of necessity and ingenuity. In the mid to late 1950's, the Suez oil crisis made motoring with cars with big bodies and engines quite impractical.

As sales for large cars slumped, microcars like BMW's Isetta and Messerschimitt KR175's were becoming increasingly popular as fuel was being rationed. These cars were also called bubble cars, because of their bubble-like appearance. Leonard Lord of BMC didn't like the way these "bubble cars" were made so he had BMC produce a "proper" miniature car.

The first and original prototype was affectionately called "The Orange Box". The design was confined to a space of a 10 ft. x 4ft. x 4ft. box and its engine had to be an existing production engine. The distinctive two-door car was penned by Sir Alec Issigonis and was manufactured in several plants throughout its initial history. The new MINI however is exclusively produced in Oxford.