A sneak peek inside the new Presidential Car Museum

If you find yourself in the vicinity of the Quezon Memorial Circle, take a detour and visit the newly-built Presidential Car Museum.

The airy, modern building houses a comprehensive gallery of the cars used by Philippine presidents.

The collection includes the cars used by Presidents Emilio Aguinaldo, Jose P. Laurel, Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Magsaysay, Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada, and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The museum, which will officially open this week, is the brainchild of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). The Quezon City government provided for the space.

Capturing your attention as you enter is Emilio Aguinaldo’s 1924 Packard Single-Six Touring limousine. It’s a massive seven-passenger model that was previously displayed at the historic Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite. The car has a wood-and-vinyl interior.

The Packard was used by other world leaders, including members of the Russian imperial family.

Aguinaldo acquired the car after his presidency in 1924 during his retirement from public office. He was known to previously use a horse carriage. The carriage is also on display at the museum.

Packard is an American luxury car brand that existed from 1899 to the 1950s. The Single 6 is powered by a 4.4-liter inline-six engine with 54 ps, linked to a three-speed manual transmission.

Manuel Quezon, namesake of the museum’s location, used a Chrysler Airflow. As its name suggests, the Airflow was one of the first American production cars to use streamlining to improve its aerodynamic efficiency.

Quezon’s car was previously displayed in a museum in Baler, Aurora.

Another Packard is the one used by Jose P. Laurel. The Packard 180, circa 1940, is powered by a 5.8-liter inline-eight cylinder engine. With an output of 160 hp, it was advertised as having the most powerful eight-cylinder engine in the world.

Elpidio Quirino’s ride was the Chrysler Imperial limousine. This model was one of the first automobiles to be offered with air conditioning.

Standing out among the black limousines is a green utility vehicle. Symbolic of Ramon Magsaysay’s reputation as a man of the people is his humble Willys Jeep.

The Jeep was reportedly owned by General Douglas MacArthur and given to Magsaysay. That being said, Magsaysay also used a Cadillac, once he became president.

Joining the NHCP collection after the car’s restoration is Manuel Roxas’ Cadillac Fleetwood 75 limousine. The car was first used during his inauguration in 1946.

The Fleetwood was designed by legendary automotive designer Harley Earl, creator of the tailfin and the first Corvette.

The Marcoses have been known to indulge in style and excess, so it is that the museum carries a couple of vehicles used by the family of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Marcos himself used a custom-built Lincoln Town Car, and, alternatively, a Mercedes-Benz S-Class limousine.

A striking part of the collection is a car not used by a president, but a first lady, Imelda Marcos. The Phantom V used by Imelda is one of just 516 built.

Other famous owners include Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother, the Shah of Iran, the Governor of Hong Kong (pre-handover to China), and, of course, John Lennon.

Mercedes-Benz was the default choice for Marcos’ successors as well. Following the Marcos era, most of these were relatively simple production models, albeit armored and customized to some degree.

Corazon Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo all rode variants of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The biggest one was used by President Arroyo, a S600 Pullman stretch limousine.

Not part of the collection yet is Benigno Aquino III’s presidential car, a Lexus SUV. For almost all of the cars in this grand collection, the preferred color is black.