His passion for iconic cars is readily seen in his newly opened “Garage,” a two-story building at Amelia, the family’s sprawling weekend estate in Alfonso, Cavite, which showcases 40 of his favorite vintage cars, including a number of Volkswagen Beetles, Porsches, Mercedes Benzes and Bugattis.
By Alex Y. Vergara
To people who don’t know him well, the kindly and mild-mannered Louie Ablaza, apart from being one of the country’s leading businessmen, is simply the husband of Mellie Ablaza and the country’s consul to Zambia. But to close friends and family, Louie also happens to be a lifelong car enthusiast and a drag racer in his youth, who won 17 trophies within a span of 13 years while racing all over the country in his customized Volkswagen Beetle.
This was readily seen in Louie’s newly opened “Garage,” a two-story building at Amelia, the family’s sprawling weekend estate in Alfonso, Cavite, which showcases 40 of his favorite vintage cars, including a number of Volkswagen Beetles, Porsches, Mercedes Benzes and Bugattis, on the ground floor. The event also coincided with his 81st birthday celebration.
“This morning, we had the blessing and inauguration of the Garage, which is also a tribute to the Volkswagen as well as other classic cars in my collection,” Louie said in his welcome remarks. “Mind you, we call this a garage, not a museum. A car museum is where inoperable antiques and pre-war vintage cars are kept on display. A garage is where you kept vehicles in good running condition. I assure you that each and every one of these cars made it through the Tagaytay ridge on their way here.”
The second floor of the same building is divided into two areas, which features Mellie’s fabulous ball gowns and party dresses over the years on one side, and their son Junjun Ablaza’s statement show pieces, including heavily embellished jackets and coats, on the other.
That’s why loved ones also deemed it fitting that Louie mark his 81st birthday with a race car-themed party, from checkered table cloths and overhead banners featuring a collage of vintage car brands to the five-course “Car-Racing Menu” put together by leading Chef Jessie Sincioco and her team—shrimp cocktail, fish and chips, steak and mushroom raggouit pie with homemade mashed potato, and chocolate pyramid, among others.
Since 81 is an “odd year,” said Louie, he decided to come up with an odd theme with an equally odd story, in reference to the family’s love for thematic birthday celebrations. Born in 1938, Louie disclosed that he also shares the same birth year as the Volkswagen Beetle, one of his all-time favorite cars.
He went on, rather lightly, to liken himself with the classic vehicle, which was in production from 1938 to 2003, producing a total of 21,529,464 cars: a “cool” classic; bestseller; and, despite being in service for many years, operational.
“They (referring to the Volkswagen Beetle units in his collection) may be old, but they’re surely operational. As for myself, I’m surely old, but you may ask Mellie if I’m still operational,” Louie deadpanned to the roar of family and friends. Happy Birthday, sir!
