What if another car company - a foreign one - bought the rights to the 80s Laguna, gave it a facelift, and improved the build quality, performance and dynamics to make it more competitive compared to more established rivals? It was quite a way to go, but surely it deserved a better fate. At any rate, with no more than 5,000 surviving examples, it would be especially sought-after by anyone wanting to bring a less mainstream sports coupe to Radwood.
2 of them are purely decorational and are there as a homage to Quezon’s jeepney building days
it’d be possible…
OUTDATED
1999
By this time, you’d usually expect for either the Philippine Government, or some half-Chinese business cuck keen on reviving the Philippine Automotive Dream to try and attempt to bring back the ill-fated Quezon Motors. The economy is booming yet again following the unfortunate Asian Financial Crisis, and the Philippines is trying another score at improving tourism in the country again.
Yet, here stood the former site of what once was the Philippines’ largest automotive company. Abandoned, and decaying, no owner and no one for it to be looked after. Its walls lined with graffiti, and the roof half-collapsed. The items inside, hastily salvaged by robbers, and littered with garbage thrown by the locals. A potential tourism site, abandoned in the wake of poor economic conditions and a government that simply could care less.
March 21st, 2000. 00:14
Philippine General Hospital
After 24 grueling years of battling tuberculosis, the founder of Quezon Motors, 91 year old Ricardo Alfonso Quezon has come to pass.
A parade of 1,000 original Quezons would parade throughout Quezon City that day in honor of Mr. Ricardo.
At Ricardo’s old residence, his 20-year old grandson Miguel Angel Garcia, would go through his series of journals as they cleared his former room. One thing catches Miguel’s eyes; a journal entry from the 16th of October 1960, the only journal entry of that day.
Build a sportscar.
The words repeated in Miguel’s mind.
“Build a sportscar.”
The words were simple. It didn’t matter how well it handled, what powered it, what it was based on. All that mattered was, it was a sportscar. The original Quezon dream.
Miguel Angel Garcia, the son of Ligaya Quezon-Garcia and Romeo Quinto Garcia. He had recently graduated from Mapua University as an engineer, and was currently running his father’s mechanics shop.
He was well aware that he was the grandson of Philippine automotive pioneer Ricardo Quezon (to the point he had boasted about it a lot during his elementary school days), he was also rather close to his grandfather as well. And thus when news about his grandfather’s passing came, it was a rather heartbreaking moment for the young man.
Going through his grandfather’s diary however, had sparked confidence within him. Confidence that he could potentially run the former family business better than his uncle ever could.
His father was the supportive kind, and had promised him as much financial support as he would require.
With that, all he needed was a new site to restart the company. The former location was too out of shape to be considered, and thus that was off the list.
Eventually after months of going around looking for some empty lots for sale, they would find a decently sized plot of mostly empty land in Barangay Bagong Pag-asa, where indeed a new hope for the future of the company would begin.
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This kinda reminds me of a Pontiac Firebird. I love the design of the front fascia.
one of my main inspirations were actually the Camaro and the Mustang, but i can see the resemblance to a Pontiac due to the split grille
thanks though!
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Quezon SR-2 - Ang Pagbabalik
As the 2000s began, the newly-revived Quezon Motors and its 60-man team would begin work on “a very simple sportscar”. Utilizing many parts and that would be easy to get a hold of, and be machined out of.
What came out of the single year spent engineering this robust roadster was unlike anything the world had seen before; sleek, stylish and quick, this roadster would capture the hearts of not only the Filipino youth, but youth around the world.
The long-awaited successor to the SuperCab and the SR. Quezon’s first model since 1989. The halo car before the halo car.
The Quezon SR-2.
The Quezon SR-2 is a 2-seat roadster sold by Quezon Motors from 2002 to 2008. The SR-2 would be Quezon’s first model since its bankruptcy in 1989.
The SR-2 utilized a fibreglass shell and an aluminium monocoque, which may sound complicated, but it was all rather simple, as 40% of its internal parts were actually carried over from the SR.
Parts such as the suspension assemblies, the aluminium tub chassis, and other minor parts were all adapted from the SR, which greatly reduced engineering costs and saved development time.
Despite this, the car’s development took them over a year, with thousands of man hours spent perfecting the fibreglass shell and ensuring that all bodypanels would fit properly.
The resulting chassis would weigh a little over 700kg without the engine, owing to a total weight of 833kg.
Powering the SR-2 would be a naturally-aspirated 1162cc 4-cylinder engine from the Honda Blackbird superbike. It could rev to over 10,000RPM and had a maximum horsepower output of over 150HP. The engine was mounted transversally and was connected to the front wheels via a 6-speed transmission carried over from the Blackbird. This helped launch the car from 0-100km/h in less than 6.5 seconds.
The SR-2 could arguably be considered as a proper “driver’s car”. As it came with no anti-lock brakes, nor any form of traction control system, and Hydraulic power steering which gave more driver feedback than an equivalent electric power steering setup. This meant that there was little in the way of assists that would disturb the connection between the driver, the car, and the road.
The suspension for the SR-2 was carefully tuned to give it a more “oversteery” feel similar to that of a rear-wheel-drive car.
i honestly didn’t know what else to write its 12am fuck me
Special editions and variants
(2003-2006) 1.3 R-Turbo
The R-Turbo edition featured a 1.3L turbocharged Suzuki M13 engine that made over 204hp and featured a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. Acceleration times were now a whole lot quicker, with the dash to 100km/h from 0 taking just under 4.8 seconds.
The suspension was updated to handle more cornering bah BLAH h BLAH you pRobably get the point.
The exterior recieved some tweaks as well, with a blacked out front air dam and larger side vents.
Due to the weight of the all-wheel-drive system, the car’s weight had now increased to 985kg.
Originally, 2500 units were planned to be sold from 2003-2005, but high demand for this special WRC-inspired model pushed Quezon to sell another 1500 from 2006-2007.
SR-2 WRC
In 2005, Quezon had entered the WRC with a special variant of the SR-2.
Featuring an 300hp turbocharged 1999cc inline-4 engine developed in-house, this peppy engine would help in the development of future Quezon engines.
Because of the fact that the SR-2 was incredibly lightweight, for the WRC edition the car had to be filled with ballast to try and reach the minimum 1230kg weight limit.
The SR-2 would go on sale in mid 2002 in the Philippines for ₱1,100,000. (₱2,000,000 or $40,000 adjusted for inflation.) It would enter the International market in 2004, first selling in the USA and later reaching Europe.
The R-Turbo went on sale in the Philippines and in the USA and UK in 2003, 2005 and 2006 respectively for $36,500. ($45,000 adjusted for inflation.)
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now that is hot
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Definitely one of the fastest front-drivers in a straight line at the time - and one of the most fun to drive. As for the R-Turbo edition…
Absolutely blistering indeed. It would have been enough to challenge (and beat) many of its larger, heavier and more powerful sports car rivals of its day.
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Now that is nice, how do you make roofless cars?
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Just like the Philippines’ climate 
a mod called negatape for removing the roof, the Roadster pack for adding seats and whatnot, and a lot of patience 
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Updated June 6, 2020
Quezon Archives:
2006 Quezon Cordova
In the mid-2000s, the newly-revived Quezon Motors was looking into making a more mass market friendly vehicle, one different from the driver-focused, hardcore SR-2 that restarted the brand.
Potential competitors for this new coupe were the Infiniti G35 Coupe and the BMW 2-Series, cars that more or less dominated the compact executive coupe market segment.
And so in January of 2006 at the North American International Auto Show, Quezon introduced the Cordova to the world, a proof that they were to rise again like their glory days. what
Potential competitors for this new coupe were the Infiniti G35 Coupe and the BMW 2-Series, cars that more or less dominated the compact executive coupe market segment.
And so in January of 2006 at the North American International Auto Show, Quezon introduced the Cordova to the world, a proof that they were to rise again like their glory days. what
First going on sale in December 2006 in the Philippines, the car was available with either a turbocharged 2.2L Quezon I4 making 255hp or a 3.5L Toyota-manufactured 2GR V6 making 286hp.
Both engines were mated to a Getrag 6-speed manual gearbox, with an Aisin 5-speed automatic transmission being available later in mid-2007 when the car went on sale internationally. The car came standard with a Limited Slip Differential.
The car sprinted to 60 in under 6.7 seconds with the Inline-4, and with the V6 it did it in 6.3 seconds (Equipped with the 6-speed manual).
Both engines were mated to a Getrag 6-speed manual gearbox, with an Aisin 5-speed automatic transmission being available later in mid-2007 when the car went on sale internationally. The car came standard with a Limited Slip Differential.
The car sprinted to 60 in under 6.7 seconds with the Inline-4, and with the V6 it did it in 6.3 seconds (Equipped with the 6-speed manual).
The interior consisted of some premium leather seats and upholstery, as well as a fresh nice sounding CD player.
The Cordova utilized an all-new platform later used in many other cars that followed, and was also the first Quezon to feature the now-iconic “Pentagrille” design carried over onto many other Quezons.
2010 Facelift
In 2010 the car would recieve a facelift which featured a revised lower fascia as well as more modern headlights with DRLs and new taillights.
Interior updates included side-curtain airbags and the addition of a touchscreen SatNav manufactured by Philippine company my|phone.
Both engine options would receive an updated ECU which allowed an increase in power to 258hp for the Inline-4 and 290hp for the V6.
A 6-speed Aisin automatic transmission replaced the old 5-speed auto, which allowed for better acceleration and fuel economy when equipped with it.
Production ended in 2012 to make way for the fourth-generation Cordova.
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By the way, are you planning a second Philippine automotive company once Quezon Motor’s lineup is finished?
Is anything ever finished? there’s always expansion, there’s always updating old cars.
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Looks like the '06 Cordova had some Japanese styling cues on the table.
Not like I am complaining, it looks the part, and certainly does the job with beefy engine options (both the 2.4L Inline 4 and the 3.6L V6 pushing 200+ hp, a barrier that only more expensive sports car offered for the Philippine market at the time can do).
Quezon isn’t finished, I still have an entire model lineup to finish.
I’ve taken a break from Automation for a while until all mods are updated for the new engine, and once that’s done i’ll continue work on this.
tOTALLY NOT HONDA ACCORD MY KAIBIGAN AHAHAHA YES YES NO JAPAN PHILIPPINE ONLY HAHA
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OUTDATED
This article is about the Quezon Laguna luxury sports sedan manufactured by Quezon Motors. For the boring French midsize car, see Renault Laguna.
2008 Quezon Laguna
It is 2008. The global financial crisis has began winding down.
Fortunately for Quezon, the crisis had not affected the Philippines all too much.
And so, in the Philippine summer of that year, a legend would finally return.
20 years after the last Laguna rolled off the production line.
People weren’t expecting something such as this, however.
At last, the wait was over. After a whole 20 years of hiatus the iconic Quezon Laguna name would return in its fourth-generation (2008-2014).
Quezon decided to upmarket the Laguna name. Instead of competing with its former rivals, the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, the Laguna now competed with cars like the Cadillac CTS-V, Mercedes E63 AMG, and higher end Marksman Sabres.
Unlike any of its competitors however, the Laguna never was available as a 2-door coupe.
From launch it would receive 2 engine choices of either a 3.6L SOHC V6 or a 5.0L DOHC V8, both mated to a 7-speed automagic transmission.
The 3.6L Quezon V6 was similar to the one in the Cordova, with power increased to 292 in order to handle the Laguna’s heavier weight. The Laguna equipped with a V6 can hit 60 in 6 seconds.
Meanwhile on the higher end of things, the Quezon 5.0 V8 made 465 horsepower, and could hit 60 in 4.6 seconds, matching that of the Cadillac.
Interior-wise the Lagunas’ interiors were nothing to scoff at. With leather upholstery all around ,subtle hints of carbon fibre around the dashboard and centre console, power operated everything idk whatever and a special touchscreen SatNav manufactured by Philippine company MyPhone.
7.5 GT (2010-2012)
In 2010, Quezon would produce a variant of the Laguna featuring a 7.5L DOHC V8 making 730hp, called the “7.5 GT”. Quezon announced that the 7.5 GT would be available with either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 7-speed automatic. In the end, only the 7-speed automatic would be sold to the public due to problems with manufacturing. The 7.5GT hit 60 in a not-much-quicker 4.3 seconds with the 7-speed auto.
In the midst of all that however, the 7.5 Laguna GT would set a record for one of the fastest four-door sedans around the Nürburgring in 2011, with a lap time of 7:51 (While running semi-slick tyres).
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Quezon's signature luxury nameplate finally makes its awaited comeback in 2013.
The Opulent, reimagined.
The Philippines' most iconic luxury car has been brought back with modern looks, performance, and luxury.
Princesa in Ultra Copper with stainless steel flagpoles and 23 inch 5-spoke Alloy Wheels.
Classic Quezon Styling.
The original Princesa's design cues, now brought into the 21st Century.
Its iconic "twin-bar" tail lights are brought back with modern design.
Princesa in Manila Prestige with stainless steel flagpoles and 23 inch 5-spoke Alloy Wheels.
Modern Performance.
Powering the Princesa is a hand-made 10-litre V10 with design help from Quezon's Le Mans racing team.
With 678* hp and 699* lb-ft of torque. Available with a ZF 8-speed with either RWD or AWD.
Acceleration to 60 in under 4.6 seconds.**
Princesa in Supremo Red with optional 23-inch wheels and All-wheel-drive.
*Power rating may differ from vehicle-to-vehicle.
**With all-wheel-drive option. Acceleration times with rear-wheel drive transmissions may differ slightly.
Designed and Built in the Philippines.*
For the first time ever, the Princesa's components were designed from the ground-up by Filipino engineers, and hand-made by skilled Filipino mechanics.
*Raw resource used to manufacture said components not guaranteed to be from the Philippines.
*ZF 8-speed transmission designed by ZF Friedrichshafen AG, manufactured in the Philippines.
*Internal components only. This does not include vehicle cabin interior components.
You can taste the rainbow.
Available in 5 signature Quezon colors.*
From top to bottom; Manila Prestige, Davies White, Grand Silver, Ultra Copper, Supremo Red.
*Availability may vary depending on location.
Line-up
Quezon Princesa V10-RWD - $115,000 * MSRP
- Power | 678 hp / 699 lb-ft
- Transmission | ZF 8HP 8-speed automatic
- Acceleration (0-60) | 5.0s
- Gas Mileage | 17mpg* Highway
Quezon Princesa V10-AWD - $128,000 * MSRP
- Power | 678 hp / 699 lb-ft
- Transmission | ZF 8HP 8-speed automatic
- Acceleration (0-60) | 4.6s
- Gas Mileage | 15mpg* Highway
*Price and availability may vary depending on location.
Extras
Interior Extras
Ibarra Dashboard Mounted Clock - $3,000*
Alligator Leather Interior Lining - $5,000*
Narra Wood Interior Lining - $6,000*
Philippine Bamboo Interior Lining - $7,000*
Stainless Steel Interior Lining - $8,500*
Carved Philippine Pearl Infotainment Buttons - $10,000
Carved Philippine Pearl Steering Wheel Buttons - $15,000*
Carved Philippine Pearl Seat Embeds - $20,000*
Ibarra 18K Gold Dashboard Mounted Clock - $35,000*
18K Gold Interior Lining - $50,000*
Exterior Extras
Jet Black Flag Poles - $1,000*
Stainless Steel Flag Poles - $1,500*
Titanium Flag Poles - $2,000*
Carbon Fibre Flag Poles - $3,500*
18K Gold-plated Flag Poles - $6,000*
18K Gold-infused Headlights - $10,000*
18K Gold-plated Window Trim - $15,000
18K Gold-plated Grille - $30,000*
23-inch 5-spoke Alloy Wheels - $25,000*
Nichelim SuperTrack-600 GT-SR Tyres - $10,000*
*Price and availability may vary depending on location.
11 Likes
That is a seriously impressive machine - it’s as much sports as luxury, and it’s powerful and opulent enough to make a Wraith or Flying Spur blush. I still wish there were more exterior colors available; a deep metallic green or blue would be nice to have at this price point.
Filipinos can seriously make a car. Hot damn.
An alternatively sporty luxury carriage.
Proper looks for a proper sportscar.
Because what good is one if it doesn't look the part?
High-performance.
Born from Quezon's experience in motorsports, the Cordova takes much of what was learnt and applies it to here create as best of a driving experience as it can be. Available with either a 2.2-litre turbocharged inline four, or a high-performance 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6.
Also available with all-wheel-drive in the Cordova GT.
No compromises, we promise.
Also available with 5-spoke Carbon Fibre wheels for those who desire just a little bit more performance and lightness.
Designed for anything.
Quezon's all-new state-of-the-art AWD system was born from Quezon's efforts in the WRC, and has now been adapted for road use in the Cordova GT for performance and comfort that is as good as it gets.
Let your true hues shine.
Quezon Signature Colors
Cordova Excusives
Line-up
Cordova 2.2 6MT - $45,000*
- Engine | 2403cc Turbocharged Dual Overhead Cam Inline 4
- Power and Torque | 271hp / 233lb-ft
- Acceleration (0-60mph) | 6.1s
- Mileage and Gasoline | 29mpg Combined / 93 AKI Premium Only
- Transmission | Quezon 6-speed Manual
- Differential | Torque Vectoring Electronic Front Differential
- Rims | 19-inch 5-spoke Alloy Wheels
- Interior | Regular Leather Upholstery, Stainless Steel Interior Lining
Cordova 2.2 6AT - $45,000*
- Engine | 2403cc Turbocharged Dual Overhead Cam Inline 4
- Power and Torque | 271hp / 233lb-ft
- Acceleration (0-60mph) | 5.9s
- Mileage and Gasoline | 29mpg Combined / 93 AKI Premium Only
- Transmission | Aisin TF-80SC
- Differential | Torque Vectoring Electronic Front Differential
- Rims | 19-inch 5-spoke Alloy Wheels
- Interior | Regular Leather Upholstery, Stainless Steel Interior Lining
Cordova 3.5 6MT - $50,000*
- Engine | 3487cc Twin-Turbocharged Dual Overhead Cam V6
- Power and Torque | 327 hp / 353 lb-ft
- Acceleration (0-60mph) | 5.7s
- Mileage and Gasoline | 28mpg Combined / 93 AKI Premium Only
- Transmission | Aisin TF-80SC
- Differential | Torque Vectoring Electronic Front Differential
- Rims | 19-inch 5-spoke Alloy Wheels
- Interior | Regular Leather Upholstery, Stainless Steel Interior Lining
Cordova 3.5 6AT - $53,000*
- Engine | 3487cc Twin-Turbocharged Dual Overhead Cam V6
- Power and Torque | 327 hp / 353 lb-ft
- Acceleration (0-60mph) | 5.4s
- Mileage and Gasoline | 28mpg Combined / 93 AKI Premium Only
- Transmission | Aisin TF-80SC
- Differential | Torque Vectoring Electronic Front Differential
- Rims | 19-inch 5-spoke Alloy Wheels
- Interior | Regular Leather Upholstery, Stainless Steel Interior Lining
Cordova GT - $65,000*
- Engine | 3487cc Twin-Turbocharged Dual Overhead Cam V6
- Power and Torque | 354 hp / 360 lb-ft
- Acceleration (0-60mph) | 5.4s
- Mileage and Gasoline | 23mpg Combined / 93 AKI Premium Only
- Transmission | ZF 9HP48
- Differential | Torque Vectoring Electronic Front Differential
- Rims | 19-inch 5-spoke Alloy Wheels
- Interior | Hand-stitched Leather Upholstery, Premium Interior Lining
Cordova GT-4WD - $71,000*
- Engine | 3487cc Twin-Turbocharged Dual Overhead Cam V6
- Power and Torque | 354 hp / 360 lb-ft
- Acceleration (0-60mph) | 4.9s
- Mileage and Gasoline | 22mpg Combined / 93 AKI Premium Only
- Transmission | ZF 9HP48
- Differential | Torque Vectoring Electronic Front and Rear Differential
- Rims | 19-inch 5-spoke Alloy Wheels
- Interior | Hand-stitched Leather Upholstery, Premium Interior Lining
*Price and availability may vary depending on location.
Extras
Interior Extras
Ibarra Dashboard Mounted Clock - $3,000*
Narra Wood Interior Lining - $3,000*
Philippine Bamboo Interior Lining - $4,000*
Stainless Steel Interior Lining - $5,500*
Exterior Extras
Jet Black Flag Poles - $1,000*
Stainless Steel Flag Poles - $1,500*
Titanium Flag Poles - $2,000*
Carbon Fibre Flag Poles - $3,500*
18-inch 5-spoke Carbon Fibre Wheels - $15,000*
Nichelim SuperTrack-400 GT Tyres - $4,000*
*Price and availability may vary depending on location.
4 Likes