Quezon Motors Corporation [OUTDATED]

[variationofvariables]

OUTDATED

1972 Quezon Laguna

Calm before the storm…

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The second generation Laguna was produced by Quezon Motors from 1972 to 1980, succeeding the previous generation. The new design is more streamlined, with a fastback look which was designed to help with aerodynamics and give it a much sleeker look. Throughout its 8-year production span, it recieved many updates and changes.

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1972-1974

From 1972-1974, the Laguna was sold exclusively in the Philippines. Its powerplant was now a larger 327 cubic inch Chevrolet Small Block license built by Quezon in their new engine plant in… Quezon… City. This 327ci engine ran on leaded 87 AKI, and produced 265 horsepower.
Interior features included a leather and Narra wood lining, an AM/FM radio… whATEVER you get the point.
The car was also optionally available with an “on black” paint scheme which included matte black hood paint. These model year Lagunas only came with a 4-speed manual transmission and allowed the car to hit 100km/h from 0 in 7.6 seconds.

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1975-1977

The second generation Laguna would enter the International market for model year 1975, being sold in the US, Canada and other South American countries. Differences from the MY1972-1974 Laguna included the now regulated 5-mph bumpers, hubcap wheels that were either uncolored or body colored, an automatic transmission option, and the 327ci Small Block engine now ran on 87 AKI Unleaded fuel and as mandated by the US Government, had catalytic converters. Because of the lower octane unleaded fuel and exhaust choking caused by the cats, horsepower was now down to 223hp. All other interior features were the same as previous model years. The car was now available with either a 4-speed manual, or 3-speed automatic optional. As a result of the lower horsepower ratings and overall higher weight, the car now sprinted from 0-100 in 8.2 seconds with the manual transmission, and 8.8 seconds when equipped with the 3-speed auto slushbox.

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1978-1980

For its last 2 model years, the Laguna switched to a better flowing 3-way catalytic converter, which increased horsepower ratings to 242hp, and helped improve 0-100 times to 7.7 seconds for the manual transmission option. The hubcaps were no longer available and have been replaced by 5-spoke alloys. Interior amenities were improved, with an 8-track stereo available as an option. Exterior options now included a white vinyl roof instead of a black one.

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The car went on sale for ₱15,000 in 1972, and in 1975 for ₱27,000 lol inflation amirite. (₱850,000 or 15,000$ and ₱880,000 or 16,000$ respectively adjusted for inflation.)

Sales outside and within the Philippines were fairly strong, with almost 30,000 cars being sold yearly from 1975-1980, owing to a total production run of 210,462 cars until production was cut in late 1980 to make way for the third generation Laguna. The car was made popular for its rather affordable price, and its impressive durability; The Lagunas were very reliable until they broke down. HAH

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[variationofvariables]

OUTDATED

1975 Quezon SR

After over a decade without a proper roadster, Quezon began experimenting with different chassis types and materials. He talked with a friend who recently started working on fibreglass making and took an interest in it. And so with his company in mind, he contacted the people over at Chevrolet if he could license build their straight 6 engines, and thus the successor to the SuperCab was born.

The Quezon SR.

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The Quezon SR is a 2-seat, fibreglass bodied roadster built by Quezon Motors from 1975 to 1983. The SR was a technological leap over the Laguna and its predecessor, the SuperCab. Featuring a fibreglass body and a monocoque chassis, it wasn’t that much heavier than the SuperCab, and was significantly lighter than the Laguna at just under 950kg. It also featured independent rear suspension, which greatly improved handling.
Its power was provided by a 2.8L or 230ci Chevrolet Straight-6 that made 150 hp. Mated to a 4-speed manual, it could hit 60 in a swift 8.3 seconds, and had a top speed of 200km/h.
Unlike its predecessor, it had a much more premium interior, with leather and Narra wood lining, as well as a full gauge cluster set and an 8-track player.
Also unlike its predecessor, the SR was targeted at the European market as a competitor to British roadsters.

The car went on sale in late 1975 in the Philippines, and in early 1976 in the UK and parts of Europe. The sale price was ₱31,000 or 3000$. (₱1,005,000 or 20,000$ adjusted for inflation.)
23,000 SRs were made during its 8-year production span. Unlike contemporary British roadsters of its time, the SR didn’t have much reliability problems thanks to proper engineering and quality control, allowing it to be incredibly robust. At least 15,000 SRs are estimated to still be running, with at least 8,000 of those cars in Philippine soil.

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[abg7]

@variationofvariables

proper engineering and quality control

That would have been its USP in a world where most Euro equivalents were not very reliable at all. But what’s with the trunk-mounted spare wheel and tire? It’s very anachronistic and out of place, being better suited to something from the Fifties, and should be omitted. At least it’s one of the best uses of the Capri mod body regardless.

As for the Laguna line, it looks like you used the Falcon body for that one - or did you? If not, what body did you choose?

[variationofvariables]

@abg7

But what’s with the trunk-mounted spare wheel and tire

I honestly don’t know myself, i made this at like 2 am and i dont like it that much
might redo in the near future

@abg7

As for the Laguna line, it looks like you used the Falcon body for that one

yes

[variationofvariables]

OUTDATED

i get writers block when i write stuff for luxury cars aaaaaa
also expect the CSS to break if you’re on mobile or whatever

1976 Quezon Princesa | End of an Era

Its the mid-70s, the Philippine economy is riddled with debt and is an overall shitshow, and the CEO and founder of Quezon, Mr. Ricardo Alfonso Quezon who was 66 years old at the time, had to step down from the company following a severe illness.

Thus his son, 28-year old at that time Felipe Fernando Quezon, had inherited the business and had decided to try a different approach to running one of the Philippines’ largest automotive companies at the time.

He spent most of the company’s little funds on innovating, in hopes of attracting more foreign investors and a larger consumer base, a move which along with other poor decisions and a worsening economic situation in the Philippines would eventually bring the company to it’s knees in the late 80s.

The second generation Princesa would appear in 1975 for the 1976 model year. Still being based on an older Sarao jeepney chassis but lengthened, the car was still fairly huge with a 3.1m wheelbase and a 5.5m total length.
The car would be separated into two different periods of changes, 1976-1979, and 1980-1984.

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1976-1979

From 1976 to 1979, the Princesa would be sold with hidden headlamps, a mechanically controlled 3-speed automatic, and hubcap wheels. Engine options included a 230ci carburetted straight-6 that made 130hp, or a 327ci mechanically injected V8 engine with 183hp. This era of second-generation Princesas would be known as the “four eyes” era, as it featured both fender-mounted mirrors and door mounted mirrors for improved visibility.

Being a luxury car, it of course needed a lot of chrome very luxury interior. And it did have a very luxury interior. Some would say it was more prestigious than the Malacanang, but we wont get into that because that’s boring.
All you probably need to know is that it had an 8-track player, leather upholstery, bamboo, Narra and Teak lining, as well as some chrome bits and buttons made out of Philippine Pearls.

1980-1984

From 1980 to 1984, the Princesa now had fixed headlamps, less mirrors, alloy wheels and an electronically controlled 4-speed automatic. Engine options were either the 230ci carburetted straight 6 carried over from the previous era, or a 327ci V8 with electronic fuel injection that made 202hp. Other than that, most interior features were carried over, with the addition of some extra electronic tidbits here and there.

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Sales were low, with less than 100 cars being sold yearly worldwide. Combined with the Princesa’s fairly high cost to make as well as the second gas crisis in 1979 effectively killing off most large cars, the plug was pulled for the Princesa in early 1984 with only 672 cars being made over its 8-year production span.

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OUTDATED

Updated July 9, 2020

Quezon Archives:

1981 Quezon Laguna

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It was 1981, the Laguna's sales had been dropping for two years now ever since the debut of the Foxbody Mustang. This apparently was a sign to Felipe Quezon that there was a need to innovate.

And so, wanting to keep good relations with General Motors, Quezon called them up for an engine. And little did they know what trouble they would bring themselves into.

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Introduced in 1980 at the New York International Auto Show, the third-generation Laguna launched as a quite literally large disappointment to the general public.

At launch the car was only available with the infamous 2.5-litre General Motors Iron Duke straight-four engine, carbureted and turbocharged, it made a whopping... 125 horsepower.

The car was available with some rather fancy technology for the time almost unseen in other cars at its price range, however. Such as power-adjusted driver and passenger seats that came standard (Which, almost always broke...), power-operated sunroof also standard, a 5-speed manual gearbox also standard, and a 3-speed hydraulic automatic transmission with an extra overdrive gear optional.

But unfortunately, all this extra technology which was seemingly hastily developed wasn’t the highest quality, and multiple recalls would happen until all the problems would by sorted by 1983.

The elephant in the room, however? The terribly engineered Iron Duke engine that powered all Lagunas from 1981-1983.
While the Iron Duke was a robust engine on its own, Quezon’s modifications of it (Strapping a rather janky turbo to it and using a carburetor that was as useful as a spray bottle filled with petrol) had unfortunately caused the thing to become worse than what it was known for. Engine trouble was a frequent thing that happened with the Laguna, and in a flurry of customer complaints and under pressure from journalists, Quezon was forced to recall all Lagunas sold worldwide from 1981-1983.

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1983 Laguna Recalls and Quezon's Bankruptcy

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After having recalled all 30,000+ Lagunas sold since then, the company had taken a massive financial loss, and thus had to take on multiple loans and Quezon was in a whole lot of debt. The situation was made even harsher for them as the Philippine economy at the time was heading on a sharp downslide (Tang ina niyo Marcos!).

Following the recall, Quezon was quick to release an updated Laguna at the same year in 1983 that hopefully did not have any of the problems of the previous years. It indeed hadn’t, as build quality significantly improved and all the problems with the Iron Duke were sorted out.

1983 also saw the return of the 327ci (Now advertised as a 5.3-litre) V8.
The 5.3L Chevrolet Small Block Engine made a happy 170 horsepower, mated to either a refined version of the 4-speed automatic or the 5-speed manual (Super Eagle performance package).

Despite this, everyone at Quezon knew where they were headed to. The public’s perception of the car had unfortunately changed for the worse, and so did the economy. As the Philippines began entering a recession and no one in the Philippines at that time really gave a damn anymore.

And this is where things got really bad, as in early 1986 following the People Power Revolution, Felipe was beginning to be accused of siding with the Marcos government, and after a thorough investigation where he was found to have been smuggling “shabu” into the country for the past three years to keep Quezon afloat, he was arrested but was quickly bailed out of jail haha Philippine politics amirite.

And by then, the damage had been done. Quezon’s debt was unpayable by the company after Felipe’s failure and the inability to sell the company’s only remaining automobile, and the company had shut its doors by 1988. Ending an era to Philippine Automotive History.

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Extra Gallery

[Kotochlebek59]

Hey, why your car have 3 antenas?

[abg7]

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.

[variationofvariables]

@Kotochlebek59

Hey, why your car have 3 antenas?

2 of them are purely decorational and are there as a homage to Quezon’s jeepney building days

@abg7

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’d be possible…

[variationofvariables]

OUTDATED

The decade of neglect

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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.

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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.

And so...

... begins Chapter 2

[FitRS]

This kinda reminds me of a Pontiac Firebird. I love the design of the front fascia.

[variationofvariables]

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!

[variationofvariables]

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.

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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

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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.

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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.)

Gallery

[desperatedonut5]

now that is hot

[abg7]

@variationofvariables

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.

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…

@variationofvariables

Acceleration times were now a whole lot quicker, with the dash to 100km/h from 0 taking just under 4.8 seconds.

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.

[Holts]

Now that is nice, how do you make roofless cars?

[variationofvariables]

@desperatedonut5

now that is hot

Just like the Philippines’ climate

@Holts

Now that is nice, how do you make roofless cars?

a mod called negatape for removing the roof, the Roadster pack for adding seats and whatnot, and a lot of patience

[variationofvariables]

Updated June 6, 2020

Quezon Archives:

2006 Quezon Cordova

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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

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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).

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.

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2010 Facelift

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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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[kyuzo]

By the way, are you planning a second Philippine automotive company once Quezon Motor’s lineup is finished?

[That-S-cop]

Is anything ever finished? there’s always expansion, there’s always updating old cars.