Top 10 Most Memorable Cars of My Youth

As with all petrolheads, the cars we grew up with and around played a huge role in our petrolheadedness. For this - my first - installment of my Top 10, I will list cars from my youth (until my 13th birthday) that had an impact on my life. It had to be either something my parents owned, or a relative, or a family friend, and made an impression on me and influenced my taste in cars. (In other words, no pin-up and dream cars - these are cars that I had personal experiences with).

10. 1980s Toyota Tamaraw

This humble tin box was the car that used to take me to and from school, delivered bakery goods and other products to my mom's little bake shop, and was the workhorse of the family. It had no seat belts and no airconditioning, just a flap below the windshield that you could open and close to reveal a few holes punched into the sheet metal that allowed air to come in. Still, since it had bench seats, I could change gears while my dad or whoever else was driving operated the clutch. I'd just slot the lever in the gear that they told me to. And when you're 6 years old, that's something to look forward to.

9. 1984 Toyota Landcruiser FJ40

My uncle had one of the coolest cars ever - an FJ40. Rugged and tough as nails, it was noisy, bumpy, and spartan, but that just made its character stronger. I imagined being on safari, or in a military expedition, or traversing rivers and rocky terrain, and the Landcruiser just taking everything in stride.

8. 1990 Mercedes Benz 500SL (R129)

I remember coming out of church one day and my dad's friend waiting for us a the bottom of the church steps. Behind him was a gleaming red 500SL, black canvas top up. As I ran up to the car to admire it, dad's friend said, "stand back! Watch this!" and with a push of a button, the convertible roof slowly folded itself away into the boot, completely automatically, as I watched wide-eyed and amazed. To this day, everytime I see one, I have this urge to own one.

7. 1990 Volkswagen Type 2 Vanagon Multivan (T3)

Dad bought this as a family runabout, with the idea of using it to take my mom, my brother and myself on long road trips. And road trip we did - most memorably from Vancouver to Edmonton, and later, from Vancouver to San Francisco. It had a little fold-away table, a cupboard, curtains, and a pop-up bed up on the roof where my brother and I would take naps in when my folks would take rest stops. Thanks to this wonderful dark blue minivan, we were able to have great family vacations that were truly memorable. But this wasn't our first VW Bus...

6. 1980s Volkswagen Type 2 (T2)

...This was. In a typically VW-like yellow-and-creme two-tone color scheme, this VW Bus was the first car we ever had with a moon roof, which was operated with a rotary windup mechanism. I can't recall how many times we would open up the top and poke our heads out while the good old VW cruised around the Manila streets. nearly 20 years later, my cousin snapped a picture of it, still alive, in Baguio. It feels great to know that this part of my childhood lives on.

5. 1987 Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon

This was my first encounter with forced induction. On the left side of the instrument cluster was a turbo gauge, with an orange band at the end to tell you that you were entering boost territory. I remember watching that gauge waiting for the dial move and approach turbo range, and scream "TURBO!" when it finally got there. It also had a pair of jump seats - a third row that face rearwards - that my brother and I would ride in (even if nobody sat in the second row) to play "punch buggy" or pretend to be gunners in a fighter-bomber.

4. 1984 Mercedes Benz 230E (W123)

My dad's first Benz is certainly a memorable one. When I went missing as a 6 year-old, the best place to look was the garage. My favorite place to be was inside our white 230E, marveling at the vacuum-operated central locks. I looked forward to seeing the 3-pointed star on the hood as we drove past, imagining it to be crosshairs on the nose of a fighter jet. Such was the magic of the 123 Benz.

3. 1991 Mitusbishi Montero

This was one of the cars I learned to drive in. And yes, I was 13 years old. When the family would take trips to Batangas, I waited eagerly to approach the sparsely populated back roads and dirt paths for my dad to finally tell me to get in the driver's seat. He didn't have to tell me twice! I begged and pleaded for my dad to keep the car 'til I was old enough to get a driver's license, to no avail. I still would love to own one, or its later iteration, the Fieldmaster.

2. 1988 Ferrari 308

A trip to San Francisco to visit family rendered a big surprise - my first REAL encounter with the most famous marque of all - Ferrari. My uncle's 308 was tucked away in his garage, and it seemed unreal that I was so near automotive greatness. It was a the treat of my life 'til that point to get in the back seat and get a ride around town while my dad drove and my uncle riding shotgun, but that lasted just a few minutes. But it was then that I realized that dreams can come true, and if it could happen to my uncle, then I may be able to make it for myself. I still hold on to that dream to this day.

1. 1989 BMW 525i (e34)

This was my first encounter with the marque that would capture my imagination. Because of this car, I started reading up on both classic Bimmers and (then) current ones, leading to my infatuation with the 6-series shark, the exotic M1, and my favorite sports car of the time, the 850 CSi.The 5-series blended performance, reliability, sporting character, and luxury all wrapped in a handsome package. Even today a clean one catches my eye, and is a reminder of those magical days when the Bavarian brand first stole my heart.