Hang out, have a bite or a drink with your buddies. Shop some motorsports merch or get work done on your laptop while you admire a stunning collection of the coolest vintage cars. A space like this must be every car enthusiast’s dreamland. But it’s a real place and it’s called Karrera.
Karrera is located in Filinvest City in Alabang and was only recently featured in ANC’s Executive Class. And even the show’s host David Celdran has a bit of a struggle describing what it really is, considering the many amusements/pleasures it offers. In David’s words, Karrera is “a car café/showroom/remote office space/watering hole for car enthusiasts.”
In here, like-minded people—by that we mean, car crazy folk—can meet up and appreciate cars just the way art aficionados would enjoy looking at a painting in a gallery or museum.
According to Karrera owner Alfredo Roa, the car café was inspired by the BMW Welt and BMW Museum in Munich, Germany. While studying there, Alfredo used to spend afternoons having coffee while working on his emails—with the display of race cars and the rarest BMWs to rest his eyes on.
For the car restorer and entrepreneur, a car is an art form. “They are moving art, mechanical art,” he tells David with obvious fascination.
At the time of the Executive Class visit, prominently occupying a spot at the showroom was a sleek red Alfa Romeo Spider. It just so happens it was David’s dream car when he was growing up in the ‘80s, the host reveals. Alfredo shares that it used to be his aunt’s car and was brought to the Philippines from the US a couple of years ago. It’s still very much in good condition, he says. In fact, he tried driving it to Baler and Caramoan. He just had its paintwork restored, which is why it looks spanking new.
Two other iconic models parked at the indoor car café is a replica of Porsche 356 Speedster, and a DeLorean, notably Michael J. Fox’s time machine in the ‘80s sci-fi movie “Back to the Future.” The car restorer says they change the car collections showcased every two weeks, so expect a different set of wheels when you visit the place.
Since Alfredo wanted the feel of an art gallery for Karrera, the space is also dotted with paintings and other objects he personally enjoys. “I wanted to mix the two arts,” he tells David. Available for purchase are car-themed art, books, accessories and apparel from niche foreign brands associated with racing and the automobile culture in general.
Alfredo says he wants Karrera to be a gathering place for people who appreciate the world of motorsports, the art of automobile design, and everything that’s associated with the riding lifestyle.
To know more about Karrera, check out the Executive Class replays this Sunday at 8AM and 10PM on ANC.