Who would have thought that the tall lanky kid who drove a custom VW Bug and sold parts at a speedshop would someday become the first Filipino to create a buzz in SEMA and end up as a prominent figure in the domestic aftermarket scene?
According to Angie King, her passion for four wheels began at age 15 with her first car purchase, a 1974 Volkswagen 1303s Super Beetle. She recalls workers of her father coming over to their house to work on that beloved bug. “That car started it all. We proceeded to modify it with the help of our workers. My Beetle sported the “Cal look” which had one piece windows, single down draft carburetors, AC conversion, de chromed, lowered and rolled on chrome steelies with Porsche hub caps. Breathing properties were enhanced with a set of SMT headers and a stinger exhaust system,” she says. Angie credits her dad as the biggest influence when talk revolved around her love for four wheels.
However, King’s passion for fast cars was cultivated during her days at Redline Racing, a popular shop during the 90s which specialized in automotive customization and engine modification. “I was around 18 that time and my first job was in that car shop in Araneta Avenue, Quezon City, which I would say was also a big influence to me in terms of performance, styling and that’s when I was given the chance to learn circuit driving in Subic bay,” she adds. King would compete in amateur circuit racing during the downtime of actual races and the adrenaline rush of taking fast corners and gunning the accelerator got her hooked since then. She would eventually move on to other sporting disciplines such as Drift Racing, where Angie would carve a name as a racer. Fans of the sport still remember her custom-built Nissan Skyline truck which was modified to go fast sideways.
Stint in SEMA
A visit to her new 1000 square meter facility in Taguig would be like visiting Toy Kingdom for any car enthusiasts. You will see cars in various states of tuned perfection from end to end. From a stock Mercedes Benz limousine, down to a widebody 1994 Porsche 993 Carrera 2 painted in an eye popping Amaranth Violet paint. King reveals that her Porsche is the first Rauh-Welt Begriff (RWB) in the country crafted by the renowned Porsche builder Akira Nakai of RWB Japan. “This new shop is more accessible than the old car shop. Car Porn Racing is the one stop shop for all your car needs, we do most works in house from basic oil services, brake jobs, aircon recharging and cleaning, painting and collision repair, four wheel alignment, Detailing, Dyno tuning, engine transplants, resto mod builds, restoration projects and race prep builds. The list goes on as we can do anything you can think off,” explains Angie.
When not busy with her shop in Taguig, King oversees her North American expansion by way of GI Automotive in Los Angeles. “My partnership with GI Automotive is such a blessing as it gives me technical access to information that I once was just forum hunting for. Plus because we are an established business over there I benefit with parts sourcing and getting invited to cool events like the Goldrush Rally, Monterey Car Week and SEMA. Car Porn will just be LA and Manila,” she says. Angie made our country proud by becoming the first Filipino to participate in SEMA, the World’s largest automotive aftermarket show in Las Vegas. If you want to make a presence in the global aftermarket stage, then SEMA is your golden ticket. King’s slammed and widebody Corvete ZR1 was one of the stars of SEMA and it catapulted Car Porn Racing into the global stage.
She has yet to check one off from her bucket list though. “One day I want to own a hyper car but for now I use all the cars in my collection. It’s quite extensive as I have a car for every purpose and I will thrash any of them on a given day as I believe cars should be used properly. But I do have dedicated drift toys I can drive hard without any care! I dont have a particular daily driver as all the cars need to be used. I’am just lucky I have the opportunity to own these cars and no I don’t have a favorite, I love them all,” says the King.