Alfred Perez: Forged and Fuelled by Generations

Alfred Perez shares how his dad encouraged his passion for restoring and fixing vintage cars and the dedication it takes to run the business.

For the parents who grew up around cars and gearheads, the hissing sounds of the grinder and pounding of the jacks are no longer distressing. If anything, they excite. The sanding of the rough holes to firmly hold a brand new but original component in place, the glimmer from the nuts, bolts, gears, and washers after washing in oil, water, and detergent (or what some mechanics call white bar soap) — each process is cherished with the ultimate high coming from the finished piece — a completely restored vintage car.

Such is the case of Alfred Perez, the current owner of Alfred Motorworks and Car Restoration, as he unveils his most beloved restoration project: a fully restored pale yellow 1947 Buick Roadmaster Convertible.

“It took me 2 years to finish restoring the car,” he beams proudly.

But the joy he feels whenever he returns a car to its former glory, he reveals, comes from years of bonding in the garage with his dad.

Growing Up Among Gearheads

“Eto, hugasan mo ‘to — I remember my father just telling me that before handing me a piece,” Alfred admits. “I had fun though; growing up, I saw that [washing car parts] as a part of playtime. But kaya pala, it was also part of training.”

Like many parents who spent their childhood watching their own parents work in the service industry, he was exposed to their parents’ work early on. The car shop and his house were one and the same, according to Alfred. His humble beginnings, Alfred remarks, often had him and his brothers working together to keep the car shop running. “Okay yung mom ko when I was helping out,” he recalls. “In fact, she appreciated it.”

Despite having three brothers, Alfred (who is also the youngest of the four) was the only one who shared his late father’s passion for cars. “By the time I graduated college, I was 20 years old and started running my own shop. But when my father passed away, the shop was eventually passed onto me,” he reveals.

While usually it would have been a family effort, Alfred didn’t mind taking on his dad’s shop alone. “Iba lang ang gusto ng mga brothers ko,” he shrugs. “Some of them became bankers and the like.”

He then laughs, “Kaso kung kotse, sa akin nila binabato!”

Some may think that Alfred’s specialty lies more in restoring vintage models, considering how his garage is simply teeming with them. However, the car shop owner and dad of five shrugs while glancing over to a few modern-day cars like the Hyundai Starex getting a paint job. “Vintage sila ngayon kaso, yun yung mga kotse na tumatakbo during my time,” he admits. “Pero, we do modern cars din.”

The Love That Goes In A Car

Each car in Alfred’s Motorworks and Car Restoration has a story. Including the Toyota Sprinter — Alfred’s very first car and a gift from his dad after graduating and taking over the business. It may not be as fancy as the usual sports car but every dad will admit that if there’s one car they’ll want back in their garage, it’s the very first car they drove around.

“But not all cars are worth restoring,” he advises. “You have to look at their desirability. Kahit you spend PHP 500,000 on some car aesthetics, it won’t carry over. If the car’s value is only going to reach PHP 200,000 then, it won’t matter how fancy you build it up. So, syempre, you have to check the reviews, follow the market for these cars.”

He adds, “Some vintage cars talaga don’t grow in price then there are some, bigla, they become collectibles. Sometimes, it’s because they appeared on TV. Others, it’s because they’re built well. Dapat tanungin din sarili nila, kung babalik ang investment nila.”

However, despite their impracticality on Philippine roads, some vintage cars still find loving garages because of their sentimental value. Their classic and signature looks are also still appreciated by many, especially by those who dream of Gatsby-themed weddings – to whom Alfred gladly rents his restored vintage cars. His various well-preserved Chevrolets are a testament to Alfred Perez’s love for the classics with him even admitting and lamenting the sale of one of them.

“Keeping vintage cars like these needs space. Ganyan talaga minsan,” Alfred sighs. “Kailangan mo din tiyagahan mo yun. It takes hard work to preserve and restore these cars to their former glory.”

Forged and fuelled

Besides finding a home and space for the timeless collectibles, part of the hard work also includes finding people familiar with old machinery and its materials. Some may say that mechanics of that sort are a dying species, considering how cars are becoming more electrical. But Alfred reveals that many of them found a haven for themselves and their families in his shop.

It was when his dad handed the shop down to him, he reveals. “After inheriting the shop, I also took in many of his mechanics and painters. They stayed for years and when they felt that they couldn’t continue the job, their sons would take over.”

As a son who inherited his father’s shop, some things are bound to differ. But Alfred assures that it’s not really the culture or how the place is run; rather, it’s just adding new technology to the shop to keep up with the times. “My dad, talaga, he was conventional, fabricating parts, doing the manual labor. Ako, I brought in new technology like the new gadgets and tools but it’s just to speed up the process of things.”

Despite the hard work and long hours the shop demands, Alfred is grateful that his family — his wife and kids — are supportive of the amount of work he puts in. “May hati wherein my wife focuses more on the kids and I do the manual works. Naintindihan niya na challenging to earn income talaga kaya supportive siya na kailangan minsan, mas mahaba ang oras sa trabaho.”

He figures that his kids might do the same thing when they take over the shop. And much to his delight, they all like cars as much as he does! “I guess it’s in the blood,” he shrugs while laughing. “That and siguro, they grew up seeing it also. My kids are still studying and my son did show some interest in the shop so, we’ll see.”

But he does have wisdom to impart for anyone and even his kids who would one day take over Alfred Motoworks. “It takes a lot of patience,” he admits. “Kailangan masipag ka talaga sa ganitong negosyo. Sometimes, it’s also not always about money, especially if you’re working on a collectible. Hindi pwede basta nagawa mo para pwede sabihin mo nagawa mo. Kailangan ng passion talaga to make it perfect. Hindi pwede yung “pwede na yan.”

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