Baby ride my car

CELEBRITY radio anchor Arnell Ignacio’s passion for cars led him to a bridal car business, whose centerpieces are his own prized possessions.

Arnell told Inquirer Entertainment that his shop, “bignelli cars,” started a year ago, after he interviewed events organizer Sharon Fabian on his old radio program on dzBB.

Subject of their discussion was the June 2010 Philippine Wedding Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

Unexpected

“I told her I was fond of cars, that I had a lot of them. She asked what I planned to do with the cars and suggested that I try a bridal car service. I did not even think it was a profitable venture,” said Arnell.

He ended up participating in that 2010 expo. “I was given a free spot. The feedback was unexpected. I realized there really was such a thing as a bridal industry. Next time we joined, we were more prepared, with flyers and all,” he said. The Wedding Expo at the SMX Convention Center only last March 12 and 13 was his third.

FPJ’s car

Arnell enjoys restoring old cars. “After I restored my 1965 Lincoln Continental, I wondered what to do with it,” Arnell said. How he got it is a story in itself.

“It was posted in Buy and Sell,” he recounted. He went to see it and learned that the original owner was Fernando Poe Jr. “It’s rare, with just 89 units all over the world, including FPJ’s. For me, it’s not about money, it’s about having a car that few people have.”

Arnell also has a 1993 Lincoln Continental. “I saw it in the car store of a friend who had come home from Dubai,” he said. “I searched e-Bay for everything needed to restore it. Some parts had to be shipped.”

That’s also because he insisted on all-original parts.

“At the SMX expo, people said it looked fresh from the factory, though it was 18 years old,” Arnell added.

Also part of his fleet is a 2000 Porsche Carrera, which he bought for P6 million, and a 1985 Mercedes Benz 280E.

His rates are reasonable, Arnell pointed out. A wedding can cost a minimum of half a million [pesos], he said. “If the bridal car rental is, say, P18,000, that’s small.”

Arnell said his cars may be rented from P3,500 (the Benz) to P25,000 (the Porsche Carrera) for the first three hours, flowers included, “plus the driver na chauffeur na ang itsura.”

Out-of-town bookings may entail extra cost.

Unwitting ‘ninong’

He recounted turning down a booking for the Lincoln Continental in Iloilo: “I’d have to send it by roro (roll on roll off ferry). There’s no guarantee it would not be scratched.”

But he also recalled a time when he asked a couple to just spend for gasoline. “I even drove the Lincoln all the way to UP Church. The guy kept sitting in the car, taking pictures … but I could see he could not afford it. Finally, he said he’d just take the Benz, and I convinced him to take the Lincoln for P3,800 and pay for the gas. In the end he paid me P1,000 after my driver interceded. Parang nag-ninong tuloy ako (It was like being the principal sponsor).”

Best-looking car

Arnell said he offered the 1965 Lincoln for free to Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez when they wed.

“I ended up using it myself during the event—I had the best-looking car,” he said, chuckling.

There are times when Arnell volunteers to be the chauffeur, “like I did for this couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.”

His 15-year-old daughter Sofia helps with the business. “If he needs materials for his flyers, I do that when I have free time in school,” Sofia told Inquirer.

Aside from “bignelli cars” (tel. 726-1947 or 0919-288-8870), Arnell also owns and operates Creative Hair Systems (wigs, toupees, hair extensions, etc.) at the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan. He also hosts “No More Lonely Nights” daily, 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on dzIQ Radyo Inquirer 990.