My good friend Ron is out in the Philippines visiting family right now. Being the petrolhead car spotter elite that he is here in chicago, Ron wanted to do some of his own car spotting during his stay in the Philippines. A little insightful journey into this beautiful country and the petrol head's that call it home is what we have ultimately ended up with.

For those don't know Ron allow me to introduce him to you. Ron and I first met at a car meet and I was immediately noticed his genuine passion for cars. We hit it off and since then shared many memorable experiences like gridlife and also have been documenting his 240 build which will be coming out very soon. A unique build that compliments it's unique owner. Now let's get to Ron's asian invasion car spotting adventure.

The first spot was just outside of the Mall of Asia. A vibrant blue 1st generation mitsubishi Evo GSR. Last time I saw one of these was in a Jackie Chan movie, I only tease. Now with the 25yr car import rule, I hope we see more ol' school dsm here in chicago.

Heading into the mall to grab some essentials for his hotel room. A quick stop at the newstand proved worthy. Readily on hand were the Top Gear and the Option Magazines. What I noticed and found quite unique is the mini cooper. I got to see all the pictures and shortly you will find out why the mini cooper stood out.

Before making the journey out of the city to what we can compare to the suburbs, a stop at the gas station was needed. At the pump filling up it's tank was a hot rod hearse of a thing. Something you don't see everyday and something else that we don't see to often is here in the states is the full service gas station. Reminds me of the initial D crew.

Then not to far from his family's house, Ron spotted this mean looking compact 4x4. This unique off road vehicle that has been modified for bursting through the Philippine Jungle is a Suzuki Jimny.

After a day of family and food, a walk was much needed. During Ron's stroll in town he came across a couple of hot hatches. A honda Jazz, which is like our Fit and also a hyundai hatch. The hyundai is sporting a new exhaust and Ron noted that it had an aggressive tone to it when going down the street.

Remember earlier when Ron stopped at the newstand and we noted the option magazine with a mini cooper on the cover. Well, while visiting his uncle house in Quezon City, Ron came face to face with this gem of a mini.

An original LHD made for export MINI cooper. This is Ron's uncle's personal weekend joy mobile. The love for this MINI is expressed in the mountain's, enjoying the tight turns and touge action. Its compact size helps navigate the Manila dense traffic as well.

The original hot hatch in a country that embraces the hot hatch concept. Sporty little vehicles that can haul some goods and also move easily in city traffic. Not to mention the pristine condition this MINI is in.

Like how a chef looks forward to visiting the food market, the car part market has everything for sale and is a petrol heads wet dream.

Everything is for sale from wheel and tire combos, car services, and blow off valves. You can channel your inner hustler because the best part is being able to haggle on the price.

Continuing on the evening stroll ron came across a civic. Seeing the bumper cut outs, volk wheels and white lettering on the tires, all these mods add up to this being not your average gas sipper civic. Instead, a Turbo'd K-series powerplant that see's plenty of action on the street. Stay tuned as Ron explores deeper into the car culture of the Philippines. The action is just starting to heat up.