Special creations. Starbright body kits make all the difference in turning the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Honda Civic Dominator, Honda Jazz and Volkswagen New Beetle into street stunners.

IN 1989 Andy Cheng’s love for automobiles opened his eyes to an opportunity that no one else had thought about before—the production of Original Equipment of Manufacturer (OEM) quality body kits and spoilers.

From that inspired idea sprang an operation that turned out beautiful and functional aftermarket products that automotive dealers of Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ford, Mazda Cars, General Motors, Columbia Motors and Proton began offering to their customers. Today, despite increasing competition, Starbright Body Kits remains the country’s most successful producer of quality body kits.  

Part of the company’s success lies in its never-ending research and development that keeps it abreast with the latest advancements in the worldwide automotive industry, especially where car styling trends in the US, Europe and Japan are concerned. Utilizing the latest in molding techniques, the company produces elegant and stylish body kits and other car accessories made of fiberglass and carbon fiber of OE quality urethane. Starbright also develops fiberglass products other than those for cars, custom-made to client’s preferred design and specifications.

All of Starbright’s designs are made from scratch, not copied or adapted from other kits. Every idea that comes off the drawing board goes through several stages of development to ensure perfection and all items undergo OEM-level quality control involving on-line inspection and impact and wear resistance tests.

Many creations of Starbright Body Kits have received acclaim in local car shows and competitions, such as the annual Trans Sport Show, Custom Car & Sport Truck Show, as well as Automotive Audio and Sound-Off Events, wherein they have garnered numerous awards.

In 1992 Starbright began exporting products to Japan and, within a few short months, Malaysia, Vietnam, Canada and the United States.  Three years later, Cheng saw a demand for hard-to-find car accessories such as emblems, decals, steering wheels and switches that prompted him to open up a retail specialty store called Options Unlimited. Options Unlimited has since acquired exclusive distributorship of the ISO 9001:2000 and TUV-certified Prizm High-Intensity Lighting System and has added Automotive Body Graphics to its business, which supplies decals to race and customized cars. 

Just recently, Options Unlimited began “Rad Rides”—an alternative to traditional advertising wherein the company creates visibly branded vehicles that are dressed up from bumper to bumper, inside and out. The vehicle style and custom design body graphics provide high-impact on-target advertising for brands at a fraction of the long-term cost of the conventional billboard.

For more information, log on to www.starbrightbodykits.com.ph or visit the manufacturing plant at 613 Glorietta Street, Raymundo Avenue, Caniogan, Pasig City (telephone 641-3945), or the outlet on 96 Granada Street, Gilmore Avenue, barangay Valencia, Quezon City, Metro Manila, telephone 727-3669, 727-8425, 721-9806.

THE Mercedes-Benz E-Class connotes images of a classy and powerful Teutonic four-door saloon, coming hand-in-hand with choice comforts for the controlling conglomerate chief, albeit in manageable dimensions for local roads (read: a smaller alternative for the S-Class). Whether it can impress buyers looking past what the Audi A6, Volvo S60 and BMW 5-Series offer is the reason for this test drive.

A BOLD addition to the growing number of compact cars in the country today is this Suzuki Alto, which was launched last week at the Le Pavilion in Pasay City.

GIVEN the dire road safety situation in the country of late, automotive companies have recently taken the cudgels in handling the issue as a corporate social responsibility.

GOODBYE, Philippine karting! Hello to the international racing circuit!

This is what Michelle Bumgarner uttered recently as she bade the local racing circuit goodbye before her departure for the United States.

IN 1989 Andy Cheng’s love for automobiles opened his eyes to an opportunity that no one else had thought about before—the production of Original Equipment of Manufacturer (OEM) quality body kits and spoilers.