Ian Angelo King has made his love of cars more than just a hobby. At 33, he has turned his inclination into popular and enviable businesses.
He’s known in car circles as a Porsche-phile and somewhat of an Internet video sensation. Not only is he living the dream of tuner boys everywhere, he’s also at the top of his game where autos are concerned.
Fast cars, however, aren’t the only thing on his agenda.
His family is known for its core business, motel chain Victoria Court. As its managing director, Ian has retrofitted the family’s hospitality business into something cool and hip for the new generation.
I put up my car shop Car Porn Racing… more as a hobby to help maintain my car projects. At the time, I noticed that some of my requests were not being met by other shops. So I put up
my own car shop. But I told myself that I didn’t want to compete with other car shops, so I decided to specialize in products that were not yet available in the Philippines.
My car shop now specializes in Air Suspension, RWB Porsches, custom forged wheels, wide body conversions, V8 engine transplants and luxury modifications.
We are a by-appointment shop, and I actually pick what projects I want to work on.
When it comes to cars, I enjoy… everything I do, whether working behind a desk, planning and editing shoots, or driving a car sideways at 100 kph. I’m blessed to have such a productive career where I get to follow my passion and exercise my creativity.
What I enjoy about drifting is… the whole sensation of it. Being sideways and being able to safely control the car when it’s out of control is such a thrill!
I’m never satisfied with stock cars because… I want to be different, and stock cars are boring for me. They lack personality and flavor.
You can tell a lot about a man by the car he drives because… people’s self-image will reflect in the cars they choose to drive and own.
Dressing up
Being married to supermodel Joey Mead… has been great, as we both love fashion and dressing well. My wife has always told me that she likes it when I dress like a Korean pop star! At the same time, I think I’ve helped influence her style. We don’t coordinate all the time, just occasionally.
I can’t seem to get enough of… fitted wip caps. I used to be a fedora addict, but nowadays we produce our own, so I have a lot of those.
But I also love my DC shoes! DC was made popular by a guy called Ken Block who, up to now, is the benchmark for viral car videos.
I also used to wear a lot of tailored suits. But in the car shop, my wardrobe consists mostly of sneakers, T-shirts and outdoor pants from ROX.
In my dresser/bathroom counter, you’ll find a lot of… products! We have a lot of Pond’s products because my wife uses the brand’s moisturizers!
I don’t use hair products and, since my hair is long, I just usually tie it into a ponytail. Over the years, I’ve amassed quite a collection of perfumes, from Ralph Lauren and A|X all the way to Cool Water and Clinique Happy.
When it comes to bath products, we… shuffle from Safeguard soap to Dove. Shampoo ranges from Head & Shoulders to organic ones like Aloe Derma Natural shampoo and conditioner, and Avalon Organics Thickening Shampoo from Healthy Options.
To keep me looking my best, I have… facial cleaning at this clinic in San Antonio; haircut and treatments at the Basement, Rockwell; and spa days at The Spa in BGC. I used to go to Facial Care a lot, but when we moved to our new place, it was out of the way.
Top tip
Eco-chic individuals like Ian King and Joey Mead-King are slowly ditching harsh chemicals from their beauty routine for greener, more eco-friendly products.
It’s unrealistic to change your beauty cabinet all at once, so switch to different items one at a time.
The best place to start is with your shampoos. Choose milder products with labels such as sulfate-free, paraben-free, fair trade, sustainable, natural, organic, or ships’ carbon-free.
If you’re looking for a shampoo to brighten up your shower time and your mane, consider L’Oreal Paris Hair Expertise’s Eversleek. Not only does it contain Argan, Sunflower and Olive oils, but the sulfate-free addition also smells downright incredible. Eversleek Intense Smoothing is exclusively sold at Watsons.
