THERE'S no better way to perk up your morning than to have your vehicle scrubbed to a gleaming shine by seven hot babes.

Indeed, the sweltering heat failed to dampen the spirits of motoring enthusiasts who turned up at Safra Mount Faber last Sunday.

On hand to wash their cars were seven of the 13 finalists of Miss Singapore Universe 2009.

Armed with water hoses, pails, sponges and rags, the girls - who will compete for the prestigious crown come 9May at Shangri-La Hotel - cheerily put their deft hands to good use.

Decked out in tank tops sporting the slogan 'Nice & Natural', the women washed, shampooed and scrubbed each car, all for a worthy cause.

The charity car wash was a collaborative effort between Miss Universe 2009 organiser Derrol Steppeny Promotions, and Safra Motor Sports Club, an interest group set up last April by Safra Mount Faber.

Each car wash cost $10 and all funds raised were donated to Club Rainbow, in aid of children suffering from chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

IT consultant Calvin Por, 32, learnt of the charity car wash through Singapore's Mazda RX8 motoring club, of which he is a member.

All smiles

He was all smiles as the women scrubbed his vehicle, which stood out for its unique colours of baby blue, dark blue and black.

Mr Por told The New Paper that he had repainted his Mazda according to one of the cars in the film The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift.

'I think this car wash is an interesting event. It's for a good cause and an opportunity for us to network and make new friends too,' he said.

Ahead of the women's big night this Saturday, when they will fight tooth-and-nail for the honour of representing Singapore at the Miss Universe pageant in Bahamas, we suss out four hopefuls.



A FULSOME FOURSOME

THE SEXY CHICK

Cheryl Wee, 22

LOOKING at Cheryl, you would not have guessed that Miss Singapore Universe is her first pageant.

'I have never taken part in beauty pageants before, so I just want to enjoy myself,' said the third-year psychology major at the National University of Singapore.

Cheryl looks every bit the sexy bombshell, one who makes heads turn with her alluring wide smile and twinkling eyes.

Standing at 1.65m, what she lacks in height, she more than makes up for with a natural ease in front of the cameras.

But she revealed with a sigh: 'I've got examinations this week.'

While she is determined to ace her exams, you can be sure that she'll be putting her best foot forward in the Miss Singapore Universe competition.

'To me, they're of equal importance, I'll put in effort to do well in both.'

THE SWEET GAL-NEXT-DOOR

Gina Tng, 24

GUYS would love to take Gina home to their mums.

Demure and sweet, she speaks softly and slowly, always with a smile and without any affectation.

'I think every finalist is unique in her own way and we will all do our best on the night of the finals,' she said.

A recent NTU environmental engineering graduate, she boasts a wealth of pageant experience.

Not only was she one of 10 La Formula Una girls in last year's SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, the 1.68m-tall girl-next-door has participated in two international pageants, Miss Global City, held in Taiwan, and Miss Beauty of the World, held in China.

THE SPORTY LASS

Christina Ng, 21

DURING the interview, Christina drove home the point that she's 'the sporty one' among the finalists.

Even if she hadn't told us, we could tell - slim, toned and tall (1.7m), she definitely looked like she was into exercise and keeping fit.

The second-year chemistry major at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was previously queen of her school's Cultural Activities Club pageant.

Washing cars is no arduous task for her.

'This isn't my first car wash, I've done it before for school canvassing events,' she said.

Who doesn't like a girl who can rough it out with the guys when she needs to?

THE YOUNG ONE

Ethel Tan, 18

THIS second-year Tampines Junior College student is the youngest finalist, but she doesn't let age stand in her way.

She believes that her youth 'is her greatest advantage in the competition'.

While other girls politely declined to name who they felt had the best chance of winning, the 1.7m teenager blurted out 'Rachel' without hesitation. She was referring to fellow Miss Universe finalist Rachel Kum, who was a finalist in The New Paper New Face contest in 2007.

Ethel also shared that although she gets along fine with all the other contestants, there is 'inevitably a gap' between them.

'When they start talking about university and work stuff, I don't know what to say,' she admitted.

This article was first published in The New Paper

See also:
» Miss Universe '09, Singapore contestants